Unfortunately for HR pros, the career path from the people function to head of operations isn’t so common. Most COOs tend to come up through operations or finance before landing their role.

Making the jump, however, isn’t impossible. Angel Franklin, COO of the dating app Hinge, stepped into her role last August after serving as CPO since June 2022.

An evolution. Franklin still oversees Hinge’s HR function, and there are no existing plans for another person to take over CPO responsibilities. However, her promotion isn’t simply a title change, she said, but a reflection of how her work and its scope were already evolving.

For more on Franklin’s meteoric climb and how other HR pros may follow suit, keep reading here.—PM

The stock market has been on quite a rollercoaster ride in recent weeks, with sharp fluctuations driven by uncertainty surrounding US tariff policies and leadership at the Federal Reserve.

When the market drops, so do our stomachs—and it can be particularly nervewracking to peek at 401(k) accounts during these moments of volatility. Already, many workers feel behind on saving for retirement, and are looking at a future where they’ll likely work later into their lives.

During moments of economic uncertainty, employers can point their workers toward financial education resources, connect them with advisors, and remind them of their investment options, financial experts tell HR Brew.

For more ways to reassure employees amid sudden stock market swings, keep reading here.—CV

Employees aren’t all vibing with the idea of becoming someone else’s boss.

Only one-third of individual contributors in the US want to be a people manager, according to a LinkedIn survey. And, some companies are rethinking how they handle promotions, so people management isn’t the only option for employees. Shopify, Google, and BP, for instance, started dual-track or two-track promotions, The Hill reported, where employees choose to advance either as a people manager or as a higher-level individual contributor within a company.

When employees become managers, but lack the people skills to be a good manager, it can create retention issues, workplace strategist and author Jennifer Moss told HR Brew.

“Teams suffer because [employees can be] really good at being individual contributors, but terrible at being managers,” Moss said, adding ineffective leaders cause frustration within their entire team.

For more on creative retention strategies when considering promotions, keep reading here.—MC