Barbie has been praised by some for its diverse cast. And women hold the power everywhere you look in Barbie Land, from government to business and even space. But the executives at Mattel don’t quite look like the residents of the magical world.

Mason Williams, Mattel’s global head of DE&I, recently spoke with HR Brew about how the company is working to create a culture of diversity and shape its next generation of leaders.

Art imitates life. Williams believes diversity is part of what has drawn audiences to Barbie. For Williams, this aspect of the movie exemplifies his experience working at Mattel. “We have a physical representation of what our core belief is,” he explained. “Our belief is that we’re at our best when everyone feels respected, included, and heard, so that we can be ourselves and [bring] the best of ourselves to the workplace.”

“[Diversity] gives us the chance to attract and retain great talent. It’s a big core to our business strategy,” he added.

And as popular as its products are (164 Barbies were sold every minute in 2021, and sales have jumped 56% since the film’s release), so are its jobs, for talent at every age. “When an 80-year-old toy company is attracting Gen Z talent, something is connected,” he said. “We have four solid generations in the workforce right now.”

Building a dream house workforce. As alluded to in the movie (we’re trying to avoid spoilers!), the company is aware of its shortcomings. Williams recognized that Mattel’s executive leadership doesn’t mirror the diversity of its target consumer base.

Keep reading here.—KP

Working in HR is about people, right? Well, that’s where AI comes in. Turns out that HR pros can use AI and machine learning to improve the employee experience—and make their own jobs easier.

Workday breaks it all down in their new report, How AI and Machine Learning Empower HR. They examine the difference AI and machine learning can make for your org—and how Workday is already providing this cutting-edge tech.

Here’s a peek into what HR tech can do for your org:

• improve the ROI of people and business investments
• equip employees with the necessary tools and knowledge to support their entire employee life cycle
• help you deliver meaningful, personalized, inclusive, and impactful people strategies

It’s time for HR to embrace a human-centered approach to AI. Download the free report.

In the ’90s and early aughts, “computer rooms” began to appear in US households; entire rooms—former bedrooms, studies, or dens—were refitted with oversized furniture with enough nooks and crannies for every piece of hardware needed to run America Online, RollerCoaster Tycoon, and Clippy. When new tech is widely adopted, it marks drastic changes to the way we do things.

As generative AI makes its way into the world of work, it’s bound to drastically change the way companies and their employees think about everything.

“There’s no question in the minds of the HR professionals…that AI will disrupt hiring, training, performance management, but they’re not quite sure how,” said Ben Granger, chief workplace psychologist at Qualtrics.

A recent study of call center workers from the National Bureau of Economic Research found that generative AI can be especially helpful for novice and lower-skilled workers and can improve workplace productivity by as much as 35%.

That same study, however, revealed that the AI took its cues from the more productive and senior employees; their prowess and experience was instrumental to the overall productivity bounce that the generative AI was able to help kindle at the call center.

“It’s digitally capturing some of that expertise that they were previously using for that one customer, and now other customers are going to benefit from it. Even ones that never talked to that high performer,” said Erik Brynjolfsson, senior fellow at the Stanford Institute for Human-Centered AI and one of the authors of the study.

Keep reading here.—AD

Wondering whether or not a recession is coming is more agonizing than 10 years of will-they-won’t-they with Ross and Rachel.

While the Bureau of Labor Statistics’s July jobs numbers were lower than economists anticipated, Adecco’s VP of US search, Michelle Duong, told HR Brew that she’s optimistic about the market, and that recruiters should prepare for a busy fall.

By the numbers. In July, the US labor market added 187,000 jobs, lower than the 200,000 that economists expected, and signaling to some that the market is “cooling.” The unemployment rate remained at a near-record low of 3.5%, according to the BLS.

“The job market is still very strong,” Duong told HR Brew. Adecco has already seen an uptick in jobs in August and expects a strong fall. “Typically, Q3 is a very strong quarter for the permanent placement sector of our business. And we already see that trend, given that we’re wrapping up the first week of August.”

Down time advantage. While the job market tends to be slightly quieter in the summer, Duong said recruiters should prepare for it to rebound in the fall.

Keep reading here.—KP

Today’s top HR reads.

Stat: Astra is laying off 25% of its workforce and transferring at least 50 engineers and manufacturing staff to its spacecraft business. (TechCrunch)

Quote: “Strikes are a powerful tool for exercising power, but because our labor law is so weak, it comes with great risk for workers.”—Sharon Block, a professor at Harvard Law School and the executive director of the Center for Labor and a Just Economy, discussing why it is important for workers to understand their protections when considering a strike (CNBC)

Read: Career coaches are encouraging workers to put an end to “silent complicity” in the workplace, and adopt the self-care strategies of professional athletes. (Forbes)

Stress less: Make workforce mental health a priority with info from Calm’s new Harvard Business Report. Learn how Ogilvy and Zendesk are reinventing work to support mental health + say no to workplace stress.*

^{*This is sponsored advertising content.}