Conventional wisdom says you can’t wear white after Labor Day, but many employees across corporate America can no longer wear pajama bottoms to meetings either, as companies position the end of summer as the RTO reset.

At Microsoft, the HR team wants working in the office to be purposeful. It recently released people-analytics informed guidance to managers and leaders suggesting employees show up for “moments that matter.”

“We started this research many months ago…to really understand when in-person matters,” said Dawn Klinghoffer, Microsoft’s VP of HR business insights. “When is it important for us to come together in-person to build the relationships that we need, and when is it important for us to be working together in the same location?”

Klinghoffer’s people analytics team found that there were specific scenarios where in-person meetings can have an impact on the work itself.

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Every company wants to thrive. And the best way to do that? Make sure your employees are thriving first.

Measuring and understanding employee wellbeing is a major key to attracting and retaining talent. And you can get a close-up look at how to do it thanks to Indeed’s 2023 Better Work Awards.

A small but mighty crew of 20 companies are being honored for having the highest Work Wellbeing Scores on Indeed within the past year (each biz had more than 1k employees + at least 200 employee ratings). The scores are based on the world’s largest study on work wellness led by industry experts and based on millions of employee insights.

Help your workforce thrive by learning from the companies that are building better work. Check out the list of Better Work Award winners.

Technological advancements often bring with them plenty of worries and speculation about how they will transform the world—cue endless headlines about AI replacing our jobs or transforming the ways we work.

So, it’s likely no surprise that the rapid deployment of ChatGPT and other generative AI tech has triggered consternation among employees, even if they may not be thinking about the tech the same way as their company leaders.

According to a new Gallup poll, 22% of people surveyed worry that technology will make their job obsolete, up from 15% in 2021.

What’s HR to do? Don’t panic. Many experts predict the technology will allow companies to develop new ways of thinking about how to use automation to support employees and improve how they do their jobs. Augment, rather than replace them altogether.

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Here’s this week’s edition of our Coworking series. Each week, we chat 1:1 with an HR Brew reader. Want to be featured in an upcoming edition? Click here to introduce yourself.

LoriAnn Penman became a HR tech convert while working at the Newport News, Virginia-based company TTC. The HR director at the professional services company had an “if you can’t beat ’em, join ’em” attitude when it came to technology. After she joined ’em, she began updating the company’s HR processes and moving away from paper files. During the last five years at TTC, Penman oversaw the implementation of a new ATS for recruiting and hiring and an ERP system for accounting and timekeeping. Then last year, Penman launched a new HRIS, overhauling all the company’s HR systems into one.

Penman’s background is in accounting and finance, but when she was “over it,” she moved to recruiting and HR consulting for an accounting firm who needed help from someone who could speak the language of accounting. Her foundation as an accountant and corporate controller has suited her well since making the switch to the people field. “HR is always trying to get a seat at the table, and one way to do that is to speak the language of business,” she told HR Brew.

What’s the best change you’ve made at work?

Digitizing and automating processes. I used to be very anti-technology, steering clear of it whenever possible, but if you can’t beat ’em, join ’em. I’ve embraced tech wholeheartedly. At my last several companies, I’ve implemented systems for recruiting, electronic HR files, HRIS, and most recently implemented a system that combines onboarding, payroll, ATS, HR, training, and analytics into one platform. We can do more with less now, and our HR outputs look like they’re produced by a tech firm (which we are, so that helps).

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Today’s top HR reads.

Stat: Only 37% of HR leaders, in-house counsel, and execs surveyed say they provide employees policies or guidance on how they can use AI tools in the workplace. (Littler)

Quote: “You know what I do with that report? I read it. I don’t then take the report and start calling people…The only reason we do that is to understand: What’s the utilization of an office? Do we need more space or less space? It’s not to check on employees.”—Bob Toohey, Allstate CHRO, on the company’s monitoring of badge swipes and employee in-office attendance (the Wall Street Journal)

Read: The new Hollywood writers’ deal demonstrates the power that unionized workers have in today’s labor climate. (the New York Times)

Winning work: Learn from the best by checking out Indeed’s 2023 Better Work Award winners. It lists 20 companies that have the highest Work Wellbeing Scores on Indeed within the last year. Peep the list.*

Tracking RTO: Employers and employees all want the scoop on return-to-office policies. Learn how one company built a database to track RTO in our latest article, sponsored by PwC.*

^{*A message from our sponsor.}