Microsoft was founded in April 1975, right around the time that the first personal computers were invented. By the 1980s, it was a major tech company, and today, it boasts a market cap of $3.2 trillion.

While a lot has changed, Lindsay-Rae McIntyre, Microsoft’s chief diversity officer of more than six years, told HR Brew that diversity and inclusion has remained a core part of the company’s values.

So while some companies have rolled back on DE&I or are quietly moving forward with initiatives, Microsoft is openly pushing ahead. “We need to listen to the experiences of our employees…and make sure diversity is at the core of their experience,” McIntyre said.

The company recently released its annual diversity and inclusion report, exploring the spectrum of representation within the organization, from women to racial minorities, disabled workers, and veterans. And while Microsoft has seen some progress since it started tracking representation in 2019, its chief diversity officer told HR Brew that there’s always room for improvement as the company, which has 228,000 employees globally, continues to grow.

Keep reading here.—KP

Like the tortoise in the classic fable The Tortoise and the Hare, the labor market remains slow and steady.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics released its September Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS) today. While hires and separations were little changed from the previous month, the total number of job openings fell to 7.4 million from 8 million in August, the lowest level since September 2021.

“You’ll have to take the September numbers with a grain of salt…because you’ve got some hurricane impact, and there’s some strike impacting data in there, so that’s going to throw off the numbers,” said Rajesh Namboothiry, SVP at Manpower US. “The data is a little distorted for September, although I do see steadiness.”

The labor market is strong despite recent events. As the southeast faced hurricane devastation in September, the region’s job openings declined significantly, dropping by 325,000 in the South, compared to 63,000 in the West, 24,000 in the Midwest, and 8,000 in the Northeast. Despite this, Rachel Sederberg, senior economist and director at research firm Lightcast, told HR Brew the labor market is still strong and steady, and returning to a pre-pandemic normal.

Keep reading here.—MC

Google calls its employees “Googlers,” and Indeed says “Indeedians.” Workers at HR software company BambooHR are “Bambooligans,” while talent experience platform company Cornerstone employs “Cornerstars.”

But why? Some companies give their employees nicknames as a way to foster belonging since 75% of employees have felt excluded in their workplace, according to a 2023 EY report.

“I have an allergy to calling people ‘employees’. I just think it’s very industrial age,” said Anita Grantham, BambooHR’s head of HR. “You want to pick a term that is more inclusive, and has people feel like they’re a part of something bigger.”

While giving employees a nickname may seem like an easy way to foster inclusion, choosing a nickname that will contribute to a company’s culture is anything but simple. Shawntà Hooks, a keynote speaker, and belonging and mindfulness expert, shared with HR Brew what people pros should consider when choosing an employee nickname—and what to do if it doesn’t resonate with everyone.

Keep reading here.—MC