| The 3 items on a CHRO’s checklist ahead of an IPO. |
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It’s Thursday! Cryptocurrency exchange company Binance recently lost $6.3 billion in what’s been called the biggest hack in the history of the industry. A fake HR representative was part of the elaborate ruse, the company recently said, as the hackers conducted phony job interviews in order to gain the trust of an engineer, who then downloaded malicious software onto a work laptop. We try not to use the phrase “HR is not your friend,” but in this case it most definitely applies. In today’s edition: 💼 CPOs and IPOs ⚖️ Legislative lowdown 💸 Challenge accepted —Courtney Vinopal, Maia Anderson |
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HR STRATEGY Bringing people public  Illustration: Morning Brew Inc, Photos: Getty Images, Adobe Stock | SpaceX. OpenAI. Anthropic. The next few years are set to be blockbuster ones for the IPO market, as these big-name companies go public. Before and after an IPO, the public is typically interested in finances. What’s the company’s stock price listed at? How much does it pop post-IPO? And how does the market cap compare to the company’s valuation pre-IPO? But for employees of these companies, an IPO could also represent a profound shift in how their employer operates, experts told us. When firms go public, their leaders can’t communicate with employees as openly as they did when they were private. Compensation, culture, and internal communications all stand to change. As workers’ incentives shift, so too does the firm’s employee value proposition. HR Brew spoke to chief people officers, analysts, and consultants with experience taking companies public about some of the biggest agenda items on HR leaders’ lists before, during, and after an IPO. For more on the items on a chief people officer’s checklist ahead of an IPO, keep reading here.—CV |
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Sponsored By LinkedIn Too qualified to be true  | The perfect resume just landed on your desk. There’s just one problem: You’ve already reviewed hundreds of picture-perfect applications, and it’s getting harder to know which candidates are real and truly qualified. That’s the tricky part when AI enters the application process. It can help candidates put their best foot forward, but it can also make polished resumes easier to generate and harder to assess. According to LinkedIn, 1 in 3 recruiters say it’s getting harder to tell real applications from fake ones. LinkedIn can help. Their Future of Talent Report digs into how leading talent teams are building trust in the age of AI, with details on how these teams are finding reliable ways to validate identity, experience, and skills. Get all the intel in the full report. |
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COMPLIANCE Legislative lowdown  Francis Scialabba | The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) recently voted to rescind Obama-era enforcement guidance regarding discrimination by the use of arrest and conviction records in employment decisions. Though the rescission doesn’t change employers’ legal obligations under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, it does signal an area where President Donald Trump’s administration is moving away from cases involving disparate impact liability. That legal theory, which was called out in a 2025 executive order, holds that neutral-seeming policies and procedures can nevertheless disproportionately affect a protected class. “Rescinding this guidance does not give employers license to engage in unlawful discrimination—Title VII continues to prohibit discrimination based on race or national origin, including employment requirements that are proxies for intentional discrimination,” EEOC Chair Andrea Lucas said in a statement regarding the decision. The lone Democrat on the commission, Kalpana Kotagal, criticized the decision and said it would “likely cause confusion among employers.” For more on what the EEOC rescinded, and what it means for HR, keep reading here.—CV |
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Sponsored By Paychex  | Noncompliance costs you. Don’t let new regulations catch you off guard. Lean on over 50 years of HR + compliance expertise from Paychex. Its compliance hub helps you stay updated on everything from minimum-wage changes to tip credits so you can protect your biz from penalties. Check it out. |
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total rewards Containing costs > cutting coverage  Illustration: Amelia Kinsinger, Photos: Adobe Stock | There’s nothing more valuable than good health—literally. Employers expect their healthcare costs to rise by a median of 9% in 2026, up from 8% in 2025, a Business Group on Health survey found. So it should come as no surprise, perhaps, that many are considering changes to their health plans. “In this challenging environment, employers remain firmly committed to an ongoing investment in employee health and well-being,” Ellen Kelsay, president and CEO of Business Group on Health, said in a statement announcing the data’s release. “Yet they will need to make bold and strategic moves to contain costs, sometimes disrupting health care models along the way.” For more on how employers are containing costs without cutting coverage, keep reading here.—CV, MA |
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Sponsored By Wellhub  | The secret sauce for AI strategy + retention. Wellhub’s Work-Life Wellness Report 2027 found that those who matter most for AI-era performance are also the most likely to quit without well-being support. With a trove of helpful data, the free report is a playbook for supporting performance, resilience, and retention in an AI-driven workplace. Download now. |
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work perks (2).jpg) Francis Scialabba | Today’s top HR reads. Stat: AI and machine learning engineers are commanding much higher equity compensation packages than they were two years ago, with the salary benchmark for these roles rising by 60% between 2024 and the first half of 2026. (Carta) Quote: “This is without doubt the hardest moment in our thirteen-year history. Behind every decision is someone we care deeply about, and I know the consequences will be very real for those directly affected, their families, friends, and teammates.”—Canva CEO Melanie Perkins wrote to employees about a major restructuring that’s expected to affect 22% of the workforce (Business Insider) Read: Managers with Walt Disney Co. are being asked to cut costs by 20%. Thousands of employees could be laid off as a result of these efforts. (Bloomberg) *A message from our sponsor. |
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Jobs  | More focus, less fluff. CollabWORK filters out the noise and delivers jobs that actually match what HR Brew readers are looking for. Click here to see the full board of curated roles. |
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