COMPLIANCE

Getty Images

Summer in Maine means lobster, campfires, diving into crystal clear waters…and soon, getting a crystal clear vision of your pay.

The state known as “Vacationland” won’t take a break from pay transparency this summer, as it becomes the latest jurisdiction to require it with a law taking effect on July 29.

That law, which was signed by Maine Gov. Janet Mills in April, requires employers with 10 or more workers to share expected salary ranges not only in external job postings, but also with current employees upon request.

The internal disclosure provision sets Maine’s pay transparency law apart from many others in effect throughout the US, which typically only require businesses to disclose pay in job listings externally. Nevertheless, many HR teams are likely already navigating conversations with current employees about compensation, even if it’s not required by law, sources told us.

For more on the challenges associated with internal pay disclosures, keep reading here.—CV

      

Sponsored By General Assembly

The weakest link in AI adoption sits at the top. VP-level leaders trail directors on every AI competency measure, from security to building workflows. And 68% don’t even know what vibe coding is.

General Assembly’s AI For Leaders training program helps the folks at the top keep up with the tools that have already been deployed.

It’s built to equip executives and decision-makers with the strategic understanding, practical skills, + accountability structures to help drive real AI transformation.

It’s all about creating the right foundation. GA reports that execs who attend leadership-specific AI training are more likely to have teams that use AI regularly (96%), moving beyond task automation and changing how work gets done.

Shore up your leadership’s AI adoption.

HR STRATEGY

Morning Brew

In recent years, companies in Japan have grappled with how to respond to a shrinking labor population. They have offered employees more parental leave and access to dating services, and hired more foreign workers. Now, some are exploring an emerging solution: the next phase of AI.

At SusHi Tech Tokyo 2026 in April, some employers debuted AI employees. Like human employees, they have their own email addresses and jobs, and proactively take on tasks, Japan Today reported.

“The labor problem in Tokyo is not only about headcount; it’s also about coordination,” Xiankun Wu, founder and CEO of Silicon Valley-based AI startup Kuse, told Japan Today. “AI employees [such as Junior] fit in not as a replacement for people, but as a new layer in the organization that can take responsibility for recurring work.”

Some of these AI workers, like Kuse’s “Junior,” are already taking on full-time roles at companies, where they’re onboarded just like human employees.

For more on how employers in Japan are embracing AI, keep reading here.—KP

      

TECH

Morning Brew Inc.

For better or worse (probably worse), a new productivity trend has arrived: using AI tools to record, transcribe, and analyze every single conversation. Unsurprisingly, it’s a habit the unknowingly recorded have some objections to—and could also come with big legal consequences.

What happened? You can probably assume you’re on the record everywhere now, from work meetings to happy hours, per a viral Wall Street Journal report last week. A growing number of people are capturing every social interaction using AI notetaking apps, slim mics that attach to phones, or wearables like smart glasses, pins, rings, bracelets, you name it.

For these self-appointed stenographers, the payoff is that they never miss a beat: The AI can summarize every convo and even spit out a to-do list. For everyone else, it’s a privacy nightmare, as many of these recording enthusiasts don’t appear to be asking for permission. And there’s a decent chance that they could be running afoul of the law.

Bottom line. Recording everything might be the newest life optimization hack, but always being recorded isn’t exactly optimal for your stress levels.

For more on the legal and social challenges associated with using AI to record every meeting and interaction, keep reading on Tech Brew.—WK

      

Sponsored By CoAd

A PEO that fits your business. CoAd gives employers the flexibility to build a PEO solution around their business instead of requiring them to purchase a predetermined bundle. With CoAd, employers can choose the combination of payroll, HR, benefits administration, compliance support, and PEO services that best fit their org. Get what you need (not what you don’t).

work perks

Francis Scialabba

Today’s top HR reads.

Stat: More than one-quarter (29%) of workers with chronic conditions stay in unwanted jobs just for health insurance. (Gallup)

Quote: “The next great AI application, driven by open source, or open weights, will be a job simulator. How employees gain experience in a future AI world is going to be far different from today.”—Mark Cuban, serial entrepreneur and star of Shark Tank, on the future of skills building (Business Insider)

Read: Unemployment claims are down, but job seekers continue to face a tight labor market. (Marketplace)

^{*A message from our sponsor.}