The fallout from Brian Thompson’s murder in New York City earlier this month likely extended far beyond those who knew and loved the CEO of UnitedHealthcare. Over 396,000 people work at the insurer’s parent company, UnitedHealth Group.

And when tragedy strikes a company, leaders must think about how it may affect all of their employees, regardless of the event, said Jeff Gorter, vice president of clinical crisis response at R3 Continuum, which provides mental health services to organizations dealing with disruptions. The actions may differ based on the circumstances—employees shocked over their CEO’s death may not need the same help as those dealing with homes destroyed by hurricanes. Communication, counseling, and links to relevant services are key parts of an overall strategy, he said.

“There’s no one right way to feel. The impact can be as varied as the employees in the organization,” said Gorter. Using the death of a CEO as an example, he said people who were close to their company’s leader may wrestle with the emotional impact of the loss. Those who didn’t know the individual could be more concerned with how the death will impact their job.

That’s why it is critical to communicate quickly, even if the situation is still developing and there isn’t a definitive action plan.

Keep reading here.—TA

To Twill founder and CEO Michelle Volberg, instead of improving the recruiting landscape, ChatGPT and the salvo of generative-AI powered tools are actually making it more difficult for recruiters to find the right candidates and make the best hiring decisions.

Tools like ChatGPT can help candidates tailor their résumés and cover letters to individual job descriptions, taking résumé embellishment to the next level.

“AI has made it really difficult for both candidates and hiring managers,” she said. “[Recruiters are] historically used to getting 1,000 bad résumés and having to spend hours to find one great one, sometimes never finding one at all. Now they’re getting 1,000 perfect résumés, thinking that they’re good, reviewing 20 résumés, interviewing 10, hiring one. And the person that shows up for the job is someone completely different.”

The phenomenon, Volberg contends, means the hiring process is more difficult and takes longer for TA. And it’s harder for qualified and right-fit candidates to stand out in a sea of pristine résumés. So she’s channeling her experience in executive search and boutique recruitment and shipping new recruiting technology that leverages the networks and relationships of working tech professionals with her referral platform for tech professionals, Twill.

Keep reading here.—AD

Here’s some data to dampen the holiday spirit. Salary growth has declined for the second year in a row, half of employees are under financial stress, and the pay gap for women is expanding, according to a survey released Thursday by software platform BambooHR.

The average annual salary increase fell to 3.6% this year from 4.6% in 2023 and 6.2% in 2022, based on the responses of 1,512 people Bamboo surveyed in September. That’s not counting the two in five salaried respondents who didn’t receive a pay increase at all.

Then there’s the widening gender pay gap. “Over the last few years, men have consistently reported receiving higher salary increases than women,” the report said, including this year, when the average raise for men was 4.8% to women’s 2.7%, the latter barely more than the 2.4% inflation rate in September, when the survey was taken. A smaller share of women even got a raise: 55% compared to 64% of men. No surprise, then, that more women reported being unhappy with their pay.

They’ll walk. That matters because more employees are open to leaving their jobs, for a smaller potential raise, than in the last couple of years.

Keep reading on CFO Brew.—GD

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