When you look back on 2022, what will you remember? How Taylor Swift broke Ticketmaster, when Beyoncé dropped the anti-work anthem, or how Harry Styles dominated, well, everything?

As an HR pro, it’s likely the return-to-office calls are up there, too, and not because employees were overjoyed about them. Here are some of the year’s most notable RTOs that didn’t go to plan, plus how HR leaders can learn from them.

General Motors. In September, the company postponed its three-day-a-week, in-person return after it tried—and failed—to communicate it to employees. GM changed course just two business days later, after workers, confused and angered by the policy, pushed back, according to CNBC. Now, employees aren’t expected to be back in the office until Q1 2023.

Apple. The tech giant’s RTO has had multiple false starts since at least the summer of 2021, thanks to Covid-19 and resistance from employees, who’ve opposed the strict nature of the mandates. Its latest push, to bring workers back three days a week after Labor Day 2022, resulted in more than 1,000 employees signing a petition in August, arguing that they were more productive while working from home and should continue to be allowed workplace flexibility. Apple has not commented on whether it is enforcing the mandate.

Tesla. No RTO roundup would be complete without an Elon Musk company. The controversial CEO used threats of termination to bring employees of his EV business back to the office full-time in June. But those who returned faced a unique problem: There weren’t enough parking spaces and desks, and the Wi-Fi wasn’t strong enough to support their work, The Information reported. So, managers told employees to continue working from home.

Ready to RTO? Stephanie Reynolds, chief people officer at Unify Consulting, said HR should discuss with executives whether an RTO is even necessary. Keep reading here.—KP

Do you work in HR or have information about your HR department we should know? Email [email protected]. For completely confidential conversations, ask Kristen for her number on Signal.

There are less than three weeks until January 1, 2023—otherwise known as D-Day for New York City’s first-of-its-kind law requiring audits of the automated technology used to make employment decisions.

But as it happens, the city needs more time to iron out the details.

The Department of Consumer and Worker Protections (DCWP), the agency tasked with creating the final rules, announced on Monday it will not enforce the law—and HR teams with operations in the Big Apple won’t have to audit their tech—until April 15, 2023.

To recap…In December 2021, New York City lawmakers passed the automated employment decision tools law, which will require employers to conduct third-party bias audits of hiring technology before using it, as well as inform candidates or employees when they do use AI in employment decisions.

What does it mean? Good question. When the law passed, it was generally received as being well-intentioned. But as HR has prepared to comply, some have been pulling at their hair trying to decipher what compliance might entail.

Questions abound over many aspects of the law, from which tools fall under the umbrella of “automatic decision tools,” to who qualifies as an independent auditor, to how to conduct the audit in the first place—a question which, as HR Brew has reported, currently lacks consensus.

This fall, the DCWP attempted to clarify by releasing proposed rules—but this resulted in more confusion and a “high volume” of comments. Due to the feedback, the agency will hold a second public hearing and postpone final rulemaking.

Why it matters. Nearly 1 in 4 US employers, and 42% of employers at organizations with over 5,000 employees, surveyed by SHRM in early 2022 said they used some form of AI in their employment processes.

Though the practice is relatively common, regulation is not. Keep reading here.—SV

Do you work in HR or have information about your HR department we should know? Email [email protected]. For completely confidential conversations, ask Susanna for her number on Signal.

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Adrian Hopkins made the move to HR because he saw a problem that needed to be solved. Working for the New York Times’s T Brand Studio, Hopkins saw a “massive need for more professional development support” for his team, so he pitched an employee mentorship program to HR. Six years later, he’s now leading internal culture and communications at Grey, an NYC ad agency. To him, internal comms serves workplace connectivity, enabling employees to see how their work relates to the company’s mission and to understand company leadership’s priorities and vision.

How would you describe your specific job to someone who doesn’t work in HR?

The role of internal culture and communications is all about content and experiences that help employees, one, have consistent reinforcement of the company’s strategic vision and operational goals and, two, feel connected to each other across functions.

How do you see internal communications as a tool to drive workplace culture and further a company’s HR business goals?

Cultures thrive when there is trust—and consistent, clear communication builds trust. So, as our HR team identifies their goals for a new calendar year, I plan to keep a close partnership with them to brainstorm and execute communication tactics that resonate best for a team of creative employees. As a matter of fact, one thing I’m excited to do in this new role is learn from colleagues on our account teams about how they bring new ideas, year after year, to our long-standing clients, and see if we can borrow any of those methods internally to take fresh approaches to annual processes like performance management and employee engagement surveys.

What’s the best change you’ve made at a place you’ve worked? Keep reading here.

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Today’s top HR reads.

Stat: Just one in four North American employers report being effective in their performance management. (WTW)

Quote: “We are seeing tremendous growth, to put it plainly, and I do think it’s because we’re seeing folks from more traditional areas of tech business and finance.”—Evan Hynes, co-founder of Climatebase, discussing the soaring number of Big Tech workers applying for so-called green collar jobs (Fortune)

Read: A deep dive into how the Speak Out Act will help victims of workplace sexual harassment. (Forbes)