For Paylocity’s executive chairman Steve Beauchamp, the human capital management (HCM) landscape is tough and competitive. His Illinois-based HCM platform is focused on delivering a modern tech stack that can deliver an easy-to-use experience for HR and payroll pros and their employees.

“We’re really trying to focus on really creating a very easy-to-use employee experience for all of our customers across the entire HCM landscape,” Beauchamp said. “We have all of the modules that you might expect, whether it’s recruiting, onboarding, compensation management, performance management—you name the module in HCM, we really built that out completely.”

Paylocity, a cloud-based HR and payroll solution for SMBs and larger enterprises, is working to deliver HR-related tech solutions all across the function. To keep competitive and meet the needs of clients, Beauchamp told HR Brew that Paylocity is aiming to “go beyond traditional HCM” in order to meet all the employee-related business needs on the very platform that allows employees to get paid.

At this year’s HR Tech conference and expo in Las Vegas, Beauchamp offered HR Brew insights about the current and future landscape for HCMs like Paylocity.

Keep reading here.—AD

As DE&I initiatives have come under attack by some conservative activists over the last two years, employee resource groups (ERGs) have also faced scrutiny. However, a new report suggests that companies are still investing in ERGs and DE&I committees.

The Rise Journey, an ERG consultancy, recently released its fourth annual State of the ERG report, examining how companies deploy ERGs and compensate their leads.

The 2023 report combined qualitative and quantitative analyses from 239 organizations. The majority of the organizations (69%) were headquartered or have their largest office in the US; 43% have more than 1,000 employees, while almost one-quarter have 100–500 employees and the remainder fall in between.

Despite the recent politicization of DE&I initiatives, 44% of organizations reported having a dedicated DE&I professional, 12% of whom are VP-level or above, a 3% increase from 2022. Similar to the previous year, most companies with fewer than 250 employees reported not having a dedicated DE&I professional, while larger companies tended to have more support and budget.

Keep reading here.—KP

Walgreens is set to lay off 256 employees in its latest move to cut costs in a year that’s seen the retail pharmacy giant’s shares plummet 63%, company spokesperson Fraser Engerman confirmed in an email to Healthcare Brew.

The move comes just more than two weeks after Walgreens reported a $3 billion loss in its Q4 earnings—bringing the total year’s net loss to $8.6 billion, a 180% increase compared to 2023—and executives announced plans to close 1,200 stores over the next three years.

Engerman said that the layoffs will allow Walgreens to further focus on its core retail pharmacy business. All affected employees worked in support center roles and will receive severance and outplacement support, he said.

Walgreens has announced a string of layoffs this year.

Keep reading on Healthcare Brew.—MA