Non-compete agreements had some highs and lows in 2024.

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) banned non-competes last April, arguing that they limit employees’ earnings and hamper innovation. The ban was struck down by a federal judge in August, only for the FTC to appeal the ruling in October. Even as the future of non-competes remains foggy, they still impact roughly one in five Americans, according to the FTC.

Many companies use non-competes as a way to retain workers. Hedge fund Citadel recently extended its non-compete for some portfolio managers to 21 months, Bloomberg reported, longer than the average 12 months required by its competitors, in an effort to retain these employees amid the industry’s hiring war.

While non-competes may make some employees think twice before quitting, said Cy Wakeman, best-selling author and founder of leadership consulting firm Reality-Based Leadership, if they want to leave, they’re going to go.

Keep reading here.—MC

It’s nearly the most wonderful time of the year *checks notes*: Performance review season, a time that managers and individual contributors alike cherish dearly. (In case it’s not clear, we’re being sarcastic.)

While the annual performance review cycle has remained status quo for many companies, advancements in AI and employees’ interest in more frequent feedback have prompted some people teams to rethink the process.

HR leaders shared with us how they’d like performance management to evolve in the year ahead.

Keep reading here.—PM

Let the AI-led workforce transformation commence.

The latest installment of the World Economic Forum’s Future of Jobs report shows that major trends such as broadening digital access and advancements in AI technologies “are expected to have a divergent effect on jobs.” In other words: Companies plan to replace some workers with AI, but hire others with in-demand skill sets.

Roughly two-fifths (41%) of the 1,000-plus companies WEF surveyed globally said they plan to “downsize their workforce” by 2030 due to AI. Yet, 69% said they expect to recruit workers skilled in designing and enhancing AI tools, and almost half (47%) said they’ll “transition employees from AI-disrupted roles to other positions.” The WEF also noted that out of every 100 workers, 59 will need training to learn new in-demand skills by 2030.

Keep reading on CFO Brew.—AZ