Former President Joe Biden emphasized the importance of personal connections in leadership during his speech at SHRM 2025, urging HR professionals to value and support their teams by remembering personal milestones such as birthdays. Biden shared anecdotes about prioritizing family, including commuting two hours daily during his vice presidency to demonstrate to staff the importance of work-life balance. "Workers will give their all when they know you care not just about them but about their families, too," Biden said.

Employee expectations around leadership roles have shifted significantly. Younger generations, including elder millennials and Generation Z, are pushing back against traditional norms like overworking and micromanagement, and prioritizing personal time over career advancement, even when salary increases are offered. As a result, companies seeking future leaders must adapt their approach, recognizing that today's candidates expect work-life balance and clear boundaries, even at the leadership level.

Alcohol distributor Southern Glazer aims to improve employee health, engagement and morale with its "Be You, Only Better" program, which has an 85% satisfaction rate and reduces medical costs through preventive care and mental health support, says Amy Kickham, chief HR officer. "People take 30 minutes at lunch and walk around the park, and they’re getting their steps in, monitoring their heart rate and ensuring they’re taking care of themselves," says Kickham, who adds the BYOB program also offers team competitions and financial wellbeing classes.

Employers are lagging in implementing comprehensive AI policies, with only 28% having them in place, according to an Information Systems Audit and Control Association poll of digital trust professionals. While 81% of employees use AI, mainly for content creation and productivity, only 22% of organizations provide AI training for all staff. The poll also found 66% of respondents expect deepfake cyberthreats to increase, but only 21% of organizations are investing in detection tools.

The role of HR is evolving from a reactive function to a strategic partner, driven by data, predictive modeling and AI, writes April Whitson, HR executive for ABB Process Industries. "It is time to stop treating workforce strategy as a downstream concern. It must sit at the center of business transformation," writes Whitson.

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