Exhausted? Feeling cynical or negative? Checking out? It’s not just you—especially if you’re an HR professional. As much as burnout today is a global experience, it has taken an especially serious toll on the very people who are deeply concerned with occupational well-being: human resources professionals. So, what’s led to the widespread HR burnout?

Too much change too quickly with too few resources. The toll of remote and hybrid work, quiet quitting, layoffs, turnover talent shortage, increased concern for employee well-being, and global AI uncertainty has seemed to fall squarely on the shoulders of the HR department. Unsurprisingly, about half of HR professionals say their stress has increased somewhat and about a quarter said it increased dramatically in 2024.

When HR professionals spend their time trying to boost companywide well-being, they sometimes pay with their own. Reduced effectiveness from HR burnout has a trickle-down effect to other employees, similar to how caregiver burnout affects dependents.

Read on to learn why the personality characteristics that make HR professionals excellent at their work also dispose them to burnout—and how organizations can help protect them.

Developing an equitable succession planning strategy is challenging but worthwhile. Organizations that commit to equity throughout their broader talent strategies are more likely to avoid bias, nepotism, and politicking in succession decisions. They’re also more likely to see positive organizational outcomes such as executive team diversity, employee engagement, and a more inclusive organizational climate.

Organizations tend to assume that high employee engagement is always positive and low engagement is always negative. But in truth, an employee engagement strategy that is based on data and communicated with clarity is much better than one that mandates high engagement at any cost.

On July 10, 2024, the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), the world’s largest HR professional society, published a LinkedIn post about changing its approach to inclusion and diversity. The SHRM announcement proclaimed that the organization would immediately adopt “the acronym ‘I&D’ instead of ‘IE&D,’” removing the E for equity. It quoted Johnny C. Taylor, Jr., president and CEO of SHRM: “We’re going to lead with inclusion, because we need a world where inclusion is front and center.” Interestingly, however, SHRM’s previous use of IE&D was already putting inclusion first, contrary to popular usage. The initialism DEI is widely used because it reflects a common order of objectives: recruit for diversity, create equity in opportunities, and develop a sense of inclusion and belonging for all. SHRM’s decision to relocate equity under its inclusion framework garnered negative sentiment on social media.

Is it our age or our generation that defines us more? In this article, we explore characteristics that seem to describe the youngest generation of the workforce, as well as strategies for managing Gen Z workers.

Recently on The Science of Personality, cohosts Ryne Sherman, PhD, and Blake Loepp spoke with Jean Twenge, PhD, a professor of psychology at San Diego State University who is one of the world’s leading experts on generational differences. Jean has authored more than 180 scientific publications and seven books involving research on generations.

First, we’ll cover her research into generational differences. Then we’ll dive deep into what distinguishes Gen Z in the workplace—and what managers need to know about leading Gen Z workers effectively.

A new year brings a new set of challenges and expectations. The world of HR is ever-changing and the demands of the previous year may not continue to be relevant to the current landscape, with new challenges and expectations requiring attention and strategy.

Dr. Ryne Sherman, Chief Science Officer at Hogan Assessments, has identified three key trends they anticipate will make the greatest waves in the HR sector over the next 12 months.