Jason Elkin

expert panel

The question of who owns an employee's career sounds simple. In practice, it has fractured countless workplace relationships, stalled promising careers and quietly cost organizations some of their best people. As labor markets shift and employee expectations evolve, the stakes of getting it wrong have never been higher. Research from Gallup's 2025 American Job Quality Study, which surveyed more than 18,000 U.S. workers, found that one in four American employees report lacking opportunities for career advancement at work—a gap that drives disengagement, job searching and turnover.Members of the Senior Executive HR Think Tank, a curated group of human resources leaders, recruiters, strategists and organizational consultants, have spent years working at the intersection of this tension. Their consensus: Career ownership is not a binary choice between employee and employer. It is a shared responsibility—but one in which each party plays a distinct, non-negotiable role. When either side fails to show up, the whole system breaks down.The following insights explore where those lines should fall, what happens when they blur and what leaders can do to build a workplace culture where careers, and the people in them, actually thrive.

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Diversity and inclusion aren’t just important talking points—they’re tied directly to organizational performance. In a 2025 survey, 81% of C-suite leaders said their organizations had seen a positive correlation between DEI programs and customer loyalty; 77% cited a positive correlation between DEI programs and financial performance. As workplaces navigate shifting employee expectations and sharper public scrutiny around equity and representation, leaders are recognizing that progress demands more than aspirational statements; it requires defined strategies, measurable outcomes and accountability at every level. As expectations rise, leaders are pressing for clarity: Which DEI strategies truly work, and how do you measure meaningful progress? Members of the Senior Executive HR Think Tank have a front-row view into what helps diversity and inclusion efforts gain traction—or fall flat. Below, five of them share how organizations can move beyond performative approaches and build DEI practices rooted in employee experience, leadership commitment and data-driven evaluation.

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In the world of talent acquisition and technical hiring, a seismic shift is quietly underway. Earlier this year, Meta announced it is piloting a new kind of coding interview: one in which candidates may use AI assistants during the process. According to a report in Wired, Meta states it “is developing a new type of coding interview in which candidates have access to an AI assistant. This is more representative of the developer environment that our future employees will work in, and also makes LLM-based cheating less effective.” Meanwhile, companies like Anthropic have changed their minds about AI use during hiring, and Google will be adding in-person interviews back in their process as a reaction to AI-assisted cheating. These developments all raise provocative questions for senior HR and talent leaders: Should companies shift to evaluating candidates based on how effectively they can work with AI rather than solely on how they perform without it? And if so, how should hiring, assessment and performance metrics evolve accordingly?  The Senior Executive HR Think Tank—a curated group of senior leaders in employee experience, talent acquisition, DEI, performance management and AI in HR—is watching this shift closely. Below, they examine how this trend may reshape hiring practices and offer actionable strategies for implementation.

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In today’s tight labor market, benefits beyond salary increasingly define competitive differentiators. According to forecasting by Transamerica, around 47% of employers are expected to offer a comprehensive financial wellness program by the end of 2026. For HR leaders who feel they may already be falling behind, that statistic should ring an alarm bell rather than provide comfort. As part of the Senior Executive HR Think Tank, we regularly convene expert voices across employee experience, talent, performance, DEI and AI-driven HR. Their collective wisdom underscores that financial wellness is no longer optional—it’s rapidly becoming table stakes in the war for talent. This article explores what that shift means in practice and outlines the specific dimensions of financial wellness support HR decision‑makers need to prioritize now.

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In an era marked by global instability and economic swings, HR is more than a back-office function—it’s a frontline response team. Members of the HR Think Tank share how they keep morale high, support anxious employees and guide their organizations through the unknown.

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Neurodiverse professionals bring unique strengths to teams—but leaders need to know how to support them. Members of the Senior Executive HR Think Tank share how they’re training managers to identify, engage and empower neurodiverse talent from the hiring process through long-term development.