Employers Seek Simpler Benefits Solutions (2)

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HR Trends: AI-powered HR startup Comp raises Series A funding

HR tech company Comp secured $17.25 million in Series A funding led by Khosla Ventures, bringing investor Keith Rabois on board. The startup focuses on using AI to transform HR tasks like recruiting, compensation design, performance reviews, and planning. It combines human HR experts with AI systems, training the technology through real-world HR work. The founders chose Brazil as their launch market before planning expansion into the US and other countries. The funding signals rising investor confidence in practical HR automation tools. Read more.

HR Insights: Hong Kong 2026-27 budget and what HR leaders should watch

Hong Kong’s 2026-27 budget includes continued civil service reductions and targeted expenditure cuts to improve fiscal health. The government plans to reduce recurrent expenses and manage staffing levels, which may have implications for public sector workforce planning and HR roles. Measures also focus on optimizing fiscal resources and boosting infrastructure use. The broader budget context suggests employers and HR teams should watch labor supply shifts, changes to tax allowances, and government incentives for skills development. Read more.

HR Tips and Tricks

Tip: Focus on baseline job reliability metrics when evaluating attendance performance. Develop objective data points (such as arrival times, logged hours, task completion timestamps) that align with essential job functions. This helps HR separate performance trends from temporary personal issues, reduces bias in evaluations, and improves fairness in compliance enforcement.

Trick: When running internal employee surveys, include confidence-scaled response options (e.g., “very confident,” “somewhat confident”) for leadership and policy questions. This gives HR more precise data on employee belief in organizational direction, rather than yes/no answers that lack nuance, helping shape better internal communication strategies.

HR Case Files: Notifying HR manager does not satisfy attendance policy requirements

A Federal Court upheld an employer’s decision to dismiss a forklift driver who missed multiple night shifts without notifying his supervisor as required by policy. The employee informed HR about his situation but did not follow the attendance policy’s specific requirement to notify his supervisor within one hour before a missed shift. The court confirmed that informing HR did not meet that requirement and that the employee’s conduct supported the employer’s classification of job abandonment. Read more.

Key Takeaways:

• HR policies must clearly define who notifications must be made to and how they must occur.

• Keeping HR informed may not substitute for following policies that specify manager notification.

• Courts may uphold dismissals where employees fail to meet explicit procedural requirements.

HR Toolkit

Resources

Anthropic introduced 10 new enterprise plugins for its Claude Cowork platform that automate key workflows across departments like HR and finance. These tools can generate job descriptions, onboarding materials, and offer letters through customizable AI agents integrated with existing enterprise systems. The update reflects the broader push to embed AI more deeply into routine HR and business processes. Know more.

Events

The 2026 Labor Relations/Human Resources Conference is taking place from April 13 - 15 at JW Marriott New Orleans. This event focuses on strategic HR management, evolving workforce needs, and global HR practices. It’s a space for HR leaders to learn from peers, hear expert presentations, and discuss pressing issues in talent and organisational development.

Click here to be a part of this event.

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