HR News: Anheuser-Busch Layoffs, AI Takes More Jobs from Women, Parental Leave Gives Others a Chance, and More

This is a weekly roundup of the latest in HR News.

First, the bad news is that Anheuser-Busch, makers of Budweiser and Bud Light, are conducting layoffs. In addition, a report revealed that women will lose more jobs to artificial intelligence (AI) than men. And the Houston Chronicle reports that Human Resources professionals working for the largest independent school district in Texas are being asked to forgo vacation and work on weekends after the organization was gutted by layoffs. The good news? Some companies are getting creative and using parental leave as an opportunity to bring others back into the workforce. 

Get all the details here: 

Layoffs at Anheuser-Busch

Anheuser-Busch has had a rough few months. During March Madness, the company partnered with transgender social media influencer Dylan Mulvaney to promote its beer Bud Light. Conservatives, angry at the partnership with someone who is transgender, called for a boycott. Since then, sales of Bud Light have declined. In addition, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) launched a government investigation to determine whether Bud Light’s parent company breached its shareholder duties over its partnership with Mulvaney, according to CNBC.

READ: Employers Respond to Increase in Employee Activism

The sagging sales have forced the hand of Anheuser-Busch, and it announced this week that it will lay off hundreds of corporate staff. CNBC reports that the job cuts will impact less than 2% of U.S. employees, about 350 of the 18,000 employees nationwide.

Women Will Lose More Jobs to AI

As many leaders in Human Resources and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) are warning that AI may have bias built into its systems, the McKinsey Global Institute revealed that women and those from other underrepresented groups are most likely to lose their jobs to the technology, too. AI first will replace those in low-paying roles in industries such as food services, customer service and sales, and office support, which are predominantly held by women. In fact, nearly one-third of hours worked in the United States could be automated by 2030, according to the report.

WATCH: HR Exchange Talks - Reimagining Work in the Age of AI

The researchers also found that Black and Hispanic workers, workers without college degrees, and the youngest and oldest workers are more likely to lose their jobs to AI. By 2030, at least 12 million workers will need to change jobs as the industries in which they work shrink, according to the report and as cited in the Washington Post. The report is clear about the fact that AI will create some new jobs and force others to change, while some jobs will go away and never return.

Getting Creative with Parental Leave 

The Wall Street Journal shared an interesting trend regarding how Human Resources doles out the workload of those on parental leave. Traditionally, HR has turned to contract workers or many teammates to take on the workload of someone on maternity or paternity leave. Now, however, the organization may create an internal internship, which allows a current employee, who may be from another department with a different role, to serve as an "intern" and learn new skills while executing the work of the person on leave. Or some HR professionals are hiring those interested in "returnships," which allow people who have left the workforce - often to take care of their young children - to come back to do the work. 

READ: Should You Offer Paid Paternity Leave?

"Participants say it is a win-win all around. New parents can go on leave knowing their work will get done; interns and returners gain valuable experience to add to their résumés; and employers don’t have to put projects on hold," according to WSJ. 

HR Working Overtime

Human Resources professionals are the ones sounding the alarm about employees facing the risk of burnout in this era of layoffs and budget cuts. However, what happens when HR is the one doing the overtime? The Houston Chronicle reports that after the Houston ISD, the largest independent school district in Texas with 276 schools and more than 194,000 students, gutted its administration with layoffs, it is asking HR to work weekends and forgo travel plans. In need of stress busting? Jay Unwin provides lots of tips specifically for those in Human Resources in his column for HR Exchange Network. 

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