Good morning!

The CHRO role is ever-evolving, with company boards seeking strategic partners in driving business and employees requiring understanding and investment. Today, we'll look at a couple of ways you can move your own career forward while creating a strong company culture and pushing business outcomes. 

Also in this issue:

🥶 Company reactions to cooling labor market
☕ Starbucks employees sue
🦋 Transformation and paradoxes

Here's a look at what we're seeing, what it means, what we're anticipating, what's resonating and what you think about today’s workplace. Let's get SMART!

The rise of workplace surveillance, initially a response to the pandemic, has become a standard practice, raising significant concerns about employee privacy and trust. A significant portion of employees now feel constantly monitored, with workers under 40 and those in management roles especially sensitive to these practices. HR professionals are tasked with navigating the fine line between necessary business oversight and protecting employee trust and privacy. JacLyn Pagnotta, managing director of HR at Rose Associates, outlines three key strategies: championing transparency about surveillance practices, designing monitoring systems with privacy as a priority and shifting performance measurement away from activity tracking toward results.

Employers are facing challenges with workplace surveillance as hybrid work blurs boundaries between private and professional spaces, according to Tamsin Lawrence of Australian Business Lawyers & Advisors. Lawrence emphasizes the need for employers to understand overlapping state and federal privacy laws, be transparent about data collection and carefully store employee information to avoid breaching privacy regulations.

SmartTake: Even though the actual laws differ between Australia and the US, the advice still stands. Employers should notify employees about surveillance -- especially audio and visual monitoring -- and have a clear, legitimate reason for collecting such data. To avoid legal pitfalls, familiarize yourself with the privacy laws surrounding the data you collect and find out whether you need to consult employees about changes.

HR technology is increasingly targeted in cyberattacks, with recent breaches exposing sensitive personal data and damaging employer reputations, a Gartner report finds. Gartner warns that risks include candidate data leaks, legal liabilities and loss of employee trust. CHROs can improve security by making it a strategic part of HR automation, proactively identifying threats, managing third-party risks and fostering a culture of security.

California's "No Robo Bosses" Act, which is awaiting the governor's signature, would require employers to notify workers about the use of AI in decision-making and prohibit AI from being used solely for discipline or termination. Starting Jan. 1, employers would be required to maintain a list of automated decision systems, provide detailed notices about those systems and include human oversight in decisions influenced by AI.