Virti, a digital training platform, has secured $10 million in Series A funding led by IQ Capital with participation from Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and a new UK-based learning tech VC fund. Founded by Dr Alexander Young in 2018, Virti aims to enhance organizational learning and performance through interactive simulations and AI-powered data analysis. The company reports that its technology can improve training outcomes by up to 230%. Max Bautin of IQ Capital praised Virti's platform as the best in the world and expressed excitement about partnering for growth.

Digital adoption platform WalkMe has launched its initial public offering (IPO) on the NASDAQ Global Select Market with shares priced at $31. The company, headquartered in San Francisco, aims to make technology adapt to people and has raised $307.5 million over the past decade. WalkMe's cloud-based Digital Adoption Platform (DAP) has been instrumental in the digital transformation of approximately 2,000 companies worldwide. The company was co-founded by Dan Adika, Rafael Sweary, Eyal Cohen, and Yuval Shalom Ozanna, with its last funding round, a Series G, closing at $90 million in December 2019.

Gloat, an AI-powered talent marketplace, has secured $57 million in Series C funding led by Accel, with participation from existing shareholders such as Eight Roads, Intel Capital, Magma Venture Partners, and PICO Partners. This investment brings Gloat's total funding to $92 million, which will be used for product innovation and market expansion. The platform, founded by Ben Reuveni, Amichai Schreiber, and Danny Shteinberg, offers employees opportunities for internal work and development. Gloat is used by major companies like Unilever and HSBC, and has a significant R&D center in Tel Aviv, Israel, with its headquarters in New York.

Eloomi, a cloud-based corporate learning and performance management platform based in Copenhagen, has secured a $55 million investment from Great Hill Partners, a private equity firm in Boston. The funds will support Eloomi's expansion in the US. The company, founded six years ago, serves over 500 customers in 25 countries, offering HR professionals tools for onboarding and training. CEO Claus Johansen highlights the platform's impact on upskilling, motivation, engagement, productivity, and employee retention.

Frank Slootman, CEO of Snowflake Inc, sparked controversy with his comments on prioritizing merit over diversity goals in hiring and promotions. He believes that diversity should not compromise the company's mission and that many CEOs share his view but are reluctant to express it publicly. Sheree Atcheson, a diversity and inclusion executive, criticized Slootman's stance, arguing that merit and diversity are not mutually exclusive. The article also references McKinsey's research showing that diverse companies are more likely to be profitable. The author criticizes Slootman's approach, suggesting that a lack of diversity in a company indicates bias in culture and recruitment, and urges C-suite executives to embrace diversity as an imperative.

UK and US workforces are increasingly comprising older individuals, yet age discrimination persists, affecting career opportunities. Technology, especially AI, can help eliminate biases, but it also risks perpetuating them. Companies like Resume.io and HackerEarth are modifying AI and anonymizing recruitment processes to promote age diversity. Virtual reality is also being used to address implicit biases. However, experts like John Tarnoff caution against over-reliance on technology, which can distance people. Studies have shown AI can discriminate based on gender, and HR leaders emphasize understanding the root causes of discrimination and the importance of a multi-generational workforce. Reskilling older employees is also recommended to adapt to changing job market demands.

Four women, Kelly Ellis, Holly Pease, Kelli Wisuri, and Heidi Lamar, have won class-action status to proceed with a gender pay disparity lawsuit against Google, now including 10,800 women who worked there since 2013. They seek over $600 million in damages, alleging violations of the California Equal Pay Act by paying them less than male counterparts and promoting them slower and less frequently. Google denies these allegations but agreed to a $2.5 million settlement with the Department of Labor over similar issues for over 5,500 employees and applicants.

Australian HR tech startup Pyn secured $8 million in funding led by US VC firm Andreessen Horowitz, marking the firm's first investment in Australia. Pyn, co-founded by Jon Williams and Joris Luijke, aims to improve employee communication within businesses. The investment follows a $3.1 million Seed round in July 2020 and comes at a time when the COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the need for better communication tools due to the shift to remote work. Andreessen Horowitz's general partner David Ulevitch praised Pyn for its personalized communication approach and management playbooks.

In the digitized workplace of 2021, businesses like Vodafone Business and Hitachi Vantara are leveraging new technologies to enhance employee engagement. Flexible working, digital tools, and collaboration platforms have become essential, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. Vodafone Business has implemented various initiatives, including flexible hours and virtual gifts, to strengthen its employee community. Hitachi Vantara focuses on creating human-centric remote work experiences. Gartner's Alexia Cambon advises against virtualizing office-centric strategies, suggesting a human-centric design instead. Forrester's Betsy Summers highlights the challenge of determining departmental responsibility for employee experience and the importance of measuring engagement. Advanced's Alex Arundale points out the challenge of information overload. Overall, technology is playing a crucial role in improving employee engagement, but companies must navigate various challenges to effectively use it.

The traditional approach to performance management, often based on annual appraisals, is being challenged by the need for more dynamic and continuous processes. Experts like Emily He from Oracle Cloud HCM and George LaRocque, founder of WorkTech, discuss the evolution of performance management in the context of the pandemic and remote work. They emphasize the importance of integrating performance management with other HR functions, adapting to a more empowered workforce, and ensuring that technology is used effectively. The article suggests that while there is a plethora of HR tech products, their success depends on the culture and commitment to employee experience within an organization.

Artificial intelligence is transforming recruitment by automating data-heavy tasks such as resume scanning and candidate assessments. Social media scraping, a method of extracting public data from online profiles, is being used to evaluate candidate suitability for roles. Experts like Attila Tomaschek and Dr Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic discuss the efficiency and ethical considerations of this practice. While AI can potentially reduce biases in hiring, concerns about privacy and discrimination persist, especially in light of GDPR in Europe. The article suggests that recruiters should be transparent about data usage and consider the ethical implications of social media scraping.

The article discusses the shift towards sustainability in the workplace, particularly in light of the coronavirus pandemic's impact on remote working and the reduction of business travel. It cites the Financial Times on UK and European banks' plans to cut travel emissions, with HSBC's CEO Noel Quinn planning to halve his travel. Lloyds Banking Group and ABN Amro are setting emissions targets, with ABN banning flights between European offices. The article then outlines six steps HR departments can take to drive sustainability, including establishing a social purpose, aligning workplace practices with sustainability goals, making sustainability a key part of recruitment, upskilling the workforce, incentivizing sustainability goals, and encouraging employee innovation.

The article discusses how businesses are leveraging technology to create more inclusive workplaces. It highlights the use of remote working policies, data analytics, modern HR platforms, communication tools, collaborative and virtual working platforms, AI, and virtual reality to support diverse employee needs and promote inclusion. Companies like VMware, Facebook, Accenture, Hitachi Vantara, Lastminute.com, Moneypenny, SAP, Qualtrics, and Advanced are mentioned for their efforts in this area. The article also addresses the challenges and opportunities presented by the pandemic, emphasizing the importance of building inclusive environments and the competitive advantage it provides.

Spotify, founded by Daniel Ek and known for its global presence and successful IPO, has implemented a work from anywhere model, reflecting a shift in the HR industry towards flexibility and personalization. Alexander Westerdahl, Spotify's VP of HR, discusses the company's approach to leveraging HR technology and the challenges of replicating the office experience online for remote and hybrid working models. The article highlights the evolution of HR functions and the potential for technology to bridge the gap between remote and non-remote workers.

Uber has reclassified its 70,000 UK drivers as 'workers,' granting them minimum wage, holiday pay, and pension contributions following a UK Supreme Court ruling. This middle ground between freelancers and full employees is unique to UK employment law and does not extend to couriers for Uber Eats. The decision is seen as a significant shift in the gig economy, with potential implications for employment law and worker rights globally. Discussions are ongoing in the US and EU to balance flexible work with social protections. Other companies like Lyft and Deliveroo are also navigating this space, with the gig economy expected to continue growing despite legal challenges.

The Trade Union Congress (TUC) in the UK is urging for a review of AI use in the workplace, highlighting potential issues such as dehumanization, inequality, unfair treatment, and unsafe working practices. The TUC's concerns are amplified by the accelerated deployment of AI and HR technology due to the pandemic and remote working. A survey and a report by Cloisters lawyers, commissioned by the TUC, reveal extensive use of AI in employee management and the need for legal changes to protect workers from biased algorithms and intrusive monitoring. The TUC recommends legal duties for employers to consult unions on AI use, rights for human review of AI decisions, amendments to GDPR and the Equality Act, and the right for employees to have 'communication-free' time.

Ginger, an on-demand mental health company, has closed a $100 million Series E funding round led by Blackstone Growth, bringing its total backing to over $220 million. The company plans to use the funds to expand access to value-based mental healthcare through partnerships with multinational employers and health plans, and to support underserved populations. CEO Russell Glass emphasized the commitment to advancing technology and expanding care access, especially in light of the mental health challenges exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.