This Week's Top Five HR Stories

How Walmart Plans to Upskill 1.6 Million Employees

Walmart has announced it plans to provide its 1.6 million employee base with new AI training. 

Staff working in the company’s corporate offices and in stores across the US and Canada will be offered training in the fundamentals of AI, as part of a partnership with Google. 

The announcement of this partnership follows the release of research conducted by Google and Ipsos, which found that just 14% of US workers have access to AI training. 

Donna Morris, Chief People Officer at Walmart, told Fortune: “We as big employers should be actively engaged in trying to equip our respective employees – in our case associates – to be prepared for a world that is AI enabled and automated or digitised".

What Can Food Deliveries Reveal About Work Culture?

Doordash has released its 2026 workplace delivery trends report, revealing significant shifts in employee habits across companies, particularly in fast growth industries. 

The report, which analysed orders across more than 700 hundred companies at over 4,800 offices, finds that group and late night orders are increasing, signifying a broader return to the office and shifts in traditional 9-5 working. 

It also recommends companies implement employee perks, such as a meal programme, to improve healthy behaviour in the workplace.

How OpenAI's New Chief People Officer Leads in the AI Era

OpenAI has announced that it is appointing Arvind KC as its new Chief People Officer, joining the company from a position as Chief People and Systems Officer at Roblox.

He will be taking over from Julia Villagra, who left the role in September 2025. 

Fidji Simo, CEO of Applications at OpenAI, says of the appointment: “We believe the way we scale OpenAI should reflect the future we’re helping to create. 

“KC will play a key role in ensuring our people processes, policies and systems match our ambition, while preserving the culture and operating principles that have helped us get here.”

Google: Only 5% of the US Workforce is AI Fluent

Company AI spending is increasing significantly.

According to CNBC, Alphabet, Microsoft, Meta and Amazon’s combined AI spend in 2026 is estimated to be close to US$700bn. 

These investments mean little, however, when the workforce is not adequately trained in using AI effectively. 

A study from Google in collaboration with Ipsos finds that only 5% of US workers are considered AI fluent – meaning they have redesigned or reorganised their role significantly using AI. 

Beyond that, only two out of five US workers are using AI in their roles at all – which can have widespread implications on both the growth of the business and individual employees. 

Workers who were classed as AI fluent were 4.5 times more likely to report higher wages than those who were not, as well as being four times more likely to report a promotion linked to their ability to use AI. 

The research recommends that employers should prioritise hiring AI-ready talent and invest in training for employees.

While some tech leaders predict widespread automation of white-collar roles, Accenture's Chief Executive Officer, Julie Sweet, has positioned AI as a driver of growth rather than displacement.

Speaking at the AI Impact Summit in New Delhi, she challenged prevailing narratives about the technology's impact on the workforce.

"There are lots of headlines today that predict less. Less jobs, less opportunity, less human relevance. We are here because we see a future of more," Julie says.