Welcome to CHROFirst’s Weekly Roundup — your essential briefing on the latest innovations shaping recruiter efficiency, AI-powered workforce support, change adoption, employee experience, benefits unification, frontline performance, and culture-driven communication. This week’s edition highlights how AI agents, intelligent integrations, and neuroscience-based strategies are helping HR leaders streamline operations, enhance engagement, and future-proof their organizations in 2026.
Recruitment & Talent Acquisition
Elly Unveils New AI-Native Hiring Platform to Simplify Recruiting and Advance Human-Centric Hiring
Elly, an innovative AI-powered hiring company, announced the official launch of its new AI-native hiring platform, signaling a shift in how modern recruiting teams manage talent acquisition. Alongside the platform debut, Elly announced it has raised $8 million in funding led by Sorenson Capital, with participation from Atomic and Next Wave Capital.
HR Technology & Automation
ServiceNow launches Autonomous Workforce that thinks and act; adds Moveworks AI Platform
ServiceNow the AI control tower for business reinvention, launched Autonomous Workforce, AI specialists that can execute jobs with the scope, authority, and governance required for enterprise work – freeing people to focus on strategic problem solving and personalized service.
Employee Experience
HR Happy Hour Media Network, known and recognized as one of the most prominent and independent multi-media platforms focused on discussions related to work, workplace culture, leadership, and HR technology, has launched a new podcast series called The HR Connection.
Compensation & Benefits
Centro Benefits Research Integrates with Unum for APIs
Centro Benefits Research (Centro), a leading provider of ancillary benefits consulting, employee communications, and technology solutions representing top U.S. brokers, announced new API integration with Unum, an industry leader in employee benefits and HR technology. This new partnership brings seamless, real-time RFP and quote functionality to Centro’s broker–carrier API platform, formally onboarding Unum into Centro’s growing carrier ecosystem.
Upskilling & Professional Development
Weaviate Introduces Agent Skills to Accelerate AI Coding and Vector Database Development
Weaviate has launched Agent Skills, an open-source repository designed to empower AI coding agents such as Claude Code, Cursor, GitHub Copilot, VS Code and Gemini CLI with structured, reliable tools for generating production-ready code that integrates seamlessly with Weaviate workflows, addressing a common pain point where autonomous agents often hallucinate or produce inaccurate scripts when interacting with complex vector-database logic.
Workplace Culture & Wellness
Chime Enterprise, the enterprise division of top fintech company Chime, has revealed that more employers have adopted Chime Workplace as their primary financial wellness platform for employees. To meet the rising demand for comprehensive financial solutions for employees, many companies are resorting to Chime Workplace to improve workforce stability, staff retention, and employee productivity.
⭐ Article of the Week
Total Rewards | HR Strategy
This featured analysis explores how modern total rewards strategies are evolving in 2026, combining personalized benefits, data-driven compensation, and employee experience insights. It provides CHROs with a roadmap for designing competitive, equitable, and future-ready programs that attract, retain, and motivate talent.
