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- PFunc Pulse #19 | Limbo Week at Work 🗓️😌💆
PFunc Pulse #19 | Limbo Week at Work 🗓️😌💆
Your go-to HR briefing being read by more than 1,700 industry leaders.
Emma Leeds
December 23, 2025
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Message From Our CEO’s Desk
 | I can’t be the only one who feels this way, but there’s something about this weird limbo week between Christmas and New Year’s that I absolutely love. In my world, my work is usually dictated by client demands and urgent employee needs. But right now? Everything actually chills out. Calendars open up, Slack gets a little quieter, and the constant pressure to move at 100mph eases. |
To me, this stretch feels like a rare gift - uninterrupted time to breathe, reflect, and reset. As a CEO, having the space to think clearly without a back-to-back meeting schedule is invaluable. It’s where the best ideas actually take shape and priorities for the next twelve months finally sharpen.
Plus, being Jewish, I don’t have the traditional family Christmas chaos to navigate, which gives me even more room to lean into the quiet. No family drama or politics. No obligations. While everyone else is unwrapping presents, I get to lean into the "limbo" with a mix of deep work and much-needed downtime.
Here is what my "quiet week" actually looks like this year:
The Great Inbox Purge: Finally tackling the mountain of emails I’ve been ignoring for YEARS. I have now been separated from my ex-husband (and therefore divorcing from my married last name) for over 3 years, and I’m still moving my email over! The excuses end December 31. There is no better feeling than starting January with a clean slate.
Architecting 2026: I’m spending a lot of time setting up the internal structures at PFunc to make sure the team is set up for success the moment we’re back.
Finding My Voice: I’m taking time to reflect on what I want to write about and do outside of People Function in 2026. It’s important to me to keep a pulse on the things that fuel my own creativity beyond the day-to-day business.
The Holiday Essentials: My family makes pizza on Christmas, and we watch a combo of The Holiday, Elf, Santa Clause 2, and Love Actually. This is my favorite part of the week 🧑🎄
If you’re finding yourself with a little extra mental space right now, I hope you’re using it in a way that feels restorative. Whether that means finally hitting “Inbox Zero,” dreaming up your next big move, or just enjoying the rare silence before the January rush - soak it up!
We’ll be back to hitting the ground running and all that "new year, new me" energy soon enough. For now, enjoy the calm.
—Emma
CEO & Founder, People Function
ICYMI Compliance Tips
Starting January 1, 2026, a wave of new HR compliance changes goes into effect. Below is a summary of what employers need to stay on top of across the country.
AI regulation is tightening - Employers must inventory and audit AI tools used in employment decisions, ensure human oversight, test for bias, and comply with global rules like the EU AI Act. 🤖
Pay transparency is expanding - More jurisdictions require salary ranges, pay equity audits, and recordkeeping, creating added complexity for multistate employers. 💰
Wage and benefit tax rules are changing - New federal laws affect overtime, tips, and tax incentives for childcare and family leave, increasing reporting and compliance demands. 🏦
Leave laws are growing more complex - Paid sick and family leave requirements continue to expand by state, intensifying multijurisdictional compliance challenges. 👪
Learn more about the laws going into effect in your state here.
PFunc Recommended Resource
Check out this vetted HR resource. 💻
Auditocity - Auditocity is the only human resources SaaS platform of its kind. It’s designed to make HR auditing easy for businesses of all sizes while simplifying how organizations manage compliance by automating critical workflows and providing real-time insight into compliance status. Auditocity is also secure and intuitive for teams across the business. Check them out for your year-end audit!
On the PFunc Market
Here’s what’s happening in the PFunc ecosystem. ⋒
Open Roles in Our Network 🤝
Like what you see? Drop us a note (we’ve got an inside line to the hiring team).
Mixlab, Friend of PFunc: Recruiter, - This veterinary pharmacy is hiring a senior-level Recruiter to independently own and scale its end-to-end hiring strategy. This is a full-time remote role based in the U.S., with preference for candidates located near Mixlab’s pharmacy hubs in New York, Los Angeles, Hollywood (FL), Weatherford (TX), or Milwaukee (WI).
Primary, Friend of PFunc: VP of Marketing, Programming, and Networks - Primary is hiring a senior leader to shape how the firm builds, engages, and scales relationships across the tech ecosystem by designing repeatable programs, content, and experiences that strengthen its investing advantage. This hybrid role is based in New York City, with an in-office expectation of three or more days per week.
If you have an open role at your company you want us to highlight, please reply to this email!
PFunc News
Here’s what’s happening at People Function.
PFunc Highlights
We hosted our holiday party over the weekend and brought the People Function team together from across the country—from New York City to Los Angeles—for a well-earned celebration in the Big Apple. After reflecting on an incredible year, we kicked things off with dinner at Jue Lan before turning up the energy at karaoke, where the singing (and celebrating) did not disappoint.
The PFunc crew!
In other news, as mentioned at the top of the newsletter, we’re redesigning PFunc Pulse (!!!). As our community continues to grow and as we work toward becoming your go-to HR resource, we’re evolving the format to deliver the insights you’re looking for every time you open it. We’re also moving to a weekly cadence (with the potential for an additional touchpoint from Emma from time to time). Thank you for being with us over the past year and then some - we’re excited to head into 2026 together!
Curious which stories resonated most with our readers? We’ve linked our top-performing pieces below. Let us know which one you loved most and what you’d like to see more of next year by sharing your thoughts in our year-end survey or respond directly to this newsletter.
Our top issues of the year were:
And here are a few of our top stories, including a LinkedIn article from Emma about how her self-deprecating humor has shaped her identity. Give them a read!
Thank you for an unforgettable year! Happy holidays, and we’ll see you back here in 2026. 🫶
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