MESSAGE FROM OUR CEO’S DESK

In case you weren’t aware, I’m a giant nerd.

I dressed up as Princess Leia for Halloween in 2nd grade. In high school, when other kids were going to parties, my friends and I spent a day watching Star Wars Episodes 1-6 (yes, it took over 12 hours).

Yesterday was May 4th, aka Star Wars Day. In honor of my favorite nerdy holiday, here are seven life and work lessons I’ve learned from the beloved franchise:

1. The droids enable the heroes.

   Where would our human heroes be without the AI robots? Well, Luke, Leia and Han Solo would have died in a trash compactor in Ep. 4, ending it all pretty early. The droids don’t replace the pilots in Star Wars. They’re there to keep the ship from exploding while the pilot focuses on the mission. When I think about how I’ll use AI, that’s the model that sits in my brain. 

2. “There is no try.”

   While Master Yoda is training Luke, he tells him to use the force to get his ship out of the swamp. Luke says, “I’ll try,” to which Yoda famously responds “No! Do or do not. There is no try.” I think about that constantly; committing to giving it your all is very different from “giving it a shot.” Yoda teaches us to COMMIT!

3. Empathy is extended to everyone.

   I’ve realized that the biggest office bullies - the ones who gatekeep information or lash out in meetings - are almost always acting out of fear. Maybe it’s a fear of losing power or of being proven wrong, but they’re usually deeply unhappy. Use this knowledge to level with them. Like Luke understood, you don’t always need to get rid of them; you just need to get them on your side.

4. Fear is the path to the Dark Side.

   Yoda said of Anakin, who later turns into Darth Vader, that “Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering.”

   I’ve realized that the biggest office bullies - the ones gatekeeping information or lashing out in meetings - are almost always just afraid. They fear losing power or being proven wrong, and they’re usually deeply unhappy. Use that understanding to level with them. Luke understood: You don’t need to get rid of them, you just need to get them on your side.

5. Don’t be a Stormtrooper.

   Stormtroopers are known for blindly following orders (and having notoriously bad aim). They’re a reminder that as leaders, we don’t want an army of clones. We want people who are curious and ask questions so that we can all arrive at a better outcome rather than just following irrelevant best practices. Empower your team to think, pivot, and actually hit their targets.

6. Even the Death Star had a point of failure.

   The Empire built the most expensive, most intimidating space station in the universe, only for it to be taken down by a single shot into a small thermal exhaust port that nobody bothered to fix. If the Death Star can have such a fatal flaw, then we better listen when our teams flag a problem because there’s a good chance they’re seeing a real issue before it becomes a catastrophe.

7. Diversity is the Rebellion’s secret weapon.

   The Empire was a monolith of identical humans in identical suits. The Rebellion, in contrast, was a chaotic mix of species, backgrounds, and languages from every corner of the galaxy. While the Empire’s rigidity led to its downfall, the Rebellion’s ability to leverage diverse perspectives and skillsets was its greatest strength, and the key to its eventual victory.

I hope this proves to you that I’ve earned my spot in the Rebellion. Send this issue to an equally Star Wars-obsessed friend. Or, better yet, drop this knowledge in a meeting with your nerdy boss… I promise it will make you look COOL! 

May the force be with you…

THE HR BRIEFING 🗞️

THE LATEST NEWS TO KNOW

HR headlines and stories, curated with our perspective. 🤝

Aon’s new “Employee Sentiment Survey” gives insight into what’s attracting and keeping talent. A couple standouts: “better-than-average pay and meaningful benefits” are most important to job seekers, DEIB is second; retirement savings is the least-valued benefit by Gen Z and Millennials.

• ↪️ PFunc’s Perspective: It’s clear that younger workers are prioritizing their current reality rather than future promises. There’s also a huge opportunity to educate your younger employees on the value of long-term savings and retirement benefits. Social security is running out! 

More than half of recruiters surveyed by Zety revealed they’re using unconventional methods to find talent for open roles, including at grocery stores, airports, parties, and even dating apps. 🤔

• ↪️ PFunc’s Perspective: Companies’ automated hiring systems are officially drowning in bot-fueled noise (Emma talked all about the glitching matrix in Issue #31). If you’re forced to hunt for candidates at an airport gate, instead of looking for new hiring channels, fix the broken application process that turned your ATS into a digital wasteland in the first place. (People Function can help!)

A couple of other stories we think you might like:

• HR Dive: Bed Bath & Beyond is the latest company to warn “significant reduction in head count” is imminent. 

• The HR Digest: Collecting employee feedback then doing nothing about it is causing more harm than good in the workplace.

COMPLIANCE CHECK

Watch out for these HR compliances going into effect (or hitting deadlines) this month.

• Federal (eff. 5/11/26): Minimum wage for some federal contractors will increase to $13.65 per hour.

• California (eff. 5/13/26): Pay data reports are due this month for companies with 100+ employees.

• New York (eff. 5/15/26): Companies with 15 to 29 employees must provide retirement benefits as part of the New York State Secure Choice Savings Program.

THE OPPORTUNITY EXCHANGE 📈

ROLES ON OUR RADAR

The PFunc job board is packed with open roles across our client companies, making it easier than ever to tap into our network.

This week, we’re highlighting remote job openings.

• Honeycomb.io, Senior Sales (Revenue) Operations Analyst - Optimize sales operations using data reporting, process scaling, and AI.

• Inspiren, Senior Machine Learning Engineer - Build end-to-end cloud Vision-Language Model (VLM) pipelines for scalable edge-to-cloud intelligence.

• Small Door, Patient Services Advisor - Drive clinic bookings and member support by providing empathetic sales communication.

See a role you’re interested in? Reply to this email and we’ll try to connect you with the hiring team. Hiring for an open role yourself? Reply to have your job featured in an upcoming PFunc Pulse issue.

Check out this resource for HR leaders, CEOs, and founders like you, vetted and recommended by us!

Troop HR  - Fresh from the TroopHR 2026 Member Retreat, Emma is recharged and ready to bring her latest insights home! After spending last week brainstorming with fellow people leaders, she’s eager to put new strategies into action.

Join TroopHR today to level up your network and be a part of the next retreat! 😎

WHERE TO NEXT?

Our team is always on the move, popping up at the HR events, conferences, and summits we actually love.

MAY

• Sequoia x People Function Dinner Party (New York City) – May 6 from 6 to 8 p.m.

  • The waitlist is open for you to join tech HR leaders for dinner and a candid dive into how to build equitable leave programs.

• The Newsletter Conference (The Times Center, New York City) – May 15 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

  • Emma will be in the audience to learn from newsletter industry leaders at major publications like The Atlantic, 1440, and Morning Brew.

• Escaping Time Opening Reception (Governor’s Island, New York City) – Saturday, May 16, from 1 to 4 p.m.

  • Support a good cause and say hi to Emma at the 2026 Season Opening Reception of Escaping Time, a free event showcasing artwork and poetry from incarcerated artists.

CHRONICALLY ONLINE📱

It’s officially un-cuffing season… so the team is giving you “HR-approved ways to break up with someone” in our latest viral video. Good luck. 💔

Join 100,000+ followers across PFunc’s Instagram, TikTok, and LinkedIn, hailed as “one of the best HR accounts online today.” 😉

STAY IN TOUCH 💌

If you’re interested in fractional HR support for your team, reply to this email or contact us to learn more about our offerings, pricing, and how we can support your growing company.

Join the Talent Network here (it’s free!). Whether you’re actively exploring new opportunities or happily employed but open to the right fit, becoming part of our network boosts your profile when roles align with your experience, skills, and career goals.💡

🗣️ Thoughts, feedback, requests? Let us know! 🗣️

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Every Tuesday, The PFunc Pulse delivers the HR news and compliance shifts you actually need to know about, without all the corporate fluff. Emma brings her unfiltered take on the trends keeping CEOs awake at night, served with the gritty, practical wisdom of a founder who’s seen it all. Real talk for better people decisions, week by week. (P.S. Do your work bestie a favor and forward this— friends don't let friends do old school HR. 🫢)