MESSAGE FROM OUR CEO’S DESK

This past Sunday night, Michael B. Jordan took home the Best Actor Oscar for Sinners. If you’re like me, you weren't just happy for him… you were ecstatic.

Why? Because for months, the narrative was tilting toward Timothée Chalamet for Marty Supreme. Chalamet is the quintessential golden boy; he’s charismatic, highly visible, and went to the most elite performing arts school in NYC. He’s also been positioned as the "next big thing" since he graduated high school.

Meanwhile, Michael B. Jordan grew up a Black kid from Newark, New Jersey, in a working-class home. His mom drove him back and forth to NYC for auditions when they barely had the gas money to get through the Holland Tunnel. He worked his way up from background extra work, to guest spots, to The Wire, eventually earning his way into the cultural stratosphere.

Hearing MBJ’s name felt like a rare moment of alignment, a small but necessary repair to an everyday injustice.

The "Twice as Hard" Trope is Real

In the corporate world, we all know the Timothée Chalamet-type. It’s the employee that is constantly rewarded for potential. They look the part, which, let's be honest, usually means they’re white, good-looking, and speak the language of the elite.

But we also know that this specific brand can be a bit of a douche. A few weeks ago, Chalamet dismissed ballet and opera as art forms "no one cares about anymore." It was a staggering display of entitlement, truly the kind of arrogance that assumes your personal vibe is more important than the craft and history that built the foundation you’re standing on. We’ve all seen this attitude play out in the C-suite – it’s the guy who thinks he’s bigger than the company and more important than the people doing most of the work.

For months, the industry was betting on Chalamet, despite Marty Supreme being a box office flop that didn’t even break even. In any other business, if your major project underperforms, you don’t get the biggest promotion of the year. But Chalamet was protected by the “genius” narrative that seemingly exists regardless of the actual numbers.

This is the classic trope in action. Black professionals have to be twice as good, work twice as hard, and deliver double the results just to get the same seat at the table. MBJ played twins in Sinners – HE LITERALLY DID DOUBLE THE WORK – and his win still wasn't a sure thing until the envelope was opened.

Why the "Right” Win Matters

This points to the entrenched inequities that define modern leadership pipelines. While golden boys are allowed to be complex, take risks, and even fail while continuing to be regarded as top talent, Black and Brown people and women are often sidelined the second a project underperforms.

Watching someone win with both talent and integrity feels disproportionately good. It isn't just a success story; it’s a corrective measure for a frustratingly lopsided world.

At People Function, we talk a lot about fairness not being a soft HR buzzword, but a core business strategy. When you promote the person who actually does the work, you:

• Restore Trust: People start believing the system isn't rigged for the golden boys.

• Boost Motivation: High-performers see a path to the top that doesn't involve sucking up or having the right pedigree.

• Drive Results: You actually have a leader who knows how to do the job, not just someone who's good at the politics of looking like a leader.

MBJ’s win wasn't just a trophy for a shelf. It was a win for everyone who’s tired of watching the golden boy finish first. It’s a reminder that sometimes, the work actually wins.

Let’s try to bring that same energy into our promotion cycles this year. Look past the shine to platform substance. Your culture depends on it.

ASK THE EXPERTS 🧠

Over the next few issues of PFunc Pulse, we’ll tackle the most common compensation and review cycle questions with expert insights from our team.

Question: What’s shaping compensation strategy in 2026?

Compensation planning used to revolve around a predictable annual merit cycle. However, recent research suggests that pay decisions are becoming more visible, more strategic, and more complex to manage.

Here are a few trends shaping compensation strategy this year:

• Salary Budgets Are Stabilizing 🎯

  After years of volatility, Mercer reports that most U.S. employers expect 2026 salary increase budgets to remain around 3.5%, similar to 2025 levels, signaling a return to more stable compensation planning.
  

• Pay Decisions Are Under More Scrutiny 🔎
  Pay transparency legislation is expanding across the U.S. and increasing visibility into compensation practices, which should make compensation decisions more transparent and easier to compare across employers.
  

• Compensation Is Becoming a Strategic Business Lever 🧩

  93% of organizations report that compensation software decisions involve executive leadership, finance, IT, and procurement, highlighting how compensation has become a cross-functional business priority rather than a purely HR function.
  

• Employee Trust in Pay Is Still a Challenge 🧐

  Research cited in beqom’s 2026 Compensation and Culture Report found that only 54% of employees believe they are paid fairly, and 62% say they don’t understand how their compensation is calculated, underscoring the importance of transparency and clarity in pay decisions.

TL;DR: In 2026, compensation strategy isn’t just about annual raises, but also navigating stable budgets, growing transparency requirements, and increasing expectations around fairness and trust.

Have an HR- or operations-related question? Submit it here to see it answered in an upcoming issue!

THE BRIEFING 🗞️

HR NEWS TO KNOW

The latest HR headlines and stories, curated with our perspective.

Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi called work ethic the most important life skill and said he still expects weekend email responses during an appearance on “Diary Of A CEO.”

• ↪️ PFunc’s Perspective: Is it news that Uber’s culture sucks? Their founder is NOTORIOUS for their move-fast-and-break-things culture and sexual harassment allegations. It’s also not news that work-life balance promotes productivity and organizational diversity, but it’s clear Uber doesn’t care about that. Ask yourself: Can I retain my high-performing team members and continue to grow my business while burning people out. My guess is the answer is no.

A couple of other trending HR stories we think you should read.

• Culture Amp: 5 steps for improving employee engagement

• Fortune: Job market shed 92,000 roles in February, with healthcare experiencing the highest cut in 4 years

WHAT’S HAPPENING IN AI

Here’s the latest AI news to know and why it’s important to HR.

45% of managers are seeing AI gains (Gartner), but leadership is stalling on the trust and implementation strategies needed to scale it effectively with employees.

• ↪️ PFunc’s Perspective: Through hacks shared in a company-wide AI channel and town hall demos, PFunc leaders are modeling exactly how they use AI tools like Granola to optimize their workflows. This leadership modeling is essential for answering the "how" and "why" that make AI adoption stick because employees can’t mirror what they haven't seen.

More AI news to know, including the latest eyebrow-raising comments from tech villain Alex Karp.

• Human Resources Director: Most companies are rehiring staff let go during AI-led layoffs

• Business Insider: Palantir CEO Alex Karp predicts AI will "disrupt every aspect of our society," but especially for Democrats

COMPLIANCE CHECK

Stay ahead of HR compliance as these latest updates take effect.

• New York (effective 3/18/26) - Private sector businesses with at least 10 employees must now provide retirement benefits. Depending on company size, deadlines are March 18, May 15, and July 15. 

• Ohio (effective 3/19/26) - All nonresidential construction contractors, subcontractors, and labor brokers are now required to E-Verify new hires. 

• Federal (effective 4/15/26) - All employers and group health plan sponsors must file Form 8928 to self-report compliance failures in their health plan administration.

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 the newest open roles and one from our all-star recruiting team.

• Coder, Software Engineering Manager - Built for a seasoned engineering pro looking to lead a high-performing remote team across the UK, Ireland, and Poland.

• Inspiren, Senior Data Engineer - Flexible role for anyone with 5+ years of full stack or backend development experience. 

• Radar, Machine Learning Engineer - Collaborate across teams to develop this AI-powered platform’s ML capabilities. 

• NYC Job Alert: A crypto company in our network is hiring a part-time Office Manager (20 hrs/week). This one hasn’t been made public yet, so reach out to us to get connected.

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.

TALENT SPOTLIGHT

Check out this vetted candidate who is actively seeking a new role. 

Peyton Walker - Peyton will be graduating from Villanova University this May with a Communication degree and minor in Education. She's currently seeking full-time opportunities in HR, internal communications, or marketing in NYC. Reach out to her if you’re looking for an early-career pro!

If you’re interested in being featured in a future “Talent Spotlight,” be sure to sign up to be a part of the Talent Network and reply to this email to let us know.

RECOMMENDED RESOURCE💡

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

ScaleJOY - Consider this your sign to ditch academic theory for lived-experience strategies that will turn you into a leader people actually want to follow. From executive coaching to HR advisory, ScaleJOY provides the real-world tools needed to turn high-growth startups into sustainable powerhouses.

WHERE TO NEXT?

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

MARCH

• Transform 2026 Conference (Wynn Las Vegas)–March 23-25

  • Join the waitlist to attend the Wizard of Oz at The Sphere event, in collaboration with Justworks.

  • We’re also hosting an UNSANCTIONED Expo Hall Crawl the last day of the conference on Wednesday, March 25, at 10 a.m. PT! Let us know if you’ll be at the conference and want to join! Details to come…  🤩

APRIL

• PFunc Plays Hooky with Sequoia - Rooftop Pickleball & Drinks! (Los Angeles)–April 2

  • Founders, VC & startup leaders - let’s spend the afternoon together on the Kimpton La Peer rooftop!
    

• Community Moves 2026 (New York City)–April 9

  • Emma will join the “Don’t Forget the Human Touch: Culture, Community, and Creating in the Age of AI” panel at Justworks’ one-day conference for small business leaders.
    

• Startup Leadership Salon (Fabrik NYC)–April 16 from 6 to 8 p.m.

  • Lindsay Glogower, PFunc’s Recruiting Practice Lead, will break down the strategy on who and how to hire.

CHRONICALLY ONLINE📱

For your viewing pleasure, a few PFunc-style workplace nightmares. If you’ve actually lived through any of these, please reach out to us A.S.A.P.

@peoplefunction

And this is why every company needs HR! 😅

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, 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. 🫢)