Podcasts about people analytics

AI can speed up your work, but it can't make your people decisions for you. In this episode of Empowering Workplaces, Sanja Licina, PhD, President of Employee Experience at QuestionPro, talks with Marcela Mury, Senior People Analyst at Wise, about how HR teams can use AI with confidence while still thinking for themselves. You'll hear why having access to data isn't the same as knowing how to use it, how to spot when AI is getting it wrong, what managers can do to help their teams learn, and why curiosity may be the most important skill in HR right now. Guest: Marcela Mury is a Senior People Analyst at WISE with a background in Industrial Engineering, project management, and HR consultancy. Active as both a practitioner and educator, she is the co-founder of People Analytics Tropical and is passionate about data literacy, ethical decision-making, and humanizing workplace analytics. Useful links: Marcela Mury on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcela-mury-49a74b13b/ Sanja Licina, PhD on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sanjalicina Learn more about QuestionPro: https://www.questionpro.com/

How Endeavor Health Is Building One Culture Across Four Health SystemsIn this episode of the HR Leaders Podcast, I sit down with Dianna Sparacino, MBA, SPHR, Chief People Officer at Endeavor Health , to explore how the organisation is bringing multiple healthcare institutions together as one system while continuing to protect what matters most to its people, patients and communities.For HR leaders, the conversation raises a bigger question about the connection between employee experience and patient experience. From supporting frontline caregivers to experimenting with AI, knowledge transfer and new approaches to leadership development, Dianna shares what Endeavor is learning as it continues building one organisation from several distinct histories.5 things you'll learn from this episode:The difficult balance Endeavor had to navigate when bringing four healthcare organisations into one systemWhy frontline leaders may be the difference between employees understanding a transformation and simply experiencing more changeWhat prompted Endeavor to move from allowing culture to evolve naturally to shaping it much more intentionallyHow the organisation is thinking about the relationship between employee experience and the quality of patient careWhere AI, simulation and new technology could help solve some of healthcare's toughest time, knowledge and capability challenges

Employee listening only matters if people can see what changed because they spoke up.In this episode of the HR Leaders Podcast, I sit down with Amy Schultz of DTE Energy to explore how employee listening can become a real operating system for culture and business performance.For HR leaders, the bigger challenge is not collecting more employee data. It is building the leadership accountability, feedback loops and operating rhythms that turn sentiment into visible change. As organisations navigate AI, transformation and increasing uncertainty, Amy shares why culture has to become part of how the business operates, not something HR manages alongside it.5 things you'll learn from this episode:What DTE discovered when employees started signalling that their opinions were not being heard as strongly as beforeThe mechanism that helped move engagement from an HR-owned process to an executive leadership priorityHow DTE goes beyond survey scores to uncover what is really sitting underneath employee sentimentWhy closing the feedback loop can matter just as much as taking action on the feedback itselfHow changing technology and AI are influencing the capabilities DTE may prioritise differently in future talent decisions

As AI reshapes work, the people function has an opportunity to play a much bigger role in how organisations navigate the transformation. At Snowflake, that starts with trusted data, strong people analytics and a clear view of what technology should automate, where it should augment human capability, and what should remain human. In this episode, David Green is joined by Arnnon Geshuri, Chief People Officer at Snowflake. Drawing on a career that includes senior roles at Google, Tesla and Teladoc Health, Arnnon explains why data has become a common language between HR and the business, and how Snowflake is putting that philosophy into practice. In this conversation, David and Arnnon discuss: Why people analytics gives HR greater credibility and influence with senior business leaders Snowflake's model for deciding what to automate, what to augment and what should remain human How Snowflake's talent acquisition team is building its own tools, including an application that reduced hours of work on job descriptions to minutes Why AI is changing jobs, career paths and the skills people will need as work is redesigned Why trusted data is essential to workforce transformation, and how Snowflake puts interactive organisational insights directly into managers' hands How Snowflake's talent acquisition team achieved a 20% productivity improvement, and why Arnnon focuses on business outcomes rather than tool usage Why analytics, systems thinking and change management are becoming essential capabilities for current and aspiring Chief People Officers For HR and people analytics leaders, this conversation provides a practical look at how a data-led people function can help shape work, strengthen decision-making and lead organisational transformation. This episode is sponsored by HiBob. HiBob is the people platform built for the AI era, helping organizations replace fragmented HR systems with a unified foundation for workforce management. That's why Brandon Hall Group says unified workforce platforms are becoming the foundation for organizations looking to scale AI with confidence.The report also includes a practical business case template with ROI modeling and executive evaluation criteria to help build your transformation strategy. Download the Brandon Hall Group HCMS Platforms Report Resources: Snowflake Careers at Snowflake Snowflake Education and Training Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What if burnout is not only about how much you work, but what you believe success requires from you?In this episode of the HR Leaders Podcast, I sit down with Nabeela Elsayed, MS, ACC, author of Breaking Burnout, to explore why high achievers can become exhausted even when they love their work, have supportive leaders and are succeeding on paper. Her research challenges the idea that burnout can always be explained by a toxic workplace or an individual who simply needs better boundaries.For HR leaders, the conversation raises a bigger question about how we think about wellbeing at work. Burnout sits inside a wider system of work, relationships, caregiving, identity, expectations and personal beliefs, which means sustainable performance may require organisations and individuals to rethink far more than workload alone.5 things you'll learn from this episode:Why some of the highest-performing people can also be the most vulnerable to burnoutThe success belief Nabeela believes can keep people working harder long after hard work stops helpingWhy having a strong sense of purpose can sometimes create an unexpected burnout riskWhat Nabeela learned from sports scientists about performing at a high level without constantly operating at maximum intensityThe identity shift that can help ambitious people build a healthier relationship with work without giving up ambition

The fastest way to learn AI may be to stop learning about it and start building with it.In the most recent HR Leaders Podcast episode, I had an inspiring conversation with Simon Brown Global Learning & Development Leader, Partner, Talent at EY.He explains why organisations need to move beyond simply teaching people what AI is and create learning experiences that help employees build confidence by using AI in the context of their actual work.By combining protected learning time, hands-on agent building, responsible AI principles and a stronger focus on human judgement, EY is exploring what it takes to build AI capability at scale while keeping learning relevant as the technology continues to evolve.5 things you'll learn from this episode:How EY is moving employees from learning about AI to actually building with itThe capability Simon believes people need before they can delegate meaningful work to AI agentsWhy making AI learning part of everyday work can change how quickly new skills are adoptedThe reason stronger AI tools may actually make human expertise and judgement more valuableHow learning leaders may need to redesign their approach when AI capabilities change faster than traditional training cycles

Achtung (Werbung in eigener Sache):  Jetzt mein Buch kaufen (in Co-Produktion mit Prof. Dr. Johanna Bath): "Die perfekte Employee Journey & Experience" (erschienen im Oktober 2025): Springer: https://link.springer.com/book/9783662714195 Amazon: https://bit.ly/44aajaP Thalia: https://www.thalia.de/shop/home/artikeldetails/A1074960417 Dieses Fachbuch stellt die wichtigsten Elemente der Employee Journey vor – vom Pre-Boarding bis zum Offboarding – und erläutert, wie Verantwortliche in Unternehmen eine gelungene Employee Experience realisieren und nachhaltig verankern können. Mein Gast: Marc Stratmann Marc Stratmann ist Co-Founder und Geschäftsführer Marketing & Vertrieb beim HR-Autopilot. Gemeinsam mit Peter Praeder-Hinzpeter hat er das Unternehmen im Juni 2024 gegründet. Zuvor sammelte Marc Erfahrungen in komplexen Organisationen wie Roche und DHL. Nach eigener Aussage hat ihn dort besonders geprägt, wie entscheidend klare Prozesse und verlässliche Strukturen für erfolgreiche Digitalisierung sind. Mit dem HR-Autopilot adressiert er heute eines der zentralen Probleme moderner HR-IT: die stark fragmentierte Systemlandschaft. Das Unternehmen verweist darauf, dass allein in Deutschland mehr als 600 HR-Systeme existieren. Statt für jede Systemkombination isolierte Einzellösungen zu bauen, setzt der Ansatz auf standardisierten Datenaustausch, Schnittstellen und einen Workflow-Builder, der Prozesse, Tools und Menschen miteinander verbindet. Marc ist außerdem Host der HR-Innovators Lounge. Dort spricht er regelmäßig über HR-Tech, Automatisierung, KI und Prozessdesign. Für unser heutiges Thema ist das besonders relevant: KI kann nur dann verlässlich arbeiten, wenn sie Daten erhält, die eindeutig, aktuell, konsistent und im richtigen Kontext verfügbar sind. Genau deshalb schauen wir uns heute an, welche Datenbasis HR dafür konkret aufbauen muss. Thema der Folge: In dieser Folge spreche ich mit Marc Stratmann, Co-Founder und Geschäftsführer von HR-Autopilot, darüber, wie Unternehmen eine belastbare Datenbasis für KI-gestützte HR-Prozesse schaffen können. Herzlichen Dank an Marc für den sehr guten Input zum Thema. Die wichtigsten Erkenntnisse aus dem Gespräch mit Marc: • KI löst keine schlechte Datenstruktur. Sind Daten unvollständig, widersprüchlich oder nicht eindeutig zuordenbar, kann KI bestehendes Chaos sogar verstärken. • Eine „Single Source of Truth" bedeutet nicht, dass sämtliche HR-Daten in einem einzigen System liegen müssen. Entscheidend ist, für jede Information eindeutig festzulegen, welches System die führende Quelle ist. • Gute Daten benötigen klare Verantwortlichkeiten. Die fachliche Verantwortung für HR-Daten sollte im HR-Bereich liegen, beispielsweise bei HR Operations oder People Analytics. IT unterstützt bei Integration, Infrastruktur und Sicherheit. • Wesentliche Kriterien für eine gute Datenqualität sind Eindeutigkeit, Vollständigkeit, Aktualität und Konsistenz. • Schnittstellen allein reichen nicht aus. Daten aus unterschiedlichen HR-Systemen müssen normalisiert werden, damit sie systemübergreifend miteinander verarbeitet werden können. • HR-Prozesse sollten zunächst standardisiert werden, bevor sie automatisiert werden. Nur ein klar definierter Prozess lässt sich sinnvoll an Technologie oder KI delegieren. • KI und Automatisierung sollten nicht ausschließlich der Effizienz dienen. Sie können gleichzeitig die Qualität der Employee Experience und Candidate Experience verbessern, beispielsweise durch schnellere Rückmeldungen oder automatisiertes Preboarding. • Bei sensiblen Entscheidungen bleibt der Mensch entscheidend. KI kann Informationen vorbereiten und Entscheidungen unterstützen, sollte aber beispielsweise bei Absagen, Gehaltsentscheidungen oder Kündigungen nicht autonom entscheiden. Marcs Empfehlung für einen pragmatischen Einstieg: In den ersten 30 Tagen: Systeme, Prozesse, Excel-Schattenlisten und Datenqualität analysieren sowie die führenden Datenquellen definieren. In den zweiten 30 Tagen: Daten, Begriffe, Pflichtfelder und Prozesse standardisieren und Systeme miteinander integrieren. In den dritten 30 Tagen: einen konkreten KI-Piloten starten, Ergebnisse messen, Feedback einholen und kontinuierlich optimieren. Die zentrale Botschaft der Folge: Nicht die leistungsfähigste KI entscheidet über den Erfolg von KI im HR, sondern die Qualität der Prozesse, Daten und Strukturen, auf die diese KI zugreifen kann. #GainTalentsPodcast #KI #KünstlicheIntelligenz #ITUpskilling #FutureSkills #Softwareentwicklung #Talententwicklung #Reskilling #Leadership Shownote-Links Marc Stratmann https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcstratmann/ https://hr-autopilot.de/ https://hr-autopilot.de/podcast/ https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1aelz9FDcgGoaINUN3ye-VhXsMfywKPK3ejRyDNgc0AM/edit?slide=id.g3e5710f8c2b_0_7#slide=id.g3e5710f8c2b_0_7   Links Hans-Heinz Wisotzky:  Website: https://www.gaintalents.com/podcast und https://www.gaintalents.com/blog Podcast: https://www.gaintalents.com/podcast Bücher: Neu (jetzt überall zu kaufen): Die perfekte Employee Journey und Experience https://link.springer.com/book/9783662714195 Erste Buch: Die perfekte Candidate Journey und Experience https://www.gaintalents.com/buch-die-perfekte-candidate-journey-und-experience LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/hansheinzwisotzky/ LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/gaintalents XING https://www.xing.com/profile/HansHeinz_Wisotzky/cv Facebook https://www.facebook.com/GainTalents    

What if the future of executive leadership is less about specialisation and more about range?For years, senior leaders have been encouraged to go deeper into a single function.But in this episode of the HR Leaders Podcast, I sit down with Joshua Horenstein, Senior Vice President, Administrative Office & Corporate Secretary at Innophos, to explore a different model: the dual executive.Joshua started his career as a lawyer before moving into a broader cross-functional leadership role spanning legal, HR, facilities, regulatory and other operational responsibilities. He argues that this breadth has made him a stronger executive because it forces leaders to understand the business beyond their original area of expertise.And as AI makes specialist knowledge easier to access, that ability to operate across functions may become even more valuable.5 things you'll learn from this episode:Why Joshua believes the traditional single-function executive model may be starting to break down, and what could replace itThe career move that took Joshua from law into HR and broader business leadership, and what it taught him about stepping outside your expertiseWhy AI could make it easier for executives to lead functions they were never formally trained in, and what still cannot be outsourced to technologyThe three leadership qualities Joshua believes will become far more important as AI changes how executives workHow taking responsibility for multiple functions can actually strengthen succession planning rather than create a leadership risk

The CHRO's real test isn't getting a seat at the table, it's whether the CEO would make the decision without them.In this special episode, Lewis Brown, Jr. - MA and Josh Klein of From Here Collective join Rich Jennings, Executive Advisor to Comcast, to explore what it means for the CHRO to become the CEO's trusted consigliere.Using The Godfather as an intentionally provocative analogy, they unpack the skills, behaviours and experiences that make an HR leader genuinely valuable at the highest level. From business fluency and fearlessness to asking better questions, building trust across the organisation and knowing how to influence decisions without needing to dominate the room, the conversation challenges the traditional boundaries of the CHRO role.For HR leaders, the biggest question is not whether you have a seat at the table. It is whether you are inside the decision-making circle before the decision is made. The episode offers a practical way to assess whether HR is operating as a functional expert, a business partner, or the strategic adviser the CEO cannot afford to make decisions without.5 things you'll learn from this episode:The surprising reason CHROs may have more strategic access than almost any other executive, but still struggle to turn it into influenceThe characteristics that can move an HR leader from trusted functional expert to indispensable strategic adviserWhy the strongest CHROs are increasingly expected to understand far more than HR, and what that changes about the roleThe tension HR leaders must learn to hold when the CEO, the workforce and the wider business do not all want the same thingThe question that can reveal whether you are truly inside the CEO's decision-making circle, or simply being informed after the fact

AI is moving faster than most organisations can redesign themselves, so how do you stop transformation becoming a series of disconnected technology fixes?Every leader says they want a high-performing team. But what happens when poor performance, missed standards and a lack of ownership are tolerated for too long?In the most recent HR Leaders Podcast episode, I had a fascinating conversation with Paul D. Brubaker, Vice President Human Resources at KARL STORZ North America.Paul shares what decades of leadership have taught him about building teams around trust, accountability and continuous improvement. From knowing when coaching is no longer enough to preparing HR teams for AI-driven change, he explains why great cultures are shaped by the behaviours leaders consistently reward, challenge and refuse to tolerate.5 things you'll learn from this episode:The overlooked “trust dividend” that can remove unnecessary checking, duplication and friction from your teamThe warning sign that tells leaders they may have held onto an underperformer for too longWhy the standards you quietly tolerate can become the culture your entire team starts to acceptThe AI opportunity Paul believes could remove huge amounts of transactional HR work, and the barrier still slowing many organisations downWhy staying relevant in HR will increasingly depend on your ability to learn, adapt and build new capabilities faster than your role changes

Was passiert mit Führung, wenn KI nicht nur analysiert, sondern Entscheidungen vorbereitet, Kommunikation übersetzt und als Agent mitarbeitet? Dr. Alice Rickert, Psychologin und Forschungsprojektleiterin an der Universität St. Gallen, diskutiert mit Marco, wo Systeme Entscheidungen verbessern können – und wo menschliche Verantwortung unersetzlich bleibt. Ausgehend von menschlichen Entscheidungsprozessen geht es um Bias, Emotionen und die Neigung von KI, uns zu bestätigen. Alice und Marco beleuchten Chancen und Risiken von People Analytics, KI-vermittelter Kommunikation und geteilter Verantwortung. Außerdem fragen sie, wie Führungskräfte Entscheidungen von Agenten prüfen können, ohne sie blind zu übernehmen oder reflexhaft zu überstimmen.

AI is moving faster than most organisations can redesign themselves, so how do you stop transformation becoming a series of disconnected technology fixes?In the most recent HR Leaders Podcast episode, I had an insightful conversation with Judith Wiese, Chief People and Sustainability Officer (CPSO) of Siemens AG.She explains how Siemens is rethinking its operating model, skills infrastructure and approach to AI as it becomes a more connected technology company. From simplifying the foundations underneath HR to embedding learning into everyday work, Judith shares how Siemens is preparing its people and organisation for a world where transformation never really stops.5 things you'll learn from this episode:The three-part AI model Siemens uses to separate everyday adoption from the much harder challenge of redesigning business processesWhy one of the biggest barriers to scaling AI has nothing to do with the technology itselfThe unglamorous HR foundations Siemens believes need to be in place before personalised learning and skills strategies can really workHow Siemens is using skills data to uncover far more internal career opportunities than traditional CV matching could revealWhy Judith believes the ability to keep learning may become more valuable than much of the knowledge employees already have today

What if AI isn't replacing jobs, but quietly redesigning the tasks inside them?In the most recent HR Leaders Podcast episode, I had an important conversation with Sultan Murad Saidov, Former CEO / Founder and Investor at Beamery. He explains why task intelligence could become critical to workforce planning, how AI is changing the work inside existing roles, and why deciding what gets automated should become an HR question, not just a technology question.Drawing on more than a decade of building Beamery and working at the intersection of AI, skills and workforce data, Sultan explains why skills alone are no longer enough to understand where work is heading.5 things you'll learn from this episode:Why looking at tasks instead of job titles changes how leaders understand AI's impact on workThe research Sultan references suggesting 75% of jobs may need redesign because of AI augmentationHow digital twin teams could help leaders model workforce decisions before making themWhy reducing junior roles may create a long-term talent and career pipeline problemWhy Sultan believes HR and technology teams should jointly lead the redesign of work

Constant tech shifts and viral noise are quietly exhausting your workforce and killing critical thinking.In the latest HR Leaders Podcast episode, I spoke with Laura Maffucci, Head of HR at Globalization Partners. She explains why HR cannot rely on corporate spin, unvetted AI add-ons, or forced office returns during times of rapid change.Most organizations do not lack technology tools. They lack transparent communication, psychological safety, and a clear process for building learning agility. And even when tools are enabled, a harder question remains:Are you actually solving an operational problem, or just adding tool overload?5 things you'll learn from this episode:The unconventional quarterly award designed to celebrate smart operational failuresThe quiet credibility trap behind performative return-to-office mandatesThe hidden data flaw causing 70–80% of enterprise AI bots to give bad adviceThe three core human traits rendering static technical skills obsoleteA simple peer-led initiative driving AI adoption far better than formal trainingSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

What if the self-doubt holding you back isn't proof of failure, but evidence of growth?In the most recent HR Leaders Podcast episode, I had an important conversation with Maharukh Dalal, founder of The Career Accelerator for Women by Maharukh Dalal. She explains how senior leaders can overcome imposter syndrome by closing the internal identity gap, reframing self-doubt into a signal of growth, and shifting self-perception to drive executive execution.Drawing on two decades of corporate leadership across finance and hospitality, Dalal explains how mindset precedes execution. This conversation offers senior HR and business leaders a clear playbook for mastering the mental side of executive performance.5 things you'll learn from this episode:The psychological gap that stops capable leaders from taking actionA simple two-word shift that instantly turns daily dread into agency What a 1980 university experiment reveals about how people actually perceive you The advice Rafael Nadal's coach gave him during his worst slump that applies to executives Why relying purely on willpower and discipline eventually fails even top performers

AI could influence 90% of jobs. David Lloyd says AI literacy is still only around 38%.That gap is where many enterprise AI strategies begin to break.In the latest HR Leaders Podcast episode, I spoke with David Lloyd, SVP Platform Engineering & Chief AI Officer at Dayforce. He explains why HR cannot wait until the end of an AI transformation to address skills, trust and organisational change.Most organisations do not lack AI ideas. They lack trusted data, safe environments and a clear process for deciding which ideas deserve to scale.And even when an experiment works, a harder question remains:Can it scale from one employee to 5,000?5 things you'll learn from this episode:Why three to six months is too long to judge an AI pilotThe three questions that decide whether an AI idea moves forwardWhat is really driving the rise of shadow AIWhy adding AI across a fragmented HR stack creates more chaosHow a three-person governance team can approve ideas in under five days

Karen Hale, Global Mobility Strategy Director @ IndeedGlobal mobility has spent years being treated as an operational function: move the employee, manage immigration, handle relocation, control costs.Karen Hale sees something much bigger.In this episode, the Global Mobility Strategy Director at Indeed joins AJ to unpack how mobility is evolving into a strategic workforce lever that connects talent acquisition, retention, career development, workforce planning, employee experience, and global expansion.Karen breaks down why companies still struggle to measure the true ROI of moving talent, why critical workforce data remains fragmented across HR systems and external partners, and why career progression after a move deserves far more attention than it receives today. The conversation also explores how AI could finally help mobility leaders connect those fragmented data points and give executives a clearer picture of whether their talent investments are actually working.But the episode goes beyond technology and analytics. Karen brings the conversation back to the human reality behind mobility: families changing countries, employees rebuilding their lives, spouses and children adjusting to unfamiliar environments, and the responsibility organizations carry long after the plane lands.For HR, Talent, People Analytics, Immigration, and Global Mobility leaders, this is a conversation about a bigger question:What changes when we stop thinking about global mobility as moving people and start thinking about it as moving talent, careers, and the business forward?

Why do enterprise skills programs always look great on paper, but break down the moment real work happens?In the most recent HR Leaders Podcast episode, I had an inspiring conversation with Josh Newman, VP of Skills and Talent Readiness at ServiceNow.He explains why organisations must shift away from perfectionist data collection and embrace good-enough skills capture paired with real-world talent readiness.By moving training out of LMS silos and leveraging ambient data signals alongside AI simulation playgrounds, ServiceNow tracks true human capabilities in real time while keeping human judgment at the centre of workforce strategy.5 things you'll learn from this episode:Why traditional skills-based models fail and how to move past perfectionist data gatheringHow Talent Signature captures ambient data signals from daily work to track capability growthHow SimStudio simulation playgrounds replace course completion certificates with real-time practiceThe key difference between basic AI adoption and true behaviour absorption that drives business ROIHow building psychological safety around AI tools directly boosts employee performance and sales quota attainmentSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Every company wants to become AI-native. But who is preparing the workforce for what comes next?In the most recent HR Leaders Podcast episode, I had an important conversation with Bijal Shah, CEO & Board Director at Guild.She explains why becoming AI-native is not simply a technology upgrade. It requires employers, governments and learning institutions to rethink how people gain skills, build careers and participate in the future economy.5 things you'll learn from this episode:How organisations can make the AI-native transition without leaving their workforce behindWhy Bijal believes 95% of companies still need to make this leapWhat makes workforce transformation a collective action problemHow critical thinking, judgement and curiosity separate useful AI from “slop”Where automation creates an advantage, and where human connection must remainSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

We spend all our time fixing business workflows, so why is HRs own workflow still broken?In the most recent HR Leaders Podcast episode, I had an inspiring conversation with Jeffrey Schmitz, Former Chief People Officer at Zebra Technologies.He explains how his team successfully restructured their entire HR operating model by separating daily tactical operations from long-term talent strategy. By replacing fragmented, manual support with a centralised service hub and self-service workflows, Zebra built a scalable foundation for digital transformation while keeping culture at the centre.5 things you'll learn from this episode:The structural model shift that allowed Zebra to transition from 60 HR Business Partners down to 8 The simple "start at the centre" rule that turned daily support tickets into an operational data goldmine The non-negotiable tech stack foundation HR teams must build before attempting to deploy AI tools The single candidate trait Zebra looks for that matters far more than rare technical AI expertise The culture stewardship strategy Zebra used to navigate a massive M&A carve-out and hybrid work shift

HR fixes everyone else's workflows, but who fixes HR's?In the most recent HR Leaders Podcast episode, I had an inspiring conversation with Barbara Matthews, Chief People Officer at Remote.She explains how her team successfully operates across 85 countries without traditional office mandates or endless meetings. By replacing friction with clear asynchronous documentation, Remote maintains connection and speed at scale.5 things you'll learn from this episode:Integrating AI into performance management and HR operationsBuilding trust and culture in fully remote asynchronous teamsTransitioning HR from lagging reporting to predictive indicatorsDeveloping leadership pillars and manager capabilitiesPrioritizing human power skills and process mapping in tech adoption

Many HR teams struggle to move beyond transactional order-taking. Ty Beasley, Chief Talent Officer at RSM US LLP, shares how grounding HR in financial realities transformed his team into trusted strategic advisors. Through the Drive Peak Performance framework, RSM redesigned performance advisor training and held partners directly accountable for the talent experience. This strategy replaces rigid office mandates with physical agility to support individual employee growth. This episode provides a concise roadmap for connecting talent strategy directly to business growth. It shows leaders how to build a stronger HR function that drives measurable business outcomes.

Episode Notes On this episode of Talent Experience Live, we look at why talent organizations have more data than ever and still can't answer basic business questions in real time. TA leaders walk into executive meetings unprepared, People Analytics teams field endless one-off report requests, and hiring problems that are actually data visibility problems keep getting misdiagnosed. We get into why fragmented data leads to fragmented decision-making, why generic BI tools haven't solved it, and how Phenom X+ Talent Advisor changes that picture, turning scattered data into decisions teams can act on instead of reports they have to chase down. We also look at what shifts for a talent organization once reactive reporting gives way to proactive intelligence.

Employee benefits can be the second-biggest people cost, yet many global organisations cannot clearly see what they offer, what they spend, or what value each provider delivers.In this episode of the HR Leaders Podcast, I had an inspiring conversation with Chris Bruce, CEO and Co-Founder at Origin. He explains why fragmented policies, spreadsheets, and local systems have kept benefits out of strategic business conversations.

AI is changing work faster than most people expect.The real question isn't whether jobs will change, but whether employees and leaders are prepared to adapt. In this episode, Jacob Morgan, Best-Selling Author, Keynote Speaker and Founder of Future Of Work Leaders, explains why employee experience must evolve and what organisations can do to stay ahead.Jacob introduces the Eight Laws of Employee Experience, showing how organisations can return to the fundamentals while adapting for an AI-driven future. He explores why leaders must balance empathy with accountability, create cultures where difficult conversations drive innovation, and invest in internal mobility rather than leaving employees uncertain about what's next.For HR and business leaders, this conversation is a reminder that AI doesn't remove the need for great leadership, it raises the standard. Whether you're redesigning employee experience, preparing your workforce for AI, or helping people take ownership of their careers, this episode offers practical ideas for building organisations that are ready for what's next.

In this episode of the HR Leaders Podcast, Mechelle Monroe, former Global Chief People Officer for WPP Open X, Team Coca-Cola at WPP, explores how people leaders can support others without losing touch with what they need themselves.Mechelle breaks emotional resilience into practical habits, including scheduled emotional maintenance, conscious breathing, honest self-talk, protected meals, movement, reflection, and knowing when to say no. She also explains how naming an emotion, questioning the story behind it, and creating a clear end to the working day can stop difficult moments from following leaders home.As work becomes faster and more technical, emotional intelligence and emotional resilience become more valuable, not less. For leaders carrying other people's stress, the real question is not how much more they can absorb, but whether they have built the capacity to pause, recover, and keep showing up well.

In this episode of the HR Leaders Podcast, I had an inspiring conversation with Jennifer M. Bales, Chief Human Resources Officer at Shearwater Health, to unpack how HR leaders can build culture, scale talent, and use AI without losing the human behind the work.Jennifer shares how Shearwater Health is connecting values, frontline employees, clinical talent, leadership development, engagement data, and employee storytelling across the US, India, and the Philippines. With more than 5,000 employees in the Philippines alone, she explains why building one shared culture takes more than posters, surveys, or slogans.Most importantly, Jennifer explains why the future of healthcare work is not about replacing people with technology. It is about helping clinicians work at the top of their license, reducing administrative burden, strengthening leadership capability, and remembering that behind every metric is a real person.

In this episode of the HR Leaders Podcast, I had an inspiring conversation with Lisa Yankie, Chief HR Officer at Odyssey Logistics, to unpack why the future of HR is not just about AI, technology, or transformation. It is about solving the right problems with the right people in the room.Lisa shares how her own journey, from humble beginnings to leadership across manufacturing, financial services, and mid-sized companies, shaped the way she leads today. Her experience gave her a broader lens on business, resilience, empathy, courage, and the value of taking chances when others open the door.Most importantly, Lisa explains why HR must stop acting like an afterthought. In her words, human capital is the business. As AI changes work, HR has a bigger role to play as the glue across functions, the challenger of old assumptions, and the function that helps organizations stay human while moving faster.

In this episode of the HR Leaders Podcast, I had an inspiring conversation with Ciara Harrington (Barry), Chief People Officer at Skillsoft, to unpack why the shift from jobs to skills is finally becoming real.Ciara explains why HR can no longer rely only on job architecture, job descriptions, and traditional role design. As AI agents enter the workforce, leaders need to think differently about the unit of work, what skills are needed, and whether that work should be done by a human, an agent, or a combination of both.Most importantly, Ciara shares how Skillsoft is making skills practical inside the business, from leadership skills and hiring decisions, to nine-box talent reviews, performance conversations, AI adoption, and helping leaders move faster without waiting for the perfect system.

For years, HR leaders have relied on dashboards to guide workforce decisions. But what happens when AI agents can analyse data, surface insights, and even recommend actions faster than any human?In this episode of the HRchat Podcast, Bill Banham is joined by Ankita Poddar, speaker, blogger, and Senior Human Resources Business Partner at Amazon Web Services (AWS), to explore why the future of HR analytics isn't about building better dashboards - it's about asking better questions.Fresh from her Disrupt Dublin presentation, "Dashboards Are Dead," Ankita explains how AI is fundamentally changing workforce planning, leadership, and organisational decision-making. Together, Bill and Ankita discuss why HR professionals must shift from reporting metrics to solving business problems, how global organisations are adapting to geopolitical uncertainty and changing talent mobility, and why leadership skills like empathy, systems thinking, and intellectual honesty are becoming more valuable than ever.Whether you're an HR leader, People Analytics professional, Talent strategist, or simply curious about how AI is reshaping work, this conversation offers practical insights into what's coming next.In this episode, you'll learn: Why traditional HR dashboards are becoming less valuable in an AI-driven world  How AI agents are changing workforce analytics and decision-making  Why better questions matter more than better reports  How global businesses are adapting to geopolitical uncertainty and changing talent mobility  What organisations are learning from the ongoing hybrid work experiment  The five leadership capabilities every future leader will need:  Intellectual honesty  Empathy  Systems thinking  AI fluency  The ability to slow down and think  How leaders can rebuild trust through better communication  Why HR professionals should look beyond HR for inspiration and innovation If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, leave a review, and share it with someone passionate about the future of work.Support the showFeature Your Brand on the HRchat PodcastThe HRchat show has had 100,000s of downloads and is frequently listed as one of the most popular global podcasts for HR pros, Talent execs and leaders. It is ranked in the top ten in the world based on traffic, social media followers, domain authority & freshness. The podcast is also ranked as the Best Canadian HR Podcast by FeedSpot and one of the top 10% most popular shows by Listen Score. Want to share the story of how your business is helping to shape the world of work? We offer sponsored episodes, audio adverts, email campaigns, and a host of other options. Check out packages here.Follow us on LinkedInSubscribe to our newsletterCheck out our in-person events

In this episode of the HR Leaders Podcast, I had an inspiring conversation with Björn Axelsson, EVP and CHRO at Sandvik, to unpack how one of Sweden's largest industrial technology companies is changing the way people think about mining, manufacturing, AI, sustainability, and future talent.Björn explains why mining is one of the most misunderstood industries in the talent market. Many people still picture it as old-fashioned, unsafe, or disconnected from the future, when in reality Sandvik has been working with autonomous vehicles, connected fleets, electrified equipment, digital mining, software, and AI-powered solutions for years.Most importantly, Björn shares how Sandvik is building a future-ready workforce by investing in STEM talent, early careers, mining academies, global mobility, employee-led storytelling, AI adoption, and local communities, all while helping customers access the minerals needed for the green transition.

In this episode of the HR Leaders Podcast, I had an inspiring conversation with Arun Serikar, VP, HR Technology, Digital Platforms & AI Innovation, Corp Functions at Schneider Electric, to unpack what it really takes to simplify HR technology, scale AI, and build a better employee experience across a global enterprise.Arun shares how Schneider Electric went from 545 HR applications to 303, reducing tech debt, breaking regional silos, and building stronger governance around the tools, data, and platforms used across the business. He explains why employees are not looking for the “best system”, they are looking for fewer systems that actually work together.Most importantly, Arun breaks down how Schneider Electric is using AI to move HR from a back-office function to an intelligence layer for the enterprise, from internal chatbots and ticket reduction, to performance review AI assistance, agentic workflows, and a future where employees can complete tasks without jumping between systems.

In this episode of the HR Leaders Podcast, we sit down with Dr. Marcus Collins, Best-Selling Author, Keynote Speaker and Professor at University of Michigan - Stephen M. Ross School of Business, to unpack why culture is the most powerful force shaping human behavior, inside and outside organizations.Marcus explains why most companies misunderstand culture by reducing it to slogans, rituals, values, or “how we do things around here.” In reality, culture starts with how people think, what they believe, how they make meaning, and what behaviors those shared beliefs produce.Most importantly, he reveals why the future of work will not be won by technology alone. It will be won by organizations that understand the culture of work, align the front stage and backstage of the business, and build environments where people are truly connected to the beliefs, behaviors, and conviction behind the work.

This is an encore podcast presentation of WorkTrends previously aired on December 5th, 2025. Your people data is telling you something. Are you listening? In this #WorkTrends episode, we dig into how people analytics is reshaping HR and talent management — from turning raw workforce data into strategic insights, to using AI agents to make faster, smarter people decisions. Whether you're focused on engagement, retention, or performance, this conversation will change how you think about the numbers behind your team.

Welcome to Work in Progress with Chris and Keyanna, your weekly workplace news hit, but with less corporate waffle, more real talk, and the occasional “wait… are we allowed to say that?” moment.All in under 10 minutes.No jargon. No doom-mongering. No pretending everything is fine when clearly… it is not.

In this episode of the HR Leaders Podcast, I had an inspiring conversation with Kelly Costanza, Chief People Officer at CAVA, to unpack how one of the fastest-growing restaurant brands is turning culture, hospitality, and frontline careers into a real business advantage.Kelly shares why culture cannot just be a word on a wall. At CAVA, culture is operationalized through values, competencies, recognition, career pathways, frontline listening, stock grants, mental health benefits, and leadership rituals that make the employee experience feel just as intentional as the guest experience.Most importantly, Kelly explains how CAVA is building a place where people can have a career, not just a job, from hourly team members growing into general managers, to leaders staying connected to the restaurants through shoulder-to-shoulder service, town halls, and practical feedback from the frontline.

In this episode of the HR Leaders Podcast, we sit down with Anju Choudhary, Chief People Officer at Xoxoday, to unpack why burnout is not just a wellbeing problem, but a work design and change design problem.Anju explains why organizations often treat burnout as an individual resilience issue, when the real problem is often the way teams are overloaded with unclear priorities, constant change, weak manager support, and poor recognition systems. She shares why leaders need to stop rewarding unsustainable hustle and start designing cultures where people can perform, grow, and recover without burning out.Most importantly, Anju breaks down the practical ways HR leaders can reduce burnout, build trust, and create healthier performance cultures, from clearer feedback and better change management, to manager enablement, recognition, AI coaching, team playbooks, and reward strategies that actually connect to the lived employee experience.

In this episode of the HR Leaders Podcast, we sit down with Allwyn Dsilva, VP HR & Global Head of L&D, Future of Work & Business HR at Tata Communications, to unpack why the future of learning must be built around business outcomes, skills, internal mobility, and AI-enabled career growth.Allwyn shares how Tata Communications moved beyond disconnected learning platforms and traditional course libraries to build a more connected ecosystem, linking skills, career aspirations, hiring, learning, coaching conversations, and AI-powered recommendations into one joined-up employee experience.Most importantly, he explains why learning teams must stop leading with the beauty of their programs and start proving behavior change, business impact, and real outcomes. From AI literacy and dark network operations to internal hiring, AI interview practice, and skills-based career pathways, this episode shows what it looks like when L&D becomes a true business engine.

In this episode of the HR Leaders Podcast, we sit down with Khadija Ben Hammada, Member of the Executive Board and Chief People Officer at Merck Group, to unpack how HR can lead through AI transformation without losing the human heart of the organization.Khadija shares why leaders cannot run global organizations from an ivory tower, and why being close to employees on the ground creates the trust, safety, and pride people need to speak up. She explains how field visits, human connection, and a strong sense of global community help Merck stay united across regions, even as the world outside becomes more fragmented.Most importantly, she breaks down how Merck is building AI capability across the business, from AI literacy for everyone, to leader upskilling, internal AI tools, hackathons, flagship use cases, and HR agents that can improve employee experience at scale. Through it all, Khadija is clear: AI should take tasks, not humanity, and HR must stay at the intersection of business, technology, and empathy.

In this episode of our On The Road series, we sit down with Amy Coleman, Executive Vice President, Chief People Officer at Microsoft, to explore how leaders can scale AI transformation without losing the human connection at the center of work.Amy reflects on stepping into the Chief People Officer role at Microsoft, the humility of becoming a beginner again, and why leaders do not need to pretend they have all the answers in moments of uncertainty. What matters is being honest, learning fast, and bringing people with you.Her message is clear: AI and humans cannot be separated. As work changes, HR leaders have to help people understand what is shifting, what still matters, and how AI can unlock more creativity, curiosity, innovation, and human potential.

In this episode of our On The Road series, we sit down with Laura Mattimore and Lucia Suarez from Procter & Gamble to explore how one of the world's most iconic companies is redesigning talent for the AI era.Laura leads global talent across P&G's enterprise talent systems, including hiring, learning, leadership development, workforce planning, and talent strategy. Lucia leads talent development, talent management, analytics, insights, employee experience, and transformation within that broader talent agenda.Their message is clear: AI is not just a technology shift. It is a work, culture, skills, and employee experience shift. For P&G, the opportunity is not to replace the human, but to build around human plus AI, with HR playing a central role in redesigning how work gets done.

In this episode of our On The Road series, we sit down with Kalifa Oliver, Ph.D. Senior Director of Technology - People Analytics at Lowe's Companies, Inc. to explore why HR needs to stop chasing AI tools and start solving the right business problems.Kalifa now sits in technology, not HR, leading teams across engineering, product, analytics, and people data. That gives her a very different view of what HR transformation actually requires.Her message is clear: AI is not magic. It will only be useful if HR asks better questions, understands the problem it is trying to solve, and stops adding technology on top of broken or unnecessary work.

In this episode of our On The Road series, we sit down with KeyAnna Schmiedl, Chief Human Experience Officer at Workhuman, to explore how organizations can identify future leaders before they are already in the obvious succession pipeline.KeyAnna shares how Workhuman's Future Leaders technology is helping companies spot the people giving off strong leadership signals across the business, including those who may not be visible through traditional talent reviews, manager nominations, or proximity to senior leaders.Her message is clear: the best future leaders are not always the most obvious names in the room. If HR can use better signals to see talent earlier, organizations can retain, develop, and invest in people before they walk out the door.

In this episode of our On The Road series, we sit down with Jennifer Reimert, SVP, Consulting Practice at Workhuman, to explore how organizations can make recognition reach the people who are often hardest to reach: frontline and deskless workers.Jennifer spent 20 years as an HR practitioner and total rewards leader before joining Workhuman. She was also a Workhuman customer back when the company was Globoforce, using recognition to help bring two merged companies together when culture, identity, and belonging were under real pressure.Her message is clear: recognition cannot only work for people at a desk. If most of the work that defines your culture happens on the floor, in the field, in hospitals, in plants, in stores, or across customer sites, then recognition has to meet people where they actually work.

In this episode of our On The Road series, we sit down with Ken Wechsler, SPHR, CCP, VP, Total Rewards at Akamai Technologies, to explore how AI is changing the conversation around rewards, recognition, performance, and the future of work.As a total rewards leader, Ken is now facing questions that would have seemed unlikely just a few years ago: What is our AI strategy? What outcomes are we trying to drive? How will AI change productivity, performance, and how people are rewarded?His message is clear: AI skills alone should not automatically mean higher pay. The real question is whether AI helps people deliver better outcomes, raise performance, create more value, and help the business move forward.

In this episode of the HR Leaders Podcast On The Road, we sit down with Eric Mosley, Founder and CEO at Workhuman to explore how recognition data, AI, and human insight are changing the way organizations identify their future leaders.Eric shares how Workhuman's new Future Leaders capability uses recognition data, performance data, and AI to identify the people most likely to rise into senior leadership roles years before they are officially promoted.And this is where it gets really interesting.Eric says the strongest signals are not coming from a traditional succession planning form. They are coming from the language people use about each other, the recognition moments that describe how work actually gets done, and the patterns that emerge across billions of human interactions.

In this episode of the HR Leaders Podcast On The Road, we sit down with Jorge Quezada, MBA (He.Him.His), Vice President, Culture & Performance at Granite Construction, to unpack what happens when culture stops being treated as a soft initiative and starts being run as a business driver.Jorge explains why culture is the operating system of an organization, shaping how people think, act, interact, and bring the company's mission, vision, and values to life every day.He shares how Granite is updating its culture for the next 100 years by preserving what makes the company strong, diagnosing what needs to change, and creating the conditions for people to grow, adapt, and perform.Most importantly, Jorge reveals why the future of culture belongs to leaders who stop copying best practices from other companies and start understanding what their own people, business, and operating system actually need.

In this episode of the HR Leaders Podcast On The Road, we sit down with Khalil Smith, VP, Inclusion, Diversity, and Engagement at Akamai Technologies, to unpack what it really takes to build a performance culture where people trust each other enough to speak up, challenge ideas, and grow.Khalil explains why culture is not what leaders say they want, but what the organization actually rewards, and why silence is often the clearest signal that trust has broken down.He shares how leaders can build stronger cultures by creating trust, encouraging healthy disagreement, aligning systems with values, and making recognition and feedback feel honest, specific, and useful.Most importantly, Khalil reveals why the future of culture belongs to organizations that close the gap between what they say and what they reward, creating environments where people can challenge respectfully, perform boldly, and speak up without fear.

In this episode of the HR Leaders Podcast On The Road, we sit down with Peter Andrew Danzig, Senior Advisor, Foundation Culture at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, to unpack what psychological safety really means beyond the buzzword.Peter explains why psychological safety is not a checklist, policy, or one-time initiative, but a belief system that has to be co-created, practiced, and reinforced through everyday behavior.He shares how leaders can build safer spaces by embracing healthy friction, operationalizing empathy, and creating room for challenge, accountability, apology, repair, and growth.Most importantly, Peter reveals why the future of culture belongs to organizations that stop treating safety as comfort, and start building environments where more people can speak honestly, move through conflict, and still feel seen, heard, and valued.

When your business is transforming, how do you make sure your people strategy is part of leading that change? In this episode of the Digital HR Leaders podcast, David Green is joined by Mattijs Mol, VP of HR Technology, Strategy and Insights at Wärtsilä, to explore what it really takes to run a people analytics function inside a business undergoing fundamental change. Join them, as they discuss: Why transformation creates new demands on people analytics and how to meet themWhat capabilities matter most when bringing workforce data sources togetherHow to make wellbeing land with the business by connecting it directly to performanceHow AI is reshaping the people analytics function and the wider workforceWhere the boundaries should be when AI starts influencing real workforce decisionsWhat the people analytics function could look like in five years This episode is sponsored by Visier. Visier Workforce AI is your GPS for workforce decisions. Spot attrition risk, uncover pay gaps, measure leadership impact, and track skills shortages before they slow growth. Then act. Align talent to real business outcomes. Across industries, HR and business leaders are using Visier Workforce AI to navigate the biggest workforce shifts of our time. Move from knowing to doing, faster. See it in action at visier.com Also, make sure to read to explore Visier's latest research on strategic workforce planning in the AI era. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.