Balancing Technology and Humanity in Recruiting Today’s Workforce
BY Jennifer Yoshikoshi November 13, 2025Allied Universal Security Services hired a candidate for a recruiting role that had a “fantastic” resume but limited recruiting experience. She played sports in high school and college, worked as a lifeguard, and had skills in sales. Although she didn’t check off all the boxes, her values and mindset made her the top candidate. Kelly Hunter, vice president of global talent acquisition at Allied Universal Security Services emphasized that while many companies use skills-based hiring methods, the truest sense of a candidate’s capabilities can be seen through a personality lens. During an executive panel discussion at From Day One’s Philadelphia conference, leaders dove into how they are able to make employee recruitment and hiring a more efficient and inclusive process.Human Connections and ValuesWhen she was hired 15 years ago, Hunter says she didn’t check every box that recruiters were looking for but her personal values are what made her the company’s best pick. Her story highlights that hiring is about more than a checklist, it’s about identifying the qualities that align with a company’s culture and long-term vision.She also considered that there is power in developing connections with not only candidates, but also within the hiring team. “Very commonly, we’ll get an email back from a hiring manager saying, ‘not a fit.’ That's not enough for me. I need more,” she said. “It’s being able to pick up the phone and hold those leaders accountable to know why [the candidate] was not the right fit. Help me understand the strengths and the challenges that that interview faced and give us more feedback.”Steve Koepp, From Day One co-founder and editor in chief, moderated the panel discussion about "Making Talent Acquisition More Efficient, Inclusive, and Personalized"In the hiring process, it’s also important to identify whether a candidate aligns with the company’s values and leadership during the interview, said Shaunique Adams, vice president, human resource business partner at M&T Bank.“Someone can technically have the skills, or the experience and then how often does it happen, where they show up there’s an (employee relations) issue, or there’s other things that come up from more of a personality fit that was kind of masked to a degree,” said Adams.The talent acquisition team at M&T Bank is also connecting with its existing employees and supporting them through their career within the company. Adams shared that the team hosts open town halls across the organisation and offers opportunities for employees to have their resumes reviewed. “One of the things I first noticed when I started was people were decades in the organization, moving around, and often with that, your resume may be a bit stale or you may not even have a resume because you’ve been there so long,” she said. As Generation Z candidates enter the workforce, the age range of talent continues to widen. María Julieta Casanova, global head of strategic HR business partners & talent acquisition at Corteva Agriscience, noticed that younger workers have an urge to be challenged and to utilize problem solving skills. Hunter added that Gen Z are seeking engagement, in-person interactions, and a sense of connection after spending years at home during the pandemic. They are eager to immerse themselves in environments with leaders that can help them build on their skills. Where to Use AI, and Where to Avoid ItWith technological advancements, talent acquisition leaders are finding ways to improve their work by implementing artificial intelligence platforms. M&T Bank and Corteva Agriscience are using Microsoft Copilot and Eightfold, an AI candidate screener. “The guidance that I received from my partners is that they find Eightfold to be even more effective than LinkedIn, Indeed, and all of those sourcing tools,” said Adams. The platform is able to screen candidates and elevate top talent for recruiters and sourcing teams to review. It allows companies to “unlock capacity for everybody in the talent acquisition team to spend more time in human interactions,” said Casanova.Eightfold has also allowed recruiters to maintain a database of past candidates under a reserve of skills that they are looking for in other job opportunities, Casanova says. “This technology is not just a tool, but also it unlocks more time for recruiters to do other things that are more strategic.”AI can help benefit recruiters in many ways, but there are also looming perceptions of the technology as deceiving. Hunter mentioned that companies are seeing bots applying for people and candidates using AI to answer interview questions over video calls. As these concerns rise, she highlights the continuous need for the human element.“During the pandemic, there were so many offers that happened virtually and they never met anyone,” said Hunter. “Now we’re really making it an emphasis to meet people in person, even if all the interviews went great, like, has anybody met them in person yet?”Casanova added that AI also involves a stronger awareness of privacy and compliance policies, which differ across the world. As more companies introduce AI platforms and new technology, change is necessary, she says. Jennifer Yoshikoshi is a local news and education reporter based in the San Francisco Bay Area.(Photos by Josh Larson for From Day One)
Elevating Employee Experience Through Personalized Recognition and Rewards
BY Jennifer Yoshikoshi November 03, 2025A post-pandemic workplace survey found that only four in 10 employees feel respected at work. Researchers suggest that a drop in employee engagement and well-being caused major discontent across the workforce. With positive engagement faltering across companies, leaders are working to implement programs and systems that encourage the recognition of employees through rewards, appreciation notes, and flexible benefits. During a panel discussion at From Day One’s San Francisco conference, leaders shared their methods on effectively recognizing valued employees and elevating their work experience.Representing a Diverse WorkforceFrom Generation Z to Baby Boomers, companies are seeing an increasingly diverse demographic in the workplace and are challenged with adjusting to a wide range of needs. Aon’s 2025 Employee Sentiment Survey found that while benefits such as medical, paid time off, dental and retirement benefits were valued by all employees, the level in which they prioritized them differed across generations. Serafina Miller, senior vice president of Aon’s Northern California Health Solutions Practice, says that Gen Z will value paid time off and work life balance over retirement while Baby Boomers are more likely to focus on life and disability benefits and retirement.Even companies that may have a tight budget are offering ways to reward their staff. In these situations, Miller says that offering flexibility and choice becomes critical. This can be provided through different types of health plans with high, medium and low coverage. In addition to still recognizing the needs of workers, this can drive financial wellness benefits as well, she says.At Prezzee, U.S. Senior Marketing Manager Samara Swenson said the company is “constantly developing different programs that fit different needs that may fit different generations.” The company provides customizable digital gift cards, and its rewards programs allow employees to swap their gift cards for something they need. The company is also able to track what they are exchanging it for, such as groceries or other necessities to understand the budget constraints impacting its workers.Shawna Chen, reporter at Axios, left, moderated the discussion among leadersAllan Brown, vice president of total rewards at Snowflake, acknowledged that the pandemic also changed the power dynamic between employees and company leaders, where the culture of one workplace might appear better than another. For recruiters, he suggested that it could be effective to share with potential candidates that while a company will pay competitively, there is also an awareness for work life balance. “We’re looking for ways to sort of tap into what that person cares about, beyond money,” he said. An Aon study has also found that “hybrid working arrangements actually allow employees to feel the most valued versus being forced to return to work,” Miller said. Remote working from the pandemic has allowed people to find that the ability to work home can be a stress reliever and a way to manage life better. To See and Recognize EmployeesRemote-capable workers forced back on-site reported the largest decline in feeling respected, dropping from 46% to 35% in 2022, according to Gallup. After the pandemic, more employees began to feel overlooked or disrespected in the workforce amid layoffs, lack of recognition, decline in wellness services and restricted work flexibility. Brown of Snowflake, says a stronger focus on manager training is necessary to address the needs of individual employee experiences. “Manager training and the responsibility of managers that they have to guide, mentor, coach and try to see the employee,” are important aspects to acknowledging staff, he said. At Visa, employee recognition starts from day one, said Jennifer Cullen, global head of employee experience and listening. During its onboarding process, employees are introduced to all different systems used within the company as well as its peer-to-peer recognition program. With over 32,000 employees across the world, Visa ensures that “there’s not big differences in the way that folks are recognizing one another,” said Cullen. Prezzee similarly works with companies to create a reward system that encourages employees to recognize their coworkers with points. When a certain amount of points are collected, they can cash it in for a gift card, says Swenson. “This is a small way to make your coworkers and everyone feel seen, make them feel rewarded, make them feel like the work that they’re doing at the workplace is valued,” she said. Jennifer Yoshikoshi is a local news and education reporter based in the San Francisco Bay Area.(Photos by David Coe for From Day One)
Making Sense of Work Models: When In-Office, Remote, and Hybrid Models Succeed
BY Jennifer Yoshikoshi October 08, 2025As of 2024, five in 10 full-time employees in the United States have remote-capable jobs, according to a study by Gallup. Remote work has become “a new normal for people,” said Peter Cappelli, co-author of In Praise of the Office: The Limits to Hybrid and Remote Work, during a fireside chat at From Day One’s September virtual conference. Cappelli, management professor and director of the Center for HR at the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, spoke with Megan Ulu-Lani Boyanton, Seattle Times business reporter, about the changes, benefits, and disadvantages to remote work culture, and how to make the most of it. Changes to Telework CultureThe rise of full-time remote work skyrocketed during Covid and has shifted the culture of remote years after restrictions have been lifted. In 2021, Cappelli wrote, The Future of the Office: Work from Home, Remote Work, and the Hard Choices We All Face, a dive into what employees and managers should be thinking about when exploring the benefits and disadvantages of remote work. “The story about remote work before the pandemic was not a particularly happy one but the context was quite different. That is, they were looking at situations where people were remote but their colleagues were largely in the office,” said Cappelli.Peter Cappelli spoke about his book In Praise of the Office: The Limits to Hybrid and Remote Work during the session (photo by From Day One)Pre-pandemic remote workers were less committed, had lower engagement, experienced a greater sense of isolation and their career progression was worse, he added. Since then, the telework culture has dramatically changed. More employees prefer working from home or on a hybrid schedule, especially as companies are starting to call for them to return to the office. According to the Gallup study, “Six in 10 employees with remote-capable jobs want a hybrid work arrangement. About one-third prefer fully remote work, and less than 10% prefer to work on-site.”“The current story does not look like the pre-pandemic story at all,” said Cappelli. His newly released book explores how hybrid work can be done effectively and what can be done to fix the current work environment. The Pros and Cons to Remote WorkHaving the option to work from home has become the new normal and many employees have built their lives around being able to work remotely. But Cappelli found that while there are some benefits to this, there are also impacts to the social networks of remote workers. Through a series of focus groups, Cappelli and his colleague found that internationally, individuals who worked from home did not interact or develop relationships with others who also worked remotely.“There’s pretty good evidence from other research on this showing that networks of employees, networks of people, shrunk during the pandemic, and it has not really rebounded,” he said. Working in the office however, allows for greater opportunities to learn from each other and to develop a more efficient work flow, Cappelli says. If a problem were to be solved in the office, employees would be able to solve it quickly. Remotely, you’d have to ping the person, try and set up a Zoom meeting, schedule it and that may take even a few days, he said. “The things that we started to see about human interaction are basically solving problems that come from the nature of office work, and if you’re not face to face, you don’t have the ability to solve those problems,” said Cappelli.Experienced employees within a company know their team and interact with them regularly. For them, working remotely may be more favored. But for new hires entering an entirely remote environment, they get lost, Cappelli says. New employees are also unable to find their way because they are unable to observe the company’s culture while working from home. Employers are also seeing that in hybrid work environments, employees are still not coming back to the office even on “anchor days.” Attendance is about 4% on these days,” according to Cappelli. Remote meetings are also becoming less productive and engaging for workers, with many attending with their cameras off or having artificial intelligence agents taking notes for them.Management in an Era of Hybrid WorkCappelli says that the reason why the workplace environment isn’t “delightful” is because the problem has always been with the “top of the house” managing their employees and driving its policies. “I don’t think (top leaders are) taking it very seriously,” he said. As company leaders cut resources, training and supervision while increasing workload, the workplace environment begins to worsen employee mental health problems. While many corporations are issuing return-to-office policies, Cappelli observes that its leaders are not doing a great job at making the transition easy for its workers. If companies want to return to an in-person work environment, “it’s going to require a lot of work from people at the top of the house to take this change management process seriously and so far, they haven’t really given any inclination that they’re willing to do it,” said Cappelli. Jennifer Yoshikoshi is a local news and education reporter based in the San Francisco Bay Area.(Photo by vm/iStock)
Fostering Well-Being: The Impact of Comprehensive Benefits
BY Jennifer Yoshikoshi August 08, 2025One in three working adults experienced a significant loss in the last year, according to Empathy’s 2025 Grief Tax Report. Nearly 80% of working adults considered quitting their jobs due to loss-related challenges while 76% feared they would be let go, the report finds. Grief is one of many impacts that can affect an employee’s well-being, along with financial struggles, chronic illness, mental health and life challenges. During an executive panel discussion about the impact of comprehensive benefits at From Day One’s July virtual conference, leaders shared how they support their employees’ well-being through proactive initiatives and programs. A Global Approach to WellnessCompanies such as Hunter Douglas Inc. and McAfee oversee and manage workers in dozens of countries. Timothy Tolino, global director of benefits, mobility and wellness at Hunter Douglas, says in order to successfully manage benefits for people across 48 countries, the company looks at each country and works with a local broker to meet specific needs. Michael Kang, head of global compensation and benefits at McAfee, leads program designs for over 1,800 employees across 28 countries. With varying numbers of employees within certain geographic regions, he faces challenges with providing certain benefit programs to all countries and balancing how to meet the needs of all workers while also balancing business strategies.“I think it’s most important to really make sure that you’re aligned with what the business is trying to do, making sure you think about the long term versus being very reactionary,” said Kang. “There are certain things that kind of span the globe, like mental health issues, and overall wellness that we can roll out on a global scale.”Knowing Your PeopleExecutives are often challenged with ensuring their employees and their families are receiving the necessary care they need. At Apache Industrial, the majority of its workforce is male. Krystle Lee, total rewards lead at Apache, says serving a mostly male field based population brings its own set of unique challenges and engagement requirements. Apache’s benefits system offers a model that prioritizes offering direct primary care with 24/7 access through phone, text, app and web. “We find that primary care is really lacking, and it’s not just lacking across males, but it is very evident across the male demographic that they’re not taking care of themselves first because they’re busy taking care of their families,” Lee said.The company is also mindful in providing inclusive programs that benefit its male employees, their families and dependents with informational materials in English and Spanish. Journalist and Harvard Business Review Columnist, Rebecca Knight moderated the discussion about "Fostering Well-Being: The Impact of Comprehensive Benefits" (photo by From Day One)Focusing on wellness can be difficult when employees already have so much on their plate. In order to encourage more self care, the company has partnered with a mental resilience app that gamifies care in an accessible way, says Lee. “It really helps [employees] take micro moments, micro lessons and just little doses here and there that build engagement,” said Lee. The app turns moments of self care into points that can be exchanged for real life rewards. This incentivizes employees to do exercises such as taking a few seconds to practice breathing techniques–a moment they can take while at their desk, in the car or during lunch. Supporting Workers Through All Life StagesMaven Clinic, a fertility and family benefits company, helps employees through family building, menopause, maternity, and more, touching on all stages of life. Senior Director of Client Success, Katie Wallace says the traditional care model isn’t made to meet the complex needs of women and families. Instead, Maven takes the approach of looking at clinical, emotional, and financial needs. It’s important to ensure benefits reach people across all demographics, so no one is left without the care they need. Maven has supported LGBTQ+ communities with emotional support and individuals building families with high in vitro fertilization costs, says Wallace. Grief is another stage in life that can deeply impact the productivity and engagement of employees. It’s imperative to recognize that this emotional response is one that can involve months or years of logistical, legal, and emotional responsibilities that can hinder an employee from concentrating on their work, says Madeleine Donner, senior director of partner success at Empathy.“So many employees are also caregivers or executors of the estate, so they’re trying to do all these things while also managing to keep up with their day to day jobs,” said Donner. The company offers “compassionate human guidance with practical tools like task tracking, account closures, peer communities and holistic approaches,” she said. Empathy helps its clients through its platform, LifeVault, which provides wellness tools that organize essential documents and future plans. “It empowers people to make those thoughtful decisions now, long before loss or illness enters the picture.”Chronic illness is another struggle that many employees have to endure while managing their work lives. At Hunter Douglas, the company offers benefits that “meet people where they’re at,” said Tolino. In addition to providing flexible options, it’s important for there to be workforce training to build employer awareness about the available benefits and the company’s mission, he says. Innovations in tech can also help boost well-being. In June, Maven announced its partnership with Oura Ring, a health tracking ring brand. Utilizing the data that is already being collected through the rings worn by Maven members, this collaboration has been able to provide the company with continuous biometric insights that can improve its level of care. “This will mean combining their daily health signals, things like sleep, stress and activity, into our programs and combining it with the expert guidance from our care team–a balance between the tech and the human care,” said Wallace. Jennifer Yoshikoshi is a local news and education reporter based in the San Francisco Bay Area.(Photo by svetikd/iStock)
People-Centered Approaches to Workplace Productivity
BY Jennifer Yoshikoshi June 23, 2025Workplace productivity isn’t just about policies and perks anymore, it’s about fluency in human difference. As new generations enter the workforce with different expectations, the challenge for employers isn’t just keeping up, but tuning in. Jodi Hill, vice president of global talent attraction and engagement strategic initiatives at Wells Fargo says HR leaders should evolve their strategies to bring out the best in every employee.Hill spoke during an executive panel discussion at From Day One’s Minneapolis conference, where leaders shared how their workplaces lead initiatives to create environments that support worker productivity in sustainable ways.To address the needs of employees, leaders often use surveys to understand how they can better support their workers. Dustin Wellik, vice president of HR strategy and solutions for 3M says his company uses what it calls “active and ambient listening strategies.” By collecting the comments and questions that are made through communication channels, events and town halls, 3M will consolidate them for themes. “You can also start to understand tone,” he said.“If you start to get hints of anxiety that could be they don’t feel like they’re equipped or capable to perform what we need them to do, or at the volume we need them to do it,” Wellik added. “If they’re resistant, perhaps we're not quite hitting what's in it for them or incentivizing them to lean in.”At U.S. Bank, one focus is on uplifting employees through a campaign called “Innovation Week.” Kelly Johnson, senior vice president and HR advisory services lead for U.S. Bank said this is part of its attempt to create a culture that fosters innovative ideas and empowers employees to share them. “I think this really allows the team to feel comfortable and to bring those ideas forward and to create that space for change,” said Johnson.With a new generation of workers entering the field, leaders need to learn how to adjust their management styles and acknowledge differences in the way younger generations like Gen Z function and work. Dr. Colleen Flaherty Manchester, professor in the work and organizations department at the Carlson School of Management, moderated the discussion Hill said that social media is key to recruiting and attracting new workers because the younger generation has grown up with technology and media. She suggested that “Day in the Life” videos can offer a glimpse into the work day, offering potential applicants with a very raw and realistic image of what it’s like to be an employee for the company.Enhancing Wellness and Productivity Through ChangeWhen employees are struggling financially or mentally, it can take away from their ability to be productive at work. One of the ways that companies are cultivating an empowered and engaged work culture is by using demand pay or earned wage access. This benefit allows workers to access a portion of their accrued wages prior to payroll at no cost.“They now have the power to access a portion of those wages and utilize those wages in a way that puts them in a better financial situation, and they’re not coming to work stressed out,” said Steve Davis, national sales manager of business partnerships for Global Payments.Davis encourages company leaders to look into ways that they can emphasize financial wellness and benefits that can create a better culture. When it comes to ensuring that workers' needs are met, leaders should also be able to hold conversations with their staff about what challenges they might be facing and how they as leaders can help. Johnson added that it’s key to have education for leaders to train them on how to start conversions and how to engage in dialogue about employee performance, potential external stressors and what’s impacting the employee. At U.S. Bank, the company offers support circles for their employees, a group that allows individuals to connect with others who are experiencing similar things in life. This can include being a new mom, dealing with aging parents or becoming an empty nester. “I think sometimes those connections with others that you may not work with day to day, those connections can be very impactful for employees to find a safe space to talk through that get ideas, to be able to be more successful as well,” said Johnson. Aside from personal stressors, the economic and political changes can also be distracting, impacting the ability for employees to focus. In these situations, Hill encourages transparency from the company while also putting a lens on what’s impacting the organization and using that as a guardrail for conversations. “At Wells Fargo, one of the things I think we have done really well is that we’ve had our leaders be very vocal with conversations about diversity, equity and inclusion and its commitment,” said Hill. She encouraged HR leaders to hold conversations with frontline leaders and guide them on how to navigate discussion about these topics. “The volume of change and chaos out there is so overwhelming that sometimes we forget about what’s not changing,” Wellik added. He suggested that while it’s still important to acknowledge the changes, highlighting what will remain the same is equally as powerful, including company values, objectives, goals and culture.(Photos by Travis Johansen for From Day One)
Employee Mental Health and Wellness: How Managers Can Be Empowered
BY Jennifer Yoshikoshi May 14, 2025More than 90% of American workers say it’s important to them that the organization they work for values emotional and psychological well-being, according to a 2023 survey by the American Psychological Association. Continuing the growing conversation around mental health and wellness, more companies are putting programs in place to support the holistic well-being of employees. During a From Day One panel discussion at From Day One’s Boston benefits conference, executives joined in on a conversation moderated by Boston Globe reporter Katie Johnston about how managers can be empowered to respond to employee needs. For Robert DiFabio, senior director of global benefits and mobility at Waters Corporation, being able to address the mental health concerns of his employees feels mutually beneficial. To be able to provide opportunities that help people which at the same time help the company is a “win-win,” he said.“The happier or healthier employee is someone who also would be more attentive, less absent, more productive at work, more motivated, just simply, even more grateful for their employer for giving them tools and resources,” DiFabio said.Managers who are engaging with their employees to support their well-being are driven by the passion to help others and deliver support with resources that are customized and personal. Although some leaders feel satisfied by being able to help their employees, others might struggle with some aspects of being prepared to engage in conversations about wellness and checking in with their staff. While managers may know when to engage in check-ins, they might not be comfortable with the support that needs to follow these conversations.Panelists spoke about holistic employee health and well-being“My concern is that managers are maybe ill equipped to deal with what then comes from those conversations. So I think it's important that we be prepared as companies to provide them the appropriate training if we're going to expect them to engage in those conversations,” said Anne Marie La Bue, vice president of compensation and benefits counsel at Assurant.CEO and Co-founder of LearnLux Rebecca Liebman added that discussions about mental health are also considered taboo for many communities and cultures. She emphasized that it’s important to start “breaking down barriers to let people at least start a conversation around these traditionally more taboo topics in the workplace.”The Main Drivers for Stress, Anxiety and DepressionMore than 80% of Americans are living with debt and 46% of people making six figure incomes are still living paycheck to paycheck, says Liebman. Financial hardships are an aspect of life that company executives recognize needs more attention within the corporate world. When it comes to supporting employees that are impacted by financial struggles, Holly Duvernay, director of benefits at Crane NXT, says it’s important for managers to leave the bias at the door and create a space that offers open conversations with the employee. Without any judgement, asking employees what they need and how they would like support can build strong relationships with workers. “The difference between a toxic work environment and loving your job is a razor thin margin,” said Ryan Kellogg, vice president of partnerships and sales effectiveness at Talkspace. He adds that communication is key in the workplace. Training for Managers Annual manager training is often seen as a hassle to many, but Duvernay says this requirement is a great investment. “You’re equipping your managers again with those resources that they need to understand, but you're also sending a message from the top down that it’s a business imperative, and it’s very important to the business success that everybody is able to develop their own well being,” she said. Waters Corporation makes discussions about important topics a part of meeting agendas, allowing the team to set aside 20 minutes to talk about things such as mental health and emotional well-being. “It’s a way to be helping them, giving them tips, educating them without making it feel like it’s this strong, stern requirement,” DiFabio said.The company also has an online resource that is available only to managers which include tips, suggestions, guides and employee assistance programs. It also partners with a EAP vendor which is open for managers to call for one-on-one private coaching sessions with a trained professional that can provide advice on any situation that a manager might find difficulties with.Talkspace, an online and mobile therapy company, makes sure that its organization’s leaders see that mental health is part of the workplace culture. Kellogg said the company has “mental health minutes,” which are one to two minute Youtube clips that give managers the mindset about mental health going into the day.Kellogg says that Talkspace also has mental health first aid training sessions where the company has a highly intensive one day block of instruction for either frontline managers, middle managers or senior leaders. “Following that training, those individuals are now force multipliers in your own workforce, and it's a resume builder, it’s something that they accomplish. They get a certificate and by doing that, you’re creating a culture that’s generating energy around mental health,” Kellogg said.In order to build a culture where mental health is prioritized, managers might be expected to be accountable for boosting wellness. Duvernay adds that the accountability piece is in the managers ability to have regular check-ins, collecting feedback and being able to act on what they are hearing from employees. As a form of accountability managers have to engage, be proactive and anticipate needs, she says. “If you create that environment as a manager, to have that open door policy and to anticipate challenges and how you’ll react to them, I think you create that environment where employees are accountable for their own well being, which I think is really the end goal,” Duvernay said. Measuring Wellness TrendsTechnological advances have allowed people to gain insights on trends and anticipated outcomes. Data driven tools can especially be useful for measuring mental health and wellness trends within a workplace. Talkspace analyzes data on who is leveraging mental health services as well as clinical assessments. These assessments can give a deeper look into whether the company is rating high on anxiety, depression, work-life balance and allows the company to understand where its employees stand and evaluate how the workplace is impacting them, says Kellogg.While data can be helpful, Liebman acknowledges that usually this type of information is not known to companies until they bring in a third party vendor. It’s insightful for human resource teams to understand what’s going on in their workforce at different levels to identify stressors within the company, she says. “Having those insights allows you to add better programs that are specific to what your company needs and what will improve their overall well-being,” said Liebman.Jennifer Yoshikoshi is a local news and education reporter based in the San Francisco Bay Area.(Photos by Rick Friedman for From Day One)
Making Talent Acquisition and Development More Efficient, Inclusive, and Personalized
BY Jennifer Yoshikoshi May 07, 2025In 2025, it will take an average of six months for an unemployed person to find a job, according to the Wall Street Journal. While many people seek employment, companies are now seeing an overwhelming amount of job applications and with such an influx of submissions recruiters are finding it difficult to keep up.As artificial intelligence has become a key tool in the world, companies must learn to evolve with technology and learn how to utilize it as a way to mobilize their work and increase efficiency. Using AI for talent acquisition and improving candidate experiences was the top discussion during an executive panel discussion moderated by KING 5 News anchor Jake Whittenberg at From Day One’s Seattle conference.Recruiting and Acknowledging Job CandidatesLHH is a company that specializes in supporting individuals and organizations with recruitment, career transitions, leadership development and more. It receives over 300 million applications a year from around the globe, says Erin Bogdanovich, vice president of innovation of LHH.A common dissatisfying factor in the job application process is being ghosted, only having access to a chat bot, not being acknowledged and never hearing back from a recruiter. With so many applications being submitted daily, AI has been serving as an effective way to give each candidate the acknowledgement and personal support that they need to find the right jobs for them, Bogdanovich says.Amazon also utilizes AI to help recruiters identify if one applicant’s skills can be applied to other open positions that the person may not have applied to. While technology can be helpful, Anthony Palumbo, head of talent acquisition for Amazon ads and IMDB, says it’s still important to maintain human interactions. “I think that the key is applying technology using high judgment, preserving candidate experience, but not eliminating the human aspect of what we do,” said Palumbo.Improving the candidate experience is the same as providing positive customer service. For many companies like Uber and Amazon, job candidates are going to be current customers. Jack Leitch, head of talent acquisition programs and enablement at Uber, said this is a “double edged sword.” In these situations, a negative job application process could impact how the candidate feels about the company and its services. “You have to kind of consider your impact on the business with what you do with your candidates,” he said.At LHH, Bogdanovich said the company has a candidate portal for any jobs they apply to. It shows them real time updates to their application and provides transparency to candidates.Finding the Balance With AIUsing AI can help speed up certain processes while also ensuring that customers and recipients of the service are still receiving quality care. Although the human aspect is still important, some processes can be better done by technology.Panelists spoke about "Making Talent Acquisition and Development More Efficient, Inclusive, and Personalized"Roz Francuz-Harris, vice president of talent acquisition at Zillow, says the best method is to provide options for people on when they want to see automated tasks and when they would prefer to speak to a real representative. For example, when you enter the Zillow career site and upload your resume, an AI assistant can recommend jobs that match your skills and later in the process an option to speak to a recruiter can be given as a choice. “It’s that duality. It’s giving me optionality, not one or the other. I think what makes AI so special is when it goes hand in hand with the human experience,” said Francuz-Harris.This human experience paired with AI can be useful to process tasks for technical jobs. These elements can slow down recruiters and lead to tasks getting held up because the manpower is not enough, said Carl Sanders-Edwards, CEO and founder of Adeption.By using AI for efficiency, it frees up more time for recruiters to think more strategically about how they can better engage with job candidates and recruit the right people with the best skills the company needs, says Leitch.Now that AI is able to complete more repetitive tasks which were formerly done by recruiters, those same employees now have to go through a transition phase to relearn how to focus on the more human parts of the job. In order to do this, they have to learn how to leverage AI technology and learn how to maintain human connection, says Sanders-Edwards.He also added that the most important skill in candidates is the “skill to acquire skills.” The ability to adapt and evolve to new challenges and learn from them is one of the most important qualities, he says.Francuz-Harris emphasized this when she said, “AI will not replace recruiters. Recruiters who don’t learn to use AI will be replaced.” With the rise of new technology, employees need to learn to evolve to changes.The message to not be afraid of technology was adopted by panelists during this conversation, echoing Francuz-Harris’s sentiments. “Don’t be afraid. You’re going to mess it up. We’re all going to mess it up and do the wrong thing. Do it fast, and then pivot if you need to,” said Leitch.Jennifer Yoshikoshi is a local news and education reporter based in the San Francisco Bay Area.(Photos by Josh Larson for From Day One)
Creating an Employee Experience That’s a Magnet for Today’s Workforce
BY Jennifer Yoshikoshi April 25, 2025According to a Gallup study, organizations that have a strategic plan for employee development saw an 11% increase in profitability and were twice as likely to retain employees. “One of the most important factors in creating a high-performance workplace is instilling a high-development culture,” the study said.Across industries, companies are always aiming to increase fulfillment and sparking new initiatives to develop an effective work culture. During a panel at From Day One’s Silicon Valley conference, leaders discussed how their companies are driving engagement, what challenges their organizations face and how employers can create more trust.Driving Engagement Oracle is committed to a culture around a growth mindset and “building that throughout the vein of the organization,” said Sid Deka, vice president of human resources. The company encourages continuous learning and provides employees with a safe space to experiment and drive innovation.Deka adds that by offering learning opportunities for employees of all levels to grow increases the feeling of trust that is developed within the company. It’s important for people to have authentic conversations with managers to plan out ways to improve and explore options for more opportunities, he says.Velocity Global’s Chief HR Officer Carol MacKinlay ties fulfillment in her organization back to empathy. She points out that it's important to remember that the team is human and leaders must be mindful about ensuring their employees are having the best experience while they’re at work.As companies implement new initiatives, transparency at all levels is necessary, says Sid Nayar, vice president of HR strategy, operations, analytics and talent at Freshworks. He also called for the necessity to have business leaders to own company shifts and transformations so “the onus is also on them to cascade it down.”Subadhra Sriram, Independent Journalist, Workforce Expert, right, moderated the discussion MacKinlay says the company is also investing in the growth and development of employees while they are with them. “There may be people here who have career paths that are outside the company, and that's okay. So we're going to develop you. We’re going to grow you. We’re going to tell you what you’re doing well, we’re going to get you to the next place,” she said.Velocity calls these employees “boomerang employees.” Although they may leave the company, there is an incentive plan to bring them back. Challenges in ManagementFreshworks is the first India-based SaaS company that was started from a small city in India and has grown to be successful. Nayar says that because of the company’s background, many of its first employees came from humble beginnings but since the company completed its initial public offering the leadership has shifted. Now, all senior executives are in the United States.“Our biggest challenge is defining who we are now.” Nayar said. “It was a company that about 10 years ago, was the people who had a chip on their shoulder. They were not tier one at your school. They came from humble backgrounds, built this company and made this a global brand.”Freshworks is currently working on how to develop the sense of belonging and identity for those workers as the company has gone globally successful.Kelly McMahon, vice president of organizational effectiveness at Equinix, says accountability, in a sense of pushing for strategic thinking, is a struggle that the company is currently trying to manage. She believes that when employees become accustomed to merely completing day to day assigned tasks, it impedes the company’s pace of work.“I think what we’re trying to sort of engender is a little bit more of a risk tolerance around experimentation,” said McMahon. “Let's put out a perspective and see what the response is, versus trying to build consensus.”Larger companies such as Oracle are seeing challenges with managing and strategizing engagement for multigenerational, multicultural and multiregional employees. Deka says the work environment is three dimensional and pushes the company to think of how to best engage with a diverse group of people in various ways.“Simplicity is the ultimate form of sophistication,” said McMahon a quote she once heard from Equinix’s CEO. She’s referring to the company’s pursuit to simplify communication between leadership and employees. McMahon says 90% of her job is spent on communication issues and addressing challenges around communication is best done through providing clear and concise ideas.Building TrustCompanies are seeing that investing in building leadership skills in frontline managers is important to ensuring that down the hierarchy, employees are feeling engaged and trust is being built.Velocity is currently holding roundtables with all employees in small groups to obtain actual feedback on the programs they are implementing. The employee success team is holding 20 sessions around the world with different groups in various languages. “What it does is build trust and it builds a bond to be able to have the faces of the people who can actually affect change for the employees,” said MacKinley. From these meetings, the company is learning about whether their offered benefits match employee needs and if there are any “glaring things that the company has missed,” she said.Velocity is also kicking off an initiative that encourages employees to give anonymous constructive criticism. The idea behind this is to give people a chance to have an outlet to report issues in the workplace and push for others around them to improve.McMahon emphasized the need to invest in employee experiences the same way that companies do for customers.“Organizations who do this really well, map the employee life cycle, prospect to alumni, and then within that say, what are the moments that matter and how are we going to invest in repeatable, scalable, predictable experiences for employees that you know are going to meet their needs,” said McMahon.Jennifer Yoshikoshi is a local news and education reporter based in the San Francisco Bay Area.(Photos by David Coe for From Day One)
How Employees Can Navigate Digital Transformation While Being Heard, Seen, and Valued
BY Jennifer Yoshikoshi March 28, 2025Extra Space Storage is a self-storage company that has over 4,000 facilities across the United States and employs 8,000 workers. The company has also only had three CEOs since 1977. At From Day One’s Salt Lake City conference, Whitney Harper, SVP of people at Extra Space Storage spoke with moderator Robert Gehrke, a reporter for The Salt Lake Tribune about how the company’s leadership and culture has fostered a work environment that embraces inclusivity, thoughtfulness and has adapted to artificial intelligence.As the nation faces a tumultuous time in politics, the news can be overwhelming and distracting for everyone, especially in the workplace. In order to make sure employees are seen, heard and focused, leaders can incorporate informal and formal strategies, says Harper.Surveys are a common way to check in with team members and get a “pulse check” on engagement, says Harper. Meetings can also give companies insight on how employees feel and what their concerns are.Informally, having conversations while running into people at the office can be a great way to casually connect with others and hear their thoughts. Extra Space Storage has developed a culture of having stairwell chats, while people run into workers from different departments between building floors. Harper also encourages asking the questions of “what’s on your mind?”, “what are you stressed about?” and “what can we help answer?”Showing employees that they are valued is another strategy to creating a thoughtful work environment. “When you have team members that hit a significant milestone, you want to make sure that you are also adequately or appropriately showing up and recognizing and reinforcing and creating kind of that calmness,” said Harper. Extra Space Storage celebrates employee milestones through bonuses. Although they used to send gifts, they found that extra cash was better received by workers. Diversity, equity and inclusion has been a hot topic in the news since the beginning of Trump’s second term. Extra Space Storage has remained committed to DEI efforts since the Black Lives Matters movement following George Floyd’s murder in 2020. The company has adjusted its DEI language to shift more toward inclusion and values because it felt that it more strongly aligned with its authentic self. Balancing the Use of AIWith thousands of employees and a commitment to helping everyone who needs human resource assistance, Harper is a regular user of artificial intelligence programs such as ChatGPT and Galileo, but she emphasizes to “never let AI be the driver.”Harper said AI has helped the company analyze data from employee engagement surveys and produce reports to share with senior leadership with indications that it was AI generated. This data contains a lot of sensitive information and so Harper clarified that she works closely with the cybersecurity team to ensure that these tools are safe. Whitney Harper, SVP of people at Extra Space Storage, was interviewed by Robert Gehrke, reporter at the Salt Lake Tribune during the fireside chatThe company also uses AI in learning and development. It recently launched a new learning management system called Axonify. “Axonify does trainings, but also does daily quizzes, so it can be testing the individual and also asks the individual, what's your confidence level on your answer to this,” Harper said. The AI training system learns about the individual employee the more they use it and helps them advance their skills in a way that is suited for them.Culture From the Top DownExtra Space Storage serves millions of customers with its storage facilities, but how do they transfer its inclusive work culture down to the members of the public?Harper says its unique company culture and business model all stems from the foundation of the company and its mission to maintain a “win-win relationship.” The founder of Extra Space Storage, Kenneth M. Wooley has always worked under the win-win relationship mindset even prior to the creation of the company, says Harper. “If you’re going to go into business with Ken Woolley, he's never going to do a deal that’s not a win-win with you,” she said. This reputation has continued with its second and third CEO.The win-win relationship is now serving its customers through rate adjustments especially when the company acknowledges that rate increases can be stressful. “We empower our team members to do rate adjustments,” she said. “They are empowered to do that so that they can say, ‘I know this customer, I can empathize. I see what’s going on with them. This is not a good time for you to have a rate increase. Let me make that adjustment for you.’”When the company’s culture is embraced by leaders, team members and third party owners, the positive impact of it “cascades throughout the whole organization,” Harper said.Jennifer Yoshikoshi is a local news and education reporter based in the San Francisco Bay Area.(Photos by Sean Ryan for From Day One)
The Role of Leadership in Supporting Employee Mental Health and Wellness
BY Jennifer Yoshikoshi March 17, 2025When an employee faces a health emergency and is hit with a $1,000 bill, it’s not just a physical wellness concern—it quickly becomes a financial one. They may have to dip into their emergency savings, leaving them unable to cover their bills. At that point, it can also start to affect their mental health.Nate Nevas, head of benefits and health services at Pitney Bowes, says his company approached the benefits in terms of making all pillars of physical, financial and mental wellness equally strong for employees. During a panel discussion at From Day One’s Chicago benefits conference, Kim Quillen, business editor of the Chicago Tribune, led a discussion with company executives about how managers can provide employees with mental health and wellness support. Putting Mental Health at the ForefrontLeaders at Pitney Bowes started their commitment to mental wellness by holding conversations about mental health with efforts to destigmatize it within the company. By spreading the message of “it’s okay not to be okay,” it began hosting a series of internal webinars, workshops and providing resources on its website, said Nevas. Gillian Plummer, director of employee health and wellness at Quest Diagnostics says 35,000 employees at her company have taken advantage of health risk assessments. The top feedback they received was that employees are stressed about their jobs and finances. Quest Diagnostics applied this data to its vendor programs and adopted it into cultural changes within the company, says Plummer.Panelists spoke about "Employee Mental Health and Wellness: How Managers Can Be Empowered"Britt Barney, manager of client success at Northstar, says the company sought to create greater awareness of wellness for its employees by offering mental health sessions with vendors and holding health fairs onsite. These in person events allow employees to meet with people from vendors and understand their benefits.Empowering managers to provide information to their employees about available benefits and to introduce them to someone that can further assist can be an effective way to support wellness. “There’s not enough time in the day for benefits people to be answering these questions, but to empower managers as that kind of first person that gets the information, I think is really important,” said Barney.Employee Support ProgramsCompanies are approaching wellness as a team effort. Pitney Bowes has a program where employees serve as “wellness champions,” who stay updated on available resources to be able to assist others who have questions or need help, said Nevas.Quest Diagnostics has a similar initiative with its company ambassadors. These employees take part in putting up informative flyers around work, talking to their peers and “empowering each other to live their best lives,” said Plummer.The company also offers peer support groups, where staff across the country have been able to share their personal stories about wellness journeys like in weight loss. Plummer says Quest Diagnostics is focusing on taking a step back on being “corporate,” by pursuing a more humanistic feel in the work they do. For example, the company encourages walks during meetings to give space for people to back away from powerpoint presentations and clear their heads. Mérieux NutriSciences showcases the various benefits available in its monthly spotlight on benefits and programs, said Benefits Manager Talikia Kitchen. They inform employees about what benefits are free and how to access them. For the mental health spotlight, the company guides their employees through the Employee Assistance Program and helps them get in touch with wellness vendors. “With our spotlight program, we spotlight each benefit that we have and we let employees know it’s okay to use this. This is totally confidential. No one will find out. This is for you,” said Kitchen. “It’s to help to ease your mind and to let you know it’s okay to use your benefits.”Kitchen recognizes that mental health is just one segment to multiple pillars of overall wellness.A Manager’s Role in Promoting WellnessWhile companies can provide an exuberant benefits program, if the work environment or company culture is not at the same level, these benefits go to waste, says Matt Jackson, general manager and vice president of Americas at Unmind. “The organization is responsible for creating the talent brand that attracts the right people to your company. They’re not responsible for the culture. The culture sits within the individual teams, and the managers are the stewards of that culture,” Jackson said.Managers hold a lot of power and can impact employees’ mental health more than a significant other or therapist, Jackson says. This highlights the importance of training and equipping leaders to foster a supportive culture within the company. Taking a humanistic approach and understanding the struggles that people may be dealing with can be an effective way to approach wellness. Making the time to hold conversations and build rapport can open up more discussions about how employees are feeling, says Plummer. Even by noticing a change in behavior or reaction in employees and acknowledging it can foster a healthier environment where employees and managers can talk about things that may be negatively affecting them, says Kitchen. “We all sometimes have this crying moment because we’re alone and we’re by ourselves–but sometimes we need that person, even if it’s not asking or telling what’s going on, it’s just [having someone to listen],” she said. Jennifer Yoshikoshi is a local news and education reporter based in the San Francisco Bay Area.(Photos by Tim Hiatt for From Day One)
Enhancing Workplace Culture by Prioritizing Growth and Engagement
BY Jennifer Yoshikoshi March 11, 2025Six years ago, BMC Software was hesitant to survey employees and gather their feedback, says Lynn Moffett, vice president of human resources at BMC Software. The company didn’t utilize surveys because it didn’t know what to do with the insights. However, with the arrival of a new CEO, the company embraced a shift in approach.The new executive team pushed for a workplace that embraced interactions with employees that boosted the company culture. Since then, surveys have been a critical part of evaluating employee needs and driving improvement.During a panel discussion at From Day One’s Houston conference, executives spoke on how their corporations are enhancing wellness and workplace culture for its employees.Listening to Employee FeedbackSurveys are serving as a great way for companies to gauge how employees feel about their workplace and pushes the needle to bring change and improvements for the whole corporation. BMC Software’s employee survey measured how employees felt about career growth and development and by partnering with a technology vendor, the company was able to analyze the data and develop a sustainable strategy for the company to deploy, says Moffett.The vendor also helped the company understand how BMC’s initiative compared to other organizations. It found that many others are also focusing on career growth for its employees. BMC aimed to use the surveys to empower managers by giving them access to their own feedback and scores, opening up avenues to hold conversations with their employees, Moffett says. Managers were also trained and supported in having these discussions.Adrienne Adeshina, global head of learning and development for Ericsson, emphasized that the important part of utilizing surveys is actually taking action.Richard Robinson, system vice president of employee and labor relations at CommonSpirit Health, added that companies should reflect on whether any changes occurred since the last survey. When creating a survey, it should recognize the current issues at hand.“I emphasize with the leaders to still check in with employees to see if we moved the needle. And if not, is there something else we should start looking at? Because maybe whatever was drawing the issue at that time may not be driving it anymore,” Robinson said.Carver Edison is using survey data and connecting it back to an evaluation of how employees are engaging with benefits and financial programs, says Aaron Shapiro, the company’s founder and CEO.“That actually helps create context around different survey responses so we can help our clients really understand how the two are connected, how employee survey data actually then connects and translates to the decisions people are making,” said Shapiro.Investing in Employee DevelopmentNational University has started a credential-rich pathway initiative which allows students to gain more experience and connections in addition to graduating with a degree.“No longer are we living this three phase life where you go to school, you have a career and you retire,” said Eric Roe, dean and regional vice president for Texas at National University. “You have this multiphase life where you’re moving in and out of education.”National University is one of the first education institutions to embed an industry certifications into its degree program, Roe says. The university has embedded the Google project management and data science certificate. It also partners with companies like Amazon and Southwest Airlines and takes its leadership training program and incorporates it into the university’s initiatives.Nick Baily, CEO and co-founder of From Day One, moderated the session Adeshina says Ericsson has created a four-level learning plan for global critical skills that the company has identified that are used in the organization. Employees are then given the opportunity to focus on growing these certain skills through short term projects in collaboration with their leaders. These projects open opportunities to network, work with new people and experience a day in the life of someone doing the job more related to that skill, says Adeshina.Holistic Wellness: From Finances to Workplace Flexibility While many employers want to provide more financial stability for employees through raises, budgets always cause a barrier, says Shapiro. Financial wellness is a growing topic among corporations as a report from the Federal Reserve shows that “72% of adults are doing at least okay financially,” which is six percent lower than recorded in 2021.People often look for jobs to make more money, therefore employee retention begins to increase when workers are feeling comfortable with their income and not seeking new employment, says Shapiro. In the remote working space, wellness and productivity can either decline or improve with the different initiatives taken by leaders to ensure the workplace culture is still prevalent for remote workers. The National University’s Center for the Advancement of Virtual Organizations recently published a book titled, Winning in the Virtual Workplace, a framework for leaders on how to successfully lead a remote team.“It really starts with a leader centered in the framework around emotional intelligence,” said Roe. “You have to really be able to understand that employee and connect with them, but then you surround that with a structure that supports that remote workforce.”The framework encourages communication through check ins, maintaining accountability and providing positive encouragement. A communication feedback loop has to be developed to keep remote employees engaged, says Roe.The panelists agreed that what they see drives engagement is stability, flexibility, growth opportunities, and connection.The Importance of DEIAs some corporations are rolling back on diversity, equity and inclusion efforts, others are still holding onto its initiatives to make sure that the sense of belonging remains a part of the workplace culture. “Ericsson hasn’t rolled back or changed anything. It’s always been a culture of inclusion and belonging, and that continues,” Adeshina said.Social justice, equity, diversity and inclusion is important for building the next generation of the workforce, says Roe. Supporting DEI helps create a workplace culture where individuals feel valued, respected, and empowered to contribute—an environment that leaders are committed to maintaining.Jennifer Yoshikoshi is a local news and education reporter based in the San Francisco Bay Area.(Photos by Annie Mulligan for From Day One)
Shaping the Dialogue: Delivering Meaningful Well-Being Support
BY Jennifer Yoshikoshi March 05, 2025In a 2022 survey conducted by the Kaiser Family Foundation, results showed that more than 60% of people cited shame and stigma as the main obstacle to accessing mental health care.At Freddie Mac, the company utilizes storytelling to help destigmatize the need for benefits and reminding employees of the plethora of resources available to them, says Jennifer White, head of learning and leadership development.While people across the nation are struggling to care for their mental and physical health, it can be even more difficult to do so with the additional stressors within the workforce. During a panel discussion at From Day One’s Washington, D.C. conference moderated by LA Times reporter Faith Pinho, executives spoke on how leaders can foster cultures that support meaningful missions toward employee well-being.Vulnerability in the WorkplaceOne of the biggest challenges when it comes to communication around mental well-being is the stigma, says Nicole Wolfe, vice president of B2B partnerships at Rula. In order to combat this struggle, it’s important for company leaders to create a culture around transparency, honesty and vulnerability. Nicole Wolfe added that some of the discomfort around seeking help often stems from a lack of awareness of what resources and benefits are available as well.Owner and founder of Westcomm, Guy Westermeyer, says that using storytelling techniques in company campaigns can also help make information more memorable. Featuring the stories and voices of real employees and company leaders sheds the stigma around seeking help and lets them know it’s okay to use these benefits.“When you have stories coming from leaders it helps to show that vulnerability as well, and lets people know that it’s okay to use this benefit and to seek out support,” agreed White.“You have to be open and you have to talk about it regularly. It can’t be a once and done,” said Westermeyer. He also emphasized that companies need to “bust the myths” around mental health and use more relatable terms and scenarios that employees can see themselves in.Developing a Strong Company Culture of WellnessCreating a culture of well-being can be beneficial to employees who see direct actions and outcomes of promises that the company makes. This culture can be formed by holding conversations on how managers are demonstrating behaviors that are being asked for, whether leaders are celebrating employee milestones and more, said Carlee Wolfe, associate vice president of leader development and organizational effectiveness at Hyatt.For larger companies such as Hyatt, with offices and hotels across continents, it's important to evaluate what’s being offered to employees locally. From restaurant staff to housekeeping, the hotel corporation acknowledges the efforts from all levels of the company.Hyatt also celebrates Global Day of Gratitude, where employees across the world engage in spreading appreciation to others in the company and at home. “Not only is that something that reaches our entire organization, but you can really feel that walking through the halls or typing into chat or sitting in the back of the house and how people are working,” said Carlee Wolfe.Panelists discussed how they integrate well-being into their companiesA diverse range of options is valued whenever possible. Freddie Mac offers well-being support by having physicians, counselors and chiropractors on site for corporate offices, says White. It also provides caregiving leave, bereavement leave and well-being leave for employees. The company has developed a coaching program where employees can receive resources on improving their wellness habits such as sleep, time management, exercise and more.Measuring Employee Well-beingIn the hospitality business, like Hyatt, the company focuses on the idea of happy colleagues, happy guests. By evaluating the level of engagement through company activities and surveys, leaders can measure whether their employees are aligning with the well-being culture that is set up by the corporation.Carlee Wolfe said Hyatt sends out a colleague experience survey, which is built on company core values, leadership competencies and wellbeing. The data tells the team what the company can do to support employees and allows them to take action on what they see and hear is needed.“The thing that we really emphasize is the data becoming available at the manager's fingertips. We have data that goes to any leader that has five or more direct reports, so they’re able to look at how [they are] moving the needle on well-being,” said Carlee Wolfe.White also previously worked in the hospitality business at Hilton. During her time there, she said the company started a campaign that aimed to ensure employee well-being through comfortability. This meant looking at the uniforms and making sure they were comfortable and allowing staff to feel confident, so they could be “ready to be at work and do their best job.”In recent years, well-being has evolved beyond physical health, embracing a holistic approach to wellness–a shift that continues to gain momentum. Just five years ago, this broader perspective was far less common. Westermeyer highlights the strong connection between mental and financial wellness, an increasingly recognized priority for companies.Jennifer Yoshikoshi is a local news and education reporter based in the San Francisco Bay Area.(Photos by Justin Feltman for From Day One)
Innovative and Efficient Approaches to Improving Employee Well-Being
BY Jennifer Yoshikoshi February 26, 2025When the fires in Los Angeles, California sparked in January, many employees of S&P Global were impacted. In order to support its employees, the company looked into its retirement plan and offered its workers to use funds from their 401k plan to get what they needed to support themselves financially through a FEMA disaster relief withdrawal policy.As the world sees increased natural disasters, financial pressures, health challenges and more, employee well-being is a topic that needs to be talked about now more than ever. Well-being includes mental health, physical health and finances. During a panel at From Day One’s Atlanta conference, executives joined moderator and journalist Alexis Hauk for a conversation on how corporations are taking innovative and efficient approaches to improving employee well-being.A Focus on FlexibilityAfter Covid, many companies are working on having employees return to the office after years of remote and hybrid meetings. In this post-pandemic era, companies are facing the conflict of employees seeking flexibility in their work while management attempts to bring them back to work in person.Jan Goldstein, senior vice president of human resources at Gray Media Group works with broadcast journalists who are covering stressful topics about shootings, fires and disasters all while working under a tight deadline and having to look their best while doing it, she says.Under Gray Media Group, management and HR focuses on creating a healthy work environment and culture to encourage employees to come into the office and allow them to feel like they want to be working in person. The company currently has a hybrid model to allow time in person to build relationships and culture while also giving employees flexibility to work from home.Vitor Hugo Cid, global head of HR for patient care informatics at Philips says his company has been in the process of impending the push to return to the office over the last six months. Philips currently has a hybrid work model as well.It’s important to establish clear policies around hybrid, remote or in person work, he says. Some positions such as manufacturing roles simply cannot be done from home. To bring people back into the office, a change in mindset needs to occur, Vitor Cid added.“What we’re starting to do in this new approach is really think about intentionally creating moments that matter, [like] employee experience, so employees can be in the office and they can actually have those moments of creativity, conversation, building and networking,” he said.Philips has expanded its diversity and inclusion team to also incorporate well-being. It has implemented a mental health program that invites company employees to become mental health champions who can help others in the company. They receive training from mental health professionals to learn how to act as a guidepost for employees who may need mental health support. It currently has 500 volunteer mental health champions across 130 countries.Supporting Women’s HealthOvia Health is a unique family health benefits platform that offers women’s health services to employers. While in the workforce, women are impacted by very specific health challenges, including perimenopause, menopause and pregnancy.Von Miles, head of commercial strategy and growth for Ovia Health says since the company’s inception in 2012, it has served over 22 million family journeys. Ovia Health offers women education through articles, videos and support through health coaches.The top four areas of gap that the company identified through surveys from employers included parenting programs, flexibility and schedule, mental health and return to work programs, says Miles. “Feedback is so important, giving them the opportunity to speak to their employer to talk about what their needs and gaps are as it relates to their women's health journey,” said Miles.Measuring the Success of Wellness InitiativesGray Media Group hosts a multitude of events and campaigns for its employees to engage in including gratitude and appreciation campaigns where employees nominate another person they think is awesome to work with, a water drinking challenge and a safe driving pledge. Every month they do something different.Goldstein says she can measure how well the company’s efforts are doing by seeing how many people are actually participating and engaging in these activities. The company also matches employee donations that go towards a financial fund that is provided to them as a grant when an employee needs financial support during an unforeseen event.Financial Well-Being and Emergency SupportAccording to Tapcheck co-founder & COO Kayling Gaver, 14% of Americans are underbanked, meaning they don’t have access to traditional credit or finances. When employees are struggling with finances, it shows through absenteeism, low productivity and poor health, Gaver says.By implementing Tapcheck, an instant pay app, employees are able to access their wages immediately when they need them, as they earn their pay. “It’s a gig economy,” said Goldstein. “People can drive an Uber for an hour, download their cash, get gas money to keep driving all day. So having that kind of flexibility and urgent access to their earnings, I just think they're going to start to expect from us.” At Gray Media Group, Goldstein was able to implement earned wage access as well as cover the ATM fee for withdrawals.The executive panelists spoke about "Innovative and Efficient Approaches to Improving Employee Well-Being"Extreme weather phenomena are increasingly impacting employees across the nation. During these times, finances along with safety might be a concern for employees. From wildfires to snowstorms, employees are facing additional stresses in addition to their work lives.At Tapcheck, employers offered their staff an emergency fund to help them prepare for a snow storm that was approaching. The program was offered to them as a way to support employees and make sure they were able to stock their pantries and collect any necessities.Philips also has a crisis team that was developed during Covid that focuses on how to ensure employee safety.Using AI to Enhance WellnessCompanies carry a lot of information and data across various departments and sometimes that can be difficult and time consuming for people to navigate through. Artificial intelligence can be helpful in organizing this data and providing it to people. Tiffany Clark, vice president of people solutions & well-being at S&P Global says her company uses a generative AI bot to help employees find information about benefits. S&P Global has many benefit offerings that range from menopause, leave and financial support. The bots will also help employees interpret the information that is provided. Currently, the bot is still being monitored by an employee who is training it and reviewing its actions to make sure it’s providing accurate information. “I think technology is going to drive a lot that we see in the well-being space, especially when you look at those three points about, how do you educate, how do you get people direct access, and then how do you use that data to be able to drive the different decisions that you make as an organization?” said Clark. While AI is on the rise, it still requires human oversight. Clark clarifies that technology is meant to augment human capabilities, not displacing them. S&P Global has taken many steps in preparing and training the bot by testing its functions, conducting risk assessments with an AI council and forming a knowledge team that governs its AI policies, says Clark. “AI is nothing without the data. And so making sure that our data set is as clean as possible, that's one of the things that we've done to make sure that we're using AI responsibly,” said Clark.Jennifer Yoshikoshi is a local news and education reporter based in the San Francisco Bay Area.(Photos by Dustin Chambers for From Day One)
Adapting to Evolving Workforce Expectations: Key Areas for Leaders’ Focus in the New Year
BY Jennifer Yoshikoshi January 29, 2025Looking ahead in 2025, leaders are setting their priorities. At From Day One’s December virtual conference, leaders shared their plans to advance development initiatives with a focus on diversity, inclusion, and artificial intelligence in 2025.As companies progress in developing diversity, equity and inclusion goals, Rebecca Warren, director of talent-centered transformation at Eightfold, says that the DEI objectives will continue to move forward and become more integrated within the workforce.“The general definition of diversity is widening. We’re moving from just focusing on demographic, cultural and social identities to also thinking about abilities and perspective and cognitive capabilities as well,” said Warren.DEI can also be reflected in how companies include and engage with their staff. Laura Mazzullo, founder and owner of East Side Staffing, says that when she spoke to undertrained internal recruiters, they expressed a desire to sit in meetings with HR business partners, executives and be involved with creating plans and strategies.Many employees lack the confidence to pursue their goals because they’ve never been given the opportunity. Companies can address this by fostering inclusivity and developing emotional intelligence and other important soft skills.AI and New TechnologyAI is rapidly evolving within companies, particularly in human resources, where it’s being introduced as a tool for task efficiency. But as Warren points out, its full potential is still unfolding with continued use. As AI advances, leaders face a key question: How can companies balance automation with the irreplaceable human touch?At Hearst, the company hosted a learning program to create a cultural switch in the integration of AI. For 2025, Hearst is planning for more programs to be available for staff to continue their education on AI as well as maintaining and developing human based skills such as empathy, collaboration, communication and leadership.“We absolutely envision an environment where technology and power human skills are working together, because we don’t believe that generative AI is going to replace people,” said Maris Krieger, senior director of talent programs at Hearst Corporation.These learning and development efforts are a result of staff feedback and input, says Krieger. “It wasn’t a corporation doing something behind closed doors. We collaborated. We asked what [staff] needed and what their priorities were,” she said.Investing in Development During Times of ChangeAs the workforce undergoes changes with technological advancements and evolving work expectations, companies need to be prepared to adapt. Especially during times of change, it's important for leaders to be a guiding hand for their team.SiriusXM is actively working on leveling up managers, said Bhavna Sharma, vice president of talent enablement and engagement at SiriusXM. Investing in leadership creates a ripple effect on the company’s culture, employee experience and business outcomes, she adds.SiriusXM began by building a leadership profile that reflected the company’s core values to create a baseline of what it means to be a leader. HR also conducts quarterly conversations and succession plannings to assess not only manager readiness but also identify developmental needs.They also launched SiriusXM University, a curriculum based program that aims to support and cultivate a growth mindset for leaders. Sharma emphasized the importance of empowering managers as career coaches. The program provides leaders with quick training sessions and resources that help boost manager accountability and team collaboration, helping them support their employees.Lydia Dishman, senior editor at Fast Company, moderated the panel about "Adapting to Evolving Workforce Expectations: Key Areas for Leaders’ Focus in the New Year" (photo by From Day One)The company dedicates its training to all employees as well, embracing the idea that career progression can be taken in different ways and that the company encourages everyone to develop their skills.At MiTek, the company will be conducting its first upward feedback manager survey, an assessment of the managers performance. Christopher Rotolo, vice president of global talent at MiTek, says that the feedback from the survey will start off as a way for managers to assess their own development, but after a couple of years the survey data will be used to discuss succession and talent mobility.MiTek also encourages managers to hold Aspiration, Capability, Engagement (ACE) conversations with each of their employees at least once a year to hear about their personal aspirations, capabilities and engagement.Holding one-on-one meetings with employees allows managers to gain a better understanding of how they can support their team.When companies around the world evolve, employees might feel pressure from the change. These new evolutions might look like the recent increase in shifting back to in person work or work expectations changing. In these cases, Warren thinks it's more important for companies to focus on the outcome of the employee’s work, not the amount of hours they put in. Companies should be looking at “skill and performance based metrics rather than focusing on schedules or presenteeism,” Warren said.Sharma says that productivity will increase when companies foster a culture of trust and autonomy. By eliminating micromanagement, employees will be empowered in decision making within their role.At Hearst Corporation, Krieger has witnessed many successes with remote work. Although some companies are encouraging people to return to offices, Krieger emphasizes that in person work is not necessary for successful outcomes. Working a remote or hybrid position also plays into mental health and work life balance, agrees Rotolo.HR can sometimes be resistant to trusting data that shows employees are happier and more productive working from home or with a flexible schedule, says Mazzullo. “We talk so much about tech and AI but you’ve got to actually look at the information and then do something with it,” Mazzullo said. “There’s data there that would allow employees to have the flexibility they want. There’s no reason a company should not be listening to that.”Jennifer Yoshikoshi is a local news and education reporter based in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Benefits Recap & Forecast: Navigating Alternative Health Plan Choices in 2025
BY Jennifer Yoshikoshi January 27, 2025On a summer day in 2024, Matt Cook, chief commercial officer of Firefly Health, suddenly felt some pain in his stomach. He reached out to his Firefly care team and scheduled a 15 minute appointment with a nurse practitioner who ordered him to get a CT scan. The results showed Cook had appendicitis and the next day he was scheduled for a surgery. All of this happened within 72 hours of care.Firefly Health is a virtual-first healthcare company that offers an alternative health plan that aims to make it easier for people to get the care they need. During a From Day One webinar, journalist Jenny Sucov spoke with Cook and Erik Sossa, independent advisor and consultant to Firefly and former Vice President of Global Benefits and Wellness at PepsiCo about health plan trends and challenges employers face with the changing landscape for benefits.The Shortfalls of Typical Healthcare BenefitsWhile Sossa was working with PepsiCo., he felt that employers were leaving employees to manage their benefits on their own. “They had to deal with changes in annual enrollment, finding an in network provider, prior authorization and an explanation of benefits,” he said.Despite the value of healthcare benefits, corporations are taking away from the positive employee experience while they themselves are struggling with the cost of providing care for their workers. “Employees oftentimes are facing the brunt of some of those tough decisions in the form of maybe a more restricted plan,” said Cook. “Affordability is such an issue for both the employee and employers themselves.”Coming from the corporate side, Sossa acknowledges that companies struggle with cost sharing and sometimes burden employees with having to educate themselves on healthcare plans while they may not have the time to learn the ins and outs of health insurance.“For an employee who doesn’t navigate healthcare for a living, they serve our companies for a living, that’s a tremendous burden on them to try to navigate through this,” said Sossa. “That’s part of the dynamic and one of the things I’m very excited about with companies like Firefly that are trying to really change that paradigm.”Matt Cook, the chief commercial officer of Firefly Health, spoke during the webinar (company photo)Cook said that one group that launched Firefly’s health plan alongside traditional plans told them that Firefly was “the first plan they ever offered where frontline workers and executives alike chose the same plan.” The concept of healthcare affordability is not just with money, but also time. For busy workers, healthcare is only useful when it can be accessible according to the member’s schedule.What is Alternative Healthcare?Alternative health care is an alternative to “historical medical plans that have been delivered in this country across a consolidated set of health plans that are out there today,” said Cook.Firefly is trying to “rethink” the medical plan experience by taking off the burden that has been placed on employees. Sossa views it as the “next evolution” of healthcare. “It’s an alternative to a broken system but hopefully that alternative becomes more and more of the status quo as we rethink the way healthcare needs to be delivered in this country,” Cook said.The new generation of healthcare that Sossa envisions is one that is affordable, accountable, productive and healthy. Firefly is using industry wide data sets on wellness, prescription drugs and labs to understand the gaps that need to be filled in healthcare.Firefly’s model allows patients to quickly schedule a 15 minute visit and continue the engagement in between visits. The company found that there were more longitudinal engagements with its members that were dealing with chronic conditions, some of which they were seeing two dozen to 100 times a year. In a primary care system, they might be visiting their doctor once a year, said Cook.The company offers both virtual and in person care through local partnerships. Firefly uses a care model that ensures members are consistently met with the same team throughout their journey.Pitching New Programs to StakeholdersChanges in new programs, like healthcare, can be exciting but it has to be approved by company stakeholders in order to be implemented. Sossa said when something new is being pitched, you have to have a “clear understanding of your audience and speak their language.”When talking to the CFO, understand the marketing, investments and advertising aspects. When discussing with human resources, touch on the represented population, labor landscape and contracts. Sossa says stakeholders will be more receptive to ideas that are half-baked, ones that require some brainstorming.“Bring them the idea at a 30% mark, where you have the ability to sonar ping with them, get their influence and get their reaction. But if you have a chance to sonar ping your ideas as you go through, that makes them part of developing the solution, and they are much more receptive to that,” Sossa added.He encourages corporate leaders to “resist the gravitational forces of short term thinking” and consider how something that will be sustainable and will solve issues takes time. Sossa advises his clients to think of themselves as moving into the first year of a three year strategy. “Aim a little higher in your steering,” he said.The Future of HealthcareAlternative healthcare is at an inflection point, but it is still a slow progressing industry as they introduce the concept to the corporate world, says Sossa. Cook added that the inflection comes at a time where provider shortages are only getting worse.“Ultimately, the average person is going to be looking for that accessible, high quality care and I think that moment is coming. We need to bring great quality care to our people, not leave it to them to go and figure out where to find it,” said Cook.More competitors are entering the alternative health care industry and the adoption of it is going to increase in 2025, predicts Sossa. Especially with growing frustrations on the traditional healthcare models and lack of progression to meet members’ needs.Editor’s note: From Day One thanks our partner, Firefly Health, for sponsoring this webinar. Jennifer Yoshikoshi is a local news and education reporter based in the San Francisco Bay Area.(Photo by Phanphen Kaewwannarat/iStock)
How to Connect a People Strategy to a Business Strategy
BY Jennifer Yoshikoshi January 08, 2025Lennar Corporation, a housing construction company based in Miami has over 13,000 employees and hundreds of thousands of trade partners. How does it maintain a strong group of staff with diverse skills and talents? Drew Holler, chief human resource officer at Lennar, says what plays well in recruiting and retaining thousands of employees is promoting a personal connection to the business.Holler spoke during a fireside chat at From Day One’s Miami conference. He and moderator Tim Padgett, Americas Editor for WLRN spoke about how HR leaders can connect people strategy to business strategy to hire, train and retain employees.Developing an Emotional Connection to the MissionWhat attracts people to Lennar is the industry it’s in: housing. Holler says that because a majority of people have a home, people can relate to the industry through the personal significance of becoming a homeowner or having the goal of home ownership.“When you buy a home, it’s the biggest asset that you’ll ever buy in your life,” said Holler. “There’s this emotional connection to the business that really plays well and then it’s also as people understand the growth potential in this industry.”Tim Padgett, Americas Editor, WLRN, NPR News, right, interviewed Lennar Corp.'s CHROLennar is able to recruit and retain employees by maintaining this deeper connection between the staff and the company’s mission. It allows them to effectively bring in the diverse talent that is necessary for Lennar to function.The company is also known for building affordable housing across the nation in states such as California, New Jersey, Arizona and Texas. Much of the nation’s population can understand the struggles of rising housing costs. As Lennar works toward building more affordable homes, people can relate to the company’s social mission. “We really do feel like our role is helping America build a more healthy housing market and to do that, there are a lot of different elements. One huge element is more attainable housing,” said Holler.AI Drives Human CreativityLike most corporate companies, the use of AI technology has become more common and embedded into the work within the industry. Holler says in the HR sector that AI has allowed for mundane tasks to become automated, freeing up time for workers to put their creative focus on other things.“There’s been little pockets where I’ve seen this already, in our business of individuals that were very heads down, doing the same repeatable tasks, that now can put their head up a little bit, not all the way, but a little bit, and so now they’re spending 50% or more of their time really adding value,” said Holler.Lennar also uses AI to generate training videos based on HR Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs). This process centralizes text based information into a video for people to digest in a different format.HR is transforming under the growth of AI technology and as the economy and corporate industry grows, Holler says it’s important to have the talented staff that will support the company in the coming years.Building a Social MissionLennar’s diversity, equity and inclusion efforts directly blend into the work it does for consumers and staff by making sure that everyone feels included. Holler emphasized that there’s an existing feeling that everyone wants to belong and the company upholds this by connecting with its team, mission and work.“If you want to have a great workplace that's productive, you want to have a workplace that actually takes care of customers’ needs. You need to have engaged employees, and the best way to do that is to make sure they feel included with their teams and with their work,” said Holler.Lennar’s mission to serve communities that need affordable housing dives into this effort towards welcoming and including all people. The company builds single-family, multi-family homes as well as housing for rent. Holler acknowledges that the “life-cycle of a consumer,” can look different for everyone and the company strives to meet the needs of all types of people.“It’s an exciting time to be in this space. You have an opportunity to make a difference in people’s lives,” said Holler.Jennifer Yoshikoshi is a local news and education reporter based in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Prioritizing Employee Investment: A Key to Thriving in Challenging Times
BY Jennifer Yoshikoshi December 18, 2024As a working professional, Madhavi Vemireddy, CEO of Cleo, has been serving as a caregiver to her special needs son, as well as her husband and sister who were diagnosed with cancer. She noticed that “no one was understanding [people’s] unique caregiver journeys and what education is needed so they can advocate for their loved ones.” Vemireddy created Cleo, a family care platform that supports individuals at every stage of life that now serves over 200 clients.Managers may not know it, but many of their employees may be experiencing stress with their lives outside of work and this can impact their ability to focus at work. This is why it’s important for companies to invest in their employees' mental well being. During a panel discussion at From Day One’s Brooklyn conference, leaders discussed how their companies invest in employee growth and mental health.Inclusivity and Mental HealthWarner Bros. employee resource groups hosted a summit focused on helping employees build their careers and creating spaces that foster a sense of community and belonging. The summit brought in specialists who understood the unique needs of a particular community and guided them with sustainable tools they could use to prevent burnout in a constantly evolving industry.“One of the things we want to be mindful of is that our diverse populations are not a monolith,” said Jhneall Gardner, vice president of talent management at Warner Bros. Discovery. “So we’re really focusing on some of the unique needs that they might have,” she said.Warner Bros. also had a career focused podcast called “Empowered Women” which celebrates and recognizes the work of women in the tech and media industry.Journalist Jenny Sucov, left, moderated the discussionIn corporate work environments with thousands of employees, it’s important to recognize the mental health of staff that are supporting the company with their work. Mastercard has implemented multiple initiatives to improve employee mental health including work from home weeks, meeting free days, flex Fridays and its Mental Health Champions program, says Adam Mesh, vice president of human resource at Mastercard.Started in 2023, the Mental Health Champions program had employees around the world go through 12 hours of training to get certified as a mental health champion. These employees now serve as advocates in the workforce for others to turn to for help and find resources.To reduce the monotony of working daily in an office, Mastercard’s workplace flexibility allows employees to work remotely from anywhere four weeks a year. Meeting free days allow for employees to focus on catching up on work, take time to care for themselves or take a learning course to develop skills.Purpose is also key. “I think purpose is so important for organizations because it creates that emotional attachment of employees, not only to the company, but to a broader purpose,” Mesh said.Destigmatizing Mental Health DiscussionsIn order to acknowledge the mental health of employees, companies have to learn how to facilitate conversations around mental health. Melissa Doman, organizational psychologist, author, and strategic advisor to BetterHelp Business, helps companies understand the necessary language and skills to talk about mental health at work.Doman provides keynotes, fireside interviews, workshops, and a certification course specifically for leaders to teach them how to “talk about mental health at work, for themselves, and for their teams.” The key reasons why people tend to avoid talking about mental health in the workplace is because they’re worried about saying the wrong thing or crossing the legal boundaries around discussing it, she says.Asking someone “Are you okay?” is not the same as asking someone “Do you have a major depressive disorder?” said Doman, who says that inquiring about someone’s well-being is not the same as asking about protected health information. The stigma around mental health discussions is one of the reasons why there should be more conversations about it within companies, Mesh adds. “I think just having employees understand that it’s okay to have that discussion, and for your leadership to buy in that this is a real thing and we need to be supportive of our employees,” said Mesh.Supporting Employees, Preventing BurnoutWork can be stressful itself, but individuals all experience outside pressures from home life as well. Vemireddy shared that more than 50% of employees don’t tell their managers that they have caregiving duties. “The hidden toll that we’re seeing is that there’s a much higher risk of burnout,” said Vemireddy.Cleo launched a Family Health Index to understand the biggest challenges that families are facing as caregivers, whether they’re exhibiting early signs of depression and anxiety and feeling burnout from their responsibilities.After over 10,000 people took the assessment, results showed that about a third are at higher risk of burnout. She adds that almost half of its families failed a self-report questionnaire that screens for anxiety and depression.“We see caregivers, especially those higher risk caregivers who are at that stage of burnout,either go on leave or they essentially are leaving the workforce altogether, which then has an impact on their own ability to save up for retirement and save up for their own caregiving needs. So we're setting this vicious cycle,” said Vemireddy.HR executives are often the ones to take on these acknowledgements that their employees may be struggling from stress and burnout, but how can HR teams help support them?Rosa Meza-Zambrio, director of organizational analytics and people insights strategy at S&P Global says her company utilizes artificial intelligence to support the workload and productivity of employees and leaders. AI tools can even help streamline HR tasks, said Meza-Zambrio.AI systems are able to collect data and knowledge for employees so that people can focus on other important aspects of their jobs. S&P has its own internal AI assistant called Spark Assist and the company has also created an AI literacy program called AI Academy.“We're doing this because we want to help our people reduce that mental load, focus on the things that are important to you, as well as increasing our scope and our support for our people without that additional headcount,” said Meza-Zambrio.She encourages people to leverage AI technology because it can provide more knowledge for employees without making a big financial investment. AI tools also reduce repetitive and complex tasks for HR teams and help them manage their workload and mental health as well.Jennifer Yoshikoshi is a local news and education reporter based in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Using AI to Revolutionize Hiring for Top Talent
BY Jennifer Yoshikoshi December 11, 2024With the help of artificial intelligence, a task that would take hours, days, or even weeks to complete can now be done in five minutes, says Mike Aronson, senior director of talent acquisition at Johnson Controls.In talent acquisition, AI has been a useful tool in generating job descriptions, screening applicants, and sourcing candidates. During a panel at From Day One’s November virtual conference, executives touched on how AI has revolutionized hiring the best candidates and streamlined productivity.Balancing AI and Human OperationsLesli Stasiek, senior director of human resources at Cencora says that they maintain the “human touch” through the hiring process by still interacting through recruiters and hiring managers, while also using Phenom AI as a way to drive efficiency in filtering through applications on a daily basis. “We don’t have enough recruiters to go through everything, so we’re leveraging the AI at the top of the funnel,” said Stasiek.Cencora is still at the start of its journey with utilizing AI but Stasiek shares that she hopes it can be leveraged “internally to empower employees and give them the resources to build their careers and drive better discussions.”AI is being implemented into talent acquisition to quickly check off tedious tasks that may be taking up time that can be investing towards more productivity. When it comes to creating job postings, AI is also used to source the best candidates through algorithms within job boards. During the hiring process, AI minimizes the time recruiters spend on summarizing interview notes and conversations to provide to managers.“It’s not replacing the person. It’s making the job a bit easier so that they can have a conversation around why [they] think this person’s good,” said Aronson.Companies who use skills-based hiring processes also benefit from the efficiencies of using AI to filter through applications that match the best skill sets. Angie Lombardo, global director of operations for talent acquisition at Arcadis, says the company’s applicant tracking system has an AI that will help rank the talent pool based on skills.This tool is helpful in regions like India and the Middle East where they receive thousands of applications within a week of posting a job opportunity, says Lombardo.Mitigating Bias in AIAI functions through system memory and if human bias has already been incorporated, machines will learn to replicate the same bias. Jenny Cotie Kangas, director of talent-centered transformation at Eightfold, says that it’s important to understand how you’re using the AI, how it’s coded, and the necessary guardrails to prevent wrong decision making.“When we’re talking about job descriptions and leveraging [generative] AI for job descriptions, it’s always important to run that through some sort of anti-bias tool,” said Kangas. “We want to kind of reset and recalibrate and make sure that we’re creating job descriptions that are truly inclusive.”AI is useful in eliminating the natural human bias such as what Kangas describes as the decisions she’ll make when she’s really hungry and when she’s not. Generative AI tends to be more male leaning, she added. The system may also be seeking “charged words” to identify patterns from the past in order to predict next steps. Kangas adds that even when companies use tools like AI, it’s always important to layer other tools on top to make sure all pieces are being covered.Utilizing AI for Internal GrowthAI’s efficiency not only helps with sourcing applicants but it can also help identify current employees who are ready for development and growth as future leaders. Especially in organizations with thousands of employees, it’s almost impossible for managers to know every employee well enough to identify possible candidates.Lydia Dishman of Fast Company moderated the discussion among industry experts (photo by From Day One)“Tools like this allow us to look at not just career pathing within a function, but across multiple functions or business units,” said Stasiek. “You drive that connectivity and you drive that networking and then you can grow your pipeline and your succession planning exponentially.” Investing in the career development of current employees also increases engagement and retention.Tracking the Applicant ExperienceThe digital platform of AI, allows everything to be tracked and digitized for future data analysis. For example, hiring managers can see what questions candidates are asking a website’s embedded chatbot and understand what they are looking for and what problems need to be solved, says Aronson.The reason why websites like Amazon are visited so regularly is because it’s easy to use. Company pages should be emulating this simplicity to improve the candidate experience during application processes, he added.Especially with the culture of recruiters “ghosting,” improving the candidate experience is also a key aspect to attracting the best candidates, said Kristen Baller, head of talent acquisition at DISH Network. By using AI to cut down tedious tasks, recruiters have more time to focus on “engaging and partnering with the candidate throughout their journey,” she said.The Challenges of AIAI is a powerful tool within the corporate space and it’s now being used by more companies, but what challenges can rise with increased use?“I think education is what we’re going to have to really think about,” said Baller. “We’re giving all these teams a Ferrari but nobody’s taught them how to drive it.” Stasiek emphasized that education is important to create awareness, but change management is where leaders can really see the impact of implementing a new system.As we remember that AI is a machine, Lombardo points out that “the more that we use AI, we do have to be careful that we’re not just using AI to do our work, but we are putting that human touch on it before we put anything out to be viewed.”Jennifer Yoshikoshi is a local news and education reporter based in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Developing Workforce Culture Skills to Thrive in 2025
BY Jennifer Yoshikoshi December 10, 2024Emtrain’s 2024 report, “Workplace Culture in 2024 and What It Signals for 2025,” recorded that that there was a 4% increase in people’s experiences on respect, inclusion and belonging in the workplace but a 5% decrease in people’s perceptions of the personal integrity and integrity of their leaders. What does this data tell us?During a thought leadership spotlight at From Day One’s Brooklyn conference, founder and CEO of Emtrain, Janine Yancey presented how businesses can effectively use a culture survey to gain better insights on how employees are doing and how to prepare for the future as the industry evolves.With an uptick in major layoffs across corporations, Yancey says that the boosted numbers in experiences of respect and belonging come from those who were chosen to stay amid layoffs, but the decrease in people’s perception of integrity in leaders come from increasing doubt about leaders making impactful decisions.“Employees right now are heavily doubting and distrustful of their leaders,” said Yancey. “We’ve got a society that’s more polarized than it really has been in decades. We’ve got so many people all working side by side.”Corporations have become more diverse over the last five years with a multigenerational, multicultural and mulitracial staff. These changes call for a stronger need to understand the social dynamics within a workplace.The long existing human capital metric tells businesses the basic information of total staff, demographics and promotion rates but what lacks in this measurement is the social dynamics between employees. Yancey says implementing a social capital metric can measure culture skills within a company which can show how people interact, collaborate, and work through changes.Janine Yancey of Emtrain led the thought leadership spotlight All of these metrics show what exists today, but they can also show what can be expected in the future, says Yancey. “Our ability and our skill to mitigate biases, all of those skills at the individual level, coworker level, team level and enterprise level, they are all skills that tell you what kind of social dynamics and outcomes you’re going to have,” she said.Yancey, as a former litigator, said all of her harassment and discrimination cases reflected “weak skills in managing power.” By measuring and evaluating how employees perceive the culture skills of their coworkers and manager under the umbrella of respect, inclusion, belonging and ethics, business leaders can predict what they can expect from their employees.Emtrain’s culture survey measures 16 different culture skills including mitigating bias, ensuring equity, fostering curiosity, advancing allyship, authenticity, nurturing trust and accountability.The data collected from these surveys reflect what would be learned in a one on one conversation but in an “automated, scalable way.” Results can show who’s displaying strong skills and who could benefit from more coaching and development.“We need to think about honing in and developing the culture skills of everyone, team members, direct managers, leaders, and focusing everyone on developing and measuring those skills, because that's going to be basically the shock absorbers that's going to carry us through navigating through different and uncertain economic times,” Yancey said.She encourages leaders to take actions towards restoring and building trust with their employees to show them that they can be confident in their leaders.Editor’s note: From Day One thanks our partner, Emtrain, for sponsoring this thought leadership spotlight.Jennifer Yoshikoshi is a local news and education reporter based in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Enhancing Manager Effectiveness With Transparency, Technology, and Leadership Development
BY Jennifer Yoshikoshi November 27, 2024Creating transparency and trust within a company allows for employees to feel trust with managers, but how can companies measure management success and continue to improve their impact on employees? In an executive panel discussion, leaders at From Day One’s Austin conference spoke about “Manager Effectiveness: Defining It, Measuring It, and Improving It.”“You have to really be able to be transparent. You have to be able to be authentic and be willing to not know all the answers and rely and trust your team to help you get things done,” said Patrick Felder, senior vice president of employee success at Salesforce.Using AI as a Tool“2024 is all about AI,” said Arun Serikar, vice president of digital human resources at Schneider Electric, who uses tools like Microsoft Copilot and ChatGPT in his role as a manager. Serikar says AI allows for more efficiency for meeting notes, scheduling and synthesizing information from meetings.AI however functions off of available data which means that in order for the system to function effectively, you need to ensure that the system has the knowledge, articles and information before deploying it.Ricardo Galan, vice president of diversity, inclusion and talent experience at QBE, says his company uses AI to train managers on skills such as how to facilitate difficult conversations. “Our HR department cannot go to every single leader and teach them how to have a difficult convocation, but AI can actually help you practice in a safe environment,” Galan said.For companies with thousands of employees, it can be difficult to reach each person and give each of them the necessary training and workshops but implementing AI tools can help streamline these processes.Companies like Salesforce overlook over 30,000 team members, many of which are based in India. Salesforce created its own AI virtual agent called Agentforce, a competitor to Microsoft Copilot. Within the company however, leaders use a separate tool called the manager 360 dashboard which allows them to access all of their team’s data, offers suggestions and provides summaries.Panelists spoke about "Manager Effectiveness: Defining It, Measuring It, and Improving It," in a session moderated by Tom Miller, morning anchor at KXAN“The idea is, to continue to build better leaders you have to give them all of the relevant information, make sure they understand all the component pieces and then bring that to them at their fingertips within the flow of work,” said Felder.Growing and Developing LeadersLeaders within a company don’t come out of thin air. Leaders like Jennifer Newbill, director of emerging talent at Dell Technologies, have to be able to spot future employees with potential in management and leadership.At Dell, the company has implemented programs around the world where students can rotate throughout the company and learn about different aspects of departments. Throughout these programs, a student’s potential is being measured through observations on whether they exhibit the skills that match existing company values and leadership principles.Haeli Harris, director of clinical operations at Nivati says empathy is also an important skill for leaders to have. “Empathy is a key piece in building trust,” she said.Leaders are natural problem solvers but it’s also an important skill to be good at connecting with employees on a personal level and be able to see when behaviors change and notice when there might be something wrong, says Harris. “We want managers to be able to recognize when people are struggling, and the tools of ‘how do I help them, and how can I be a better manager,’” she said.Training on emotional intelligence can improve relationships between managers and employees. One skill that managers can build is as simple as listening. “Sometimes people don’t want to sit and get advice. They want to be heard,” said Newbill.Learning to become a leader comes with experience and development and hosting workshops can be helpful in boosting the growth of current and potential managers. Salesforce uses a manager training program called Lead India, which aims for the growth of leadership in employees based in India.Over the last few years, Salesforce has expanded their leadership team in India to now over 900 leaders this year, says Felder. With this expansion, Lead India also had to adapt. The training program this year embedded wellness conversations, Indian luminaries to spark inspiration and focused conversations led by leaders.Felder adds that when hiring for a company, leaders should be hiring those who are better than themselves to build a strong team that will carry the company forward. “You really have to be open and make sure that you’re holding folks accountable to hiring better than who they are, because the talent that you need is out there, but leaders sometimes want to hire like themselves, and you've got to push people a little bit harder to think differently about that,” said Felder.Keeping Teams Connected RemotelyAs many companies are now allowing employees to work remotely or hybrid, it can be difficult to maintain the connection between your team compared to an everyday in-person setting. Serikar emphasizes that open communication platforms like Slack or Yammer, now Viva Engage, can be helpful in connecting with employees remotely.Felder, who uses Slack, said he will take videos with recaps of conferences and events to share to his team working offsite. Salesforce also utilizes multiple Slack channels where different teams and groups can connect with each other and maintain communication. Managers can build trust with their employees by opening themselves up to feedback and following up with what is shared.Jennifer Yoshikoshi is a local news and education reporter based in the San Francisco Bay Area.