The Rules Are Being Rewritten: How Bold Leaders Win in the AI Era
BY Ade Akin December 22, 2025The time between technological revolutions has shrunk from 50 years to a couple of decades, and AI is now rewriting what work looks like faster than organizations can adapt. The rapid pace of new technologies that significantly impact how companies operate is creating massive skill gaps that traditional hiring and training methods are ineffective at addressing. Recruiting and learning divisions within organizations are now coming together to improve talent acquisition and address skill gaps from within. Tigran Sloyan, the CEO and co-founder of CodeSignal, urges companies to move beyond passive learning and resume screening, and embrace AI-powered, hands-on learning programs and scalable assessments. “You want to answer the question, ‘What can we do? How can we leverage this, and how can it be good for humanity?’” Sloyan said during a thought leadership spotlight at From Day One’s LA conference. The Historical Pace of Change And Why This Time Is DifferentSloyan started his presentation by comparing the speed of technological breakthroughs since the development of the internet to the pace of tech advancement several centuries ago, when the printing press was invented. “It used to take us 50 years to experience a new, dramatic technological shift,” he said. “Forty years ago, we didn’t have web developers. Thirty years ago, we didn’t have cloud engineers. Twenty years ago, we didn’t have mobile engineers.” Each shift created new jobs and skills, but organizations had more time to adapt.Today, generative AI tools like ChatGPT, which has only been around for a few years, are transforming workplaces, garnering over 700 million active weekly users. Sloyan says the challenge is leveraging new technologies like AI to “transform how we find, discover, and develop skills that will shape this future.”Closing Skills Gaps With Hands-On, AI-Powered LearningTigran Sloyan, CEO & co-founder of CodeSignal, led the thought leadership spotlight Sloyan introduced CodeSignal as an “AI-native skills intelligence platform” built on the principle that people learn best when performing tasks. “Think about when you learn how to ride a bike, how you learn to drive a car. You get behind the wheel, and you actually try and practice,” he said. The same applies to job skills, but scaling hands-on learning programs has historically been challenging.Sloyan shared the example of Dropbox, which faced considerable AI skill gaps across its workforce. Dropbox’s executives recognized it couldn’t hire its way out of its problem because the skills required were too new to be widely available. The solution was to partner with CodeSignal to build a Gen AI Skills Academy. The academy offers employees three options: AI use lessons for non-technical roles like marketing, AI integration classes for building products using existing tools, and AI creation courses that teach how to build new AI systems. Sloyan says the key to the success of Dropbox’s Gen AI Skills Academy is its practice-based nature. He demonstrated a model where learners first practice prompting an AI model, then are tasked with teaching a simulated coworker named “Nova” how to do it. “Another way you learn well is by teaching other people,” he said.CodeSignal’s AI doesn’t only simulate conversations, it also provides personalized feedback through its “Cosmo” system. “Practice without feedback is not very helpful,” Sloyan said, comparing it to learning to drive a vehicle without an instructor. “With generative AI, we’re making it possible to actually scale this to an entire organization.” Dropbox applied this to thousands of employees, enabling them to learn, practice, and get feedback at scale.How AI Interviewers Are Opening Up the Hiring FunnelSloyan also shared how Coinbase created a more efficient hiring process thanks to CodeSignal’s AI interviewers that scale top-of-funnel recruiter screens to nearly 100% of its candidate pool. Coinbase had previously struggled sorting through a flood of applicants with its limited recruiting team, leading to as many as 95% of job applicants never hearing back from a human.“Almost every candidate that applies actually hears back and actually gets to have a conversation to talk about their skills,” Sloyan said. He showed a demo of “Milo,” an AI interviewer CodeSignal uses in its hiring process, interviewing a candidate.A common concern is that AI interviews might feel impersonal, but Sloyan says candidate feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. “Candidates are saying, ‘This is one of the best interviews that I’ve actually done,’” he said. The AI can be customized for tone to align with an organization’s legal and brand guidelines. Sloyan says the next step is moving toward AI avatars to create an even more immersive experience. He playfully demonstrated the concept with a candidate interview conducted by an AI avatar of Santa for an “elf” position.A Future Built on Skills, Not Just CredentialsSloyan kept returning to a central theme during his presentation: The future belongs to organizations that can discover and develop new skills proactively. AI is the accelerant, but the solution is timeless; learning by performing tasks reinforced by feedback. It’s the necessary response to a world where new jobs are created by new technologies every decade. “Technology keeps on moving faster and faster. Humans do not,” Sloyan said. “We’re still the same humans, and it’s this technology that needs to help us go through this process faster and be on the winning side of history.” Editor’s note: From Day One thanks our partner, CodeSignal, for sponsoring this thought leadership spotlight.Ade Akin covers artificial intelligence, workplace wellness, HR trends, and digital health solutions.(Photos by Josh Larson for From Day One)
How AI Can Work as a Partner to Augment Human Capabilities, Rather than Replace Workers
BY Ade Akin December 16, 2025Imagine having a new team member who shadows your best salesperson to fetch data and learn unspoken rules, like why one client is more responsive to a direct approach while pitches have to be carefully framed for another. This apprentice never forgets a lesson and shares their nuanced understanding with colleagues. That’s the vision of AI that Ari Lehavi, the head of applied AI at Moody’s, is bringing to life, shifting the focus from task automation to capturing and scaling the institutional wisdom that companies are built on. Lehavi shared this idea and more during a fireside chat at From Day One’s December virtual conferenceThe transformative potential of AI lies in human-AI collaboration based on a continuous, two-way learning street that’s designed to augment human judgment rather than replace it, he told moderator Rebecca Knight, contributing writer at Harvard Business Review. Shifting From Automation to AugmentationAI-doomers often frame the technology as the worst thing that’s happened to job security in human history, but Lehavi sees it more as a collaborative tool that enhances human performance and encourages organizations to do the same. Ari Lehavi, general manager, head of applied AI at Moody’s, spoke during the fireside chat (company photo)“I do think that there’s been some orientation around thinking about AI as a way to generate efficiencies and automation, and I don’t think that’s the best use of AI,” he said. “Increasingly, I’m seeing a shift in the way that companies are thinking about it as an accelerant of performance, rather than as a way to generate efficiencies.”The central question then becomes how to increase productivity and work quality with AI. Lehavi says one of the ways that organizations can accomplish this is by using AI to handle simple, repetitive tasks, freeing up employees to focus on work that requires uniquely human skills, such as judgment, empathy, and innovation. “The hard cases, the edge cases, the complex areas, the mentoring of other people, the management, the development of skills in other individuals, the expansion of what’s possible in their role,” Lehavi added, pointing out what humans excel at. The Importance of Bi-directional DesignLehavi says “bi-directional design” is necessary to optimize human-AI collaboration. Most AI tools used today have a single directional design. You ask questions, and it answers. True partnership requires a feedback loop where humans teach AI context and nuance, he says. “AI has information that it can pick up from documents, from data that can help you assemble research faster,” Lehavi said. “But that has a very limited kind of lift that it creates.” The exponential gain happens when AI begins to understand how and why you make decisions. “It has to kind of almost get into your head.”AI provides value, like summarizing key points from a large text library, in a bi-directionally designed system, but it also identifies gaps in its understanding. It learns to ask questions such as “Why did you make that decision?” This leads to humans working with AI, explaining the nuanced instincts that come with experience. Capturing the reasoning behind human decision-making enriches the AI model's understanding, allowing it to provide more insightful recommendations in the future. The information learned by the AI can be packaged and shared, creating a “collective organizational wisdom” that other employees can access. A Concrete Case: Augmenting the Sales ProfessionalLehavi shared an example of how bi-directional communication between humans and AI works in the real world from within Moody’s sales department. A standard CRM stores data, but misses the subtleties that define a veteran sales rep’s success. Insights like the unspoken politics of a client company, the specific pain points a key decision-maker is sensitive to, or the historical context of a relationship. Moody’s built a system that starts by giving sales team members AI-generated leads, matching market pain points to the solutions it provides. The AI responds with questions such as. “Tell us what we don’t know, tell us, you know this person,” Lehavi said. “We know the general profile, but we don’t know this particular relationship in this particular instance, and what exactly is the dynamic that would make this deal move faster and closer.”The seller feeds the nuance context back to the AI, which then refines its recommended messaging and value propositions. The system also identifies patterns in these seller-client relationships and provides recommendations such as: “What you’ve told us about this individual and this company seems a lot like three others that we’ve encountered, and this framing of this message really resonated.” The sales team member tests the hypothesis, and the result, positive or negative, is fed back into the AI model, expanding its institutional knowledge. Lehavi views AI more as an apprentice than an intern. “Initially, the apprentice gets more value from you than you get from the apprentice,” he said. You invest time teaching the algorithm your ways, then the dynamic eventually flips. “You’re starting to get that much more value. And then you know that you have a true partner, so you can move up to the next level in your career.”With AI managing more of the administrative burden and research, sellers have more time and mental space to focus on the irreplaceably human aspects of their role: deepening relationships with clients and crafting persuasive value propositions. For leaders, it means scaling the impact of top performers, so other employees benefit from the institutional knowledge they help build. The Undocumented Layer of Human JudgmentThe critical insight Lehavi stressed throughout the conversation is appreciating the vast, often invisible complexity of most professional roles. He points to what he calls “the undocumented layer of human judgment” that exists in every position, from customer service to legal departments. Studies suggest that around 10% to 40% of what knowledge workers do is based on this tacit understanding.“Whenever I see enterprise implementations that end up where people kind of feel like they didn’t accomplish what they were supposed to accomplish, I often link that to the underappreciation of how much of the work that gets done is unwritten, and is based on judgment and experience,” Lehavi said.The routine portions of a job that knowledge workers spend 60% of their time on might be automatable. But the high-value edge duties, where crucial relationships depend on nuanced judgment, are where human-AI collaboration must focus. The goal is to design systems that bring the right information and context to the surface to help their human counterparts make faster, more-informed decisions. Lehavi advises companies to build systems that ask “why.” AI models that learn from human experience and improve the performance of their human collaborators. This allows organizations to move beyond simply automating tasks with AI, and start codifying, scaling, and institutionalizing their collective knowledge–their most valuable asset. Ade Akin covers artificial intelligence, workplace wellness, HR trends, and digital health solutions.(Photo by KTStock/iStock)
Giving Your Team the Space to Be Creative With AI, While Using Guardrails Too
BY Ade Akin December 12, 2025A common frustration voiced by Spanish-speaking grandmothers and mothers across the country sparked a revolution at GE Appliances. Their question was simple: “Why can’t a washing machine understand us?” Answering that question led to the company reimagining its corporate culture, talent pool, and approach toward innovation. The story of GE Appliance’s Spanish-language washing machines began with an employee resource group and culminated in defining the organization’s new corporate philosophy. “We created it in a way that those cultural nuances would be recognizable when you spoke to it,” Rocki Rockingham, the chief HR officer at GE Appliances, said during a fireside chat at From Day One’s Miami conference.For Rockingham, Spanish-speaking washing machines are more than a new product feature. It symbolizes a radical shift in how the organization approaches artificial intelligence and how it empowers the employees closest to customer issues to build solutions, valuing intellectual curiosity as much as technical expertise. From “Can’t” to “Can”: Redefining How Work Gets DoneCorporate functions, like human resources, were historically seen as guardrail enforcers, flagging processes that couldn’t be done with new technology, especially regarding data privacy. GE Appliances has a different approach. “We really took a different philosophy and said, ‘We’re not going to lead with can’t. We’re going to lead with can,’” Rockingham said. “We’re going to lead with ‘yes,’ then we’re going to work backwards,” she told moderator Tim Padgett, Americas Editor at WLRN-NPR News. Rocki Rockingham, CHRO of GE Appliances, spoke during the fireside chat This “work backwards” approach means giving teams access to new technologies and allowing them to experiment, ideate, and create without constraints. The goal is to push teams to be creative from the onset. “Don’t start the project thinking, ‘I can’t do this,’” she said. “Start the projects thinking ‘I can do whatever I want to do.’”Managing a Multigenerational Workforce Through Common GroundA significant challenge GE Appliances has faced as its new open philosophy is deployed is managing a workforce that spans five generations, from Baby Boomers to Gen Z. “They communicate differently, they think differently, they assimilate differently,” Rockingham said.GE Appliance’s strategy hasn’t been to force a single style on all these unique personalities, but to find common ground. “We look at what are the things they have in common, and try to create a crossroads and a balance there, and create a communication opportunity for them to then create together,” Rockingham said.This is vital when bringing teams with varying attitudes toward work together, from Baby Boomers' preference for traditional office spaces, to younger generations’ desire for flexible schedules and opportunities to work remotely. Generational gaps also exist regarding trust levels in technology, particularly newer ones. Rockingham observes that while younger employees aren’t more trusting of AI than their older counterparts, they’re “more willing to take chances. To try new things, to do things differently.” Gen Z employees, for example, grew up with advanced supercomputers in their pockets, which inherently influences their perspective on technology. GE Appliances encourages the use of technology like AI by giving everyone “permission to learn differently and to learn more.” Business solutions can then be created from the lessons discovered. The “Zero Distance” Philosophy and Micro EnterprisesGE Appliances uses a “zero distance” philosophy to formalize its culture of innovating by empowering employees. “We narrow the gap between where the work is done and the output, so between the customer and who creates,” Rockingham said. This encourages co-creation and gives employees a direct relationship with the outcomes of their work.The zero distance philosophy is structurally supported by breaking up the organization into micro-enterprises, which are small teams dedicated to a single product line, like washing machines. “We’ve pushed into that micro-enterprise to say, ‘Okay, you’ve got this AI technology. Now you, being subject matter experts in dishwashers, go and create an idea and tell us what AI can do within your business,’” Rockingham said. An AI Lab and an Emphasis on Intellectual CuriosityTo further support its zero distance initiative, GE Appliances created an internal artificial intelligence lab, staffed with experts who work solely on AI projects. Employees can consult with these experts for guidance, and partners from higher education institutions, like the University of Louisville and the University of Kentucky, bring in professors for seminars and advanced students to hire and rotate through the lab, helping to address the challenges that come with the real-world application of AI. “What you want to do is you want to hire people who are curious,” Rockingham said. “You want to hire people who have an aptitude to think differently about how they work.” Doing so requires moving beyond traditional credentials and historically undervalued “soft skills.” “We’re having to dig deeper and look beyond just the credentials that are on the paper and say, ‘Well, how curious are you?’” she added.Humanizing Change, Not Just Managing It“The biggest thing I’ve learned is we have to stop managing change and start humanizing it,” Rockingham reflected when describing her experience helping to implement GE Appliances’ zero distance philosophy. This means creating an environment where people have the freedom to be creative and co-create, embracing the “zero distance” ideal.The change has helped Rockingham and her team to move beyond spreadsheets and rethink how they measure return on investment, focusing more on the talent profiles needed for recruitment and retention. The products that have been created under this new philosophy are the ultimate proof of concept. GE Appliances now uses co-creation centers, where the general public works alongside engineers and marketers to brainstorm and build. One such collaboration led to the creation of a small-batch mushroom grower that sold out within two months via crowd-sourcing, demonstrating a strong connection between public inspiration and commercial output. GE Appliances’ journey suggests that competitive advantages don’t always come from the best algorithms in the age of AI; they can also spring from a culture that asks grandmothers what they need from a washing machine, and addresses it head-on. Ade Akin covers artificial intelligence, workplace wellness, HR trends, and digital health solutions.(Photos by Josh Larson for From Day One)
How Corporate Leaders Are Personalizing Well-Being for a Multigenerational Workforce
BY Ade Akin December 01, 2025A patient walks into a doctor’s office complaining of a persistent stomach ache. A traditional healthcare package might lead to specialists, scans, and tests, but what if the real issue isn’t physical at all? “If they’re able to talk about it, and they’re able to really understand what’s going on with them from a mental standpoint, behaviorally, it may just be they’re dealing with stress and anxiety,” said Joan Kronick, the VP of sales at One Medical. This story highlights a critical disconnect in today’s workplace, where the systems designed to support employees—from healthcare to benefits packages—are often incongruent with the lived experiences of a workforce that now spans five generations. Kronick spoke with other executives on the matter during a panel discussion at From Day One’s Midtown Manhattan conference. It Starts With CareJillian Morgan, the director of community and wellness at IPG Media Brands, saw her transition into a corporate role as a licensed clinical social worker as a natural evolution since both roles revolve around care. “We think about the human experience and the value that is inherent in every single being,” Morgan said. “Caring for your employees is essential. They are the backbone of your company. It’s not optional to take care of your employees, because you need them to thrive.”Panelists spoke about "Inclusive Well-Being Strategies for a Multigenerational Workforce" This philosophy set the tone for the panel discussion moderated by Tania Rahman, the social media director at Fast Company. The conversation, titled “Inclusive Well-Being Strategies for a Multigenerational Workforce,” brought together leaders from HR, benefits, and wellness departments to tackle a central question: how can companies design wellness strategies that meet everyone’s needs in an era that spans five generations of workers, from Gen Z to Baby Boomers. Morgan says the answer starts with a simple practice. “Listen first, design second,” she said. “Don’t assume the needs. Find out what the needs are.”Start by Listening, Then Listen Some MoreThe panelists all agreed that the foundation of any successful employee well-being strategy is a robust, multi-layered approach to employee listening. “People want to be seen, they want to be valued, and they want to be heard,” Morgan said. “So what are the spaces we create to actually listen?”Marina Vassilev, the VP and head of total rewards for North America at Schneider Electric, employs a variety of channels. “We use multiple channels of listening, pulse surveys, total reward surveys that we run every couple of years [in addition to] focus groups,” she said. “We have close partnerships with our employee resource networks, because they give us a great opportunity to understand any unmet needs of a specific group.”Alain Bernard, VP of corporate HR at Quest Diagnostics, emphasized the importance of equipping leaders to listen during team huddles and leveraging mobile technology for feedback. Jon Lowe, chief people officer at DailyPay, offered a more direct method. “Spend time with your frontline employees,” he urged, recalling his time at Amazon. “I typically would pack boxes during the holiday season.”Identifying Commonalities in a Diverse WorkforceWhile it’s essential to understand generational differences in the workplace, all employees share the same fundamental needs. “We’re not all that different anyway,” Bernard said. “When you really talk to people at the heart of the matter, you look at the financial crisis that people are dealing with. You look at the mental health challenges coming out of Covid.”Three areas consistently rose to the top during the conversation: mental health, flexibility, and financial wellness. Vassilev agreed, these needs manifest differently across generations, so a one-size-fits-all approach often fails. “From a benefits perspective, it sometimes manifests itself differently for financial well-being,” she said. “The offer that we have for individuals who are just joining the workforce is very different. We’re looking at student loans and credit card debt and saving for a mortgage, and then the individuals who are close to exiting the workforce need a lot of retirement consulting and advice.”Evolving Beyond an Outdated Benefits ModelThe conversation focused on moving beyond traditional benefits packages. Lowe challenged the audience to think more creatively about ways to deploy finite resources. “Dollars are fungible, right? And so the way that we seek to go and deploy those doesn’t have to fall into the traditional mold of what benefits are supposed to look like,” he said.Lowe questioned whether conventional offerings like vision care were as valuable to some employees as a streaming service subscription or a childcare subsidy would be. “If you understand the journey that your people are on, then you can start to go and figure out on that barometer of what creates the highest degree of utility for the scarce amount of resources that we have.”Benefits packages that allow holistic care and encourage preventive care, allowing employees to take ownership of their health journeys are essential, says Kronick. Determining if benefits programs are effective requires a mix of real-time feedback and data mining. Benard pointed to utilization rates, vendor management, and feedback. Vassilev described having success with large, anonymous virtual focus groups that even included manufacturing employees. The Role of AI in Mental HealthRahman cited a 2025 study that showed 49% of AI users who report mental health challenges use major large language models (LLMs), such as ChatGPT, Gemini, or Claude for therapeutic support. Around 63% of these people report that using LLMs improved their mental health, while 36% found AI programs more effective than human therapists. “It allows people to remove the stigma of having to ask for help,” Morgan said. However, she cautioned that AI lacks the nuance of a trained professional and should be used to navigate people to the right human help, not replace it. AI is used at One Medical as a tool to help providers listen more intently and transcribe conversations, not for diagnosis, says Kronick. Ultimately, to improve workplace well-being, Kronick emphasized grounding decisions in real evidence: “Look at your clinical data, really understanding where your employees are spending their time.” Vassilev agreed, highlighting the importance of employee listening. “Think about it holistically,” she said. Ade Akin covers artificial intelligence, workplace wellness, HR trends, and digital health solutions.(Photos by Josh Larson for From Day One)
How to Be a Thoughtful Adopter of HR Technology in an Age of AI
BY Ade Akin November 26, 2025The pressure for HR teams to be first adopters as new software and AI tools are launched is intense. However, for Dibyendu Sharma Mondal, the head of people analytics, HR technology, strategy, and operations at Unisys, the key to successfully integrating new technology into existing systems isn’t quick adaptation, but being a “thoughtful adopter.”Mondal outlined his people-centric philosophy to minimize fatigue and maximize impact when new technologies are rolled out at From Day One’s November virtual conference, in a fireside chat moderated by Nicole Smith, the editorial audience director at Harvard Business Review. “We want to take the technology which makes sense for our business, not just each and everything that comes in,” Mondal said. “We are a very, very people-centric organization. We listen to the end users. We talk to them. We invest in enabling and supporting those users.”Managing Transformation Overload and Building TrustMondal calls one of the significant hurdles leaders face regarding integrating new technologies “transformation overload.” It’s the fatigue teams feel from constant change. He says the antidote for transformation overload is to demonstrate the value new systems bring from the start. “If you show that what you’re building is going to be beneficial for them, then you see the engagement happening,” Mondal said. The goal of embracing new tools should be to empower employees to work more efficiently. This turns the adoption of new technologies into a collaborative endeavor rather than a top-down push for change. Dibyendu Sharma Mondal, head of people analytics, HR technology, strategy & ops at Unisys, shared his insights during the fireside chat (photo by From Day One)“Building trust is the biggest element,” he said. New systems must be reliable if their insights will be considered when executives make decisions. Trust is built through data quality and effective governance, and it’s reinforced when the technology’s scope expands to answering critical business questions beyond the HR silo, connecting people data to other functions. Measuring What Matters: Beyond Login RatesMondal says that HR departments must move beyond superficial metrics, such as login rates, when measuring adoption success. “The most obvious [metric] people look [at] is how many people logged into the system, and what’s my login ratio,” he said. He says the benchmark technology adoption should be measured by its business impact, and proposes three additional metrics to monitor. First, has the adoption of this new technology moved a critical business metric, like reducing time-to-fill for open roles? How much time are people spending on the system, and what kind of questions are they asking? And is the system becoming the unified source of truth for organizational discussions? Leaders should “go back, redesign, rethink” if over 60% of the targeted users aren’t actively using the tool after 60 to 90 days. “Every technology comes with a cognitive cost,” Mondal said. “The question is whether the user sees the payoff that justifies this cost to them.”For example, an employee tasked with learning how to use a complex analytics platform will only endure the high cognitive cost if the payoff, like better insights, time savings, increased conversions, outweighs it. Therefore, the role of technology implementers is to minimize this unnecessary cognitive burden by improving user interfaces, reducing onboarding time, and enabling intuitive navigation.AI and the People-Centric FutureThe conversation turned to artificial intelligence, and Mondal sees synergy between people analytics and AI, opening up possibilities ranging from predicting attrition risks to personalizing career development paths. Unisys has been an early adopter of generative AI tools within its people analytics systems, significantly boosting adoption rates by satisfying employee curiosity with a conventional interface. However, Mondal remains cautious about AI. “What keeps me awake at times is how do you really eliminate the issue about bias and how do you build trust?” he said. Mondal redirected the focus from flashy solutions to core problems when asked about the next big technology to cause significant disruption. “You have to be able to build a real-time analytics system that allows you to answer real HR problems,” he advised. The goal is a consolidated, self-service system that helps HR leaders solve business problems, whether that involves AI, augmented reality, or more foundational data architecture.The Leadership Behaviors That Drive AdoptionLeadership must set the tone when pushing their teams to embrace new technology. He highlights three behaviors leaders should embrace. First, lead by example: “Use the tool yourself and talk about what they are enabling today,” Mondal said. Adoption increases when teams see their leaders using a new technology. He also encourages creating a safe space to experiment. Innovation requires trying new things, and leaders must create psychological safety for this experimentation.His last tip is to show the connection. Help people see how learning a new tool benefits them personally and contributes to the team and company’s goals.Ade Akin covers workplace wellness, AI, HR trends, and digital health solutions.(Photo by pixdeluxe/iStock)
How to Introduce and Leverage AI at Work Without Stirring Up Resistance
BY Ade Akin November 24, 2025The rise of generative AI at work brings excitement, uncertainty, and a touch of paranoia, from fears of job security, to leadership’s ethical concerns, and worries of its power. David Wishon, SVP of talent management at Lionbridge, says the key to successfully rolling out AI at work is surprisingly simple. “We started with carbonara recipes, and what dogs should you have in a New York apartment,” Wishon said during a panel on AI adoption at From Day One’s Boston conference. “We started with fun, and then that created this momentum.”This playful approach was central to Lionbridge’s strategy for demystifying AI. The company addressed employee fears about AI by giving each employee a goal to accomplish with generative AI for the year, says Wishon. Lionbridge trained 4,500 of its 6,500 employees in a few months by starting with low-stakes, personal use cases for AI, before transitioning to work-related tasks. “It was really just trying to get that sense of fun, that sense of permission,” he said. Demystification and the Soft LaunchWhile Lionbridge opted to introduce AI with structured, company-wide training, other organizations embraced a subtler approach. “Ours was almost more like a soft launch,” Michelle Randall-Berry, the global head of talent at Teradyne, said. “We didn’t go through a lot of discussion and approvals. We just did it.”Teradyne’s talent acquisition teams and learning department quietly integrated AI with gentle “nudges,” such as personalized course recommendations for employees and automated messages to potential hires. “It was kind of more of a quiet, ‘wow, believe it or not, we’re using AI, everyone,’” Randall-Berry said about Teradyne’s subtle approach to AI integration.Streamlining Workflows and Enhancing PerformanceAnkit Saxena, the global head of people insights and HR technology at PPG, says AI’s most significant impact in most organizations is increased efficiency. PPG, an international manufacturing company, created its own version of ChatGPT called “Chat PPG” for internal use, providing employees with unbiased, vetted information. Panelists spoke with Janelle Nanos, assistant business editor for news innovation, the Boston Globe about "How HR Leaders Can Leverage AI to Make Their Work More Effective and Fulfilling"PPG accelerated its hiring cycle by delegating processes like interview scheduling and candidate screening to artificial intelligence. “Instead of X number of days, it is reduced to X minus 10,” Saxena said.The benefits of embracing artificial intelligence extend to performance management, a traditionally time-consuming process for managers. “Performance reviews can take several hours,” Marissa Gladstone, the director of sales at Workleap, said. AI tools can aggregate an employee’s work, projects, goals, and feedback, into a holistic summary in minutes. This changes the manager’s role from data collector to coach, allowing them to focus on “true relationship building.”The Human Guardrails: Bias, Fraud, and BurnoutAI integration into organizational processes also brings some inherent risks, particularly around biased algorithms and candidate fraud. All five panelists unanimously agreed that artificial intelligence is most efficient when it assists the hiring process, but doesn’t make final decisions. “We determined that we weren't going to use AI for assessment and decisioning of candidate quality,” Wishon stated, pointing to ongoing legal cases such as the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) vs. iTutor Group in 2022. iTutor agreed to pay a $365,000 settlement after its AI system was found automatically rejecting applications from women over 55 and men over 60. Saxena outlined a three-part governance framework used to prevent AI from inheriting bias at PPG: verifying data sources, scrutinizing vendor algorithms, and continuously evaluating outcomes for discriminatory patterns.AI is creating a new frontier of fraud that hiring managers must look out for. Wishon described “impostors or dreamers” who use large language models to fabricate resumes and answer interview questions in real time. Wishon also points out the rise of “collusion,” where data centers use artificial intelligence to imitate individual candidates. In response, Lionbridge now uses identity and email verification checks to filter for “viable, authentic, accurate candidates.”Wishon says the most unexpected challenge he’s faced working with artificial intelligence is what he terms “AI burnout.” He says the initial efficiency gains AI brings have a lifespan and cannot accelerate human-centric elements like socialization, change management, or navigating company culture. AI as Your Sparring Partner, Not Your ReplacementDespite the challenges of integrating artificial intelligence into company processes, AI works best as a collaborative tool rather than a replacement for human intelligence, creativity, and intuition, the panelists agreed. AI’s role is to empower, not replace, the human workforce. Gladstone, who admits to her own moments of fear, now sees AI as an essential partner. “AI is not going to replace you. People who use AI will,” Gladstone said. “AI is your first draft. AI is your sparring partner. It is something that helps you develop some of those ideas. It takes away that analysis paralysis.”“Just dip your toe in,” said Randall-Berry, who recently coached a nervous team member on using Copilot to refine a memo. That same team member couldn’t get enough of AI once she got past her initial hesitation. “She was absolutely floored,” Randall-Berry said. “And then she kept asking it, ‘Can you do this? Can you add this?”Ironically, the ultimate destination of AI integration is a profoundly more human workforce, where employees focus on tasks that require a human touch, while AI handles repetitive, manual tasks. Less administration, more human connection. Fewer processes, more creativity. Ade Akin covers workplace wellness, HR trends, and digital health solutions.(Photos by Josh Larson for From Day One)
Epic Disruptions? They’ve Happened Before. Here’s What We Can Learn From Them
BY Ade Akin November 18, 2025What can a 19th-century nurse teach us about AI? Everything, says innovation expert Scott Anthony. Florence Nightingale is remembered as a compassionate caregiver, but Anthony, a clinical professor at Dartmouth University, recast her as a master of systemic disruption at From Day One’s Boston conference during a fireside chat with Adi Ignatius, editor at large, at Harvard Business Review.“She drove deep systemic change in healthcare,” Anthony said. “She did it through data. She did it through visualization. She shows us what it takes to drive system change.” Anthony, the author of Epic Disruptions: 11 Innovations That Shaped Our Modern World, says that the principles behind history’s most significant innovations are the tools needed to build a more human-centric future as AI disrupts life as we know it. Florence Nightingale and the Art of System ChangeHistory offers “fiercely urgent teachings” for modern executives, providing a map to follow when the path forward is obscured, says Anthony.Anthony signed copies of his book, Epic Disruptions: 11 Innovations That Shaped Our Modern World, for session attendees “We’re in a world right now that can be characterized as being shrouded in dense fog,” he said. “You have technologies advancing exponentially. Lines between industries, blurring expectations of your customers, your colleagues, your children, shifting very rapidly, and shock after shock coming after you.” The natural human tendency is to slow down in these conditions, yet the modern imperative is to move faster than ever. He cites Florence Nightingale to illustrate how to drive meaningful change, noting she was a powerful systems innovator, not just the “lady with the lamp.”Nightingale’s work highlights that leaders can’t just do one thing to change systems; change always requires a multifaceted approach. “HR executives need to drive system change in your organizations,” Anthony said. “Florence Nightingale shows the components for how to do it.”Disruption as a Path to OptimismThe conversation naturally turned to the most significant source of disruption in the modern era: artificial intelligence. “AI is one of these ones where you’ll say there was a before [and] there was an after,” he said, placing artificial intelligence in the same category as the compass, gunpowder, and the printing press.Anthony acknowledges the messy middle that such transformations often entail, drawing a parallel to the 1920s, when automobiles flooded cities designed for pedestrians, horses, and carriages. Such disruption required new technology (traffic lights), new norms (sidewalks), and new regulations. “We will need these things for AI as well,” he said, warning that a hands-off approach during periods of immense transformation is a “horrible thing.”Leaders must also contend with the deep fears many people have regarding artificial intelligence. Anthony teaches a class on generative AI at Dartmouth, and even in a risk-free, pass-fail environment, “at least half of the class is terrified because there’s something about AI that we feel like hits our humanity, and if we adopt it too much, we lose something, ”he said. Acknowledging and addressing this fear is an executive responsibility.The Innovator’s Mindset“Disruption rewards patience and perseverance,” Anthony said. “There are no overnight successes. It just doesn't happen.” Like in the case of American chef and author Julia Child, who finally published her first cookbook, Mastering the Art of French Cooking, after spending a decade working on it, going through multiple publishers, and a near-death experience. The key for leaders is to be “patient for growth and profits,” but “impatient for proof points.”Anthony highlights the ability to embrace paradox as the single most important trait of leaders who successfully navigate disruption. He illustrated this mindset through a former Procter & Gamble executive who drove disruptive growth for products like Swiffer® and Febreze®, creating entirely new categories in household products.“Ghosts,” as Anthony calls it, or the invisible forces of past traumas, present patterns, and future fears, hold organizations back. Ghosts can manifest as a fixation on past IT failures, inertial routines that stifle experimentation, or the existential fear that adopting AI will change an organization’s identity. To combat these ghosts, Anthony points to a ritual used at Airbnb called “elephants, dead fish, and vomit.” “Elephants, what are the big things that nobody's talking about? Dead fish, what are the things that are in the corner of the room that are stinking up the room? Vomit, what's the stuff that you just need to say?” This practice, he says, helps bring unspoken friction to the surface so it can be addressed.Anthony ended the conversation with a final piece of advice, an anecdote from 1548, when King Edward VI issued a proclamation “against those that doeth innovate.” While such unproductive regulations are less likely to be issued today, Anthony says the fears that drove them are still prevalent. “My ask for you is to find ways to replace that fear with fun. When we’re playing, when we’re experimenting, when we’re trying new things, everything changes.”Ade Akin covers workplace wellness, AI, HR trends, and digital health solutions.(Photos by Josh Larson for From Day One)
Embedding Company Values Into the Daily Work Experience
BY Ade Akin November 12, 2025“My life mantra is lift as I climb,” Geneva Brown said during an executive panel discussion at From Day One’s Philadelphia conference. Brown, the chief sustainability and inclusion officer at the Cigna Group, says that culture begins with small, deliberate steps, such as setting aside a calendar block for employee calls, leaving a reminder note to follow up, or maintaining an unwavering commitment to creating safe spaces. Brown and a panel of other leaders shared thoughts on the topic “Culture That’s Real: Translating Company Values Into Everyday Reality,” to discuss the everyday mechanics of company culture, including how organizations listen to employees, turn feedback into action, and adopt new technologies without losing sight of the human skills that matter. “You may not have solutions to every issue, but that ability to pause and listen is critically important,” Brown said. Her team reserves an hour each day for outreach and keeps a running checklist to ensure team members feel heard. Martel Neville, VP of HR at Comcast, echoed that sentiment. “Let's just remember the golden rule, which is, treat others as you want to be treated,” he added. Neville outlined a mix of quarterly and annual surveys used at Comcast, as well as mandatory team huddles to review feedback and track escalations. These team huddles are how leaders figure out how to “listen, learn, and act,” he said.Turning Feedback Into ActionThe panelists went on to share systems that address employee concerns once their feedback has been received, including tools that route issues, assign them, and display status updates. Tracking escalations and their solutions creates transparent, accountable follow-through, says Neville. It’s important to push beyond surveys toward systems that close gaps. Neville described tracking escalations “so people could actually, literally click it to watch it go, to progress inside the organization.” That transparency converts sentiment into visible, accountable change.Angie Parsons, the director of product marketing at Beekeeper, emphasized the connection between communication gaps and cultural gaps: “If you have leadership mandating certain things, but the frontline workers aren't getting the same communication streams, then you're already creating a lot of disconnect.” Her solution is an employee experience hub that centralizes messages and makes organizations more inclusive for shift and frontline workers. Recognition As CultureThe way people are seen, heard, and recognized also informs workplace culture. To Omar Pradhan, recognition is “the opportunity to have a thoughtful, deliberate pause.”Ariella Cohen, deputy managing editor, news, at the Philadelphia Inquirer, moderated the sessionPradhan, an employee engagement and HR technology strategist at Workhuman, shared how their platform utilizes impact-focused language, making recognition a record of behavior and a source of data for informed talent decisions. “Recognition can also be a revealer of the skills that people are demonstrating over time and readiness for promotion,” he said. That combination, utilizing recognition to validate employees personally and as a system of record analytics, enables companies to celebrate individuals while revealing patterns that managers can act upon. Embrace AI, But Keep Things HumanIn exploring new ways to strengthen communication and accountability, Brown described how she’s using AI to draft prompts for difficult conversations and to design exercises that encourage proactive ownership of follow-through and results.Additionally, organizations can use AI to “synthesize all the information” gathered from surveys to highlight trends managers should address, said Parsons. As AI transforms the workplace, Neville noted that companies are beginning to prioritize human skills over technical ones—empathy, clarity, and leadership behaviors. “Clarity is kindness,” he said, citing researcher Brené Brown, whose work explores courage, vulnerability, and empathy.AI’s role is to scale insights and free up time; people still must do the human work of translating those insights into productive outcomes, panelists agreed. Building Community and BelongingVolunteer days and community engagement remain powerful ways to strengthen workplace culture. Neville described “Team Up” volunteer opportunities, which give employees a sense of purpose and belonging while also fostering stronger connections across teams.Parsons offered an example of how community engagement can extend beyond the workplace. During Hurricane Helene, customers used Beekeeper’s platform to self-organize cleanup crews and raise funds. “Bringing that community element to work,” she said, “was really, really important,” highlighting how purpose and collaboration strengthen both company culture and broader communities.To end the session, panelists offered one question every HR leader should ask. Brown’s was simple and probing: “Did I create space for someone?” Pradhan asked, “How do we bring the culture off the walls?” Parsons focused on managers, “How am I leveraging my middle managers to the best of their ability?” Neville boiled it down to outcomes: “How am I helping the folks that are in my arena to thrive?”Ade Akin covers workplace wellness, HR trends, and digital health solutions.(Photos by Josh Larson for From Day One)
Empathy at Scale: Leading a Global Workforce With Cultural Intelligence
BY Ade Akin November 07, 2025Courtney White didn’t have a foolproof playbook to guide him when he started his two-decade career in global leadership. What he had was a set of assumptions that included a belief that organizational culture could be scaled like a process and that clarity was a universal concept. “What I found out over my time is that I was wrong,” White said during a thought leadership spotlight at From Day One’s October virtual conference. “Global workforce leadership isn’t just about strategy. It’s about stewardship. It really doesn’t require an individual to be everywhere. It just requires you to be deeply somewhere.”White, the head of HR for agricultural solutions, North America at BASF, was interviewed by Megan Ulu-Lani Boyanton, a business reporter at The Seattle Times, to discuss the nuances of managing international teams. He shared many hard-earned lessons, framing them as “tuition” paid for the masterclass in empathy, adaptability, and context that his experience in global leadership has given him. White says his first global project didn’t go to plan, primarily because he assumed the strategies he had successfully used in the U.S. would work for Latin America until a colleague gently pulled him aside to say, “We don’t do business before we do people.”“That was a moment that really resonated with me,” White said. “It cracked open my understanding that it really wasn’t about mastering geography. It was about mastering empathy, adaptability, and context.”The Three Pillars of Global LeadershipWhite turned his experience managing international teams into a core leadership philosophy that’s built on three strategies. First, elevate cultural intelligence by treating it as a critical leadership skill rather than a soft skill.Second, practice time zone empathy by using calendars thoughtfully to create a more inclusive environment and ensure team members aren’t consistently burdened by inconvenient hours.And lastly, champion local autonomy while maintaining global alignment—a balance that, as White notes, drives innovation and keeps teams accountable.White discussed a transformation project involving a Canadian team that was given the freedom to localize the rollout. “They didn’t just deliver it. They reimagined what could be done,” White said. Their version was so effective that it was adopted globally. “When you give people the room to lead, they don’t just often meet expectations, they redefine them.”The Pitfall of the "One-Size-Fits-All" PlaybookWhite notes that one of the most common traps for global leaders is the belief that “your way is the right way.” He recalled a time when he had to defend a global rollout that had failed in two of five regions. His choice was to double down or own the failure. He chose the latter.This mindset also impacts career development. A high-potential employee in Mexico was once passed over because she didn’t self-promote, as it conflicted with her cultural norms. “If you’re using the same playbook for career growth in Tokyo, Toronto, or Texas, you’re not advocating,” White said. “You’re assuming.”Courtney White of BASF spoke with Megan Ulu-Lani Boyanton of the Seattle Times on the subject "Empathy at Scale: Fostering Global Collaboration" (photo by From Day One)This realization led White and his team at BASF to implement a “broad banding” system for careers that’s designed to honor local norms while operating within the organization’s global framework. “Talent shouldn’t be limited to geography or even cultural biases,” he said.White also learned the importance of time zone empathy the hard way, after scheduling a recurring meeting that was perfect for him, but required his colleague to join him at midnight. When he realized his error when the person missed his call, he apologized. “Inclusion has to be a practice, and time zone empathy is bigger than logistics,” White said. He and his team now rotate meeting times and rely more on asynchronous tools. “It’s another sign of leadership when the systems are designed such that they respect the fact that people have lives and not just output. You can’t build trust in a time zone you ignore.”The Secret Ingredient: Nuance in CommunicationCommunication is everything in a world where companies are increasingly made up of globally dispersed teams. White says nuance is the “secret ingredient” that makes conversations productive. He learned this lesson after telling a colleague at BASF’s German headquarters he needed something “ASAP.” They delivered it in 24 hours, though he had just meant sometime that week. The tone, timing, and translation of words all matter enormously. Now, White makes a habit of asking, “How did that land?” instead of assuming his message was understood.“Words travel fast,” White said. “What I’ve also learned, though, is that meaning doesn’t. And so as intentional as we are with the words, we have to be as intentional with the meaning.”Ade Akin covers workplace wellness, HR trends, and digital health solutions.(NanoStockk/iStock)
How Embracing Neurodiversity Unlocks Organizational Potential
BY Ade Akin November 06, 2025At From Day One’s Philadelphia conference, Mike Civello, principal, global neurodiversity strategy at RethinkCare, opened his thought leadership spotlight session with: “Hello, I’m Mike Civello. I’m neurodivergent.” Civello stands as proof that neurodivergence isn’t a barrier to leadership. And his experience isn’t unique; a 2024 study found that 32% of senior management, 45% of C-level executives, and 55% of business owners identify as neurodivergent. Companies can no longer afford to ignore this reality. During his session, Civello dismantled outdated views on neurodiversity and made a case for why hiring neurodivergent team members and leaders is essential for retention, innovation, and an organization’s bottom line. He reframes the concept as a widespread aspect of human variation that provides significant organizational value when supported.The Gap in the WorkforceMany companies view neurodiversity primarily through the lens of hiring, focusing on whether and how to include neurodivergent talent in their recruitment efforts. “Around 20 to 30% of your people are neurodivergent” Civello said, citing common diagnoses like autism, ADHD, and dyslexia. “It doesn’t matter if you’ve hired them or not, that’s a third of your population coming and working every day.”Mike Civello of RethinkCare spoke about "Unlocking Your Organization’s Full Potential"Those numbers clash with disability disclosure rates that are typically around 1 to 4%, says Civello. “What’s happening? For a huge group of people, a very small group of people are disclosing. So there’s a big gap.”This gap means that managers are navigating team dynamics without fully understanding the root causes. “The number one reason that neurodivergent talent leaves the workforce is because they have friction with their colleagues and manager, and they’re leaving without even telling you that they were neurodivergent and needed help,” Civello said. On the other hand, the business benefits of neurodivergent talent are undeniable. Civello cites reports from companies like JPMorgan Chase and Microsoft, which have identified neurodivergent talent as showing “exponentially higher rates of productivity, loyalty and innovation” compared to their neurotypical counterparts.It’s clear that supporting neurodiverse talent isn’t just the right thing to do; it’s also great for a company’s bottom line. “It is good for your company,” Civello said. “Every organization that has some level of neurodiversity program has exponential returns financially.”Shifting From a Deficit to a Growth ModelThe traditional perception of neurodivergence as a shortcoming has been a significant barrier to progress. “The traditional view is that something like neurodivergence is some sort of personal tragedy. It doesn’t have to be,” Civello said. Instead, he asks managers and leaders to look at culture holistically, asking, “What could be in someone’s way from being their unique, gifted self?”He recommends integrating support for neurodivergent staff into broader, growth-oriented initiatives that benefit everyone, rather than creating stigmatized “neurodiversity programs.” “Why not label it professional resilience and career pathing? Everybody needs it,” Civello said. This approach helps create a culture where all employees have access to the tools they need to thrive, instead of managers trying to diagnose their teams. “I can’t explain to you why I can handle nine things at once and arrive at the conclusion in a meeting long before everybody else,” he shared. “I don’t know why my brain can redesign your entire benefits plan in two minutes, but I can’t get one slide done for the board meeting on time.” For Civello, the solution to turning his neurodivergence into an asset wasn’t just getting therapy for his comorbid anxiety and depression; it was getting “executive function support” for skills like time management. “Once I got that done, I was a really efficient employee,” he added. A Lifespan Approach to SupportCivello emphasizes that neurodiversity is a lifelong attribute, not something that’s temporary. This reality requires organizations to expand corporate support to include the families of employees. “Neurodiversity doesn’t just happen at work; it happens at home,” he said, noting the immense strain on parents, particularly. The U.S. Surgeon General has declared a parental mental health crisis, which is amplified for caregivers of neurodivergent children.He recommends applying the exact growth-oriented positioning to family support. Instead of asking, “Does your child have a disability?” frame resources around “helping your child reach their full potential.” This more positive and inclusive phrasing increases adoption and reduces stigma.Civello highlights ERGs as a valuable resource for companies seeking to support and empower neurodivergent employees. He has seen a trend of parenting and disability ERGs spinning off dedicated neurodiversity groups. These should be leveraged not just for peer support, but as a “sounding board” for the company. “I learned most of what I’ve done today so far just by listening to most people in the field and asking them what went well for you, and what would you do better?” Civello said. The Impending Generational ShiftThe most compelling call to action for companies to change their perspective around neurodivergence is the generational shift underway. “53% of Gen Z identify as neurodivergent,” Civello said, citing statistics from Deloitte’s 2023 Gen Z and Millennial Survey. Gen Z, along with Millennials and Gen Alpha, will be 80% of the workforce in the next decade, and their expectations will define the workplace. “They watched it on TikTok, and they have expectations of you, and if you can’t deliver, you’re going to be in a world of hurt,” Civello said. Civello closed out his presentation by pointing out that companies are sitting on vast reservoirs of untapped talent. Organizations can “develop high-performing teams by uncovering some of the most gifted people in your organization that simply are just not optimized,” he said. He recommends creating environments where every employee has the chance to be their unique selves. Editor’s note: From Day One thanks our partner, RethinkCare, for sponsoring this thought leadership spotlight. Ade Akin covers workplace wellness, HR trends, and digital health solutions.(Photos by Josh Larson for From Day One)
Leading Through Uncertainty: HR’s Role in Navigating Change
BY Ade Akin November 04, 2025Change typically doesn’t come with a roadmap to help navigate around it. It usually shows up like a pulse thunderstorm; it’s fast, messy, and relentless. According to a recent report, 69% of employees trust their employers to navigate changes better than governmental organizations and non-governmental ones.“As an HR professional, there’s a tremendous amount of pressure to deliver on that belief and on that promise,” said Marissa Waldman, founder and CEO at Leaderology during a From Day One webinar. This pressure to guide organizations as they navigate rapid changes was the central theme of the session moderated by Stephen Koepp, co-founder and editor-in-chief of From Day One. The panelists agreed that the role of HR has fundamentally shifted. It has expanded from primarily support duties to now include serving as stewards of organizational culture, helping to build trust during periods of digital transformation, corporate restructuring, and global uncertainty. The Non-Negotiables: Communication and Psychological SafetyCommunication is the most effective tool for managing change. “For me, it’s really about communicating clearly, communicating early, communicating often, and also finding different mediums for communication,” Chantal van der Walt, the SVP of HR at Outokumpu said. She recommends staying consistent with an organization’s core messaging while adapting it for different audiences, from directors to front-line workers. Tanvi Sondhi, the VP of talent and learning at Novelis, shared one lesson she learned the hard way during a recent company restructuring. “The learning that I had is that whenever you’re going through a change, just be direct, sharp, clear, to the point,” she said. “It really works.”Direct communication helps foster psychological safety among employees, which becomes even more essential when things are changing rapidly. Waldman views psychological safety as the direct result of fearless leadership. “When leadership is vulnerable, when the leadership is authentic and transparent, you’re able to maintain a psychologically safe culture,” she said. Leaders should be open to feedback without getting defensive if they don’t get the answers they want, Waldman says. Andres Mendoza, the head of talent and culture for BBVA in the U.S., recommends normalizing struggle to foster psychological safety within companies. “Not being okay is okay,” he added. “We are all overwhelmed at one moment in our career that we take things personally and professionally, and that we care about what we do.” Mendoza says creating channels for managers and employees to express when they aren’t okay is vital for building trust, which helps with retention. The Connective Tissue: Protecting and Empowering Middle ManagementThe pivotal, often painful, role of middle managers was a recurring theme during the conversation. “These mid-level leaders are the shoulders. They are truly the connective tissue for organizations,” Waldman said. “They’re getting strategy from the top. They’re translating it down. They have the relationships. They, in my mind, need to be protected at all costs.”Middle managers are often stuck managing the emotional fallout from unpopular organizational decisions. Many are promoted for their technical proficiency, not their leadership acumen, and are now being “squashed from the top” and “pushed up from the bottom,” as van der Walt described.Panelists spoke about "Leading Through Uncertainty: HR’s Role in Navigating Change" (photo by From Day One)Reema Vaghani, the global VP of learning experience at TaskUs, says companies must now move from merely informing managers about decisions to involving them as architects of change. “We’re giving them the opportunity to be part of this as architects of the change, rather than the responders to the change,” She elaborated when discussing TaskUs’s approach to middle management. Vaghani recommends creating mentorship programs that connect managers with C-suite leaders and providing safe spaces for managers to voice disagreements. “If people are resisting, that’s good,” Waldman added. “That means that there’s trust and they’re speaking.” The response should be, “Thank you. Thank you. This is good. Let’s talk about this.”Navigating the Human Impact of Restructuring and AILarge-scale changes, such as layoffs, can have a profound emotional toll on organizations. Sondhi described observing various reactions to such changes at Novelis, from vocal displeasure to “survivor’s guilt.”Novelis’s mantra for handling such shifts is to listen and offer transparency. The company focuses on first supporting top and middle leaders so they can manage their teams effectively. Their pre-established cultural beliefs, “be open, build trust, say anything, and be authentic," guide their decisions. “Wherever we followed our cultural beliefs, I think we were on track,” Sondhi said. “But wherever we failed to comply with it is where we started struggling.”The rise of AI has also been a force of significant disruption within organizations. Vaghani says TaskUs’s culture promotes learning agility with structured skill-up programs. The goal is to be honest about the future. “Some of these roles are going to go away,” van der Walt said, “but what are the opportunities? What does it create for you, and how can you develop?”The Anchor in the Storm: Cultivating Trust and Self-CareThe panel also addressed how HR leaders can advocate for themselves and their teams when they, too, are feeling the strain. Mendoza says that HR professionals are employees first and need support from their own leaders.Van der Walt notes that being a trustworthy partner to an organization from the beginning makes it easier to navigate complex decisions. “If you have that relationship with the business, you will understand better where they are coming from, and appreciate better why the company needs to maybe do what it needs to do.”Waldman drew a harder line for those who feel powerless to advocate for themselves. “If you are not respected by the business and you are not able to advocate for yourself, maybe you need to exit,” she added. For leaders who stay, the mandate is clear: put on your own oxygen mask first, and then lead with a fearlessly authentic commitment to your people.Editor’s note: From Day One thanks our partner, Leaderology, for sponsoring this webinar. Ade Akin covers workplace wellness, HR trends, and digital health solutions.(Photo by Christian Horz/iStock)
Taking an Enterprising Approach to Building the Tech Workforce of Tomorrow
BY Ade Akin October 23, 2025For Michael Walters, the solution to the current crisis facing the U.S. semiconductor industry, as it's projected to face a 67,000-worker shortage, is to bet big on AI and apprenticeships.For Walters, the chief human resources officer at Samsung Semiconductor, North America, the projected labor shortage shapes every decision he makes regarding the organization’s future.Walters finds himself at the frontlines of the talent war sparked by the current onshoring boom. He sat down with Stephen Koepp, the editor-in-chief and a co-founder of From Day One, for a fireside chat at From Day One’s San Francisco conference, to discuss a wide range of subjects, from the geopolitics of the new Visa rules to the potential of using AI to improve employee wellness. Building a Workforce from the Ground UpSamsung faces monumental challenges as it moves forward with plans to construct a series of gigafactories in Taylor, Texas, a project that will eventually require about 12,000 employees. Each factory will be the size of ten football fields next to each other, and the site in Taylor has space for nine.“About a third of the workforce that’s in semiconductor is over the age of 55,” Walters noted, highlighting the challenge Samsung faces as it looks to staff its new factories. Walter’s solution is to attack the talent pipeline from every angle. The organization needs a range of professionals, from PhD-level engineers to technicians who will operate advanced robotics. Samsung is partnering up with higher learning institutions, like the University of Texas, to help meet its labor force needs. Both organizations are collaborating to create the first-ever master’s degree in semiconductors. Samsung also teams up with community colleges and trade schools to help develop technical talent, including the creation of apprenticeship programs. “We're big believers in apprenticeship programs,” Walters said as he described a pilot Samsung launched with Cristo Rey San Jose Jesuit High School, where most students are prospective first-generation college attendees. “We have five of those students working side by side with our people, essentially serving as interns or apprentices.” These students spend one full day each week during the school year in these roles, a practice Walters views as a direct investment in the local workforce. The Immigration Policy WhiplashWalters also discussed the mixed messaging coming from Washington, D.C., on its immigration policies. The issue is deeply personal for Samsung, given that a significant portion of its workforce is on Visa sponsorships.“There’s probably nothing more critical to their well-being and to the well-being of their families than this issue,” he said. “In the U.S., 70% of students that are pursuing Master’s or PhDs in electrical engineering are foreign students.”Michael Walters, the CHRO of Samsung Semiconductor, spoke with Steve Koepp, From Day One co-founder and editor-in-chiefWalters says the projected 67,000 worker shortage could worsen as it becomes increasingly complex for these students to study or work in the U.S. He notes that while Samsung having a voice in Washington is essential, its visibility must be carefully managed while dealing with a “transactional” administration.AI’s Promise: From Healthcare to Workforce EfficiencyThe AI boom has been a massive tailwind for Samsung, driving demand for its advanced memory chips. Walters is now exploring practical applications of AI for his HR team. He shared how a partnership with the AI platform Avante is already helping employees. “This is an AI platform that can integrate into our internal systems and customize to the employee,” Walters said. “So when the employee logs on, the platform knows who they are. In a very easy-to-use bot system, you know, if we were here and I threw out my back and I wanted to go see a chiropractor, I could easily, through the bot, be able to see within a one-mile radius, who are the chiropractors who would be in network, out of network, what would be the cost of that, and get that all in real time.”Walters views AI as an essential tool for improving employee efficiency and well-being, despite his frustration with vendors who over-promise and under-deliver. He urges employers to stay focused on the basic needs of their employees, amidst the uncertainty caused by mass layoffs and a changing economic outlook. “I don’t think that some of those employee issues that were prevalent during the pandemic have necessarily gone away,” he said. Questions like “Am I going to be able to keep my job?” and “Will I get that promotion?” are still on the minds of many employees, and mental health remains essential. Walters compared his role in HR to that of a support player in team sports who never scores points but is essential to their team’s success, a lesson he learned during his days as a collegiate rugby player. “We’re enablers. We’re making these things happen,” he said. The role of building the human infrastructure for a complex new world has never been more vital for organizations like Samsung at the heart of technological progress. Ade Akin covers workplace wellness, HR trends, and digital health solutions.(Photos by David Coe for From Day One)
How to Harness Inclusive Leadership to Elevate Your Workforce and Workplace
BY Ade Akin October 14, 2025Anne Chow was put in charge of a team of several hundred people when she started her leadership career at AT&T. She was in her mid-20s, while most of her team members were more than twice her age. “I was being called names behind my back and to my face,” Chow said during a fireside chat at From Day One’s Austin conference. But that harsh experience helped Chow realize leadership was about making the right choices for your team. She had to choose between either focusing on the noise or bringing out the best in the people she was responsible for. Chow chose the latter, and the experience helped cement a core belief that defined her 32-year career at the telecom giant, culminating in her role as the CEO of AT&T Business: leadership is all about people. “It’s that old adage where you manage things, but you lead people,” Chow said to moderator Leslie Rangel, the deputy managing editor at The Barbed Wire. “That is ultimately what leadership is about,” she said. Chow shared lessons from the experience recorded in her book, Lead Bigger: The Transformative Power of Inclusion, outlining a framework that managers can use to develop inclusive leadership styles required for today’s complex, multi-generational workforce.From Feeling Excluded to Championing InclusionChow’s passion for inclusive leadership is deeply personal. She often felt she didn’t fit in early in her career as a second-generation American. Her career choice as a technology leader usually meant she was often the first or only woman or ethnic minority in the room. “I never really perfectly fit into any category or any box,” Chow said. That awareness fueled her desire to ensure members of her team always felt like they belonged. She chose to focus on connecting with people individually, meeting them where they were, and finding common ground. Anne Chow shared insights from her book Lead Bigger: The Transformative Power of InclusionChow’s inspiration for the book was to create a guide for managers on inclusive leadership, which she views as a non-negotiable core competency for modern leaders. “I absolutely, in every cell of my body, believe that if you do not learn how to choose to lead inclusively, you’re going to lose to somebody who does,” Chow said. Widening the Aperture on InclusionChow reframes the concept of inclusion with a simpler, action-oriented definition: “Widening your perspective to have greater performance and impact.” Leaders can actively widen their perspectives by doing three key things:Surrounding themselves with people from diverse backgrounds and different experiences.Seeking different sources of information and taking conscious steps to expose themselves to media and data from alternative channels.Seeking different experiences. For example, a corporate employee could spend a day in the field, or vice versa.Chow says this approach is essential in a world that’s more interconnected and polarized. She offers a fresh perspective on the increasingly contentious topic of DEI. For Chow, diversity is the “reality” of the modern world, equity means fairness based on what an organization actively defines it to be, and inclusion is the “action” required to deliver exceptional performance. “Inclusion is the ultimate tool for meritocracy,” Chow said. “Hasn’t it been about making sure that we are tapping into talent pools, wherever they are, whatever they look like? Talent doesn’t necessarily look like an Ivy League degree. Ironically, inclusion is necessary if you want to field the best teams today and tomorrow.”Three Foundational Beliefs for Modern LeadersChow emphasizes the importance of self-care and finding allies for HR professionals and managers. “You are carrying a heavy load,” she added, noting that the responsibility of building an organization’s culture cannot rest on the shoulders of HR alone; it must be shared by leaders all over the business.Chow closed the session by sharing three beliefs that form the foundation of her leadership philosophy. First, that every business is a people business. “It is people that drive the business.” She points out the need to rebuild trust after layoffs as a prime example of this truth, stating that unaddressed fear and doubt prevent an organization from moving forward.Second, leadership is a choice that transcends: “Leadership has no gender, no color, no title, no position, no race, no religion, no politics, no age, no language,” she said. She defines leadership as the ability to align, motivate, and inspire a group of people toward common goals. She encourages companies to view their entire talent pool as potential leaders, not just those at the top of the organization’s hierarchy. And third, culture is your ultimate competitive advantage: Chow believes the best products and strategies can be easily copied in an age of constant disruptions, but the same can’t be said about a company’s culture. She defines culture as the behavioral norms reflected in an organization’s policies and practices, and more importantly, the actions of its leaders. For Chow, leadership became the art of creating a sense of connecting to others, inspired by the experiences of a young worker who once felt she didn’t belong. Building a more successful organization and a more fulfilling career starts with intentionally widening your perspective so you can recognize, value, and unleash the potential in everyone around you.Ade Akin covers workplace wellness, HR trends, and digital health solutions.(Photos by Josh Larson for From Day One)
Managing Teams From Gen Z to Baby Boomers: Tools for Success
BY Ade Akin October 09, 2025Heather Tinsley-Fix, a senior advisor at AARP, was worried that an intern had been in a biking accident when he missed work for an entire week and didn’t call. When he returned to work and she asked him to explain the absence, she quickly found a difference in generational norms. In college, the intern wasn’t obligated to notify professors if he was missing a class, and he thought that’s how things worked in his new workplace. “Once I understood that, I said, ‘Okay, I get that. That makes sense,’” Tinsley-Fix recalled during a From Day One webinar. “It’s about trying to get underneath what the behavior is that's bothering you as a manager,” she said. Such misunderstandings are increasingly common in today’s workplace, where as many as five generations work side by side. During the session, Tinsley-Fix and Megan Gerhardt, Ph.D., founder of Gentelligence, both acknowledged that while age diversity can be a source of friction in the workplace, it can also be a significant competitive advantage. The key is moving beyond stereotypes and learning to harness each person’s unique strengths.The Case for Generational IntelligenceMulti-generational teams are the new normal, and there’s a strong business case for fostering what Gerhardt calls “generational intelligence.” “There’s research that shows that mixed-age teams perform better on complex and creative tasks than teams which are more homogenous in age,” Tinsley-Fix said. “As you add generational diversity to teams, the quality of the decisions goes up.”Kim Quillen of the Chicago Tribune moderated the webinar (photo by From Day One)This “cognitive diversity” introduces a breadth of professional experience and healthy tension that can spark innovation. The challenge in managing multi-generational teams isn’t the differences between team members, but how they’re handled. Left unchecked, these differences can lead to stereotypes and judgment. When managed with intention, they become a catalyst for growth. A Four-Step Framework for More Productive ConversationsGerhardt outlined a four-step framework in her book, Gentelligence: The Revolutionary Approach to Leading an Intergenerational Workforce, to improve collaboration within multi-generational teams. These are: Identify assumptions. The first step required to build an age-diverse team that collaborates well is recognizing our own age-based biases. “We can’t tell you who you are if you tell us what generation you’re in,” Gerhardt said. She recommends pushing back on prejudiced assumptions and identifying areas where colleagues of different ages might have mismatched expectations, such as flexibility, communication, or professionalism. Adjust your lens. Gerhardt encourages people to view generational differences as a form of culture. “We know when we interact with other cultures that they have different languages, they have different approaches, different experiences. Generations have those same wonderful differences.” It’s about being more curious and less judgmental. Build trust. Managers should create psychological safety nets so the ages of team members are never seen as a hindrance. Each team member’s unique lived experiences should be seen as “fascinating and important and complementary.”Expand the pie. The final step is to get team members to embrace mutual learning. “How do we replace ‘us versus them’ with ‘us plus them’?” Gerhardt asked. She says encouraging team members to see different views as alternative approaches that help push the team in the same direction, instead of seeing them as threats.Navigating Workplace Friction: Mental Health and ProfessionalismYounger generations, particularly Gen Z, often have different expectations regarding mental health and professionalism due to coming of age during the pandemic, says Gerhardt. They are more likely to expect mental health support from employees and are more open to conversations about the subject. This can create contention with older workers who were raised in a different era when employers expected them to “leave their problems at the door.” “Neither is right nor wrong,” Gerhardt said. “But those people are working together and trying to navigate a workplace with very different norms.”Similarly, the very definition of the term “professionalism” varies from generation to generation. For example, an older manager might find a team member leaving their phone on the table during a business lunch as rude, while a younger employee thinks it helps them stay connected and responsive. “If you don’t realize the person sitting across the table from you that is going to potentially offer you a job will find this very rude, then you do have a problem, regardless of whether or not it is something you feel is rude,” Gerhardt added. The solution isn’t to dictate one right way, but to have explicit conversations about shared standards and the “why” behind them.Seek the AdvantageGerhardt’s advice for managers looking to improve their ability to manage age-diverse teams is to gain as much experience working with people of all ages. “Once you are able to learn something from someone significantly older or younger that you weren’t able to figure out on your own, you get hungry for more,” Gerhardt said. “That’s how you change your own mindset. That’s how you change the workplace culture that you’re in.”Editor’s note: From Day One thanks our partner, AARP, for sponsoring this webinar. We’re looking for organizations to partner with AARP’s Generations at Work program to gain early access to the product, insights on bridging generational differences, input on the final design, and custom guidance to strengthen your workforce strategy. Fill out this brief survey if your company would like to be a part of this opportunity or you just want to learn more about the pilot program: https://surveys.fromdayone.co/aarp2025Ade Akin covers workplace wellness, HR trends, and digital health solutions.(Photo by Marco VDM/iStock)
The Keys to Building Future-Ready Leadership, From Potential to Power
BY Ade Akin September 26, 2025Sonic Automotive, a major U.S. retailer with over 150 car dealerships, recognized it had a tremendous problem a decade ago. The traditional car-buying experience was fraught with pain points for consumers, negatively impacting sales. The organization decided to tackle the problem head-on and ran a customer focus group to understand what part of the sales process needed to be changed. Their findings were clear: the company couldn’t keep hiring the same type of sales reps they’d always targeted.“We knew we couldn’t hire the same type of people we'd been hiring,” Douglas Bryant, the vice president of talent management, training, and recruiting at Sonic Automotive, said.Bryant went on to describe how Sonic Automotive revolutionized its hiring practices during a From Day One webinar titled “The Keys to Building Future-Ready Leadership: From Potential to Power,” moderated by Rebecca Knight, a contributing columnist at Harvard Business Review. He was joined by Dan Miller, a solutions architect at talent intelligence firm SHL, which Sonic partnered with to transform its sales staff. The findings of Sonic Automotive’s focus group led to the launch of Echo Park, a used-vehicle retail chain built on a new customer-centric model. It also revolutionized how the organization recruited talent, moving away from gut feelings to a science-based approach that yielded highly profitable results. The Counterintuitive Path to SuccessSonic Automotive’s initial assumptions about what characteristics defined a successful salesperson were upended. Standard practice in the industry at the time was to hire based on demographic factors and previous experience, with the hiring manager’s intuition guiding the process. The company collaborated with SHL to conduct studies that defined what a “good” salesperson really looked like. They analyzed various factors like military experience, previous sales history, and college degrees. The result was startling. “Our hiring managers liked hiring through gut instinct. They think they know what good talent looks like,” Bryant said. “The silver bullet was the SHL assessment. That was the only thing that loaded and correlated to success.”Journalist Rebecca Knight moderated the session with Dan Miller of SHL and Douglas Bryant of Sonic Automotive (photo by From Day One)The surprises kept coming. When Sonic Automotive opened a call center to handle customer appointments, the assumption was that new hires should come from sales backgrounds. However, the data showed reps with sales backgrounds performed worse. “We found out there was an inverse correlation between those sales abilities and the number of appointments set,” Bryant added. “We were totally hiring the wrong folks.” Instead, multitasking and customer service skills were the true predictors of success.The Tangible Results of a Skills-Based ApproachThe impact of Sonic Automotive's move to a psychometric assessment-based hiring system was tremendous. By setting the cutoff score at the 30th percentile, Sonic’s small recruiting team was able to manage over 100,000 applications a year and present hiring managers with only the top two or three candidates. The benefits of embracing a data-driven approach were undeniable. One initial study revealed that salespeople who were in the top 70% on the assessment sold an average of five cars per month. “That may not sound like a lot, but if you extrapolate that out across 150 stores, it was $100 million net to the bottom line,” Bryant said.The benefits of the new hiring system also extended to employee engagement and retention, giving Sonic a significant advantage in an industry where turnover rates are usually around 60%. Sonic’s turnover rate plunged to as low as 20%, while employee engagement and customer service metrics are now at all-time highs across its divisions. Identifying the Skills That Actually MatterThe key to Sonic Automotive identifying the type of salespeople its customers actually wanted was focusing on enduring behavioral skills, rather than gut feelings. SHL measures 96 different behavioral skills in its assessments, which are grouped into 20 core competencies and 8 major categories.“When we think about the skills that we want to focus on in predicting long-term success, it tends to be best to focus on those skills that are more durable, such as things like collaboration or adaptability or critical thinking,” Miller said. These are more predictive than resume-based factors or self-reported skill levels.For example, a broad personality trait like extroversion is broken down into more specific categories like networking or presentation skills. “When we’re thinking about fit to a particular role, we tend to focus on those skills,” Miller added. “When we’re thinking about something like broad future potential, that’s when we focus more on those broad personality traits.”One of the most sought-after skills hiring managers look for today is learning agility, the capacity to learn from experience and apply those lessons to new situations. SHL developed a “re-skilling potential assessment” to measure this trait. “It’s designed to capture how quickly someone can learn and grow and improve in those areas,” Miller said. It helps identify individuals who can rapidly adapt and close skill gaps.Overhauling Culture and Overcoming ResistanceSonic Automotive’s transition to a new hiring system came with its share of challenges. The company had to overhaul its entire sales culture to reinforce the collaborative skills its assessments identified. “In a traditional car dealership, the salespeople are really pitted against each other,” Bryant said. The company changed pay plans, reporting structures, and incentives to reward teamwork over individual cut-throat competition.Convincing skeptical managers that it was time to change the hiring process required a data-driven approach. Sonic Automotive allowed for exceptions but tracked them meticulously. “I kept track of these exceptions, and then I’d watch our term list,” Bryant said. He would follow up with managers whenever they had to fire one of their “exception” hires, and the results spoke for themselves over time. Bryant says these managers will not hire anyone without an assessment score. The data-driven approach also helped eliminate personal bias from the hiring process, leading to a more diverse workforce. Bryant notes that recent engagement surveys show that female employees now score higher than their male counterparts, a reversal from past years. The Future: AI, Mobility, and Enduring SkillsMiller and Bryant both addressed the impact of artificial intelligence on the hiring process and skills sought. SHL is incorporating AI into its platforms and conducting research to identify who can use it best, says Miller. The study includes assessing both the technical and behavioral skills needed to leverage AI effectively. “The leaders of tomorrow are not going to be managing a solely human workforce,” Knight said. Miller agreed, emphasizing the need for skills that complement AI.The next step for Sonic Automotive is using these assessments for internal talent development and mobility. “We're starting to view the assessments and the data, using [them] more and more for development after you join Sonic,” Bryant said. SHL’s talent mobility platform allows employees to explore roles within the organization that might be a good fit, providing them with autonomy over their career paths and boosting retention.Bryant’s advice for organizations hesitant to embrace a skill-based approach to hiring is to lean on the data. Sonic Automotive’s decade-long transformation shows us that challenging long-held assumptions with concrete data creates a more efficient workforce that’s more engaged, more diverse, and more prepared for the future. Editor’s note: From Day One thanks our partner, SHL, for sponsoring this webinar.Ade Akin covers workplace wellness, HR trends, and digital health solutions.(Photo by RealPeopleGroup/iStock)
From Budget to Breakthrough: How Logitech Is Personalizing Benefits at Scale
BY Ade Akin September 16, 2025Julia McCarrel inherited a benefits system that included more than 30 different vendors when she stepped into her role as the head of benefits for the Americas and global programs at Logitech. New hires, herself included, were inundated with a confusing array of nearly a dozen benefit cards. The solution her team settled on was relatively simple: consolidate, standardize, and give people money they can spend on the things that matter to them. McCarrel shared how she transformed Logitech’s benefits landscape alongside Kathleen Harris, a solutions consultant at Forma during a From Day One webinar. The conversation titled “From Budget to Breakthrough: How Logitech is Personalizing Benefits at Scale” unpacked why lifestyle spending accounts (LSAs) are gaining popularity across industries and offered a blueprint for other HR leaders looking to personalize benefits programs for their organizations in impactful ways. Building the Business Case for PersonalizationLogitech initially launched its wellness LSA in 2021 to support over 5,000 employees across 43 countries during the pandemic. The company also sought to address inconsistencies in its offerings, such as gym subsidies that were only available in certain countries. “LSAs are an employer-funded spending account, so you’ll hear [them called] spending account, customizable account, personal benefit. [There are] all types of ways in which people describe LSAs,” said Harris. “There are a number of words that we use interchangeably, but in the end, they’re really spending accounts that are funded by the employer and used by the employee.” LSAs allow employers to define eligibility and policy, while employees choose how to spend their stipend via a store, a card, or claims. McCarrel says the main challenge she faced was that the program was designed to be manually managed through a Human Resources Information System (HRIS) system. “In six months, [our team] had received 761 tickets from employees,” she said. This administrative drag was the key to building a business case for change. McCarrel calls the move to a dedicated LSA platform a strategic investment in talent retention, productivity, and operational efficiency. The Power of Starting NarrowJulia McCarrel, the Head of Benefits for Americas & Global Programs at Logitech spoke about partnering with Forma (company photo)Logitech started transforming its benefits program with a tight focus on physical health because that’s where the data pointed. The initial goal was equality, since employees in some countries had gym subsidies, while others had limited options, says McCarrel. “We were really trying to just provide equity across the company for that access to physical health and well-being,” she said.That commitment paid off. Logitech reported a 12% increase in benefits utilization and a 7% increase in spend after moving the program to Forma, as employees used their stipend for athletic shoes, gym memberships, smart watches, and more. McCarrel advises companies looking to personalize benefits packages to avoid eliminating all existing programs at once. “I would definitely recommend starting narrow and then building out,” she said. “The last thing you want to do is build out too much, and then you have to start taking things away.”Logitech’s global wellness LSA started with a focus on physical health, which was a direct evolution of the gym subsidies its previous benefits package offered. This clear focus made the program manageable and aligned it with specific business objectives regarding preventative care and employee health, says McCarrel. Measurable Impact on Culture and OperationsThe quantitative results were crystal clear: its well-being LSA saw 88% utilization, tuition reimbursement utilization rose 150% after moving to the Forma platform, and the adoption/surrogacy program went from zero claims to its first active users.Qualitatively speaking, Logitech’s move to personalize its benefits program was a resounding success that helped boost employee engagement and satisfaction. Its positive impact was also clear in direct employee feedback. McCarrel quotes one employee who stated, “The wellness reimbursement is super simple to use,” and that it provided them “the freedom to find the health resources that work best for me.” This feedback is a core part of the return on investment for McCarrel. “If you look at that utilization at 88%, you can’t take that away,” she said. Editor’s note: From Day One thanks our partner, Forma, for sponsoring this webinar. Ade Akin covers workplace wellness, HR trends, and digital health solutions.(Photo by RealPeopleGroup/iStock)
How GE HealthCare Built a Multigenerational Learning Strategy From the Ground Up
BY Ade Akin August 22, 2025When a corporate giant spins off a division, the new entity doesn’t just inherit legacy systems; it inherits a multigenerational workforce with vastly different learning needs. Gisele Fox, the chief learning officer at the newly independent GE HealthCare, welcomed the challenge. It was an opportunity to build a modern, agile learning culture from scratch.“When you move out of your parents' house, you have to all of a sudden pay for your own phone and your own mortgage,” Fox said, describing the 2023 spin-off from General Electric. “That is how the organization had to see this whole change,” she said during a fireside chat at From Day One’s August virtual conference. Interviewed by Kim Quillen, business editor at the Chicago Tribune, Fox explored how to design training programs that resonate with everyone from Baby Boomers to Gen Z, across 183 countries.The move pushed her team to rebuild GE HealthCare’s learning infrastructure, shifting from outdated methods to a hybrid approach tailored to a five-generation, global workforce.Building a Learning Culture for Every GenerationThe old learning playbook GE HealthCare inherited from GE was to funnel employees into multi-day, in-person classroom sessions. The pandemic shattered that model, forcing a rapid shift to 100% virtual training. However, Fox’s team quickly realized that a purely virtual approach was also insufficient. The solution they found was not choosing one over the other, but instead embracing a flexible hybrid model, “We didn’t find that one way or another is the best way,” she said. The key was recognizing that people learn differently. Some are hands-on, some need time to process information, and others are note-takers. An effective program must cater to the individual, not just their generation.Gisele Fox of GE HealthCare spoke with Kim Quillen of the Chicago Tribune during the session about "The Multigenerational Approach to Learning in Today’s Workplace" (photo by From Day One)To meet these varied needs, Fox’s team designed a multi-stage learning journey. It starts with pre-training online modules that allow self-starters to absorb foundational knowledge on their own time. A live virtual or in-person session for deeper dives follows this. Afterward, learners can access frequently asked questions and talk to experts. GE HealthCare’s new learning model was developed with the understanding that bombarding new hires with information they won’t use for months isn’t optimal for learning. “If you provide too much training too early in the process, it can be overwhelming,” Fox said. Instead, GE HealthCare focuses on “just-in-time” learning, providing a resource library that employees can access the moment they need to apply a new skill.This concept of “just-in-time” means different things to different people. A seasoned veteran might need a quick refresher on a new product feature, while a new graduate might also need training on how to interact with clients or negotiate deals.Innovating With Micro-Learning and Listening to the BusinessStaying relevant means constantly experimenting with new formats. Fox says that the classic 100-page employee guide is obsolete for much of today’s workforce. “The generation that we see coming into the workforce will not survive by giving [them] a 100-page booklet,” she said. Instead, her team creates micro-learning videos: quick, TikTok-style presentations that grab attention and allow users to dive deeper if they’re interested.Fox’s team uses a multi-pronged approach to identify skill gaps, which includes an annual employee survey, close partnerships with business leaders, and direct feedback from frontline staff. “My team very often will call and send texts directly to the sales team, marketing teams, and just ask them, ‘What can I do for you? What can I make or share that will make your job easier?’”Ultimately, the success of any L&D program is inextricably linked to company culture. At GE HealthCare, the culture encourages non-linear career growth. Employees are supported if they want to pivot to a new role, and managers actively partner with L&D to provide the necessary training, says Fox. This creates a powerful sense of relevance and value. “People want to be relevant,” Fox said. “If you provide the opportunities for them to increase their knowledge and their skills, it will provide satisfaction to the workforce.” Fox offered some advice for learning professionals looking to implement a more generationally aware strategy: listen before you act.She recalls her experience training diverse audiences, from engineers to salespeople. Engineers require methodical, detailed presentations, while salespeople need information delivered in 30-second, visual bursts. “We are very quick as humans to apply our previous experience and utilize that going forward,” she added. “My takeaway would be, take a moment to listen to your audience. Learn what the business needs before you quickly come up with a solution.” By doing so, L&D leaders can build the agile, responsive programs that a multigenerational workforce needs by prioritizing listening over preconceived solutions. Ade Akin covers workplace wellness, HR trends, and digital health solutions.(Photo by SDI Productions/iStock)
How Agentic AI is Transforming Workforce Strategy
BY Ade Akin July 31, 2025Nearly half of CEOs believe their companies won’t survive the next decade unless they adapt to rapid technological change, according to the World Economic Forum. It’s a stark reminder that innovation is no longer optional, but essential.This urgency, which workforce leaders find themselves dealing with, framed the conversation during a From Day One webinar titled, “Work Reimagined: Unlocking Workforce Value with Agentic AI.” The conversation centered on how organizations can harness agentic artificial intelligence to reinvent the nature of work, empower their workforce, and elevate individual employees.Unlike generative AI, which creates content based on patterns, agentic AI acts with autonomy, learning, reasoning, and adapting to drive outcomes. “It’s not just providing answers; it’s mimicking human behavior to execute tasks,” said Anthony Abbatiello partner, workforce transformation practice leader at PwC. This shift is reshaping HR’s role from a support function to a strategic coordinator. The Strategic Value of Agentic AIWhile tools like robotic process automation (RPA) help streamline many tasks, agentic systems dynamically reallocate work by matching talent, human or AI, with opportunities in real time. Abbatiello says that 88% of business leaders plan to increase AI budgets in the following year. He says this is a defining moment for human resources leaders. “The CHRO can be the hero in the boardroom,” he said. This makes them uniquely positioned to align three critical pillars. First is work, which involves understanding what needs to be done and identifying who or what is best equipped to do it. Second is the workforce, the evolving mix of human talent and AI systems. Third is the worker, with a focus on individual experience, skills, and development.Speakers shared insights on the topic "Work Reimagined: Unlocking Workforce Value with Agentic AI " (photo by From Day One)Abbatiello notes that while efficiency plays are a common starting point, true reinvention delivers the most value. Reinventing an organization's workforce demands more than having access to the right technology; it also requires cultural readiness.The Real-World Impact of Agentic AIRimple Patel, chief customer officer at Eightfold shared some real-world examples of agentic AI’s impact on workforce strategy. In recruiting, Eightfold’s AI interviewer autonomously screens candidates, reducing time-to-hire by 42% for one client. For internal mobility, 40% of roles at Amdocs are now filled internally through AI-guided career pathing. In healthcare, AI platforms are helping nurses select shifts that match their preferences, leading to higher retention rates and improved patient care.The biggest hurdle facing organizations regarding agentic AI isn’t the technology; it’s the mindset of people within them, says Patel. Fragmented data, cultural resistance, and the fear of job displacement all hinder progress. Abbatiello’s research found that 80% of organizations aren’t using AI agents, often due to unclear use cases.Several key enablers can help organizations overcome these hurdles. Transparency is essential, which means clearly explaining why AI makes certain recommendations. Building trust is also critical and involves creating an AI-positive culture where experimentation is both encouraged and safe. Strong leadership is another enabler, with CHROs partnering with CIOs to ensure broad and equitable access to AI across the organization.Patel recommends starting with focused pilots that directly tie to business goals, such as improving retention in high-risk roles, while sticking to a clear, organization-wide roadmap in view. Companies should equip both leaders and employees to “team with AI,” she said. Abbatiello emphasizes the importance of striking a balance between quick wins and strategic, long-term investments in capability building. “Agentic AI supercharges your ability to be more agile with your workforce, if the organization is ready to adopt it,” he said. Editor's note: From Day One thanks our partner, Eightfold, for sponsoring this webinar. Ade Akin specializes in the emerging applications of artificial intelligence.(Photo by Kulpreya Chaichatpornsuk/iStock)
Meet the Revolution in Job Interviewing: How AI Can Transform an Outdated Process
BY Ade Akin July 23, 2025Imagine a job interview where your chances don’t depend on first impressions, the interviewer’s mood, or a slick resume—but on the skills you actually have.Unstructured interviews have been the tradition for decades despite being as reliable as “flipping a coin” in predicting job success, said Belen Garcia, the behavioral science lead at LizzyAI. Garcia spoke alongside Yannis Niebelschuetz, the founder & CEO of LizzyAI during a From Day One webinar.It can be difficult, or near impossible, to screen thousands of candidates and give each one the same level of rigor and empathy in the process. While traditional thinking favors unstructured interviews to reveal personality and passion, decades of research suggest a different approach.“Most interviews don’t work,” Garcia said, citing data that shows 46% of new hires fail within 18 months and that 80% of turnover stems from hiring mistakes. “It’s not a people issue; it is a process issue,” she said. Outcomes inevitably vary when every hiring manager asks different questions, evaluates based on gut instinct, and brings unconscious bias to the interview room. What organizations need is structure: a standardized set of job‑relevant questions, consistent scoring rubrics, and an evidence‑based framework that ties every answer directly to role requirements, says Garcia.Harnessing Artificial Intelligence (AI) for EquityAI, as presented during the webinar, is not a harbinger of a dystopic future where humans in the workforce are replaced with artificial intelligence. LizzyAI’s product, Lizzy, a fully autonomous AI recruiter, is designed to streamline the hiring process.Yannis Niebelschuetz is the Founder & CEO of LizzyAI (company photo)“Lizzy isn’t making hiring decisions,” Niebelschuetz said. “She provides data so you can make better decisions.” By coding a behavioral-interview model into an autonomous platform, Lizzy delivers identical prompts to each applicant, whether she’s screening entry-level store associates or senior analysts, and then tracks their responses against competencies drawn directly from the job description.Around 30% of recruiters have already experimented with AI, while others expressed concern that it might exclude unconventional talent. Niebelschuetz called that concern valid. However, by focusing exclusively on concrete examples of past performance, “what happened, how you did it, why you chose that approach, and what happened afterward,” Lizzy eliminates bias tied to tone, appearance, or affinity. Every follow‑up question digs deeper into context and judgment without veering into impersonal, robotic territory.Niebelschuetz gave a live demo, acting as a retail‑associate candidate. On screen, Lizzy greeted him in a friendly tone, outlined the role’s expectations, and invited him to share detailed stories about customer service and task prioritization. When Niebelschuetz pressed to know if past leadership experience counted for anything, the AI seamlessly adjusted: “Your sales‑management tenure at LinkedIn can provide valuable insights into customer focus and dynamic environments.”As the demo unfolded, Garcia pointed out how Lizzy timestamps each response, maps strengths and gaps to technical and behavioral criteria, and compiles an evidence‑rich transcript. She auto-generates a scorecard that highlights must-haves, such as scheduling availability, competency scores with narrative rationales, and a recommendation after each interview.From Evidence to Decisions“It’s not about the number, it’s about the reasoning behind it,” said Garcia. Instead of guessing whether a candidate seemed confident, hiring managers can review verbatim snippets. The system even flags nonnegotiables, such as the ability to lift heavy merchandise or work weekend shifts, so overlooked disqualifiers don’t slip through human cracks.By the end of the hour, three key themes had emerged. First, structure breeds validity. The rigor behind question design and scoring has a much stronger impact on predictive power than factors like interview length or the seniority of the role. Second, AI enhances rather than replaces. Recruiters still make the final decisions on whom to advance, while AI helps by filtering out noise, standardizing evaluations, and surfacing relevant evidence. Third, transparency builds trust. Providing full transcripts and cited examples makes feedback more explainable, which is essential for a positive candidate experience and for maintaining legal compliance.Looking ahead, Niebelschuetz and Garcia envision a world where every organization, large or small, has an AI-powered first-round interview process that screens for core competencies, eliminates bias, and reserves human interaction for higher-order conversations. “This isn’t automation for its own sake,” Niebelschuetz said. “It’s a redefinition of what interviews could, and should, be.”Editor’s note: From Day One thanks our partner, LizzyAI, for sponsoring this webinar. Ade Akin specializes in the emerging applications of artificial intelligence.(Photo by Alexander Sikov/iStock)
Building Resilience by Leveraging Leadership Development
BY Ade Akin July 21, 2025With resources shrinking, managers face relentless pressure to do more with less. Beth Perrone, SVP of HR at pharmaceutical leader Merck, identified “ruthless prioritization” as a critical skill needed to thrive in management today. “Managers and employees are being forced to make tougher decisions and prioritize the work that they’re doing. And quite frankly, it’s not a skill that we had historically invested in,” she said during an executive panel discussion about leadership development at From Day One’s Manhattan conference. Merck now embeds prioritization training into development programs, she says. Rose Fass, founder and chair of fassforward, challenged the “do more” mindset entirely. “Do less because it’s more. A few well-focused actions can yield significant results,” she said. Fass encourages managers to distinguish between work that “moves the needle” and tasks that merely “move the mashed potatoes and peas around the plate.” It’s essential to prioritize tasks that drive significant results instead of trying to do everything, she says.Conversational Agility as a Core CompetencyHybrid work and multigenerational teams have eroded casual communication in workplaces. “Years ago, you didn’t have to make an appointment to see your boss. Today, you have to get on a calendar,” Fass said. This makes intentional, skilled conversation a non-negotiable.The session was moderated by Tania Rahman, social media director at Fast Company, leftmostKelly Stuart-Johnson, global head of learning at creative agency VML, emphasized the importance of “conversational agility,” creating a psychological safety that enables diverse teams to connect authentically. “It’s really not necessarily about [being] multigenerational. It’s about how we instill a sense and teach the importance of psychological safety,” she said. VML uses AI simulations to enable managers to safely practice difficult conversations, focusing on “the conversations they want to have rather than providing them with a script.” Empathy: The Bedrock of PerformanceJason Ashlock, the global head of organizational development at Kuehne+Nagel, urged managers to understand not just their teams, but the world their employees are navigating. “Capitalism is traumatic. It’s traumatic at scale,” he said. Managers must learn to handle “the flood of cortisol” caused by this trauma and diffuse tension, he says.While Ashlock focused on the broader forces shaping employee experience, Perrone turned to how leaders respond to that reality. She challenged the notion that leaders must choose between empathy and accountability. “Everyone wants to talk about empathy, and what a lot of leaders naturally jump to is: ‘If I’m empathetic, I then can’t hold teams accountable.’ And I think that’s wrong,” she said. Leaders at Merck revamped leadership programs to focus on building connections. “How I speak to you, Jason, and connect with you is different from how I connect with Kelly. That is at the crux of leadership,” Perrone said. Philipp Muelbert, the Group SVP of strategy, performance, and innovation at talent solutions firm LHH, agreed. “Empathy and performance aren’t mutually exclusive, but you can’t have an effective conversation with somebody about performance issues if they’re not in the right state of mind, and if they’re not willing to listen,” he said. Driving Innovation in Technology and DevelopmentThe panelists all see AI as a tool to reclaim human connection. Stuart-Johnson uses AI coaching “for the moments when someone needs it, when we’re not present,” while freeing managers for higher-touch interactions. “We’re using AI to get us back to humanity,” she said. Perrone shared how Merck experiments with AI to analyze employee surveys so managers “don't need to spend an hour reading through literally 120,000 comments. Here are the themes, now go engage.” Ashlock envisions AI helping managers tailor messages to team members. In terms of advancements in development, the most exciting innovations are those that break away from traditional corporate training. Perrone launched “Leadership Readiness Labs,” featuring unconventional experts. “We’ve had an astronaut, we’ve had a conductor, we had Andy Murray’s mom talk about how she coached,” she said.Ashlock takes leaders literally into the wild through his new venture, bringing executives to “shovel manure with Mustangs for a day” because “ecosystems teach us about sustainable, adaptable, resilient dynamics,” he said. Growth also matters from within, says Muelbert. “Figuring out what my journey looks like for me, first and foremost,” he said, emphasizing that personal clarity is the foundation for meaningful growth and leadership.And sometimes, we need to look outside the box. Fass encourages leaders to question their assumptions and be open to ideas that might initially feel uncomfortable or unfamiliar. “Disrupt your thinking. Don’t like it? Just consider it,” she said.Ade Akin covers workplace wellness, HR trends, and digital health solutions.(Photos by Hason Castell for From Day One)