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 During his session, Civello dismantled outdated views on neurodiversity and made a case for why hiring neurodivergent team members and leaders is essential for retention, innovation, and an organization’s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)
The Human Capital Factor: How Treating People Well Drives Business Performance
BY Ade Akin July 14, 2025Bart Houlahan watched revenues plummet from $250 million to $40 million in just three years after the purpose-driven basketball apparel company he presided over, AND1, was sold to new owners. “The buyer didn’t share our people-first values,” Houlahan, a partner at Irrational Capital and co-founder of B Lab, said during a fireside chat with Andy Serwer, editor at large for Barron’s, at From Day One’s Manhattan conference. Under Houlahan’s leadership, AND1 grew to $250 million in revenue, powered by its people-first culture. The company brought streetball to mainstream media, providing platforms for many who went on to become streetball legends, including Philip “Hot Sauce” Champion, Grayson “The Professor” Boucher, and Rafer “Skip 2 My Lou” Alston, who went on to play for 11-years in the NBA.Houlahan credits AND1’s success during his tenure to a people-first approach. “It was just the type of company we wanted to run, and what that meant for us was putting our people first,” he said. “Over 11 years, we saw time and time again that that wasn’t just the right thing to do, it was a better way to run a business.”Houlahan went on to co-found B Lab, a nonprofit that certifies companies that balance profit with purpose. “We have about 400,000 companies using our tools, and at the end of the day, all we’re trying to do is show clearly that if you put your people first, you’ll end up building a more resilient business,” he said.This belief eventually led the B Lab co-founder to Irrational Capital, where he leveraged employee data points to prove a radical idea: companies with substantial human capital outperform the market by 3-6% annually.Defining the Human Capital FactorBehavioral economist Dan Ariely’s research at Duke University, reveals that traditional metrics like pay and benefits aren’t enough to assess an organization’s growth potential when prodded about how he came up with Irrational Capital’s investment model. According to Ariely’s findings, true motivation depends on pride, recognition, and a sense of psychological safety. Irrational Capital applied those insights to 17 years of employee-survey data, 750 million data points across 70,000 companies, to identify a “human capital factor” that predicts stock performance.Bart Houlahan, Partner, Irrational Capital & Co-Founder of B Lab, left, spoke with Andy Serwer, Editor at Large, Barron'sTo validate the findings, Irrational Capital invited JPMorgan to replicate the analysis on 14 years of data. “JPMorgan did their own independent analysis, and they found that in every year, there was outperformance, and their average outperformance was 4% annually,” Houlahan added. The conversation turned to practical execution. Irrational Capital created three exchange-traded funds (ETFs): a large-cap fund, a small-cap fund, and an unconstrained fund. These ETFs select top-scoring companies based solely on employee-survey metrics, industry, and market-cap weighting.“The large cap is benchmarked against the S&P 500. It takes the top 150 on the human capital factor out of those 500 stocks,” Houlahan said. Houlahan points to Microsoft, where Satya Nadella’s leadership refocused the culture when pressed for concrete examples. “Our human capital score for Microsoft began climbing about two years post-transition. A year later, the stock price followed suit,” he noted. Conversely, Starbucks’ culture score declined during the Covid-19 pandemic as frontline workers faced safety concerns, and its stock suffered a corresponding decline.Serwer asked how HR leaders can leverage this research, and Houlahan offered a two-step playbook. He recommends sharing Irrational Capital’s JPMorgan reports with CEOs to spark boardroom conversations and implementing employee monitoring tools to measure intrinsic motivators, such as pride, recognition, and safety, and embedding them in performance metrics. Culture alone isn’t a solution, he says, but “measuring what matters” gives leaders additional data to help guide strategy.As the conversation wrapped up, Serwer asked Houlahan about the future. Houlahan says the most resilient companies will be the ones that invest in their people—through development, recognition, and trust. Treating people well isn’t idealism; it’s an effective investment strategy with decades of market-proven returns.Ade Akin covers workplace wellness, HR trends, and digital health solutions.(Photos by Hason Castell for From Day One)
From Barriers to Breakthroughs: Elevating and Empowering Women in Leadership
BY Ade Akin July 02, 2025Women hold just 28% of C‑suite positions in U.S. companies. That’s a significant improvement from several decades ago, but still far from parity. “Closing this gap isn’t a pipeline problem, it’s a systemic one,” said Kim Quillen, a business editor for the Chicago Tribune.That blunt assessment set the stage for five leaders to share concrete strategies for recruiting, retaining, and advancing female talent into executive roles. Quillen moderated the discussion at From Day One’s Chicago conference.“If you want women to rise, you must show them it’s possible,” said Molly McCabe, SVP of people success at Ulta Beauty. She pointed to Ulta’s numbers, noting that 70% of its C-suite and 90% of its workforce are women, as proof that representation fuels ambition. “When your CEO is a woman and your senior leaders look like you, the notion of becoming a decision‑maker stops feeling like an impossibility,” she said. Christina Dietz, VP of HR at Northwestern Medicine, echoed that view. She described how her health system intentionally mirrors the demographics of the patients it serves. “Our executive team reflects the community we treat across gender, race, and background,” she said. That alignment strengthens both patient trust and employee engagement by demonstrating that leadership is accessible and accountable.Designing Intentional Career Paths and Measuring Progress“Fortune favors the prepared,” said Jaclyn Trovato, the CHRO at ComEd. ComEd’s 48% female executive ratio didn’t happen overnight. The utility company began sponsoring STEM camps for girls and creating apprenticeship programs for female technicians two decades ago. “By training women on the front lines, we built a pool of skilled candidates ready for engineering and leadership roles,” Trovato said.Tisha Danehl, SVP of ecosystem partnerships at LHH, described her firm’s cohort model. “Our Engage Program brings 30 high‑potential women together for six months of executive presence and strategic‑thinking workshops,” she said. “Within 18 months, every member of our 2020 cohort earned a promotion or expanded role.” This year, LHH is extending the cohort concept to male allies, pairing them with women to foster reciprocal sponsorship, says Danehl. Measuring progress is similarly important, panelists agreed. Panelists shared their insights on the topic "Bridging the Gap: Empowering and Supporting Women in Leadership"Dietz added that Northwestern Medicine’s HR portal now offers real‑time analytics on female representation at every leadership level. “Transparency holds us to our own standards,” she said. “When executives see the charts, it sparks immediate action.”Supporting and Uplifting Women in the WorkplaceQuillen asked the panel to define the often-misused terms “mentor” and “sponsor.” “A mentor offers guidance; a sponsor uses influence to open doors,” said Liza Jager, partner at RHR International. True sponsors, she says, publicly advocate for their protégés in C‑suite rooms and ensure they get stretch assignments. Mentorship alone can’t accelerate careers without that active advocacy, agreed Danehl. Trovato encourages organizations to formalize sponsorship programs, pairing high potential employees with senior executives who have the power to champion their promotions. “Random connections can yield results, but structured sponsorship drives more consistent outcomes,” she said. At Northwestern Medicine, maternity leave is supplemented with informal “phone‑a‑friend” support networks, pairing new parents with experienced colleagues they can call anytime for advice and encouragement. “Knowing there’s someone on the other end of the line who understands your challenges makes all the difference,” she said.That kind of personal support reflects a broader need: career aspirations shift with life stages, says Danehl. “What motivates a 25‑year‑old moonlighting for side hustles differs from a 45‑year‑old eyeing board seats,” she said. The panel urged organizations to tailor their development offerings, such as offering flexible hours for caregivers, rotational assignments for early-career talent, and executive coaching for seasoned leaders.Support also needs to take place in the form of psychological safety. “Psychological safety is currency,” McCabe said. At Ulta, managers are trained to interrupt bias in real time. For example, noting when someone is being talked over and inviting that person back into the conversation. “We teach leaders to say, ‘I realize I cut you off, please share your perspective,’” she said. Jager also echos the importance of psychological safety. “Organizations that invest in creating psychological safety benefit from increased trust and reinforce a culture of belonging. When this is paired with purposeful leadership-development initiatives, not only women executives are positioned for greater success, but all employees. Everyone wins.” Through its cultural-assessment work across organizations, RHR International has helped organizations to go deeper, understand their succession pipeline, and employ systemic solutions that increase the visibility of high-potential women, Jager says. She adds that “organizations that are achieving greater success in building a strong pipeline of women executives are looking more deeply into their promoting practices and investing in sponsorship and allyship initiatives. While mentorship programs are powerful, they are still a passive way to support women leaders. However, through sponsorship and allyship initiatives, executives have the power to raise visibility and more actively give an opportunity for women leaders—and others—to rise.”Trovato highlights the value of listening tours, where senior leaders visit women’s resource groups not to deliver speeches, but to hear directly about the challenges women face. “That practice surfaces issues early, before they become retention risks,” she said. Closing the leadership gap will take more than conversation—it demands measurable, ongoing commitment to listening, building support systems, and driving real change.Ade Akin covers workplace wellness, HR trends, and digital health solutions.(Photos by Tim Hiatt for From Day One)
How to Stop Being Nice and Start Being Kind About Skills and Development
BY Ade Akin June 26, 2025Many leaders today default to being “nice” when it comes to employee development and feedback, often opting to avoid truths in favor of protecting feelings. Maria O’Keeffe, the chief people officer at Ogilvy, says this approach is ultimately a disservice to both employees and organizations. Her suggestion to other leaders: to stop being nice and start being kind. “Being nice is protecting people’s feelings, which is important. I don’t expect anyone to be rude or caustic, but I don’t think it’s authentic. I don’t think it helps people grow," O’Keeffe said during a fireside chat at From Day One’s Chicago conference. “Being kind is about authenticity. It’s about transparency, and it’s about not shying away from those difficult conversations that ultimately will help people grow,” she told moderator Alex Maragos, anchor and reporter at NBC 5 Chicago.O’Keeffe says that the tendency to “say as little as possible” during performance reviews or termination meetings is often driven by a fear of liability, and typically fails employees on the receiving end. This absence of courageous honesty seeps into meetings, letting bad ideas go unchallenged because no one wants to stand alone as the dissenting voice.In contrast, kindness requires the courage to be direct and authentic. It provides the clarity that employees need to understand expectations, develop skills, and find the right career path in an era that demands rapid adaptation.O’Keeffe, who joined Ogilvy after spending 25 years with Edelman, emphasized the power of founder-led organizational cultures, like Ogilvy’s, which is grounded in the values of David Ogilvy. “We cling to that in a very important way,” she said, noting these historical values remain relevant today. However, Ogilvy consciously avoids dwelling in the past. “We try to modernize those values and those tenets so that they fit a modern organization today,” O’Keeffe said.This intentional culture, visibly reinforced through quotes on walls, homepages, notebooks, and meeting discussions, serves as a critical anchor for employees navigating relentless uncertainty. O’Keeffe described the current climate as mirroring the unprecedented challenges 2020 brought: economic headwinds, regulatory shifts around diversity, equity, and inclusion, the ongoing complexities of hybrid work adoption, and heightened demands for emotional well-being support. A strong, clearly communicated culture provides stability in the face of uncertainty. Maria O'Keeffe of Ogilvy spoke with Alex Maragos of NBC 5 News TodayIncreasing economic pressures inevitably lead organizations to make tough decisions, including potentially downsizing their workforce. How companies handle the aftermath of these decisions is pivotal, she says. At Ogilvy, the approach centers on radical transparency about the financial situation and a swift pivot towards purpose. “We give people a sense of purpose in every role at every level within the agency,” she said. Leaders at Ogilvy articulate how each employee’s contributions help to unlock growth, drive better outcomes, or create new offerings, connecting everyone to the organization’s goals.This transparency extends to strategic decisions. “Employees crave information. Information is power, and it’s empowering when you have facts to be able to make informed decisions,” O’Keeffe said. Transparency matters too, when it comes to adopting new tools and technology. O’Keeffe acknowledged the initial “angst and concern” within Ogilvy's creative ranks about AI’s capabilities. The agency overcame resistance by demonstrating AI's practical role: handling rote, administrative, and repetitive tasks that “empty people out,” freeing up time for the deeply human-centric, creative work that “feeds their soul.”Ogilvy leverages WPP’s, its holding company, AI platform, Open, through its “Open for Open Days.” The agency essentially shuts down for a full day, allowing employees to immerse themselves in the platform within their specific roles, learning practical applications in familiar environments. “We [look at] the adoption trends right after those days, and the line continually increases,” she said. When asked for her defining word of 2025, O’Keeffe chose inclusion. She defined it as fostering a profound sense of belonging and connection for every employee. “I want people to feel they are in a safe, inclusive space doing something that is part of something bigger,” she said. This means ensuring that employees are included in growth opportunities, working on meaningful teams, and contributing to client work with a positive impact.Ade Akin covers workplace wellness, HR trends, and digital health solutions.(Photos by Tim Hiatt for From Day One)
How to Foster a Corporate Culture of Continuous Learning and Development
BY Ade Akin June 16, 2025When Roz Tsai set out to build a culture of learning at Thrivent, she didn’t start with systems or strategy—she started with people. As head of talent, Tsai led a bold company-wide learning initiative aimed at developing every employee, from the front lines to the C-suite, and embedding a culture of growth at every level.During an executive panel discussion at From Day One’s Minneapolis conference, Tsai outlined how Thrivent built a framework for purpose-driven leadership training and embedded continuous learning into its culture. She was joined by three other leadership and human resources experts to discuss how their organizations make learning an ongoing, meaningful, and fun process.Reskilling Starts With Values“We actually started by redefining our values,” said Natalie Canadeo, the VP of HR at Epicor Software. At Epicor, that meant digging into employee surveys and conducting interviews to identify what being part of Team Epicor meant to employees. Their findings became the foundation for the company’s learning strategy, an aligned system that helped identify skill gaps and delivered targeted upskilling. Tsai underscores that Thrivent’s approach is highly intentional, with tailored programs for each leadership tier. Thrivent offers a “Leading with Purpose” program for aspiring leaders and a “Leading High Performance” program for established managers. Mid-level directors participate in next-generation enterprise leadership courses. “We want every leader to understand their role in aligning corporate strategy to their team’s day-to-day,” Tsai said.Peter Grim, the VP of training, development, and design at Sedgwick, says even the best-designed programs need infrastructure to succeed. “It’s not just about dropping a virtual course in someone’s inbox,” he said. Sedgwick has embraced a rigorous pre-teaching and follow-up process, prioritizing relevance, context, and reinforcement.Identifying Talent With a Growth MindsetDetermining which programs are best suited for each employee is as vital as developing learning programs. “We use nine-box talent reviews,” Canadeo said, referring to the classic tool many talent managers use to map employee performance and potential. However, she stresses that conversations remain the more reliable marker to gauge those metrics. “One manager might see someone differently than their peers do. That feedback is crucial,” she said.Corey Criswell, the chief leadership officer, Americas at Adeption, points to experience-based development. She focused on identifying critical learning experiences that could prepare employees for new roles during his time at Target before joining Adeption.Dee DePass, business reporter at the Star Tribune, moderated the discussion “It’s not always about content; it’s about the kind of exposure and experiences people get,” Criswell said.Tsai highlights the risk of bias in talent reviews. “There’s no blood test for high potential,” she said. Without a structured assessment process, organizations can fall into the trap of overvaluing traits like charisma or familiarity. Instead, Thrivent looks for specific signals: learning agility, hunger for growth, and a willingness to challenge the status quo.How to Make Learning StickAll four panelists agreed that making continuous learning programs an integral part of an organization’s culture is often more challenging than launching them. The solution is to create learning ecosystems with relevant courses and measure behavioral change. Companies should strive to incorporate real business challenges into their training experiences. “That way, the learning ladders back to something real,” Criswell said. She also suggests that organizations encourage learners to participate in peer coaching groups and conduct small, real-world experiments to apply their new skills, thereby creating opportunities for reflection, accountability, and immediate feedback. “The goal is to make learning active and personally meaningful,” said Criswell.Grim echoed the importance of post-training support. “Follow-up coaching is critical,” he said. Sedgwick utilizes coaching sessions and mentoring after courses to enhance retention and provide opportunities for the practical application of skills learned. He also raised a common issue: subject-matter experts aren’t always effective teachers.Tsai broke it down simply: “Practice builds fluency. Adults learn when it’s relevant, repeated, and emotional.” She describes using storytelling and leader vulnerability to create emotional anchors. “You can’t tell people to ‘build psychological safety’ and expect change. They need repetition and practice.”Making Learning Engaging and FunLearning new things becomes more challenging when it’s formulaic, so it’s crucial for programs to be engaging and enjoyable. Canadeo shared how Epicor uses role-playing to engage new managers. “We bring in senior leaders to play the part of difficult employees,” she said. “It makes it real, and a little fun.” Epicor also incentivizes compliance training with contests and swag. At Sedgwick, Grim’s team creates humorous video content starring top performers from previous training sessions. “It builds a sense of community and pride,” he said. Employees who earn training badges receive custom virtual backgrounds for video meetings. “It turns a learning achievement into a visible win.”Criswell and Tsai both agreed on the benefits of experiential learning. Their organizations use simulations and games to drive home key lessons. However, Tsai warns talent managers not to prioritize fun over learning. “Make sure the fun has a purpose,” she said. “You don’t want your training to be remembered only as the day we talked about dream vacations.”Each panelist offered a closing tip for making learning programs feel more human. Criswell emphasized the importance of genuinely checking in with people, while Canadeo urged leaders to listen more than they speak. Grim highlighted the value of vulnerability, encouraging leaders to admit when they don’t have all the answers. Tsai offered a simpler reminder: bring more warmth—and even a few hugs—into the workplace. That spirit of connection echoed throughout the session, reinforcing the idea that learning is as much about human connection as it is about content.Ade Akin covers workplace wellness, HR trends, and digital health solutions.(Photos by Travis Johansen for From Day One)
How to Shape Your Workforce for Peak Performance
BY Ade Akin June 04, 2025David Bator, managing director at Achievers Workforce Institute still remembers his first encounter with José Morales. They met at an annual customer conference, where Morales, then executive director at Cineplex, shared a story that stayed with him. Over 22 years, Morales had risen through the company’s ranks, starting from one of the most unglamorous roles in the theater: scooping popcorn.“I asked him how many jobs he’d had in 22 years. And he said he’d had 10,” Bator said during a thought leadership spotlight at From Day One’s NYC benefits conference. His first job was scooping popcorn, and his second was teaching people how to. Bator says he went on to pry if Morales had any education that prepared him to excel at scooping popcorn and teaching others how, but, unsurprisingly, that wasn’t the case. Morales credited his ability to empathize, collaborate, and problem-solve, plus Cineplex’s ability to recognize these skills, for his rise up the corporate ladder. Morales developed his skills on the job because the opportunities were there—and because the company created space for growth. That, Bator noted, is the difference between employee engagement and employee experience: engagement is the outcome, but experience is what makes it possible.David Bator, managing director at Achievers Workforce Institute, led the session “Employee engagement is the commitment an individual makes to doing the job they’re paid to do,” he said. Bator went on to define employee experience as “the responsibility we all share to create conditions so that employees can be engaged in the first place.” Organizations can’t measure engagement without first building an environment that enables it, he says. Bator’s four C’s of shaping employee experience challenge traditional notions of engagement by emphasizing connection, celebration, compensation, and choice as the pillars of an efficient workforce. Only 15% of employees think their organization effectively connects them to colleagues, despite the explosion of collaboration tools like Slack, Trello, and Google Docs. Bator urges leaders to make improving connections between employees a top priority. He recommends investing in platforms that provide easy access to people, skills, and resources, and regularly conducting meaningful manager one-on-ones. Bator notes that surveys compiled by Niagara Institute show employees are twice as likely to feel like they belong when connected to the rest of their team, and 28% say being connected gives them the confidence to tackle unexpected challenges. Celebration is the second “C” of employee engagement. It’s a catch-all phrase for recognition, award, and reward. Bator cites data from Achievers that shows employees who receive frequent, impact-driven recognition are more than three times more likely to be engaged, and more than five times more likely to feel they belong. The data also shows that workers who are recognized at least monthly are ten times more likely to recommend their manager and less inclined to job hunt even if their salaries lag behind market rates.“It’s better than nothing, but it’s worse than average,” Bator said, challenging the annual award status quo. When surveyed, 58% of employees reported annual awards felt repetitive, while 71% said the same people won each year. 58% wanted consistent recognition at least monthly. “What gets recognized gets repeated,” Bator said, citing data that reveals recognition tied to DEI programs led to a 300% increase in engagement. Bator says while employee pay matters, it’s not the sole driver of engagement. One survey shows 75% of workers would prefer a job that made them feel valued over one that paid 30% more. Only 53% felt fairly compensated for their roles, but that number jumped to 73% among employees who were recognized monthly. Bator coined the term emotional salary to include the daily moments that make employees feel seen, valued, and supported beyond what raises and promotions can provide. Choice is Bator’s final “C,” and he notes that while 21 to 26% of employees enroll in wellness programs, more personalized benefits shaped by frequent feedback drive 50% higher engagement and 88% increased feelings of value. “We’re leaving one-size-fits-all programs for an era of hyper-personalization,” he said, urging organizations to survey employees at least quarterly on what they need to thrive. Bator closed his presentation by returning to his popcorn anecdote about his friend José Morales of Cineplex. Morales has held over ten jobs with Cineplex over 22 years, from scooping popcorn to an executive role, because his employer recognized his open-mindedness, collaborative mindset, and problem-solving skills. “Our role in talent and HR is to create conditions so people can do the best work of their lives,” Bator said. Editor’s note: From Day One thanks our partner, Achievers, for sponsoring this thought leadership spotlight. Ade Akin covers workplace wellness, HR trends, and digital health solutions.(Photos by Hason Castell for From Day One)
Revolutionizing Talent Acquisition: The Human Edge in an AI-Driven Era
BY Ade Akin June 03, 2025Pat Griffin, the chief revenue officer at Randstad Digital, didn’t get the smooth search improvement he expected the first time he tested an artificial intelligence screening tool on a live candidate pool. What Griffin noticed instead was that an entry that perfectly matched every data point, like degrees, keywords, and experience, was flagged as “low fit.” For Griffin, that moment illustrated the promise and pitfalls of AI in talent acquisition, a topic he spoke about during a thought leadership spotlight at From Day One’s NYC half-day TA conference. The real advantage lies in “unique human connection” in a world focused on integrating artificial intelligence into everything, says Griffin. While AI can help to accelerate initial resume scans; it can also miss nuanced indicators such as tone, passion, and cultural fit that highlight a candidate’s true potential. “We can deploy AI agents to identify skill gaps or run pattern matching across hundreds of profiles, but only a recruiter can read between the lines,” he said. He cemented his argument by sharing a story about a top candidate who hesitated when asked to describe a professional setback, despite having impressive credentials on paper. An AI agent would have penalized the applicant for that, but a seasoned recruiter noticed her vulnerability and resilience, qualities many organizations find valuable. That recruiter's intervention showed that the human touch is essential in the screening process. Pat Griffin the chief revenue officer at Randstad Digital | Torc led the thought leadership spotlightGriffin says the use of AI in the recruitment process doesn’t replace recruiters. Instead, it empowers them by helping them to notice trends in application flow, pinpoint diversity gaps, and forecast hiring needs. “We’re using next-gen tools to model volume and quality of candidates, predicting when talent pools will dry up,” he said. “That lets us proactively build a digital community before roles even open.”Griffin highlighted a pilot program where Randstad Digital Torc used data innovation to identify emerging roles in software security. A targeted outreach campaign was created within weeks, with a 40% increase in qualified leads. “That’s not magic,” Griffin emphasized. “It’s a recruiter armed with insights, using AI in concert with their own expertise.”Griffin says the days of blackhole application portals and ghosting candidates are long gone and that having a smooth application process that prioritizes applicant experience is vital. He cautions against overreliance on AI as chatbots handle more roles like scheduling, answering frequently asked questions, and delivering personalized coaching tips for interviews. “We’ve seen AI agents misinterpret simple questions, leading to frustration. You still need someone monitoring those conversations,” he said. Randstad Digital introduced a hybrid recruitment process to combat the limitations of artificial intelligence. AI handles routine tasks, while human recruiters step in at critical touchpoints. “If a candidate expresses uncertainty, that triggers a handoff to a human,” Griffin said. “That balance improved our satisfaction scores by 25 percent.”Griffin tackled the role of AI predictions in the hiring process, noting that while machine learning excels at sifting through data and forecasting trends, it struggles with contextual judgment. “We saw false positives in early models, candidates flagged for 'overqualification' who turned out to be perfect fits after conversation,” he said. That led to the creation of new guardrails, such as all automated disqualifications requiring human review. Companies should view technology as a recruitment tool, not a replacement for recruiters, says Griffin. He highlighted three pillars for transforming any organization’s recruitment process. Organizations can integrate AI strategically by starting with pilot projects, such as improving search results for niche roles, and then scaling the models that prove successful. At the same time, it's essential to invest in upskilling by providing recruiters with training in data literacy and the ethical use of AI, ensuring that innovation is balanced with human judgment. Finally, fostering a digital community through ongoing engagement with potential candidates via social platforms and virtual events can help nurture long-term interest and relationships.Griffin urges recruiters to remember that the recruitment process is all about connecting with the right people. “AI agents are powerful, but they aren’t human,” he said. “When we prioritize unique human connection, we future-proof our hiring models and deliver an exceptional candidate experience.”Editor’s note: From Day One thanks our partner, Randstad Digital Torc, for sponsoring this thought leadership spotlight. Ade Akin covers workplace wellness, HR trends, and digital health solutions.(Photos by Hason Castell for From Day One)
The Din of Stress: How Benefits Leaders Can Help Workers Cope With Instability
BY Ade Akin June 02, 2025When Rachel Marling moved to New York to study photography at Pratt Institute, a career in human resources was far from her mind. However, like many others working entry-level jobs, she discovered that career detours can lead to unexpected destinations.“I joke with my colleagues that it’s the natural segue into HR,” Marling said during a fireside chat at From Day One’s NYC half-day benefits conference. The unorthodox start gave her a deep understanding of the intersecting paths of life and work.Marling joined New York Presbyterian Hospital in 2018 after spending over 13 years at a management consulting firm. Less than two years later, she dealt with the disruptions that came after Covid-19. The world has been in flux ever since, forcing businesses and workers to adapt as best they can. “And we’ve come past that hump, but I’m not sure that all of the anxiety and the agita is gone,” she said. Marling, now the VP of total rewards at New York Presbyterian Hospital, shared insights and experiences about how leaders can help navigate instability and the unknown. One way she does so is by focusing on employee well-being. From a business perspective, it’s in the employers’ interests to keep their workers motivated. This is a challenging burden to bear at a time when businesses and people face hardships like soaring prices, high rents, and instability from ever-changing government policies.Rachel Marling, VP of total rewards at New York Presbyterian Hospital, spoke with Steve Koepp, editor in chief of From Day OneHealthcare providers like New York Presbyterian need their staff to be mentally present so patients receive the highest quality of care. “Nurses are a big part of our workforce, and nursing does still skew female in particular age brackets. So, thinking about the demographics of our employee body, we have invested a lot in what I will call family-friendly benefits,” Marling said. The benefits include daycare subsidies, college coaching for older kids, and elder care services. Such programs help lighten the load of caregivers, allowing staff to focus on patient care while at work. The programs pay off by reducing adverse outcomes like absenteeism, presenteeism, and employee turnover.While it’s tempting to view additional employee benefits as unnecessary overhead that organizations can avoid, Marling has a different take. “We can’t spend money we don’t have, but investing in your workforce is the same as investing in equipment that you need,” she said. “You can’t run a business without people, and those people need to be healthy, they need to be plugged in, they need to be engaged.”Marling suggests negotiating with service providers to manage costs. “We all in our organizations are looking at market volatility and costs and saying, ‘What does this mean for us?’ Your vendors are doing that too,” she said. “So don’t be afraid when you’re going to contract, or even if your contract isn’t up. If there’s something that you want or you need, ask for it. The worst they can say is no.”Some service providers guarantee specific outcomes or returns on investment, she says. “You can, of course, hold them to those terms. So that’s something that you should absolutely ask about if you’re going down that avenue.” Vendors also offer flexibility in their pricing models. Some accept annual retainers and charge clients for every employee who uses their services, while others charge a flat fee regardless of the number of employees who use their services. Employers should invest in models that work for them and their workers.Marling also addressed how AI is changing how we interact with data. “Because of HIPAA reasons, we’re not in our claims data,” she elaborated. This is where AI comes in, keeping patients anonymous while executing pattern recognition to predict and hopefully improve patient outcomes.Healthcare organizations can use the results to shape wellness programs for individuals who may benefit from such interventions statistically. To ensure HIPAA compliance, healthcare providers also use AI-powered tools to execute patient outreach functions.Ultimately, wellness and productivity tools are most effective when used with intention. Marling urges leaders to be purposeful in how they support their teams, offering encouragement while also recognizing the challenges employees face both at work and at home.“It really makes a difference in how people show up, right? Are they coming to work feeling supported, feeling that you get it, or is work becoming another source of stress for them? You can’t fix their financial problems, but you can make them feel heard and appreciated,” she said. Ade Akin covers workplace wellness, HR trends, and digital health solutions.(Photos by Hason Castell for From Day One)
The Importance of Family and Wellness Benefits in a Highly Disrupted Industry
BY Ade Akin May 20, 2025Lucy Avsharyan, the vice president of benefits at United Talent Agency, knows firsthand how life’s biggest plot twists, like parenting twins, often overlap with your most pivotal career moments. At From Day One’s April virtual conference, she walked attendees through how UTA has transformed family support benefits into strategic tools for employee attraction, retention, and well-being. Avsharyan traced her journey as an employee back to the moment her twins were born. “During those first years, I was exhausted at work and home,” she said. That personal pinch point catalyzed UTA’s early experiments with gender-neutral parental leave and on-demand backup childcare. What started as a way to make life easier for working parents quickly became a competitive advantage for UTA: “When families are cared for, they can show up as their best selves,” Avsharyan said.While benefits served chiefly as a retention level a decade ago, they’re now non-negotiables for many prospective employees. Many now log into benefits portals with the same enthusiasm that was once reserved for salary benchmarks, she says.Employees Asking Harder Questions“Candidates now come armed with benefits spreadsheets,” said moderator Nicole Smith, editorial audience director at Harvard Business Review. “And they know exactly what they want,” Avsharyan added. “They’re asking, ‘What’s your global parental-leave policy? Do you offer mental-health stipends? How many hours of backup care are included each year?’”These changes in attitudes toward employee benefits inspired a portal overhaul at UTA, complete with personalized dashboards that show accrued leave, dependent care allotment, and wellness stipend balances in real-time. UTA also promoted closer partnerships between benefits, talent, and finance teams. “We needed to move beyond headcount metrics. Talent acquisition wanted enrollment rates. Finance wanted utilization and ROI,” she said. UTA now tracks which offerings drive applications, boost tenure, and reduce unplanned absences by developing a simple data analytics framework.Designing for a Global WorkforceThe conversation turned global when Nicole asked about benefits in the Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) and Asia-Pacific (APAC) markets. Avsharyan says a one-size-fits-all model doesn’t work in all regions. “In Europe, statutory parental leave can exceed 16 weeks, but mental-health coverage lags. In parts of Asia, it’s the reverse.” Avsharyan said.UTA solves this problem with a modular benefits platform that combines a core U.S. package (paid leave, backup childcare, and a wellness stipend) with region-specific add-ons, from fertility treatments in the U.K. to financial-wellness workshops in Singapore. Lucy Avsharyan of UTA spoke with Nicole Smith of Harvard Business Review during the fireside chat (photo by From Day One)“That approach lets us maintain equity—everyone gets a baseline of care—while respecting local norms and regulations,” Avsharyan said. Her advice to organizations struggling to find that balance is to “Listen first, then pilot fast.”The Baseline BenefitsMental health continues to be an essential part of a benefits package. “Well-being isn’t a perk, it’s a productivity imperative,” she said. Utilization of wellness benefits rose by 40% after UTA recently added no-cost therapy sessions, virtual mindfulness programs, and emergency financial planning services to its Employee Assistance Program. Job flexibility is also redefining work-life balance. “We trust our agents and creatives to deliver results,” Avsharyan said. “Where and when they work is secondary.” UTA’s hybrid model grants employees “deep-focus days” in the office and fully remote weeks. “Every team defines its norms, when to collaborate in person, when to block off a remote day, so people aren’t guessing,” Avsharyan said. But even with baseline benefits in place, Avsharyan continues to look out for trends and changes in the industry. “We’ll never be ‘done’—our people’s needs evolve too fast,” she said. She envisions next-generation benefits marketplaces, where employees can easily swap stipend dollars among categories, like shifting funds from gym memberships to backup childcare. The guiding principle remains constant: continuous listening. “We survey twice a year, but the real insights come from casual check-ins and manager hurdles,” Avsharyan said. “That feedback loop lets us iterate benefits in near real time, so when the next personal earthquake hits, our people know we’ve got them.”Ade Akin covers workplace wellness, HR trends, and digital health solutions.(Photo by Jacob Wackerhausen/iStock)
Reimagining the Candidate Experience as a Strategic Advantage
BY Ade Akin May 15, 2025Jon Stross knew something had to change when a candidate confided with him about applying to 200 roles without getting any responses. Stross, the president and co-founder of Greenhouse, laid out how the company is tackling the grim realities of overwhelming application volume, ghosting, and the increasing use of artificial intelligence (AI) in the hiring process. As organizations race to develop the most efficient algorithms, Greenhouse is helping transform what has been a soul-crushing experience for many into an empowering journey. “It’s terrible out there to be a candidate,” Stross said during the thought leadership spotlight at From Day One’s NYC talent acquisition conference. The current hiring market is one where applicants feel like their resumes weren’t even good enough for a response, he says. But things aren’t much better on the employer side, as recruiters find themselves sorting through thousands of resumes. Candidates who are worried about being ghosted end up sending generic applications en masse, while recruiters struggle to find desired signals in all of the noise. The new dynamic has led to employers increasingly relying on referrals or outbound sourcing, while candidates face a “black hole” of uncertainty. The result is a lose-lose scenario where neither side trusts the process. While AI's role in the hiring process is expected to expand in the next several years, Stross warns that matching AI-generated resumes with AI-scored profiles risks reducing everything to noise. Jon Stross, the president and co-founder of Greenhouse, led the thought leadership spotlightProviding transparency and giving candidates control is one of the strategies Greenhouse uses to combat ghosting and unclear deadlines. “It’s like walking into a deli with 200 people in line. You’d at least know your place in the queue,” Stross said.Greenhouse increases transparency and gives candidates control by introducing features like real-time application tracking and self-scheduling interviews—features that allow the application process to mimic the clarity of waiting in line at the deli. “If you see 200 people ahead of you, you might leave,” Stross said. “But at least you’re making an informed choice.”Greenhouse also introduced a Quick Apply feature that reduces friction in the application process, allowing candidates to auto-fill applications across Greenhouse-powered companies. This approach respects candidates’ time, reducing the repetitive data entry style applications. It’s a small but critical step in improving employer brand perception, says Stross.Surfacing Intent DataResumes capture a candidate, but they don’t always clearly reflect their intent. Greenhouse introduces data differentiation by collecting work preferences and a novel “dream job” marker. Similar to early admission in college applications, candidates may select one role monthly as their dream job. Recruiters can then filter applicants by their skills and passion, turning the data into a powerful differentiator for both sides. “Imagine sifting through 800 applicants and seeing five who marked your job as their dream,” Stross said. “It doesn’t mean they’re qualified, but it shows genuine interest.” Stoss suggests making the hiring process a race to the top rather than a descent into full automation. “Some companies are leaning in, building an employer brand that candidates remember,” he said.Organizations signal their commitment to talent by automating status updates and highlighting positive candidate experiences, reinforcing their brand and boosting candidate loyalty.Greenhouse is transforming hiring with tools like real-time application updates, centralized task checklists to guide candidates, and autofill capabilities that simplify applying. Personalized alerts and preference-based matching also help connect candidates to the right opportunities faster. These innovations give candidates a clearer path to their dream jobs while making the application process less unpleasant. Richer applicant profiles help recruiters to filter candidates more effectively and reduce their reliance on generic AI scoring that ignores human nuance. By embracing transparency, control, and meaningful data, organizations can attract and inspire talent while strengthening their employer brand, says Stross.Editor's note: From Day One thanks our partner, Greenhouse, for sponsoring this thought leadership spotlight. Ade Akin covers workplace wellness, HR trends, and digital health solutions.(Photos by Hason Castell for From Day One)