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AI Made Us More Productive. So Where Did the Money Go?
The Human CapitalistAI is making employees more productive but where is all that productivity actually going? McKinsey data shows a striking gap: while companies report significant productivity gains from AI, far fewer can connect those gains to measurable financial impact. Meanwhile, organizations aren't waiting for the answer. Roles are being redesigned, hiring is being frozen, and workforce reductions are being considered. In this video, I break down three possible explanations for where the AI productivity gain is going—and what leaders should be measuring before making major workforce decisions. We'll look at research from McKinsey, Apollo, and Culture Amp to explore: • Why AI productivity gains may never reach the P&L • What wage data may tell us about who is capturing AI's value • Why employees can feel more productive without feeling less overloaded • The difference between eliminating work and simply making work faster • How to track AI ROI through the actual flow of work • How the Value of Work Matrix can expose where productivity gains disappear I also share three questions leaders should be able to answer about AI—and a practical exercise you can use with your team to determine whether AI is creating measurable value or simply creating more capacity nobody is tracking. Want to understand the five mindsets HR professionals will need for the future of work? Take the free FutHRist assessment: https://trentcotton.com/futhrist-start-here Learn more about the Value of Work Matrix: https://youtu.be/_umOtBmp_BY The FutHRist: The 5 Mindsets of the Future HR Pro: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0HG4TBBX8 Resources for HR Leaders 📊 The Value of Work Matrix Toolkit — A practical framework to quantify workforce decisions and defend headcount to your CFO. https://cottontrent.gumroad.com/l/value-of-work-matrix-toolkit 📋 FutHRist Team Assessment Workbook — Diagnose your HR team's readiness for the future of work, skills gap and all. https://cottontrent.gumroad.com/l/futhrist-team-workbook 📥 The FutHRist Planner (free) — A structured planning tool for HR leaders navigating AI-driven transformation. https://cottontrent.gumroad.com/l/futhrist-productivity-planner Subscribe for practical analysis on AI, work, leadership, and the future of human capital. #ArtificialIntelligence #FutureOfWork #AI Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
#22 - Mark Toscano: Navigating Recruitment Challenges
Is This Still A Good Time?In this episode of ITSAGT, we delve into the evolving landscape of recruitment with seasoned executive recruiter, Mark Toscano. With over 20 years of experience across various industries, Mark shares his insights on the current state of the job market and the unique challenges faced by recruiters today. Listeners will learn about the misconceptions surrounding the job market, particularly the overemphasis on tech recruiting, while other sectors like manufacturing and healthcare are bustling with opportunities. Mark emphasizes the importance of leadership skills over traditional experience and how companies are eager to find the right people to lead their teams. We also explore the trend of recruiters moving towards fractional roles or starting their own ventures, and Mark shares his personal experiences and insights on whether this is the right move for everyone. Tune in to gain a deeper understanding of the recruitment industry's dynamics and discover potential opportunities that might just be the perfect fit for you. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
RecFest LIVE: Mark Chaffey, CEO of Archer
Rec Tech: the Recruiting Technology PodcastHackajob is now known as Archer. We go behind the name change with their CEO and whats the future of AI in recruiting. Recorded live from Recfest. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
RecFest LIVE: Findem's VP of Marketing
Rec Tech: the Recruiting Technology PodcastI chatted up Joseph Cole VP of Marketing for Findem about the launch of their new agentic studio for sourcing. Recorded live at Recfest in Nashville, TN. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
#102: How to Build an Employee Creator Program ft. Heike Young
Workfluencer: Personal Branding & Content CreationMost employee creator programs start in the wrong place. Companies focus on getting as many employees posting as possible, hand them approved links and captions, and call it employee advocacy. That may create activity, but it does not create thought leadership. After leading content and social media at Salesforce and Microsoft, Heike Young believes companies should move beyond copy-and-paste advocacy and invest in a smaller group of committed employee creators. In this episode, Heike joins Rhona to explain how to build an employee creator program around clear business goals. They discuss how to choose creators across roles, seniority levels, and regions, what motivates employees to participate, and why companies need to provide training, time, recognition, and clear expectations. They also dig into the infrastructure companies often skip, including updated social media policies, job descriptions, content usage after an employee leaves, and collaboration between HR, marketing, and communications. Heike also breaks down her people-generated content model, which connects employees, industry creators, and customers to one broader brand strategy. For companies trying to build an employee creator program without turning employees into extensions of the corporate account, this conversation lays out what needs to be in place first. What You’ll Learn: How to define your goals before selecting employee creators How to choose creators across roles, seniority levels, and regions What motivates employees beyond direct financial compensation Why training, tools, recognition, and community keep creators involved How to make content creation part of someone’s actual role What companies should decide about content usage before employees leave How employees, industry creators, and customers can support one content strategy Resources Mentioned: Heike's Website: https://heike-young.com/ People Generated Content: https://link.rhonapierce.com/VZYlQz Rhona's Newsletter: https://link.rhonapierce.com/newsletter2 Connect with Us: Connect with Heike: Connect with Rhona: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rhonabarnettpierce Want to turn your team into creators? Visit workfluencermedia.com to learn how we help companies turn employee expertise into content that gets noticed. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Why Recruiters Never Find the Best Candidates
The Jim Stroud PodcastYou're qualified. You're experienced. And when a recruiter searches for your job title, your name never loads. Here's how recruiter search works and four moves to get found this week. 🎧 ... Cited in this podcast: Job Search 3.0 (jobsearch.jimstroud.com) Career Intelligence Weekly (newsletter.jimstroud.com) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
You’re Qualified. So Why Aren’t You Getting Interviews?
The Human CapitalistYou meet the qualifications. You applied for the job. So why can't you even get an interview? Recruiters are being buried under hundreds—or even thousands—of applications while qualified candidates are wondering why they can't break through. In this episode of The Human Capitalist Podcast, I sit down with recruiter and creator Mike Petito to unpack what's actually happening on both sides of today's hiring process. Mike shares his four-bucket framework for job applicants, including perhaps the most frustrating group of all: candidates who meet the basic qualifications but still aren't getting interviews. We also dig into why most job descriptions need work, the truth behind recruiters spending “7 seconds” reviewing resumes, transferable skills, skills-based hiring, AI's growing role in HR, and what hiring teams can do differently. Whether you're an HR leader, recruiter, hiring manager, or currently looking for your next role, this conversation gives you a look behind the curtain at how hiring decisions actually get made. 📘 Want to prepare yourself for the future of HR? Order my book, The FutHRist: The 5 Mindsets of the Future HR Pro, on Amazon. Search Amazon for “The FutHRist Trent Cotton.” 🧭 Which FutHRist mindset are you? Take the free self-assessment: Take the FutHRist Self-Assessment Mike's media: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mpeditto/ Website: https://mikepeditto.teachable.com/ Book: https://a.co/d/0gvNfRY0 Chapters 00:00 Why qualified candidates aren't breaking through 00:41 Meet Mike Petito 04:00 Is HR moving fast enough for AI? 05:21 AI is a people transformation, not just technology 07:17 The problem with AI workforce planning 10:55 Should HR be at the center of AI? 13:22 The AI knowledge gap inside HR 15:09 Why Mike's recruiting video went viral 17:53 The truth about the “7-second resume” rule 20:10 Whose fault is it: candidate or company? 21:01 The four buckets every applicant falls into 21:55 The most frustrating applicant bucket 23:08 What's wrong with skills-based hiring? 25:22 Why transferable skills aren't enough right now 27:19 How to write a better job description 29:36 Skills you need on Day 1 vs. skills you'll learn 33:19 Why candidates should know the interview process 36:01 Mike's advice for today's job seekers 38:45 Advice for HR and recruiting professionals 41:19 Where to find Mike + Yes, You Are Being Judged The future of hiring isn't just about better technology. It's about building a better process for the humans on both sides of the table. People. Technology. Business. A Better Tomorrow. #HR #AIinHR #Recruiting #JobSearch #FutHRist Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Harver Acquires Symphony Talent
Rec Tech: the Recruiting Technology PodcastVANCOUVER, Wash. — ZoomInfo , a leading intelligence platform, has announced the launch of Talent Autopilot, its most advanced recruitment technology to date. Designed to help talent acquisition teams bypass the limitations of traditional keyword searches, the new platform combines professional and company intelligence with autonomous reasoning to unearth qualified candidates who might otherwise slip through the cracks. Rather than depending rigidly on specific job titles, standard keywords, and narrow filters, Talent Autopilot allows recruiters to supply contextual descriptions of a role. The system then evaluates candidates across broader criteria—including underlying skills, practical experience, career paths, and corporate backgrounds—to discover non-obvious fits whose talents match the position’s requirements. “Recruiting teams do not need another tool that simply gives them more candidates to sort through,” said Jon Bischke, General Manager of ZoomInfo Talent Solutions. “They need technology that understands what they are trying to accomplish and has the intelligence to act on it.” https://hrtechfeed.com/zoominfo-unveils-autonomous-recruiting-and-candidate-discovery-features/ BOSTON — RippleMatch, a leading early career recruiting platform, today announced that its university product is now available free of charge to all higher education institutions. The news follows RippleMatch’s acquisition by JobGet, the fastest-growing job platform connecting workers to employers at scale, and provides universities a valuable tool to support students through an entry-level hiring market that’s challenged by AI disruption. “Career services teams are being asked to do more for students at exactly the moment when the job market has become most unpredictable for them,” said Audrey Patenaude, General Manager of RippleMatch. “AI is reshaping the entry-level roles where graduates have traditionally gotten their start. The job search process has become more opaque, and universities are doing this with fewer resources than ever. With our acquisition by JobGet, we’ve gained access to a dramatically larger job inventory and employer network, and that growth allows us to expand access to universities at no cost, and we believe that’s what this moment calls for.” https://hrtechfeed.com/jobget-announces-free-access-to-ripplematch-platform-for-universities/ Phoenix Education Partners, the parent company of the University of Phoenix, has reached an agreement to acquire Fuel50, an AI-driven workforce intelligence and talent mobility platform, for approximately $31.5 million in cash with up to $8.5 million in performance-based earnouts through 2027. Fuel50’s platform uses enterprise data and an ontology spanning over 5,000 skills to help organizations map internal capabilities, forecast labor needs, and drive employee upskilling and reskilling. The transaction, expected to close within 30 days, reflects Phoenix Education’s broader push to bridge the gap between higher education and AI-era corporate talent development; following the deal, Fuel50 will operate as an independent subsidiary under its own brand, with co-founder and current president Jo Mills stepping into the role of CEO. https://hrtechfeed.com/univ-of-phoenix-buys-an-hr-tech-firm/ SAN FRANCISCO — Crosschq announced a major transformation and brand overhaul today, officially relaunching as Brilliant AI to establish what it terms the “hiring intelligence” category. Backed by a new strategic investment from Bessemer Venture Partners, Brilliant AI brings together three distinct HR tech entities: Crosschq, candidate verification platform ApplicantX, and behavioral assessment platform Traitify. Together, the newly unified company aims to solve recruiting’s long-standing blind spot: closing the feedback loop between pre-hire candidate evaluation and post-hire employee performance and retention. https://hrtechfeed.com/crosschq-rebrands-as-brilliant-ai-combining-three-hr-tech-platforms-to-create-hiring-intelligence-category/ ATLANTA — Predictive hiring and assessment provider Harver has acquired Symphony Talent, a major player in recruitment marketing, employer branding, and candidate relationship management (CRM). Backed by private equity firm Rubicon Technology Partners, the newly merged entity aims to address the talent lifecycle from upfront recruitment marketing to post-hire performance. By integrating Symphony Talent’s recruitment marketing and CRM capabilities with Harver’s pre-employment assessments, fraud detection, and reference-checking tools, the combined company will offer: Attraction & Engagement: Employer value proposition (EVP) development, programmatic job advertising, custom career sites, and CRM-driven talent communities. Selection & Verification: Validated predictive assessments, video interviewing, reference checking, and candidate fraud detection. Workforce Intelligence: End-to-end data feedback loops connecting initial recruitment targeting with quality-of-hire and long-term employee retention. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Symphony Talent will operate under the Harver umbrella, positioning the unified business to compete directly with integrated enterprise talent clouds. https://hrtechfeed.com/harver-acquires-symphony-talent/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The Hidden Onboarding Flaws Destroying Your Retention Rate - ep. #033
Return to PeopleWhat is the real secret to fixing broken onboarding systems and keeping international talent loyal for the long haul? In this episode of the Return to People Podcast, host Kaleem Clarkson sits down with LinkIT COO and Co-Founder Tobias Feuer to unpack what it takes to navigate cross-border hiring and build an international workforce that actually wants to stay. Drawing from a diverse career spanning corporate HR at Bayer, tech recruiting at Alchemy, global outsourcing at Athena, and studying psychology at the University of Buenos Aires, Tobias shares how LinkIT evolved from a technical recruitment agency into a comprehensive HR partner across Latin America, North America, and the Middle East. Together, they explore the operational shifts required to run high-performing, remote-first organizations without losing human connection. Tobias breaks down why remote environments immediately expose flawed onboarding processes, illustrating how high early-stage turnover is rarely about compensation and almost always points to broken systems and missing clarity. By sharing how local economic realities impact international offer packages, how trust-based flexibility drives retention, and why empowering employees with internal projects builds psychological ownership, Tobias delivers a compelling look into modern People Operations. Crucially, he reframes employee care as a core business driver: "If you wanna build something, the most important part is to take care of the people you're doing that with, because they are gonna help you, and you're gonna help them." The conversation dives deep into the realities of remote team management and cross-border expansion, mapping out the pivotal friction points and breakthroughs behind their transformation: - The Core Challenges: Tobias addresses the reality of remote onboarding failures, including discovering an employee who took nearly ten months to become fully independent due to process gaps. He also breaks down the hidden complexities of hiring across borders, such as factoring local inflation and economic ecosystems into compensation to avoid quiet turnover. - The Core Successes: You'll learn how LinkIT achieved exceptional retention; highlighted by an IT team member who turned down a higher-paying AI role to stay by offering unlimited travel flexibility, building internal project ownership, and investing deeply in employee growth. 👉 Tune in now and discover how to fix remote onboarding, master international hiring, and make employee happiness your most strategic decision. Learn More About Tobias - LinkIT Website: https://www.linkit-hr.com/ - Tobias's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tobias-feuer/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Is Findem Studio America's Next Top Model (Context Protocol)?
Transformation RealnessEverybody in talent tech is announcing an MCP this year, and nobody has a rubric for judging whether any of them work. We find out when something goes wrong. So when Findem launched Studio, Kyle sat down with Liv Anderman and co-founder and CEO Hari Kolam to pressure test what's underneath it. Liv's framing: the MCP is just the piping. The question is whether you get finished work you can trust. In this episode: Hari's library analogy for what an MCP does (an access card is not the same as knowing which book to read), why every Studio agent carries a named expert's methodology you can open and read, what "the illusion of finished work" costs a practitioner when it fails in the room, and why Hari calls Studio a company-wide bet that finished work is where value gets transacted. Steal Liv's demo test for the next vendor pitch you sit through: open a conclusion and show me what's underneath it. What data was it working from? Whose method did it follow? Who checked it? Findem is a Kyle & Co client. This episode is editorial, not sponsored. Guests: Liv Anderman and Hari Kolam, Findem Host: Kyle Lagunas, Kyle & Co Audio: Purple Acorn 00:00 Intro: Is Findem Studio America's Next Top Model (Context Protocol)? 01:45 What's different about Studio: finished work, not answers 04:20 MCP is the piping: access is not intelligence 05:30 Hari's library analogy: the access card vs. the right book 08:00 How you get finished work out of Studio (three paths) 10:15 Right context, right method, right checks 11:20 The illusion of finished work and what it costs you 13:00 The CHRO conversation: context windows and token maxing 17:45 What has to be true underneath for an agent to hold up 21:40 Why every Studio agent carries a named expert's point of view 24:30 What the experts contribute and how methodology stays living 26:45 Configuration vs. guardrails: how much control customers get 30:15 Feature or product? The moat question 33:15 Real ROI vs. activity: the demo questions to ask any vendor 37:15 What Findem believes that peers might not 40:30 A year from now: what would prove the Studio bet wrong 41:50 Kyle's verdict and the disclosure Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
#21 - Mark Coleman: Exploring HR Evolution and Unleash Events
Is This Still A Good Time?Welcome back to ITSAGT, the podcast that delves into the questions recruiters ask daily, but with a twist. In this episode, we are thrilled to host Mark Coleman, the founder and CEO of Unleash, a leading figure in the HR tech space. Mark shares his fascinating journey from a scientist to a pivotal player in HR events, offering unique insights into the industry. Listeners will gain a deeper understanding of how Mark's scientific background in microbiology and biochemistry laid the groundwork for his success in organizing large-scale events. Discover how Unleash has evolved into a global phenomenon, with events like Unleash World in Paris, showcasing innovation from top companies like Louis Vuitton and L'Oreal. Join us as we explore the dynamic world of HR, the challenges of transforming the industry, and the exciting future that Unleash is shaping. Whether you're a seasoned HR professional or new to the field, this episode offers valuable perspectives on the intersection of technology, people, and organizational growth. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
How AI is Reshaping Career Sites
Rec Tech: the Recruiting Technology PodcastFor years, we’ve built career sites for two audiences: human candidates and basic search engines. But right now, candidates aren’t just scrolling through job boards anymore—they’re asking ChatGPT, Gemini, and AI assistants to find their next role, evaluate company culture, and summarize opportunities. That shift means your career site is no longer just being read by people; it’s being parsed, filtered, and judged by AI. Joining us today to break down this shift is Brianna Huynh, VP of Brand and Creative at Appcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
4 AI Job Storms Are On The Horizon
The Jim Stroud PodcastA storm sits offshore, and the map shows four tracks. That's the AI labor market, according to a new Conference Board report offering four futures and no odds. So how do you write a workforce plan under a map like that? Jim borrows the answer from coastal families, who read their own gauges and write their rules before the storm season starts. In this episode, you'll get five gauges hiding in your recruiting data, the trigger each should set off, and a way for job seekers to read the same signals. ... Brought to you by: Career Intelligence Weekly - Tracking the invisible job market for smarter career decisions. Subscribe now at https://newsletter.jimstroud.com Inspiration: The Conference Board data Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
IS HR BEING FIRED: AI Is Splitting Your Workforce in Two
The Human CapitalistAI isn't leveling the workforce. It's splitting it into two completely different tracks — and most organizations haven't realized it yet. In this episode of Is HR Being Fired?, I break down new workforce data showing how AI is changing the value of work, why some roles are becoming more valuable while others are being democratized, and what HR leaders need to do before this divide starts showing up in attrition, productivity, and the P&L. I'll also show you how I use my Value of Work Matrix and the five FutHRist mindsets — Architect, Engineer, Scientist, COO, and Coach — to diagnose what's happening inside an organization and build a workforce strategy around it. 👉 Links mentioned in the video: IS HR BEING FIRED playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLdyUKttA2krw CEO Fires HR video: https://youtu.be/8zPu9YLUerc Information about the FutHRist: www.trentcotton.com Subscribe to the channel and check out The FutHRist playlist to learn more about the five mindsets that I believe will become the new operating system for HR. TIMESTAMPS 00:00 — AI Is Splitting Your Workforce in Two 01:12 — Is HR Being Fired? 02:15 — The Data Behind the Workforce Split 02:30 — Professionalized vs. Democratized Work 03:21 — What's Happening to Entry-Level Jobs 04:00 — The FutHRist: 5 Mindsets for What's Next 04:40 — The Value of Work Matrix 05:15 — When Jobs Get Smaller but More Valuable 05:22 — How AI Democratizes Expertise 05:59 — The Number Your CFO Will Care About 06:25 — Applying the 5 FutHRist Mindsets 06:39 — The Scientist Mindset 07:07 — The Architect Mindset 07:29 — The Engineer Mindset 08:00 — The COO Mindset 08:06 — The Coach Mindset 08:40 — 3 Things HR Leaders Should Do This Week 09:57 — The Real Question: Is HR Being Fired? 📕 THE FUTHRIST I've taken 20 years of HR experience and condensed it into roughly 145 pages designed to help HR professionals not just survive what's coming next, but lead it. The FutHRist is available on Amazon September 14. Learn more at www.trentcotton.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Jack & Jill Land $40 Million!
Rec Tech: the Recruiting Technology PodcastBoomband, a new talent intelligence platform founded by Monster.com creator Jeff Taylor, officially rolled out across all six New England states on Wednesday. Headquartered in Wakefield, Rhode Island, the startup is directly targeting the region’s dense concentration of tech, healthcare, finance, and higher-education employers, bringing nearly 500,000 local, hybrid, and remote roles to the platform at launch. According to Boomband, the traditional online job board model has collapsed under a flood of low-signal, AI-generated applications. The average job posting drew 244 applications in 2025, more than double the volume from 2022, while the regional search cycle for candidates now stretches to an average of 6.6 months. “In a roundabout way, I helped build the system that is now breaking hiring,” said Taylor, Boomband’s founder and CEO. “With Monster.com, we took the Help Wanted section from the newspaper to the internet… Now overlay AI on top of that broken foundation, and you have a full collapse. Everyone is drowning in volume and starving for signal.” By debuting regionally, Boomband aims to give New England employers a localized network that bypasses the flood of irrelevant, nationwide resume-spamming while surfacing local candidates based on actual skill alignment and commute preferences. https://hrtechfeed.com/boomband-expands-to-new-england-for-debut-of-new-ai-talent-platform/ SAN FRANCISCO & LONDON — AI-native hiring marketplace Jack & Jill has raised a $40 million Series A round to upend traditional recruitment and make warm professional introductions at scale. Founded by Matthew Wilson (CEO) and Saaras Mehan (CTO), the platform operates on a dual-agent model designed to eliminate cold outreach, resume spam, and traditional job boards: Jackis a voice agent dedicated to job seekers, holding conversations with professionals to deeply understand their career ambitions, preferences, and ideal roles. Jillis an embedded recruiting agent for companies, learning team dynamics, technical bars, and culture to surface vetted talent. Rather than candidates submitting resumes into applicant tracking systems (ATS), the two autonomous agents negotiate on behalf of their respective sides. When both agents agree on mutual alignment, they directly facilitate a warm introduction between the candidate and hiring team—skipping the application phase altogether. The company says they have already registered 389k candidates and count 5k employers as clients. https://hrtechfeed.com/jack-jill-secures-40m-series-a-to-replace-job-applications-with-ai-agents/ NEW YORK — BoomerangHR has closed a $12.7 million seed round to expand its AI-powered offboarding and corporate alumni platform, targeting a talent market where trusted candidate signals are becoming increasingly scarce. Founded by CEO Jeff Wald, BoomerangHR is designed to democratize the structured alumni networks historically reserved for elite consulting firms and investment banks. The platform plugs into existing HRIS and ATS stacks in under an hour, focusing on three core operational pillars: Automated Offboarding: Alumni Network Management: Talent Migration & Reporting: “A company’s relationship with great talent shouldn’t end when they leave,” said Wald. “We built BoomerangHR to automate offboarding and transform former team members into an active growth network. Through Boomerang, companies can easily access warm rehires, referrals, and sales leads—because your best next hire is someone who already knows your culture, your customers, and your mission.” https://hrtechfeed.com/boomeranghr-secures-12-7m-seed-round-to-turn-offboarding-into-an-ongoing-talent-engine/ The Las Vegas Raiders have selected human resources and workforce technology provider UKG to manage and streamline operations across the franchise’s business, football, and gameday staff. Under the new agreement, the NFL franchise will deploy the UKG Pro suite to consolidate human resources, payroll, and workforce intelligence onto a single operating platform. The move is designed to connect a wide-ranging employee base—from coaches, trainers, and front-office executives to hourly and frontline stadium workers. https://hrtechfeed.com/ukg-lands-an-nfl-team/ Workday, Inc. has named Sarah Kennedy Ellis chief marketing officer, effective October 5, 2026, reporting to Aneel Bhusri, Workday co-founder, CEO, and chair. Kennedy Ellis will lead Workday’s global marketing and communications organization and will be responsible for championing the company’s brand narrative and growth strategy for the AI era. Kennedy Ellis brings more than 20 years of marketing expertise to the role. She joins Workday from Google, where she led global marketing for Google Cloud and Google Workspace and helped build the engine behind one of the fastest growing businesses in enterprise technology. Prior to joining Google, she was chief marketing officer of Adobe Experience Cloud, and chief marketing officer of Marketo, playing a critical role in Marketo’s successful acquisition by Adobe in 2018. https://hrtechfeed.com/workday-has-a-new-cmo/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
#20 - Adam Posner: Navigating Recruitment Dynamics
Is This Still A Good Time?In this engaging episode of ITSAGT, we delve into the intricacies of recruitment with the insightful Adam Posner, host of the popular 'Poscast'. Known for his expertise in building communities and navigating the recruitment landscape, Adam shares his unique perspectives and experiences. Listeners will learn about the importance of timing and communication in recruitment, as Adam and the host discuss the often-overlooked question, 'Is it still a good time?' They explore the nuances of candidate interactions, highlighting the balance between structured interviews and allowing candidates the freedom to express themselves beyond conventional expectations. The episode also touches on the power dynamics in recruitment, the art of setting interview agendas, and the significance of understanding a candidate's background without confining them to a predefined role. Whether you're a seasoned recruiter or new to the field, this episode offers valuable insights into making the recruitment process more human-centric and effective. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
#102 - AI, Flatter Organizations & the New Rules of Work
The Purple Acorn HR Morning ShowWhat happens when AI can make average work look exceptional and companies start cutting layers of management at the same time? In Episode 102 of the HR Morning Show, Jocelyn King, SHRM-SCP, Serge Boudreau, and Tony Buffum dig into some of the biggest shifts reshaping work, talent, and HR. We kick things off with a look at the booming sports-and-entertainment talent ecosystem in Los Angeles and ask: if recruiting is scouting, onboarding is training camp, and engagement is team chemistry… what HR function is the coach? Then, Uber’s decision to cut more than 3,000 jobs while reducing management layers sparks a bigger conversation: Are organizations too management-heavy, and could AI fundamentally change the role of the middle manager? Plus, Helen Jonsen explores the “kaleidoscope career”: The nonlinear career paths, gaps, pivots, and seemingly disconnected experiences that can actually reveal valuable transferable skills. As discussed in her new book: This Kaleidoscope Career: Empowering Women to Build Unconventional Careers and Redefine Success. We also get practical about AI with Lance Haun, who explains why managers may struggle to distinguish genuine AI expertise from an AI shortcut. And Tony Buffum joins us in a guest segment to explore the flexible workforce and what it means to build a modern talent ecosystem around freelancers, independent workers, and marketplaces. AI, management, unconventional careers, and the flexible workforce... It’s all part of the new HR playbook. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Meta Tried to Replace Its Workforce With AI. It Lasted Ten Weeks.
The Human CapitalistMeta reportedly had a plan to dramatically reshape parts of its workforce around AI agents. Then, hours before another round of cuts, Mark Zuckerberg stopped it. The obvious conclusion is that AI wasn't ready. I think there's a much bigger lesson here, especially for HR leaders. In this video, I break down what Meta's experience can teach us about building an AI-native organization through the five FutHRist mindsets: The Architect, Engineer, Scientist, CEO, and Coach. Because becoming AI-native isn't simply a headcount exercise. You have to rethink how work is designed, where human judgment still creates value, how AI and humans hand work back and forth, which metrics actually predict business outcomes, and what happens to your best people while the organization transforms. We'll look at reported changes in code output, product delivery, security incidents, and employee sentiment—and why looking at any one of those metrics in isolation can lead leaders to the wrong conclusion. I also explain how my Value of Work Matrix changes the question from: “How many people can we remove?” to: “Which work should stop existing?” Those are two very different questions, and they create two very different organizations. 📘 Get my new book, The FutHRist: The 5 Mindsets of the Future HR Pro, available now on Amazon. Search Amazon for “The FutHRist Trent Cotton.” 🧭 Discover your FutHRist mindset with my free self-assessment: https://www.trentcotton.com/futhrist-self-assessment/ Chapters 00:00 Meta's reported plan to replace work with AI 00:34 Why I'm looking at this differently 00:46 What Meta reportedly planned 01:28 Why “AI wasn't ready” misses the bigger story 02:06 The 5 FutHRist mindsets 02:29 Architect: Don't confuse headcount cuts with transformation 03:58 Engineer: Where AI handoffs break 05:05 Scientist: Are you measuring the wrong thing? 06:21 CEO: Is your workforce actually driving enterprise value? 06:57 The Value of Work Matrix 07:47 Coach: The human cost of AI transformation 09:06 Who wasn't in the room? 09:20 The uncomfortable lesson for HR leaders 09:49 Discover your FutHRist mindset Articles Cited The reporting and data discussed in this video draw from the following articles: Reuters — Mark Zuckerberg Had a Bold Plan to Replace Meta Staff With AI. Here’s How It Imploded https://www.reuters.com/investigations/mark-zuckerberg-had-bold-plan-replace-meta-staff-with-ai-heres-how-it-imploded-2026-08-26/ Business Insider — Meta Asks Some AI Employees to Become Managers Again https://www.businessinsider.com/meta-asks-some-ai-employees-to-become-managers-again-2026-9 The future of HR isn't about protecting every job from AI. It's about understanding how people, technology, and business come together to create enterprise value. People. Technology. Business. A Better Tomorrow. #HR #AIinHR #ArtificialIntelligence #FutureOfWork #FutHRist Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
How to Spot People Who Actually Know AI
The Jim Stroud PodcastAI can help almost anyone produce average work. So how do recruiters identify the people who can actually think, judge, and create beyond the machine? In this episode of The Jim Stroud Podcast, Jim talks with Bryan McAnulty about what AI fluency really looks like, how hiring assessments need to change, and why judgment, communication, workflow design, and specialized knowledge are becoming more valuable as AI handles more of the execution. ABOUT OUR GUEST Bryan McAnulty is the founder of Velora, a digital product design studio, developing products and websites used by millions worldwide. Today, he uses AI to help bring his ideas into reality faster, and helps others do the same through his AI agent platform LatchLoop, built to help teams collaborate with AI agents. Learn more: https://www.latchloop.com - The AI agent platform for knowledge work and coding where you and your team build the future https://www.agifluent.com - Go from prompting AI one task at a time to confidently delegating real work to AI agents through repeatable workflows that you and your team own. https://velora.com/ - Learn more about the software products Bryan and his team have built. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
#101: Building a Personal Brand While Working Full-Time ft. Roxy Couse
Workfluencer: Personal Branding & Content CreationBeing great at your job doesn’t guarantee a promotion. Roxy Couse learned that after nearly 15 years in corporate, several lateral moves, and a leader who admitted there was nothing left for her to prove. While working as a senior director, Roxy started creating content before work, after work, and on weekends. What began as a TikTok hobby grew into an audience of more than 650,000 followers, 100 million views, and brand partnerships with companies including LinkedIn and IBM. In this episode, Roxy shares what it really takes to build a personal brand while working full-time. She explains how she balanced two demanding careers, followed her employer’s social media policies, and turned years of corporate experience into paid opportunities. She also shares why brand deals weren’t enough and how that realization led her to build Sloefy, a platform helping corporate professionals become more visible. This conversation is about building enough visibility, income, and career leverage to choose what comes next on your own terms. What You’ll Learn Why strong performance alone may not lead to a promotion How Roxy found her content niche by talking honestly about work What it takes to create consistently while working full-time How to build a personal brand without creating problems at work How she went from a $100 brand deal to six-figure creator income How a personal brand can create confidence and career leverage Why Roxy built Sloefy for corporate professionals Resources Mentioned: Learn about Sloefy: https://sloefy.com/ Rhona's Newsletter: https://link.rhonapierce.com/newsletter2 Connect with Us: Connect with Roxy: https://www.linkedin.com/in/roxanna-couse/ Connect with Rhona: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rhonabarnettpierce Want to turn your team into creators? Visit workfluencermedia.com to learn how we help companies turn employee expertise into content that gets noticed. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Hackajob Gets a New Name, UKG Adds Voice
Rec Tech: the Recruiting Technology PodcastLinkup published their august 2026 jobs report; Key Takeaways Job openings stayed flat: Active job listings rose 0.1% in August 2026, to 4.96 million from 4.95 million in July. This suggests that underlying labor demand in the U.S. remained steady, alongside seasonal recruitment adjustments. Broad-based industry gains: Industries that saw an increase in job postings include Wholesale Trade (2.7k), Construction (1.6k), and Real Estate and Rental and Leasing (1.2k). However, Retail Trade saw the largest decrease (-4.8k). Major occupation drops: Office and Administrative Support occupations experienced the largest drop (-9.4k) followed by Installation, Maintenance, and Repair (-7.0k), and Production (-6.1k). https://hrtechfeed.com/august-2026-jobs-recap/ UKG has introduced several new AI-driven capabilities aimed at supporting frontline workforces, accelerating bulk recruitment, and preventing costly payroll discrepancies. Key among these updates is UKG Bryte Voice, a voice-enabled assistant integrated with UKG Pro that allows deskless staff—such as retail and healthcare workers—to execute routine tasks (like checking schedules, reviewing timecards, or updating direct deposit information) hands-free via Siri or Google Assistant. For talent acquisition, the platform now provides AI-assisted high-volume hiring tools, including candidate job recommendations, profile summaries, and a "Bulk Apply" workflow capable of processing up to 100 applicants simultaneously. Finally, UKG rolled out Agentic Pay, which allows administrators to examine historical pay data and resolve discrepancies before processing payroll through natural language queries to eliminate costly errors. https://hrtechfeed.com/ukg-launches-voice-enabled-ai-and-agentic-pay-tools-to-support-frontline-workers/ TORONTO — 7shifts, the restaurant HR platform, today announced the launch of Employee Training, a restaurant-specific training solution built directly into 7shifts. The new offering gives restaurants a simpler way to train their teams without adding another standalone tool. The launch expands 7shifts’ role across the restaurant employee lifecycle, bringing hiring, onboarding, training, scheduling, pay, and retention together in one platform. Formerly known for scheduling and payroll, 7shifts has now fully evolved into a comprehensive HR platform. “Operators are done paying for separate software to hire, onboard, train, schedule, and pay their staff, they want one system for the entire HR employee lifecycle, not a patchwork of tools that don’t talk to each other,” said Jordan Boesch, chief executive officer at 7shifts. “When it’s all in one place, teams get strong faster and managers get time back to actually develop their people.” https://hrtechfeed.com/restaurant-hr-platform-adds-employee-training-feature/ In HR tech partnership news Match2, the platform powering the Universal Candidate Profile™, today announced that its Connected Talent Solutions™ is now available on SAP® Store, the online marketplace for SAP and partner offerings. PageUp, a global leader in talent acquisition software, and Sapia.ai, the pioneer in conversational AI for talent evaluation, today announced an enhanced strategic partnership. Building on their established relationship, the deepened integration links Sapia.ai’s autonomous, skills-based interviewing with PageUp’s newly advanced AI functionality. Amazon Web Services (AWS), an Amazon.com company, and ADP, a global leader in HR and payroll solutions, today announced an expanded, strategic partnership. The partnership affirms AWS as ADP’s strategic cloud provider, enabling its continued AI transformation and ongoing innovation of generative and agentic AI solutions for its more than 1.1 million clients across 140 countries and territories. https://hrtechfeed.com/hr-tech-partnerships-in-the-news/ And finally the CEO of Hackajob Mark Chaffey share d on Linkedin today that the company will now be known as its core product name, Archer. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
AI Fluency and HR Transformation with Sarika Lamont
Transformation RealnessJoin us in this enlightening episode of Transformation Realness as we delve into the world of AI and HR transformation with Sarika Lamont, the outgoing Chief People Officer at Vidyard. Sarika, soon to be the Chief People and AI Enablement Officer at Technomile, shares her bold insights on what it means to be AI literate and why HR must lead the charge in AI transformation. With her extensive experience and passion for real-time innovation, Sarika offers a candid look at the evolving landscape of AI in the workplace. In this conversation, Sarika discusses the critical difference between AI literacy and fluency, emphasizing the importance of HR professionals not just understanding AI tools but being able to use them effectively as co-pilots in their work. She shares her journey from focusing on basic AI literacy to advocating for fluency, where HR professionals can make informed decisions and judgments using AI. Sarika also highlights the challenges and anxieties faced by various professionals, including engineers, in adapting to AI, and how these can be overcome through effective leadership and education. Listeners will gain valuable insights into the necessity of rebuilding competency frameworks amidst ongoing changes, the role of HR in owning AI transformation, and the myth of waiting for perfection before launching initiatives. With Sarika's transparent and passionate approach, this episode promises to inspire HR leaders and professionals to embrace AI as a tool for real-time innovation and transformation. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Survival to Scale: Managing Catastrophic Shifts in B2B SaaS - ep. #032
Return to PeopleHow do we rebuild after losing everything overnight and pivot toward a thriving, remote-first future? In this episode of the Return to People Podcast, host Kaleem Clarkson sits down with Hoppier and Postbeam founder Cassy Aite to unpack what it takes to navigate sudden corporate crisis and emerge with a scalable, distributed business model. Drawing from his journey from stocking local office pantries to managing enterprise-grade digital rewards across 60 countries, Cassy details how a catastrophic revenue drop transformed his team’s approach to workplace culture and resilience. Together, they explore the operational shifts required to run high-performing, remote-first organizations without compromising team engagement. Cassy breaks down the reality of shifting from an in-office skeptic to a distributed work advocate, illustrating how radical transparency and asynchronous documentation eliminate regional bottlenecks and create genuine trust. By sharing how unconventional hiring decisions paid off, how digital gifting replaced physical office snacks, and why personal branding is reshaping B2B growth, Cassy delivers a compelling look into modern adaptability. Crucially, he reframes geographic freedom as a core operational advantage: "Instead of competing in Ottawa for talent... we can hire people from all over the world with different perspectives, and that has totally changed the game for us." The conversation dives deep into the realities of crisis management and modern team dynamics, mapping out the pivotal friction points and breakthroughs behind their transformation: - The Core Challenges: Cassy opens up about losing $220K in monthly revenue almost overnight during the onset of COVID-19, overcoming personal skepticism around remote productivity, and managing complex communication streams across global time zones. - The Core Successes: You'll learn how leveraging Stripe APIs allowed Hoppier to rapidly pivot into digital gifting, how establishing a documentation-first culture built long-term psychological safety, and why taking hiring risks on non-traditional talent unlocks exceptional employee loyalty. 👉 Tune in now and discover how to navigate crisis, embrace distributed work, and build a truly resilient, human-first company. Learn More About Cassy - Hoppier Website: https://www.hoppier.com - Postbeam Website: https://www.postbeam.com - Cassy's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cassy-aite/Ç Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
#101 - Stagnant Hiring & The HR Trust Deficit - Presented by CalendarPA.com
The Purple Acorn HR Morning ShowIn this episode of The HR Morning Show on the Purple Acorn Network, hosts Mike Peditto and Serge Boudreau address the compliance landmines and cultural friction surrounding pay transparency, exploring whether open salary ranges foster true trust or heighten candidate skepticism during hiring. The team also breaks down new data on a cooling labor market, analyzing how sluggish hiring, falling turnover, and low worker mobility leave companies and employees in a prolonged state of limbo. The first feature brings in guest 🏡 Kim Rohrer (she/her), who joins Mike Peditto to dissect the unexpected "theater kid to HR pipeline" and demonstrate how storytelling enhances workplace connection. The discussion expands to incorporate insights co-developed with Rebecca Taylor - Kim's co-creator and podcast co-host - addressing why corporate community cannot be treated as a top-down gift delivered to employees, and why traditional company gatherings consistently miss the mark without collaborative design. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
SIA Report: The Digital Workforce in Recruitment 2026
Rec Tech: the Recruiting Technology PodcastJoining me today is John Nurthen, Executive Director of Global Research at Staffing Industry Analysts. John has spent more than three decades in the staffing industry—and he has just authored a global research report titled The Digital Workforce in Recruitment 2026. In it, John maps out how digital worker agents——are moving from the fringes directly into the recruiting lifecycle. We’ll be breaking down why the future isn't about fully replacing human recruiters, the hidden risks of 'AI sprawl' and compliance liabilities, and how leaders must learn to manage a mixed workforce of employees, contractors, and algorithms. https://www.staffingindustry.com/who-we-are/john-nurthen Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Your employer is about to cut your pay and call it a benefit
The Jim Stroud PodcastMercer says employer health costs jump 8.2 percent in 2027, the steepest climb since 2003. That number made the headlines. A second number in the same survey decides what happens to your paycheck, and it got almost no ink. This episode follows the money from a doctor's office to a benefits meeting you will never attend, then lands on the one decision still in your hands. Brought to you by: Career Intelligence Weekly https://newsletter.jimstroud.com ... Sources: Survey: Health benefit costs expected to jump in 2027 (Mercer) www.mercer.com/en-us/insights/us-health-news/survey-health-benefit-costs-expected-to-jump-in-2027/ Health insurance cost expected to exceed $18,500 per employee in 2026 (Mercer newsroom) www.mercer.com/en-us/about/newsroom/employers-and-workers-face-affordability-crunch-as-health-insurnace-cost-is-expected-to-exceed-18500-per-employee-in-2026/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Salesforce Gives Hibob $166M
Rec Tech: the Recruiting Technology PodcastIn this weeks episode sponsored by Dalia.co * Hibob gets infusion of cash, Recruiter.com acquires Feenyx, Staffmark's report on AI in recruiting, new features from ICIMS and Vervoe. READ ON https://hrtechfeed.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Navigating Entrepreneurship and AI in the Workplace with Ben Brooks
Transformation RealnessJoin host Kyle Lagunas on this episode of Transformation Realness as he sits down with Ben Brooks, the dynamic founder and CEO of Pilot, to explore the challenging yet rewarding world of entrepreneurship and the transformative role of AI in modern workplaces. Ben, who describes his career as 'Z-Shaped', shares his unique insights into leadership development, culture, and organizational design, drawing from his rich experience at companies like Oliver Wyman and Lockheed Martin. In this engaging conversation, Ben and Kyle delve into how AI is reshaping the efficiency of knowledge workers and the implications it has for senior management. They discuss the shifting bottlenecks in decision-making processes and the power dynamics that emerge as a result. Ben also opens up about the less glamorous side of entrepreneurship, sharing personal anecdotes about the challenges and learning curves that come with owning a business. Listeners will gain valuable perspectives on what it truly takes to succeed as an entrepreneur and how to navigate the often tumultuous journey. Whether you're an aspiring entrepreneur, a business leader, or someone interested in the intersection of technology and management, this episode offers a wealth of knowledge and inspiration. Don't miss out on Ben's candid thoughts and practical advice on making work better and helping people become their best selves. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
#100 - The Power of Employee Referrals - Presented by CalendarPA.com
The Purple Acorn HR Morning ShowCelebrations are in order as The HR Morning Show reaches its landmark 100th episode! Join our fantastic lineup of hosts—Adam Posner, Danielle Farage, Rhona Barnett-Pierce, Joel L., Mike Peditto, John Baldino, Serge Boudreau, Matt Alder, Mervyn Dinnen, and Kyle Lagunas—as they bring you an action-packed, multi-perspective look at the evolving world of talent acquisition, human resources, and business operations. From industry headlines to our signature weather report and dynamic roundtables, this special edition brings together the top voices driving the workplace conversation today. Our expert host team sits down with an unbelievable roster of featured guests to break down the hottest topics in the industry. We hear from Ryan Affolter, Christian Ray, and Mike Stafiej on key workplace referral strategies, followed by Matthew Owenby (SVP, Chief Administrative Officer & CHRO at Aflac) to discuss executive leadership, combatting employee burnout, and managing talent surplus versus shortages. Then, host Serge Boudreau speaks with former USWNT star and The Amazing Race contestant Joanna Lohman building high-performing teams and translating elite sports performance into business success. To round out our milestone episode, talent acquisition pioneer Gerry Crispin (Founder of CareerXroads) joins host Mervyn Dinnen to lay out the critical Baseline Standard for Applicant Closure and end candidate ghosting, alongside insights from insider Mike Peditto (yes, he's a guest too!) with host Kyle Lagunas. Whether you are looking to elevate your hiring candidate experience, redesign employee benefits, or build resilient team cultures, Episode 100 delivers unmatched expertise from across the global HR landscape. Make sure to visit our sponsors, CalendarPA and Talent Tech PR to show them some love. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Candidate Pushback & The New Era of Transparency
Rec Tech: the Recruiting Technology PodcastIn this episode Chris Russell explores how job seekers are taking transparency into their own hands with new consumer tools like DidTheyGhostYou.com and JobScamScore.com. We break down how public ghosting leaderboards and AI scam-detection tools actually work, why they are becoming an early-warning radar for your employer brand, and the practical steps recruiters can take to protect candidate trust and optimize their ATS workflows. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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