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As Season 8 of HR Data Labs comes to a close, David Turetsky and Dwight Brown reflect on the season’s episodes, guests, and key topics. They also revisit their predictions from the Season 7 finale and posit some new predictions for the future of HR.

[0:00] Introduction

• Welcome, David and Dwight!
• Today’s Topic: Season 8 Recap

[6:01] Looking back at Season 8’s major topics and themes

• AI’s ubiquity across industries
• Normalizing discussion about emotional intelligence and employee wellbeing

[18:09] Reviewing predictions made in the Season 7 finale

• Did companies see pushback related to survey fatigue?
• Did more companies adopt pay transparency as a standard?

[25:57] David and Dwight’s predictions for what the next six months will bring for HR

• AI will continue to impact customer service but will result in workforce re-skilling instead of workforce reduction
• Companies will maintain DEI cultures despite potential challenges to regulations

[33:07] Closing

• Thanks for listening!

Quick Quote

“With the implementation of AI, what people don’t realize is: you need significant resources for the care and feeding of that AI.”

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Podcast Manger: Karissa Harris
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Bennett Sung, Strategic Marketing Advisor at Restworld and Fractional CMO at MeBeBot, joins us in this episode to explore AI’s current and future role in HR. He talks about where AI best fits within existing HR tech stacks and shares exciting prospects for AI implementation, while also considering how pay transparency is transforming recruitment strategies.

This conversation took place at the HR Tech 2024 conference in Las Vegas. 

[0:00] Introduction

• Welcome, Bennett!
• Today’s Topic: Exciting Prospects for AI Implementation

[7:36] How will AI fit into existing HR technology stacks?

• HR’s evolving relationship with finance may include learning to “follow the money”
• The increasing intersection of HR and IT through new data governance requirements

[15:51] Will pay transparency be a game changer for recruitment?

• Leveraging total compensation statements as strategic recruitment tools

[21:31] Will 2025 be a breakthrough year for AI in HR?

• Financial investment enabling HR to “do more with less” through AI
• The importance of succession planning as baby boomers exit the workforce
• The emerging potential of AI agents

[39:45] Closing

• Thanks for listening!

Quick Quote

“Following the money is important for HR to master . . . to build business cases for the long term.”

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Podcast Manager: Karissa Harris
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Chris Havrilla, Vice President of HCM Product Management at Oracle, joins us in this episode to discuss the hurdles organizations face (or merely think they face) when looking to integrate new technologies into their workflows. She also explores how organizations can benefit from learning to work with AI.

[0:00] Introduction
•Welcome, Chris!
•Today’s Topic: How to Reduce Technological Adoption Barriers in Organizations

[4:34] How has HR evolved in the last few years?
•HR is finally in a place where technology can work for it
•The root causes of HR teams’ reluctance to adopt new technologies

[16:06] How can organizations reduce technological adoption barriers?
•Reframing new technology as a strategic “team member” rather than a threat
•Mitigating fear, uncertainty, and doubt surrounding AI implementation

[29:11] How can organizations practically integrate AI?
•Shifting the conversation from “Will AI replace me?” To “How can AI help me work more efficiently?”
•Why quality assurance remains essential in AI-assisted workflows

[34:09] Closing
•Thanks for listening!

Quick Quote
“I think the thing that is really messing people up is the notion of transformation [when adopting new HR technologies] . . . but if you can show people how to take baby steps, the momentum builds pretty quickly.”

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Jack Coapman, Chief Strategy Officer at GR8 People, joins us in this episode to discuss the evolution of recruitment and its relationship to compensation. He explores the pros and cons of emerging technologies and emphasizes that successful recruitment still fundamentally depends on people and processes.

[0:00] Introduction

• Welcome, Jack!
• Today’s Topic: Why People and Process Drive Recruitment Success

[4:18] How is the relationship between recruitment and compensation evolving?

• How pay transparency regulations are forcing the issue in recruitment conversations
• Why organizations benefit from posting compensation ranges in job postings even if they aren’t required to

[15:10] How has recruitment technology and processes evolved?

• The fundamentals of improving recruitment remain constant, with or without AI
• The limitations of technological solutions in addressing fundamental recruitment issues

[24:26] Was Jack shocked by anything he saw at HR Tech 2024?

• Technology means nothing to an organization if it can’t be tied to its people and processes
• The importance of properly implementing and maintaining new technologies

[34:18] Closing

• Thanks for listening!

Quick Quote

“You don’t want to get days, weeks, months into a screening process with somebody only to find at the end that you’re never going to be able to align the dots when it comes to [the compensation] that candidate is seeking and what the organization wants to pay.”

Resource: 
GR8 People

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Sapient Insights Group is the research and advisory firm that organizes the annual HR technology survey which seeks to shed light on HR professionals’ relationships with existing and emerging technologies. In this episode, Stacey Harris (Chief Research Officer & Managing Partner) and Teri Zipper (CEO & Managing Partner) join us to discuss HR’s technical revolution and how it has been affecting compensation. 

This conversation took place at the HR Tech 2024 conference in Las Vegas. 

[0:00] Introduction

• Welcome, Stacey Harris and Teri Zipper of Sapient Insights Group!
• Today’s Topic: Compensation and the Evolving Workplace

[5:28] How has HR’s landscape changed (besides AI)?

• AI’s role in making information more accessible
• Younger generations and evolving workplace dynamics

[12:44] HR’s technology paradox

• Rapid evolution in HR technology outpaces many organizations’ awareness
• Why emerging technologies enhance rather than eliminate human roles

[20:33] How important is compensation in the modern HR ecosystem?

• Skill-based pay as a potential driver for pay equity
• Innovative compensation models to motivate and retain talent

[32:32] Closing

• Thanks for listening!

Quick Quote

“[Compensation] shows up in places we often forget inside the whole HR model—it’s part of your time and attendance . . . that’s a really important issues for those people who depend on it.”

Resources:
Sapient Insights

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Kathi Enderes, Senior Vice President of Research and Global Industry Analyst at The Josh Bersin Company, joins us in this episode to explore why compensation practices have stagnated and how organizations can modernize their approach to pay.

[0:00] Introduction

• Welcome, Kathi!
• Today’s Topic: Breaking Free From Outdated Pay Practices

[5:13] How has compensation evolved in recent decades?

• Why most organizations still use 40-year-old compensation models
• Connecting compensation to employee experience

[13:40] How can organizations make compensation more accessible?

• The power of simplifying compensation communication
• Building stakeholder buy-in for process changes

[23:10] Should organizations replace merit programs with targeted incentive programs?

• Reimagining performance-based compensation
• Aligning pay reviews with business cycles

[31:39] Closing

• Thanks for listening!

Quick Quote

“In all areas of HR . . . if we speak our own language, business won’t understand it and you’re not going to gain any credibility.”

Resource:
Josh Bersin Company

Contact:
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Podcast Manager: Karissa Harris
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Noelle London, Founder and CEO of Illoominus, joins us in this episode to discuss the strides people analytics has made over the years, how the intersection of compensation and people analytics gives leaders another tool to better steer their organizations, and what organizations can expect of AI once the hype subsides. 

This conversation took place at the HR Tech 2024 conference in Las Vegas. 

[0:00] Introduction

• Welcome, Noelle!
• Today’s Topic: How AI is Shaping the Future of People Analytics

[4:52] How are organizations using people analytics?

• How various HR tech vendors are tackling data management challenges
• People analytics is now accessible to organizations of all sizes, not just large enterprises

[9:44] How do compensation and people analytics intersect?

• How leaders can use compensation data to manage rapid changes in organizations
• The importance of making people analytics and data science accessible to leaders

[20:35] Beyond the hype cycles, how will AI change HR?

• How organizations are preparing for AI adoption while protecting data integrity
• Key conversations organizations should be having about AI’s role in HR

[29:40] Closing

• Thanks for listening!

Quick Quote

“HR is not administrative. Organizations that look at HR as administrative are not truly seeing . . . that investing in your people is investing in your business.”

Resource:
Illoominus

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Stacia Garr, Co-founder and Principal Analyst at RedThread Research, joins us this episode to explore the current state of AI in HR technology. Stacia dives into how vendors’ AI expectations often diverge from those of their customers and examines the disconnect in how employers and employees relate to AI in the workplace.

This conversation took place at the HR Tech 2024 conference in Las Vegas. 

[0:00] Introduction

• Welcome, Stacia!
• Today’s Topic: Can AI Deliver on Its Big Promises for HR?

[4:33] How has HR technology evolved in recent years?

• Data, not technology, may be driving recent HR tech acquisitions
• Why people analytics could make traditional benchmarking obsolete

[15:51] Beyond the hype cycle, where does AI land in the world of HR?

• Comparing vendor vs. customer expectations for AI
• HR technology vendors’ vision for AI

[25:46] Is 2025 the year HR embraces and adopts AI?

• The disconnect between employer and employee perspectives on AI
• Addressing dystopian future concerns

[34:56] Closing

• Large Action Models may be the next big leap in AI
• Thanks for listening!

Quick Quote

“Many of the [HR technology] acquisitions that are happening now are less about the technology and more about the data”

Resource:
RedThread Research

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Jay Polaki is the Founder and CEO of HR Geckos™ and the host of the HR Bytes™ Podcast. In this episode, Jay unpacks HR trends that everyone should be following in 2025, what happens when AI gets assigned the role of administrative assistant, and how AI will realistically contribute to HR once the hype settles. 

This conversation took place at the HR Tech 2024 conference in Las Vegas. 

[0:00] Introduction

• Welcome, Jay!
• Today’s Topic: What AI Can (and Cannot) Do for HR

[3:16] What’s the latest HR tech trend everyone should be following in 2025?

• Why AI is more than just the latest trend
• What an HR AI assistant could offer employees

[11:27] How does HR change if AI is used for administrative assistance?

• HR will never be fully automated, but HR workflows will need to integrate AI
• How AI could simplify HR jargon for non-HR employees

[17:16] What will AI be bringing to the table once the hype cycle dies down?

• AI “ownership” within an organization
• How different generations perceive AI

[32:44] Closing

• Thanks for listening!

Quick Quote

“HR can never be automated 100% . . . the ‘H’ in ‘HR’ [stands for] ‘human,’ but the way AI is evolving, we can’t just sit back and say we’re not going to embed it into our workflow.”

Resources

HR Geckos 

HR Bytes podcast

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Susan Richards is the Founder and Managing Partner of Sapient Insights Group. In this episode, Susan discusses the evolution of HR tech over the past year, the role consultants play in helping organizations effectively implement AI into their HR workflows, and how to prepare AI models to assist with administrative tasks.

This conversation took place at the HR Tech 2024 conference in Las Vegas. 

[0:00] Introduction

• Welcome, Susan!
• Today’s Topic: Building Confidence in AI Tools

[5:14] How has HR tech evolved in the last year?

• The innovation cycle of HR tech companies
• The growing importance of support services around new technology

[11:53] Do organizations need consultants for AI implementation?

• Why training AI models on clean, reliable data is essential
• Building trust through strong data governance

[21:47] How does HR use AI for administrative assistance?

• Ensuring AI models are properly trained
• Building confidence in working with AI tools and delegating repetitive tasks

[32:32] Closing

• Thanks for listening!

Quick Quote

“I believe there are a lot of compliant-related tasks that could be handled by an [AI model], and it could be done consistently, on time, and keep us out of hot water.”

Resource:
Sapient Insights

Contact:
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Podcast Manager: Karissa Harris
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