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Preparing for the Workforce of the Future: Insights from John Hearn
If AI, cyber risk, healthcare costs, and workforce change feel like separate challenges, this episode shows why they are connected and how HR can help lead the response.
Resources Mentioned:
2026 On the Pulse Report: Insights on Employee Benefits Trends – Download this free report for forward-looking trends in employee benefits, including AI, workforce strategy, healthcare cost management, leadership, and organizational change. [https://imacorp.com/insights/hr-insights-on-the-pulse-report-2026]
The Obstacle Is the Way – Explore Ryan Holiday’s practical framework for turning obstacles, uncertainty, and resistance into a path forward.
Listen and Subscribe: Share this episode with a fellow HR leader and subscribe to On the Pulse with IMA on your favorite podcast platform for more practical insights. Have questions or topics you'd like covered? Reach out via imacorp.com.
Episode Description: Kelly Bowman sits down with John Hearn, Chief Operating Officer at IMA Financial Group, to discuss how HR leaders can help organizations prepare for a workforce being reshaped by AI. John explains why leaders need to look beyond short-term tools and first define what the workforce, customer relationship, and operating model must look like in three to five years. They explore how ambiguity and change fatigue can stall action, why organizations should move before they have perfect information, and how protected AI environments, clear policies, workforce upskilling, and stronger human connection skills can create a foundation for responsible innovation. John also breaks down the cybersecurity and data risks of unmanaged AI use, the need to balance speed with enterprise scale, and the role HR can play in bringing operations, IT, and leadership into a disciplined strategic conversation. The discussion also turns to healthcare cost pressure and why employers must be willing to challenge conventional approaches rather than let a misaligned system control their choices. For HR leaders navigating AI, workforce planning, healthcare costs, and organizational change, John offers a practical case for acting now, leading strategically, and treating disruption as an opportunity.
Guest Bio: John Hearn is Chief Operating Officer at IMA Financial Group. He brings decades of experience across risk management, insurance, employee benefits, and business leadership. In his role, John helps guide IMA’s operations and long-term strategy, with a focus on scalable growth, workforce development, innovation, and client impact. He is also a recognized voice on healthcare reform and employer strategies for challenging the status quo, managing cost trends, and creating better outcomes for organizations and their employees. His current work includes helping leaders think more intentionally about AI adoption, cyber risk, organizational change, and the skills companies will need to remain relevant in the years ahead.
Host: Kelly Bowman
Key Timestamps:
Resources Mentioned (Repeated for Convenience):
2026 On the Pulse Report: Insights on Employee Benefits Trends – Download this free report for forward-looking trends in employee benefits, including AI, workforce strategy, healthcare cost management, leadership, and organizational change. [https://imacorp.com/insights/hr-insights-on-the-pulse-report-2026]
The Obstacle Is the Way – Explore Ryan Holiday’s practical framework for turning obstacles, uncertainty, and resistance into a path forward.
Listen and Subscribe: If you enjoyed this episode, share it with a fellow HR leader and subscribe to On the Pulse with IMA on your favorite podcast platform for more practical insights. Have questions or topics you'd like covered? Reach out via imacorp.com.
View all episodes
By IMA / tentwentytwoIf AI, cyber risk, healthcare costs, and workforce change feel like separate challenges, this episode shows why they are connected and how HR can help lead the response.
Resources Mentioned:
2026 On the Pulse Report: Insights on Employee Benefits Trends – Download this free report for forward-looking trends in employee benefits, including AI, workforce strategy, healthcare cost management, leadership, and organizational change. [https://imacorp.com/insights/hr-insights-on-the-pulse-report-2026]
The Obstacle Is the Way – Explore Ryan Holiday’s practical framework for turning obstacles, uncertainty, and resistance into a path forward.
Listen and Subscribe: Share this episode with a fellow HR leader and subscribe to On the Pulse with IMA on your favorite podcast platform for more practical insights. Have questions or topics you'd like covered? Reach out via imacorp.com.
Episode Description: Kelly Bowman sits down with John Hearn, Chief Operating Officer at IMA Financial Group, to discuss how HR leaders can help organizations prepare for a workforce being reshaped by AI. John explains why leaders need to look beyond short-term tools and first define what the workforce, customer relationship, and operating model must look like in three to five years. They explore how ambiguity and change fatigue can stall action, why organizations should move before they have perfect information, and how protected AI environments, clear policies, workforce upskilling, and stronger human connection skills can create a foundation for responsible innovation. John also breaks down the cybersecurity and data risks of unmanaged AI use, the need to balance speed with enterprise scale, and the role HR can play in bringing operations, IT, and leadership into a disciplined strategic conversation. The discussion also turns to healthcare cost pressure and why employers must be willing to challenge conventional approaches rather than let a misaligned system control their choices. For HR leaders navigating AI, workforce planning, healthcare costs, and organizational change, John offers a practical case for acting now, leading strategically, and treating disruption as an opportunity.
Guest Bio: John Hearn is Chief Operating Officer at IMA Financial Group. He brings decades of experience across risk management, insurance, employee benefits, and business leadership. In his role, John helps guide IMA’s operations and long-term strategy, with a focus on scalable growth, workforce development, innovation, and client impact. He is also a recognized voice on healthcare reform and employer strategies for challenging the status quo, managing cost trends, and creating better outcomes for organizations and their employees. His current work includes helping leaders think more intentionally about AI adoption, cyber risk, organizational change, and the skills companies will need to remain relevant in the years ahead.
Host: Kelly Bowman
Key Timestamps:
Resources Mentioned (Repeated for Convenience):
2026 On the Pulse Report: Insights on Employee Benefits Trends – Download this free report for forward-looking trends in employee benefits, including AI, workforce strategy, healthcare cost management, leadership, and organizational change. [https://imacorp.com/insights/hr-insights-on-the-pulse-report-2026]
The Obstacle Is the Way – Explore Ryan Holiday’s practical framework for turning obstacles, uncertainty, and resistance into a path forward.
Listen and Subscribe: If you enjoyed this episode, share it with a fellow HR leader and subscribe to On the Pulse with IMA on your favorite podcast platform for more practical insights. Have questions or topics you'd like covered? Reach out via imacorp.com.