The HR Huddle

WRKdefined Podcast Network

Welcome to the HR Huddle, the ultimate resource for all things HR. Cause when the shit goes down, you've got to huddle up. The HR Huddle is comprised of three unique mini-shows: Spilling The Tea On HR Tech — Join Stacey Harris and Cliff Stevenson as they break down the latest happenings in HR and HR tech. HR We Have a Problem — Join Cliff Stevenson as he tackles the messy stories everyone in human resources has, featuring industry guests working on solving these problems. The Pivot Effect is where followers become leaders. Join Teri Zipper and Susan Richards for the stories, skills, and mindset shifts that get you there.

  1. 6 days ago

    A Big Clarity Deal and More AI Chaos

    Hosts Stacey Harris, Sapient’s chief research officer and managing partner, and Cliff Stevenson director of research and principal analyst, break down the week's biggest HR Tech news.  In this episode:  A preview of Sapient Insights Group's research heading into HR Tech 2026 (Oct 19–24), plus a security scare from this week's research roundtables.  Deel pushes past $1.5B in annual recurring revenue and acquires identity-verification company Clarity.  Oracle taps Google's Gemini model for its agent studio and the hosts discuss what matters most to those using AI models.  Darwinbox launches Cortex, an AI-native HCM platform designed to operate within a full work context.   The Guardian, isolved’s new AI agent powered by Claude, and its "glass box" approach to resolving payroll issues.  Cornerstone appoints Vincent Belliveau as chief commercial officer and Anna Goldberg as VP of AI product management; founded in 1999, HR.com goes up for sale after Debbie McGrath announces retirement.  New research on AI's uneven impact across age groups, why only one in 20 HR jobs requires AI skills, and TalentNeuron compares its data with that generated by LLMs.  The hosts discuss Jess Von Bank’s post on why people need to read past headlines claiming AI changes the way people work.  Performance ratings and AI bias, the emergence of the "forward-deployed recruiter,” and, according to the National Women’s Law Center, women accounted for 100% of the labor force decline in July.    Anthropic announced invisible watermarks will be added to Claude-generated text to comply with the EU’s new AI transparency rules — and the backlash appeared within days.  Pete Tiliakos on earned wage access and treating pay as integral to many life moments, not a periodic back-office process.  Catch Stacey and Cliff this fall at NAPEO, O.C. Tanner's Influence Greatness, Cornerstone Connect, Workday Rising, HR Tech 2026, Oracle AI World, and Dayforce Discover.  Follow Sapient Insights Group on LinkedIn and Instagram for updates, and subscribe for weekly HR Tech news and insights. Produced by Kelly Koon, Linda Galloway, Summer Orellano, Kohle Harris, and Kaitlin Diamond.

  2. 13 Aug

    The Pivot Effect- From Cleaning Fees to C-Suite Sales: The Wild Career Pivot of Summer Orellano

    On this episode of The Pivot Effect, part of Sapient Insights Group's HR Huddle series, hosts Teri Zipper and Susan Richards sit down with Summer Orellano, who now leads sales at Sapient, to talk about her winding career journey from managing Airbnbs in Florida, to joining Sapient as a contract office administrator, to stepping into a sales leadership role while seven months pregnant with her third child.  Summer, Teri, and Susan dig into what it really takes to pivot: showing up even on the hard days, taking feedback well, bringing authenticity into sales, and recognizing skills you didn't know you had. It's an honest conversation about non-linear career paths, mentorship, and betting on yourself.  In this episode:  How Summer's move to Florida led to an unexpected connection with Susan  Why "right place, right time" isn't the whole story  Turning operations and admin experience into a sales career  Why authenticity and constructive criticism matter in sales  Summer's advice for anyone standing at the edge of a pivot  Connect with Summer Orellano on LinkedIn and Facebook.  Enjoyed this episode? Subscribe for more conversations on leadership, culture, change, and HR technology, and check out our other shows: Spilling the Tea on HR Tech, and HR We Have a Problem.

  3. 12 Aug

    Spilling The Tea On HR Tech- Governance or Gatekeeping, Leadership Shakeups, and AI’s Moral Crumple Zone

    This week on Spilling the Tea on HR Tech, Stacey Harris and Cliff Stevenson break down a busy news cycle spanning leadership moves in HR tech, emerging AI governance issues, and workforce trends to watch.  In this episode:  People on the move: SAP SuccessFactors shakes up leadership as part of its AI-focused reorg, Ramco elevates Sandesh Balaji to CEO to accelerate its AI-native strategy, and isolved brings on HR tech vet Shaun Scott as its a new chief revenue officer.  The accountability question: A look at emerging legal thinking on AI oversight and AI’s "moral crumple zone":  Who's really responsible when a “human in the loop" isn't enough to catch an AI problem?  Governance or gatekeeping? SAP's new API policy routes third-party AI calls through its own tools first, plus a look at the OpenAI/Hugging Face security incident that made headlines.  Labor and AI collide: Qantas faces union pushback over alleged AI-driven layoffs, and new data shows how an aging workforce and AI are reshaping the demand for trade jobs and frontline roles.  Plus updates on Sapient’s annual HR Systems Survey and a rundown of upcoming events including HR Tech 2026, Workday Rising, Oracle AI World.

  4. 30 Jul

    HR We Have A Problem- 15Five's CEO on Why AI Should Make Us More Human at Work

    Cliff Stevenson sits down with Jeff Smith, CEO of 15Five, to talk AI, performance management, and what it really takes to build trust with employees in the age of automation. 🎙️  In this episode of HR We Have a Problem: 15Five's new Work Context connecting Slack, Teams, Salesforce & GitHub to performance data ️ AI-assisted reviews that turn real workplace "moments" into 80-90% complete drafts Focus Briefs a weekly AI-generated guide showing managers exactly where to focus Why AI should elevate people, not replace them How 15Five is building trust in AI-driven HR tech (and keeping humans in the loop) Why recognition and "mattering" matter just as much as compensation  Jeff also shares what got him fired up at SHRM this year, lessons from running People Services at Bandwidth, and how 15Five is working to kill the Sunday scaries for managers everywhere.

  5. 23 Jul

    Spilling the Tea on HR Tech: M&As, Potential Loosening of AI Regulations, and Oracle’s Government Win over Workday

    Stacey Harris and Cliff Stevenson break down a scorching week of HR tech news. (Literally it's over 90 degrees everywhere.)    On the M&A front, they dig into the Engagedly and Energage merger and what it means for talent management data and discuss a new strategic partnership between HiBob and    SLICE to connect HR and finance data, as well as HiBob’s new AI-driven resume screening approach, built around a “glass box” philosophy. They also cover Paylocity's acquisition of the leave management platform Aidora.  Bigger-picture, Stacey and Cliff unpack the Supreme Court decision allowing the firing of FTC commissioners without cause and what this loss of independence could mean for pending FTC cases against major tech platforms and for broader AI regulation.  They also discuss growing workplace concerns around smart glasses and facial recognition and a major class-action lawsuit against Meta over child safety.  Rounding out the episode: Oracle's $395.8M OPM contract win, which came after the government cancelled its contract with Workday (it pays to have friends in high places); Apple's trade-secret lawsuit against OpenAI; shifting trends in how people use AI (hint: relationship advice is climbing fast); and a sobering look at the looming labor shortage.  The hosts also preview this year's HR Systems Survey, already tracking as the largest and most detailed dataset yet, with expanded questions on compliance, AI governance, and implementation and rundown where the Sapient Insights team will be this fall — including HR Tech Las Vegas and Workday Rising. Grab your tea (or fan yourself) and settle in for another round of the news you need to know.

  6. 16 Jul

    The Pivot Effect - The Happiness Plan

    After years climbing the corporate ladder including stints at Fortune 100 companies and multiple runs in the C-suite as a Chief Marketing Officer Jenn Ravalli hit a wall. No matter how much she achieved, there was no finish line. So, she made the leap: she left it all behind to found Maverick Meridian, a go-to-market strategy firm for companies that dare to be different.  In this episode, Jenn joins Teri and Susan for an honest conversation about what it really takes to walk away from stability and build something of your own. She talks about the fear of putting her family at risk, the "Happiness Plan" she built with a close friend to reclaim her time and sanity, why leaving behind a team was the scariest part of the transition, and how she found new ways to lead without giving that up.  Jenn also opens up about learning to have an opinion after years of protecting a corporate brand, the importance of finding people who will challenge your thinking (not just cheer you on), and the unexpected personal shift that's surprised her most since making the change: laughing more than she has in years.  Whether you're standing at the edge of your own pivot or just curious what it looks like to bet on yourself, this episode is full of hard-won lessons on courage, community, and building a career and a life on your own terms.

  7. 9 Jul

    Spilling the Tea on HR Tech - Payroll Data, Pay Equity, and the Push for AI Alignment

    Payroll data isn't just a compliance checkbox — it's one of the most valuable, real-time data sets an organization has. This week, we talk about why payroll data (unlike predictive data) reflects what's actually happening in your organization, and why that makes it a goldmine for AI-powered payroll applications — a theme that came up again and again during a recent UKG customer meeting. We also dig into Cyndio's acquisition of Embrace.ai, a pay equity AI company, and what it means for organizations racing to keep up with pay equity regulations — especially with looming deadlines in Europe. With 400+ global enterprises already using Cyndio, this move puts them front and center in the compensation conversation. Plus, a look at what's coming up: Cliff heads to the Learn event in Minneapolis to talk data with HR pros, and Stacey's co-hosting a webinar with Tim Crawford on how CIOs, CHROs, and CFOs can team up to build smarter AI strategies. Because if HR, IT, and Finance are working in silos, AI isn't going to get you very far. In this episode: Why payroll data is a must-have for AI in HR What Cyndio's acquisition of Embrace.ai means for pay equity Upcoming events: Learn (Minneapolis) and a CIO/CHRO/CFO webinar with Tim Crawford Why cross-functional collaboration is the key to real AI progress in HR

  8. 2 Jul

    HR, We have a Problem: AI in Hiring: Explaining the 'Why

    The Future of HR Tech: Trust, Transparency, and Responsible AI AI is changing how HR teams recruit, evaluate, and build trust with candidates — but is the technology keeping up with the ethics? In this episode, we sit down with Daniel Joplin, Chief AI Officer, to unpack what responsible AI actually looks like in practice. Daniel walks us through the real challenges organizations face when adopting AI in HR — from candidate fraud and rebuilding trust, to the often-overlooked cost and complexity of token-based pricing models. We dig into the Model Context Protocol (MCP) and what it means for AI integration, explore why explainability is non-negotiable for responsible AI, and talk candidly about bias: as Daniel puts it, AI is biased because humans are biased. Whether you're evaluating AI vendors, building internal AI policy, or just trying to understand what's coming next, this conversation offers a grounded, practical look at where AI in HR is headed — and what it will take to get trust right. In this episode: AI's role in HR and recruitment Trust and transparency in AI systems Responsible AI and ethical considerations Token usage and cost implications MCP protocol and AI integration challenges Candidate fraud and rebuilding trust The future of specialized AI models

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About

Welcome to the HR Huddle, the ultimate resource for all things HR. Cause when the shit goes down, you've got to huddle up. The HR Huddle is comprised of three unique mini-shows: Spilling The Tea On HR Tech — Join Stacey Harris and Cliff Stevenson as they break down the latest happenings in HR and HR tech. HR We Have a Problem — Join Cliff Stevenson as he tackles the messy stories everyone in human resources has, featuring industry guests working on solving these problems. The Pivot Effect is where followers become leaders. Join Teri Zipper and Susan Richards for the stories, skills, and mindset shifts that get you there.

Information

  • Creator
    WRKdefined Podcast Network
  • Years Active
    2021 - 2026
  • Episodes
    212
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © All rights reserved by WRKdefined
  • Show Website
    The HR Huddle

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