The HR Huddle

WRKdefined Podcast Network
  • 4.3 (15)
  • BUSINESS
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

Welcome to the HR Huddle, the ultimate resource for all things HR. This podcast is comprised of two unique mini-shows where we will be: Spilling The Tea On HR Tech with Chief Research Officer and HR tech market influencer, Stacey Harris and Cliff Stevenson, Sapient Insights Group, Director of Research, AND breaking down the messy stories that everyone in human resources has in HR - HR We Have a Problem, with Teri Zipper - global HR consulting expert and Sapient Insights Group CEO featuring weekly industry co-hosts. Cause when the shit goes down. You've got to huddle up.

  1. 1D AGO

    Spilling the Tea on HR Tech - The gap between AI expectations and actual business results, the pros and cons of synthetic data panels, and a liability ruling that could change the rules for HR tech vendors.

    In this episode of Spilling the Tea on HR Tech, Stacey Harris and Cliff Stevenson recap two of the biggest HR tech events of the spring season and break down what they actually heard from participating CHROs, mid-market HR leaders, and vendors. The conversation moves through a packed week of news, covering acquisitions, funding rounds, platform expansions, and many rebrands. They dig into the growing debate around the use of synthetic data panels, the liability ruling against Meta and Google, and new research showing C-suite leaders still expect AI to yield productivity gains despite seeing little impact over the past three years.  Key points covered include: ↪️ Organizations across mid-market and enterprise are still trying to get their existing HR systems working together, and many are frustrated that AI conversations keep taking priority over fixing that foundation first. ↪️ Proprietary data is what separates defensible companies from ones that can be replicated - that theme runs through the Findem/Glider acquisition, Payscale's Compass tool, and Origin's $50M raise. ↪️ The liability verdict against Meta and Google opens real questions for HR vendors incorporating AI into their solutions. In particular, vendors selling AI-supported coaching, performance management, learning, and recruiting tools could be held accountable for what their AI agents do. ↪️ Research from the National Bureau of Economic Research showed that CEOs and CFOs reported minimal productivity improvement from AI use over the last three years, and yet still predict nearly 1% productivity gains annually going forward. At the same time, data center capacity is dropping.  The data disconnect indicates that despite the ongoing AI hype, companies are in a wait-and-see mode when it comes to AI’s business and ROI value.    The hosts get into the pros and cons of synthetic data panels – AI-generated, simulated groups that are supposed to mimic the behaviors, preferences, and survey responses of real people. They discuss the challenges of using synthetic panels for decision making and the questions customers should have when reviewing results.  Don’t miss this exciting thought leader conversation! Follow the hosts and companies mentioned below: Sapient Insights Group Download the 2024-25 HR Systems Survey White Paper Instagram | Twitter | LinkedIn Stacey Harris Instagram | Twitter | LinkedIn Cliff Stevenson Twitter | LinkedIn

    1h 20m

  2. MAR 26

    Back by Demand: HR, We Have a Problem - Why most training programs fail to drive behavior change and the simple tools that can triple success rates.

    In this fan-favorite episode of HR, We Have a Problem, Teri Zipper and guest Chris Taylor, Founder and CEO of Actionable.co, discuss why most training programs fail to drive lasting behavior change and what actually works. Drawing from data across 9,000 learning programs and over 100,000 participants, Chris shares the proven methodology behind turning workplace learning into measurable results.  The conversation explores the gap between knowing what to do and actually doing it, revealing that most organizations spend 80% of training time on content when they should be spending 75% on context and application. Chris introduces practical strategies including the 3:1 context-to-content ratio, accountability partnerships that triple success rates, and cohort structures that dramatically increase commitment when groups stay under 10 participants. Key points covered include: ↪️ Training programs achieve far greater success with a 3:1 ratio of context to content, allowing participants to find their personal "why" in addition to understanding organizational objectives. ↪️ Accountability partners increase the likelihood of sustaining behavior change by three times when participants check in at least twice after the initial session, yet this free and simple tool remains underused. ↪️ Cohort learning becomes significantly more effective when groups stay below 10 participants, with daily practice expectations and regular progress reviews at the start of each session. ↪️ AI will commoditize the "how" of change through accessible content, but human facilitation remains critical for helping individuals discover why they care enough to actually change their behavior. Don’t miss this exciting thought leader conversation! Follow the hosts and companies mentioned below: Sapient Insights Group Download the 2024-25 HR Systems Survey White Paper Instagram | Twitter | LinkedIn Teri Zipper Instagram |  Twitter |  LinkedIn  Chris Taylor LinkedIn Actionable.co LinkedIn

    42 min

  3. MAR 19

    Spilling the Tea on HR Tech - How offerings such as Insperity HRScale, the controversy around Grammarly's Expert Review, and AI pricing pressures are shaping the next wave of HR tech.

    In this episode of Spilling the Tea on HR Tech, Stacey Harris and Cliff Stevenson discuss Perceptyx's acquisition of Lyceum AI; the general availability of Insperity HRScale; and the just-announced Sana from Workday. The wide-ranging conversation also gets into Canva’s new Magic Layers for managing the design and content of legacy learning; Grammarly’s controversial Expert Review; people news at Employ, UKG, and Adobe; ICIM’s rebranding and Coalesce AI;  and filtered's SCORM Intelligence.  The duo also calls out a potential pricing disrupter brought about by AI agents. Pricing models built around AI usage and API access are starting to hit real cost barriers for larger organizations Key points covered include: ↪️ With the promise of bringing “superintelligence to work,” Workday has launched Sana for Workday, which includes: Sana for Workday, a new AI interface for Workday; Sana Self-Service Agent, which automates HR and finance workflows; and Sana Enterprise, designed to automate work across the enterprise systems and applications employees use everyday. ↪️ Insperity HRScale, created from Insperity’s partnership with Workday, is now generally available, giving small businesses access to enterprise-grade HR technology while creating a potential pipeline for Workday as those companies grow. ↪️ With the recent acquisition of Lyceum AI, Perceptyx seeks to translate employee signals into personalized capability and skills building in the flow of work. Or, as stated in the news release, to close the gap between employee insights into actual business impact.   ↪️ Grammarly disabled its Expert Review AI agent after backlash over its use of named writers' voices; the controversy, which has spawned a class action lawsuit, raises broader questions about the boundary between AI-assisted writing and unauthorized use of an individual's identity and creative IP. ↪️ Research facts about use of benefit brokers: Sapient’s 2025-2026 data shows that 65% of companies with under 2,500 employees say their brokers have significant influence on how they run HR.  A corollary: organizations using brokers or other third-party HR support are 90% more likely to be viewed as contributing strategic value to their companies. Don’t miss this exciting thought leader conversation! Follow the hosts and companies mentioned below: Sapient Insights Group Download the 2024-25 HR Systems Survey White Paper Instagram | Twitter | LinkedIn Stacey Harris Instagram | Twitter | LinkedIn Cliff Stevenson Twitter | LinkedIn

    1h 11m

  4. MAR 12

    HR, We Have a Problem - The real compliance playbook for 2026 and why the One Big Beautiful Bill, AI legislation, and retirement plans can no longer be managed in isolation.

    In this special episode* of HR, We Have a Problem, Teri Zipper and guest Zach Keep, Manager, Compliance Risk at Paychex, break down the compliance and regulatory shifts that HR professionals, finance teams, and business owners need to track in 2026. They dig into the One Big Beautiful Bill Act and what the "no tax on tips and overtime" provision actually means for employees. The conversation moves through AI legislation at the state level, where new laws are multiplying faster than federal guidance can keep up, and into retirement plan incentives that are making 401(k) adoption more accessible for small businesses than ever before.  Key points covered include: ↪️ The "no tax on tips and overtime" provision in the One Big Beautiful Bill is a refundable tax credit, not a true exemption, and employees should weigh the tradeoffs before adjusting their withholding. ↪️ Federal tax credits under Secure 2.0, including credits for plan establishment and employer matching, have lowered the cost barrier enough that small businesses can now offer 401(k) plans without significant financial risk. ↪️ AI regulation is moving faster at the state level than the federal level, with most legislation focused on deepfakes, privacy protections, and automated decision-making, but that picture will likely shift through 2026. ↪️ Worker classification rules are still in flux, with litigation pending on the 2024 independent contractor rule, and state and local employment laws are filling gaps that federal rollbacks leave behind. For up-to-date compliance resources for your business, visit: paychex.com/state-resources  *This podcast episode is sponsored by Paychex. Don’t miss this exciting thought leader conversation! Follow the hosts and companies mentioned below: Sapient Insights Group Download the 2024-25 HR Systems Survey White Paper Instagram | Twitter | LinkedIn Teri Zipper Instagram |  Twitter |  LinkedIn  Zach Keep LinkedIn Paychex LinkedIn

    33 min

  5. MAR 5

    Spilling the Tea on HR Tech - Canva acquisitions, Workday’s Agent System of Record, and what compensation data shows how organizations actually value AI skills.

    In this episode of Spilling the Tea on HR Tech, Stacey Harris and Cliff Stevenson cover a packed week of HR tech news ranging from SD Workx’s expanded European payroll reach to Canva’s acquisition of two AI companies that are quietly becoming relevant to HR practitioners. They dig into Workday’s Agent System of Record, now generally available; the DOL's new AI literacy framework; and Matt Shumer’s controversial essay on AI’s future that garnered more than 80 million views on X.   Key points covered include: ↪️ Canva is aggressively expanding its design ecosystem with the acquisitions of MangoAI, which sells AI video ad optimization tools, and Cavalry, a U.K. based 2D animation design company.  These acquisitions aim to transform Canva from a simple template tool into a comprehensive creative ecosystem for both casual and professional users. ↪️ PayScale's 2026 Best Practices Compensation Report finds 61% of organizations now list AI skills as part of existing roles, but only 45% are adjusting compensation to reflect those skills. ↪️ Two legal cases involving AI use - one tied to a criminal investigation, another around attorney-client privilege - offer practical reminders that legally one must have full knowledge of the work to be done before relying on AI output.  Nor is AI output protected under attorney-client privilege.   ↪️ The U.S. Department of Labor released an AI literacy framework for guiding the development of training programs to equip American workers with foundational, non-technical AI skills. Don’t miss this exciting thought leader conversation! Follow the hosts and companies mentioned below: Sapient Insights Group Download the 2024-25 HR Systems Survey White Paper Instagram | Twitter | LinkedIn Stacey Harris Instagram | Twitter | LinkedIn Cliff Stevenson Twitter | LinkedIn

    52 min

  6. FEB 26

    HR, We Have a Problem - What is “minimum viable skilling” and why prompt training is the most practical place to start with AI adoption.

    In this episode of HR, We Have a Problem, Teri Zipper and guest Kate O'Neill, Founder and CEO of KO Insights, examine what it actually takes to lead through a period of rapid technological change. The conversation moves beyond AI adoption tactics and into the harder questions around how people make decisions, resist change, and find meaning in their work when automation is reshaping the ground beneath them. Kate draws from her background in tech humanism to explain why the fears employees have about AI are worth listening to, not just managing, and how organizations that skip those conversations tend to pay for it later.  Key points covered include: ↪️ When employees resist new technology, they may be sensing real trade-offs the organization has not acknowledged, such as loss of institutional knowledge or cultural continuity. HR leaders are well-positioned to surface those concerns rather than manage around them. ↪️ AI tools work best as scaffolding beneath human judgment, not as a replacement for it. Organizations that focus on structuring unstructured data and building clear rules and thresholds will move faster than those chasing full automation. ↪️ "Bankable foresight" is Kate's term for signals you are not ready to act on yet but track over time so your decisions are calibrated to something beyond the current moment's anxiety. ↪️ Prompt skilling is the minimum viable entry point for AI adoption. Teaching people to write better prompts also develops clearer thinking and stronger delegation skills, making it useful well beyond AI contexts. Don’t miss this exciting thought leader conversation! Follow the hosts and companies mentioned below: Sapient Insights Group Download the 2024-25 HR Systems Survey White Paper Instagram | Twitter | LinkedIn Teri Zipper Instagram |  Twitter |  LinkedIn  Kate O'Neill LinkedIn

    42 min

  7. FEB 19

    Spilling the Tea on HR Tech - Why employees now prioritize stability over feeling valued and what it means for retention strategy.

    In this episode of Spilling the Tea on HR Tech, Stacey Harris and Cliff Stevenson break down Workday's announcement of Aneel Bhusri's return as CEO and what it signals about how HR tech companies are repositioning for AI-era challenges. New research reveals employee priorities have shifted more dramatically than at any point in the last 20 years, with organizational stability ranking above feeling valued at work for the first time since 2016. Major acquisitions continue reshaping the skills and assessment landscape, while new data governance solutions point to growing concerns about data quality and AI effectiveness. Key points covered include: ↪️ Workday leadership transition as Carl Eschenbach steps down and founder Aneel Bhusri returns as CEO, with analysis of what this means for customers and partners during the AI transformation. ↪️ Employee engagement research showing stability concerns now outrank feeling valued for the first time in a decade, marking the most dramatic shift in engagement drivers in 20 years. ↪️ Skills infrastructure investments including Phenom acquiring Be Applied for AI-first assessments, Skillsoft's Percipio rebranding, and Workday's Military Skills Mapper for veteran hiring. ↪️ Data governance entering the HR conversation with Pantomath's funding for data lineage tracking and G2's consolidation of software review platforms. Don’t miss this exciting thought leader conversation! Follow the hosts and companies mentioned below: Sapient Insights Group Download the 2024-25 HR Systems Survey White Paper Instagram | Twitter | LinkedIn Stacey Harris Instagram | Twitter | LinkedIn Cliff Stevenson Twitter | LinkedIn

    1h 16m

  8. FEB 12

    HR, We Have a Problem - The hyper-adaptive model: Building AI councils and activation hubs that support employees through job redesign and capability shifts.

    In this episode of HR, We Have a Problem, Teri Zipper and guest Melissa Reeve, creator of the hyper-adaptive model and author of the forthcoming book "Hyper-Adaptive: Rewiring the Enterprise to Become AI Native," explains successful AI integration requires organizations to spend 70% of their effort on people changes rather than technology implementation. The conversation covers how jobs will be deconstructed and reassembled as AI automates tasks, why companies need an "AI North Star" to guide adoption, and what organizational structures must be built to support the transition.  Key points covered include: ↪️ Organizations need an "AI North Star"—a clear, compelling business goal that helps employees understand why they're implementing AI and how their roles connect to that mission. ↪️ Companies are building things like  AI activation hubs and councils with programmatic support for AI leads, creating networks that atomize learning and deliver relevant information to frontlines quickly as new capabilities emerge. ↪️ Success requires creating protected time and safe spaces for employees to explore AI through their curiosity, such as "prompting parties" where teams compare approaches and discover possibilities together. ↪️ Start by using empathy mapping to identify tasks employees dislike (bug chasing, testing, invoice processing) and demonstrate how AI can handle those activities, shifting mindset from job replacement fears to capability enhancement. Don’t miss this exciting thought leader conversation! Follow the hosts and companies mentioned below: Sapient Insights Group Download the 2024-25 HR Systems Survey White Paper Instagram | Twitter | LinkedIn Teri Zipper Instagram |  Twitter |  LinkedIn

    37 min
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Ratings & Reviews

4.3
out of 5
15 Ratings

About

Welcome to the HR Huddle, the ultimate resource for all things HR. This podcast is comprised of two unique mini-shows where we will be: Spilling The Tea On HR Tech with Chief Research Officer and HR tech market influencer, Stacey Harris and Cliff Stevenson, Sapient Insights Group, Director of Research, AND breaking down the messy stories that everyone in human resources has in HR - HR We Have a Problem, with Teri Zipper - global HR consulting expert and Sapient Insights Group CEO featuring weekly industry co-hosts. Cause when the shit goes down. You've got to huddle up.

Information

  • Creator
    WRKdefined Podcast Network
  • Years Active
    2021 - 2026
  • Episodes
    192
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © All rights reserved by WRKdefined
  • Show Website
    The HR Huddle

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