Carlyne Ervin
VP Human Resources
Chrysalis
Episode 13
Intentional HR Leadership: Driving Engagement with Data and Streamlined Systems
Current chapter: This episode features Previ, the only free tool to boost internal communication engagement
Built By PeopleJanuary 15, 2026 · 18:23
Thesis
“Carlyne Ervin advocates for intentionality and data-driven approaches in HR leadership, emphasizing that effective communication and streamlined systems are crucial for fostering employee engagement and navigating rapid organizational change.”
Show notes
Two decades into her HR career, Carlyne Ervin has arrived at a philosophy that's equal parts direct and refreshing: slow down enough to be intentional. In a field that rewards speed and volume, she advocates for the opposite — fewer, clearer, more purposeful actions. And she's got the results to back it up.
At Chrysalis, Carlyne built a tiered management training curriculum from scratch — first-time managers, mid-level managers, and advanced leaders — because she believed (correctly) that you can't treat every manager the same. A new manager transitioning from individual contributor needs to learn how to give feedback for the first time. An advanced leader needs something entirely different. She's also tackling the data fragmentation problem that plagues most growing organizations: when training records, performance data, and employee relations information live in separate systems, you can't see the full picture — and you can't make smart decisions without it.
But the moment that'll stick with you from this conversation: her decision to turn the employee handbook into a podcast. Her reasoning is blunt and accurate — nobody reads the handbook. Not Gen Z, not Gen X, not anyone. So she met employees where they actually spend their attention, and built something they'd actually use.
What you'll learn:
- How Carlyne structured a three-tier management training program — and what each level actually covers
- Why fragmented HR data is one of the most quietly damaging problems in growing organizations
- The policy podcast initiative that replaced the employee handbook — and why it works better
- How to use multi-channel communication (email, broadcast, manager reinforcement) to make messages actually land
- Why she says "slow down enough to be intentional" — and what that means in a fast-moving HR environment
- How data tracking changes the game for measuring communication and training effectiveness
Built by People is presented by Previ — the free tool that helps HR teams boost internal communication engagement.
What you'll take away
- 1Implement tiered management training programs (first-time, mid-level, advanced) to build foundational and strategic leadership skills across the organization.
- 2Address the challenge of managerial bandwidth by strategically carving out time and building pathways for training absorption and application.
- 3Consolidate fragmented HR data and systems into a single, centralized HRIS to streamline processes, improve tracking, and enable data-driven decision-making.
- 4Innovate internal communication methods beyond traditional handbooks (e.g., policy podcasts) to meet diverse employee demographics where they are and boost engagement.
- 5Emphasize intentionality, clarity, and consistency in communication, leveraging multiple channels and reinforcing messages through managers.
What most organizations get wrong
- •Challenges the conventional reliance on traditional employee handbooks for policy dissemination, stating: "I don't care which generation you're in, nobody reads the handbook. Turn it into a podcast."
In Carlyne's words
“I fell in love with human resources about 2 decades ago. I started my craft 20 years ago... I love— I wake up. And just to think about things that I can solve in human resources. I really love what I do.”
Shows a deep passion and longevity in the HR field, framing her as a dedicated problem-solver.
“We have carved out this management curriculum into 3 tiers. First-time managers, right? Because first-time managers need to understand those basic manager things. How do you give feedback? You know, you're going from being a coworker to a manager, mid-level manager training, and then advanced-level leadership manager training.”
Highlights a structured and comprehensive approach to developing managerial capabilities at different levels.
“Manual or fragmented systems internally within our organization. And what I mean by that is when data lives in too many places, it lives in too many places in our organization... we're trying to figure out how to consolidate and condense the data.”
Identifies a common pain point for growing organizations and her strategic focus on data consolidation.
“He said, if you have a lot of Gen Z employees, they're not reading the handbook... I don't care which generation you're in, nobody reads the handbook. Turn it into a podcast.”
Showcases an innovative and contrarian approach to policy communication, directly addressing modern workforce engagement challenges.
“My advice would be slow down enough to be intentional. I'm going to repeat that. I love to repeat things so that it lands with people. Slow down enough to be intentional.”
Offers a profound piece of advice for leaders facing rapid change, emphasizing thoughtfulness over speed.
The problems this episode addresses
- •Managers' limited bandwidth to complete essential training due to day-to-day job demands.
- •Fragmented internal systems where critical HR data (training, performance, employee relations) resides in too many disparate places, hindering consolidation and tracking.
- •Low engagement with traditional employee handbooks across all generations, leading to ineffective policy communication.
- •Difficulty in streamlining communication across a large, geographically dispersed, and diverse workforce (office, external, frontline).
- •HR leaders being pulled away from strategic initiatives by urgent, day-to-day employee issues and investigations.
- •Lack of trackable data to measure the effectiveness and landing of internal communication messages.
In this episode
This episode features Previ, the only free tool to boost internal communication engagement
Built by People
Carlynne fell in love with human resources about 2 decades ago
Built By People: Carlynne On Her Career Journey
One thing that I'm really focusing on this first quarter is management training
Top Executives: First Quarter
What would you say is the biggest challenge getting managers to complete training
What's the Biggest Challenge for Managers to Complete Trainings
If I shadowed you for a week, where would I find priorities
Have You Spent Time on Strategic Issues?
Is there any internal process that you feel creates friction or slows down
In the Elevator With Processes
What's one initiative you have rolled out recently that you're proud of
WSJD Live: What's One Initiative You're Rolling Out?
Communication is becoming harder across a lot of organizations, right
The Harder Way to Communication
Are there certain channels or timing that have a higher engagement for you guys
Multiple Communication channels for clients
What tools or platforms are most essential for your operations today
What tools or platforms are most essential for your operations today?
Having data in HR is critical, right? Having that, having data
What would you hope to change most within the organization in 2017?
James: Slow down enough to be intentional. I'm going to repeat that. I love to repeat things
Slow Down Enough to Be Intentional
Carlyn, thank you so much for joining us on Built By People Podcast
Carlyn on the Built By People Podcast
Topics covered
Organizations and entities mentioned
Full transcript
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