Gabriella Bedor
CHRO
TeleWorld Solutions
Episode 129
Beyond policy: Authentic HR ignites loyalty, transforms culture, and drives growth.
Current chapter: Gabriella shares her career journey on Built by People podcast
Built By PeopleJune 26, 2025 · 9:37
Thesis
“A human-centric, authentic, and compassionate approach to human resources, which prioritizes listening and valuing employees, is essential for driving loyalty, morale, and ultimately, business success.”
Show notes
Gabriella Bedor still sends handwritten notes. In an era of Slack messages and automated recognition platforms, she writes them by hand — and she'll tell you exactly why: because the point isn't the recognition program, it's the signal that a person was seen. After rising from HR intern to CHRO over the course of a long career, Gabriella has developed a finely tuned instinct for which gestures actually move people and which ones are just performance.
At TeleWorld Solutions, she leads an HR function that has had to do something genuinely difficult: build trust in an environment where "HR" has historically meant "the people who fire you." Her approach is disarmingly direct — she leads with compassion, cultivates authenticity within her team, and creates space for employees to bring real concerns forward, even when the answer can't always be "yes." As she puts it: "We can't promise that we'll deliver on everything that you bring to the table, but the one thing we can do is listen." In environments where trust is thin, that commitment alone is a competitive differentiator.
Gabriella also recounts a pivotal moment when the company faced pressure to reduce headcount. Rather than defaulting to layoffs, she championed furloughs — a decision that preserved relationships, maintained loyalty, and ultimately cost the company far less in rehiring and retraining than a traditional RIF would have. It's the kind of calculus that only makes sense if you believe people are a long-term asset, not a short-term cost.
- The power of simple, genuine gestures — why handwritten notes outperform recognition platforms
- Rebuilding HR's reputation — how to shift the function from "enforcer" to trusted employee advocate
- Furloughs vs. layoffs — the compassionate case and the business case for choosing differently
- Cultivating authenticity in HR teams — what it means to lead from a human-first posture
- Listening as a strategic asset — why acknowledging employee concerns matters even when you can't solve them
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What you'll take away
- 1Prioritize simple, genuine gestures like handwritten notes or unexpected treats to significantly boost team morale and earn credibility.
- 2Cultivate authenticity and compassion within HR to build trust, act as an employee advocate, and counter the stigma of HR being purely disciplinary.
- 3Balance business continuity with compassionate leadership, exploring alternatives like furloughs instead of immediate layoffs to maintain employee loyalty during challenging times.
- 4Actively listen to employee grievances and feedback; even if not all can be addressed, the act of listening itself is a huge asset for morale and success.
- 5Resist the dehumanizing trend in HR, emphasizing the irreplaceable value of human connection and rolling up sleeves to engage directly with employees.
What most organizations get wrong
- •Challenges the traditional perception of HR as a feared entity, advocating for a partnership role.
- •Suggests that authenticity in HR is an inherent quality rather than something that can be learned.
- •Advocates for HR leaders to occasionally 'throw out the rulebook' to act as employee advocates, while still mitigating risk.
- •Warns against the dangers of becoming 'so far removed from that people connection' due to over-reliance on AI and efficiency tools in HR.
In Gabriella's words
“At the end of the day, what the team has done very well is shown a great deal of compassion and empathy. Where it does open the door for HR to be that exact partner and advocate for an employee rather than being fearful of, oh, HR is just known to terminate people.”
Highlights the tangible result of authenticity – shifting HR's role from enforcer to empathetic advocate.
“The business has to continue running. And sometimes that compassion can take over and cost the business aspects of actions. On the flip side, if you don't exercise that compassion, you're losing on the aspect of the people side.”
Articulates the delicate and often challenging balance HR leaders must strike between business needs and human compassion.
“We can't promise that we'll deliver on everything that you bring to the table, but the one thing we can do is listen. And that is, and that's been a really a big win for us here.”
Emphasizes the profound impact of active listening as a foundational element of employee value and trust, even when full resolution isn't possible.
“But equally, the worst thing you can do is become so far removed from that people connection that you can't meet your goals. Because without people, you can't move the dial.”
This serves as a critical warning against the dehumanizing potential of over-reliance on technology in HR, stressing the indispensable role of human connection for organizational success.
The problems this episode addresses
- •Organizations struggle with employee retention, often failing to make employees feel valued and leading to high turnover.
- •HR leaders face a challenging dilemma balancing critical business continuity needs with the imperative of compassionate employee treatment during difficult economic or industry-specific situations.
- •There is a growing risk of HR becoming dehumanized and overly reliant on technology, leading to a loss of genuine connection with employees and diminished trust.
- •HR departments often contend with a negative stigma, being perceived as disciplinary or intimidating, which hinders their ability to act as true employee partners and advocates.
- •Employee grievances regarding benefits packages, particularly health benefits, can significantly impact morale and loyalty, requiring HR to advocate for improvements at the executive level.
In this episode
Gabriella shares her career journey on Built by People podcast
Gabriella on Her Career Journey
Gabriella says simple gestures can boost morale and performance at companies
The Simple Gesture of Valuing Your Team
How have you cultivated authenticity within your HR team and what tangible results have you seen
How HR Teams Have Cultivated Authenticity
You've talked about balancing business continuity with compassionate leadership
How to Balance Business Continuity and Compassion
Many organizations struggle with employee retention, so making people count is critical
Employee retention at McKinsey
Gabriella shares her advice on human resources on Built by People podcast
Human Resources Champion Gabrielle On The Role
Topics covered
Organizations and entities mentioned
Full transcript
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