Laura Thiele
Chief People Officer
Optimizely
Episode 396
Future-Proofing HR: Adaptability and Empathy in an AI-Driven, Geopolitical World
Current chapter: Covering monthly expenses is the number one concern for employees in 2024
Built By PeopleOctober 29, 2024 · 13:24
Thesis
“The HR landscape is constantly shaped by rapidly evolving technology, like AI, and complex geopolitical dynamics, requiring HR leaders to prioritize adaptability, cultivate uniquely human skills, and maintain empathy in employee relations amidst continuous transformation.”
Show notes
The last five years have been, as Laura Thiele puts it, "really complex in terms of the employee landscape." She's understating it. Pandemic, RTO debates, AI disruption, geopolitical volatility affecting global workforces, and a generational renegotiation of what employees expect from employers—all of this landed in HR's lap, simultaneously. Thiele, CPO at Optimizely with a background spanning Lockheed Martin and SAP, has been navigating it in real time.
Her north star through the turbulence is consistent: treat people with respect and empathy, even when—especially when—the business is in transformation. That's not a soft principle. It's a strategic one. The organizations that maintained employee trust during the most disruptive periods of the last five years did so by treating their people as humans navigating genuine uncertainty, not as headcount variables to be optimized. Her measurement framework reflects this: employee engagement surveys twice a year, supplemented with deep dives into promotion rates, termination trends, onboarding outcomes, and leadership effectiveness tracked through OKRs.
On AI, her view is both pragmatic and forward-leaning: the most valuable thing HR can do is help employees develop the skills that AI can't replicate. Critical thinking, executive presence, communication, judgment—the uniquely human capabilities that become more differentiated as automation handles more of the routine work. Her advice for HR professionals navigating this moment: take it one day at a time, build fluidity, and remember that the ability to evolve is the skill.
- Navigating five years of simultaneous disruption: what empathy and respect look like as operational HR leadership principles
- Multi-dimensional HR measurement: engagement surveys plus promotion rates, termination trends, onboarding success, and OKR-based leadership effectiveness
- AI in HR as simplification and assistance—not just automation—and how CPOs can position the function to take advantage
- Developing uniquely human skills: critical thinking, executive presence, and communication as the career differentiators in an AI era
- The employer-employee dynamic under pressure: maintaining balance when business results and employee expectations aren't in equilibrium
- Fluidity as the HR leader's core competency: adapting faster than the environment changes
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What you'll take away
- 1HR leaders must proactively embrace technology, especially AI, as a tool for simplifying processes and assisting employees, while also preparing for the potential transformation or replacement of certain roles.
- 2Measuring HR's impact requires a multi-dimensional approach, including regular employee engagement surveys, alongside deep dives into data like promotion rates, termination trends, onboarding success, and leadership effectiveness via OKRs.
- 3A significant challenge for HR involves motivating and inspiring teams to achieve business results under intense pressure, capacity constraints, and without immediate access to additional resources or budget.
- 4The future of work necessitates HR's focus on developing intrinsically human skills—such as critical thinking, executive presence, and communication—that technology cannot replicate, allowing individuals to differentiate themselves.
- 5Given the rapid and unpredictable changes in skills requirements and the talent landscape, HR professionals must cultivate fluidity and the ability to evolve as instrumental traits for future success.
What most organizations get wrong
In Laura's words
“I knew that technology was a, a big way to do, to do that and make enhancements.”
Highlights her early recognition of technology's transformative power in HR, shaping her career path.
“I think the landscape is changing very, very quickly. I think in terms of the opportunity, it's really to help simplify as well as really provide, you know, AI assistance to help individuals through their jobs.”
Captures the dual impact of AI in HR – simplification of tasks and providing assistance to employees, alongside potential role changes.
“We definitely measure and pulse our team members to understand where the perhaps pain points are and where the areas of strength are in terms of our, our culture.”
Emphasizes a data-driven approach to understanding employee experience and organizational culture, going beyond surface-level observations.
“The last 5 years have been really complex. In terms of employee landscape. And I think having that ability to navigate across HR with ensuring individuals are treated with respect and empathy and going through business transformation, I think is really important.”
Underscores the critical role of empathy and respect in HR leadership, especially during complex business and employee landscape transformations.
“having that ability to be fluid and having that ability to evolve is something that is going to be instrumental to the HR team to be able to relate and understand.”
Conveys the overarching message that adaptability and continuous evolution are non-negotiable for HR professionals in a fast-paced environment.
The problems this episode addresses
- •HR teams facing pressure and working beyond capacity during strategic changes or technology implementations, with limited budget or skill-based resources to alleviate the strain.
- •The constant challenge for HR professionals to stay current with rapidly changing HR technology, particularly AI, while managing numerous other demands.
- •Navigating the evolving employer-employee dynamic, balancing employee expectations and feedback with the business's need to achieve results, which is not always in equilibrium.
- •The difficulty in predicting future skill requirements due to rapid technological and market changes, making long-term workforce planning and talent development a significant challenge.
In this episode
Covering monthly expenses is the number one concern for employees in 2024
Built by People
Can you walk us through your career journey and some of the key moments
Top HR Executives' Career Journey
The HR field is constantly changing. There are a number of trends shaping the landscape
The HR landscape is constantly evolving
How do you measure employee engagement, productivity and overall business success
How Do HR-Specific Initiatives Impact the Company's Success?
Laura, what are the biggest challenges that you have faced in your HR career
The Biggest Challenges in HR
How do you see the future of work evolving and what role will HR play
The future of work: How HR will shape it
Laura: Well, that wraps up our HR Executive Re-Interview series
HR Executive Re-Interview
Topics covered
Organizations and entities mentioned
Full transcript
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