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In Conversation with Dr Kathryn Page

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In Conversation with Dr Kathryn Page, Leadership Partner at ByMany

HR has been through the wringer lately. From being the ‘bad guys’ during layoffs to the ‘fun police’ during RTO, a lot’s been happening. If you could clear the air right now, what is the one thing you wish every employee understood about HR?

Dr Kathryn Page:

HR professionals often get a bad rap – and often unfairly in my experience. Most HR professionals (and I put myself as an organisational psychologist in this bucket) care deeply about people. It is often why we were drawn to the profession.  What is difficult however is that we often sit in the middle of tensions that don’t have easy answers. We are navigating the needs of employees, leaders, customers, regulators and the business all at once. Many days it feels like trying to solve a rubiks cube (minus the YouTube videos that explain exactly how to solve them!)

 HR requires a weird mix of skills. You have to be part lawyer, part therapist, and part data analyst. If we stripped away the job title, what is the one ‘superpower’ you rely on most when the office is on fire?

Dr Kathryn Page:

Sensemaking.

In my work, I spend a lot of time helping leaders navigate complexity, uncertainty and change. The temptation in those moments is to rush to solutions.  I’ve learned that the most valuable thing you can do is slow down long enough to understand what’s really happening.  Often the issue presenting itself (or that others are adamant you need to solve) isn’t the issue that needs solving. The ability to listen deeply, spot patterns, challenge assumptions and help people make meaning together is invaluable when organisations are under pressure.

If you could describe the current ‘mood’ of the workforce in 2026 using just one word, what would it be? Why?

Dr Kathryn Page:

I’d say ‘Stretched’.

People are being asked to deliver more, adapt faster and absorb constant change, often without removing anything from their plate.  AI, transformation programs and economic pressures have increased expectations, but many organisations are still operating with assumptions about capacity that no longer hold true.  The challenge for leaders isn’t helping people squeeze more into the day. It’s designing work that is sustainable in a world that never stops accelerating.

It is a common notion that an HR team is called upon by leadership only during times of crisis. Have you ever felt that pressure to be the ‘fixer’ in a broken system?

Dr Kathryn Page:

As an advisor to HR leaders, one pattern I see repeatedly is the expectation that HR will solve problems that were never created by HR in the first place. A great example of that is burnout or engagement issues – two issues that leaders often expect HR to deal with. But both of these issues originate in the way work is designed and led at the business or work group level.

One of the most powerful shifts I see in leading organisations is moving from asking, “How do we help people cope?” to asking, “What are we asking people to cope with?”

What is the biggest myth about working in HR that you wish would die?

Dr Kathryn Page:

That HR are responsible for employee wellbeing. Yes, we can influence this and maybe run more programmatic responses. But programs alone (and therefore HR people) can’t make people more resilient, productive or adaptable. I would 100% agree that those skills matter – in fact, I would say they are absolutely vital for work today. However, I also know from my two decades of research in organisational psychology and public health that work itself is one of the strongest drivers of mental health, engagement and performance.

In my view, the future of HR isn’t helping people survive work. It’s helping organisations design work that is good for people in the first place.

 HR is often described as a thankless job—you’re the villain when things go wrong and invisible when things go right. Why do you stay? What is the specific feeling that reminds you, ‘This is why I do this’?

Dr Kathryn Page:

Because work matters. We spend more of our waking lives working than doing almost anything else. Work shapes our health, confidence, relationships, identity and sense of contribution. It is, as I alluded to in my response to the previous questions, a social determinant of health

What keeps me passionate about this work is seeing the ripple effect. When a leader changes how he or she leads, a team might start having better conversations. When conversations improve, someone might feel safe enough to speak up. When people speak up, a source of frustration that’s existed for years might get redesigned and removed.

Those moments may seem small, but these small moments compound. And when we improve work, even in small ways, we improve lives.  

What is one task AI will never be able to replace in your people strategy?

Dr Kathryn Page:

AI will help us analyse work. It won’t replace our responsibility to decide what good work looks like. The most important questions organisations face are fundamentally human ones: What kind of culture are we creating? What trade-offs are we willing to make? How much is enough? What does success look like?

Technology can help answer operational questions. Humans still need to answer moral ones.

 What is one book every leader in HR should read?

Dr Kathryn Page:

I’m biased, but I would love leaders to read my book, Good Work: Transform your work from the inside out.  I have written this book partly for HR Leasers as a bit of a distillation of two decades of knowledge into a blue print of sorts. Outside of this, I’d encourage leaders to read broadly beyond traditional HR texts.

One book I’d recommend is The Good Jobs Strategy by Zeynep Ton. Its central argument is that investing in better jobs isn’t at odds with performance and can be a driver of performance. At a time when many organisations are trying to balance productivity, wellbeing and adaptability, that’s an important idea for leaders to wrestle with.

If you had an unlimited budget for one year but could only spend it on one area of the employee experience (e.g., wellness, learning, compensation, physical space), where would it go and why?

Dr Kathryn Page:

Work design. Without hesitation. In fact, I wouldn’t spend it on wellbeing programs. I’d spend it on improving the quality of work itself. The way work is designed (i.e. things like workload, autonomy, role clarity, connection, learning opportunities and recovery) shapes almost everything else. It influences performance, engagement, wellbeing, retention and innovation.

I’d invest in helping leaders redesign jobs, teams and systems so that good work becomes the default, not something employees have to fight for. In my experience, the highest-return wellbeing strategy isn’t a wellbeing program. It’s better work. It is not as easy to do as implementing a program but over time, I genuinely believe creating better work will help to create a better world.

Dr. Kathryn Page is an organizational psychologist, author, and leadership partner at ByMany, who has spent her career asking one big question: What makes work good for us? Based in Melbourne, she has worked with leaders across industries to design work that protects people, fuels wellbeing, and unlocks performance. Her clients include some of the world’s largest companies and health systems, and her research is cited broadly. Her new book, Good Work:Transform Your Work from the Inside Out (Wiley, May 11, 2026), shows how leaders and teams can design work that’s both human and high performing. Learn more at bymany.com.au

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In Conversation with Matt Poladian

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In Conversation with Matt Poladian, Chief People Officer, Liferay

Thank you for joining us, Matt! Let’s begin with the current ‘mood’ of the workforce in 2026! Using just one word, how would you describe it? Why?

Matt Poladian:

“Fearful. And I don’t say that to be dramatic. I say it because I think it’s honest.

There’s real anxiety in the workforce right now, in tech and outside of tech, and a lot of it is being driven by what people are saying about AI. Some CEOs have said publicly that people should watch out because AI is going to take their jobs. Other leaders have talked about how people can be quickly left behind if they don’t get “on board.” I don’t think this is particularly helpful. When you tell people to fear something, their imaginations take over and they start filling in the blanks themselves. Mercer reported that 40% of workers now fear losing their job to AI, up from 28% two years ago, so the impact of these narratives is measurable and consequential.

What I keep coming back to is that the antidote to fear is knowledge. I recently read an excerpt from a letter written by a farmer in the 1800s who was afraid the industrial revolution would take away his livelihood. Of course, with hindsight, we know that the industrial revolution also expanded economies and helped create new kinds of opportunity. I’m not saying I have a crystal ball. I’m just saying leaders have a responsibility to help people be a little more measured in how they think about change.”

Have you ever felt that pressure to be the ‘fixer’ in a broken system?

Matt Poladian:

Absolutely. A lot of the pressure on HR leaders today comes from managing digital transformation.

HR leaders used to spend most of their time on culture and the employee lifecycle. Now, the head of HR is often one of the biggest owners of an organization’s internal tech stack. I am the executive sponsor of   a dozen or so SaaS tools, and IT-related decisions now take up close to 20% to 25% of my decision-making space. That shift happened quickly, and a lot of people in HR were never really trained for it.

So you end up being called in to help solve problems HR didn’t necessarily create: systems that don’t talk to each other, tools employees aren’t adopting, or frustration from people who feel like technology is being done to them instead of for them. None of that starts as an HR problem, but HR often feels the impact when the people side breaks down.

HR leaders don’t need to become technologists overnight, but we do need the right relationships early with IT, legal, procurement and project managers, so that when we’re brought in to solve something, we’re not doing it alone.

What is the biggest myth about working in HR that you wish would die?

Matt Poladian:

That being a “people person” and being tech-savvy are somehow opposites.

I still hear HR professionals say, “I don’t deal with tech, I’m a people person,” and I don’t think that holds up anymore. Technology is part of the employee experience now. The tools people use to collaborate, manage performance, find information, get support and communicate with each other all shape how work feels. And AI magnifies all of that.

That doesn’t mean HR leaders need to become engineers. But we do need to understand enough about technology to ask the right questions, choose the right partners, and make sure tools are actually helping people. Because when technology is implemented well, it can create more human connection, not less. We saw that clearly in 2020, when platforms like Zoom and Teams helped people see each other’s faces at a time when many felt isolated. Technology can deliver real human warmth when it’s used thoughtfully.

If you could ban one corporate buzzword forever, what would it be?

Matt Poladian:

“AI will take your job.”

I know that’s more of a phrase than a buzzword, but it has become its own kind of corporate currency, and I’d love to retire it as quickly as it emerged. The language we use around AI is doing real damage to how employees relate to it. When people hear that framing, they start “protecting” themselves from AI instead of learning how to leverage it in their careers.

What I try to do instead is show people the tangible upside. We’ve built AI into parts of our product, and it’s helping us open new conversations with customers. That’s something to celebrate, as long as we’re using it responsibly. The conversation needs to shift from “watch out” to “here’s what’s possible.”

What is one task AI will never be able to replace in your people strategy?

Matt Poladian:

The personal relationship required to reach someone who has completely shut down.

We’ve been looking at a five-stage AI adoption model, and we actually added a “stage zero” because there’s a category of employees who aren’t just slow to adopt, but have folded their arms and decided, “this isn’t for me.” No policy, webinar, or AI-generated communication is going to reach that person on its own.

What reaches them is their colleagues and their manager. Someone who knows them, has built trust with them and can understand what’s underneath the resistance. That kind of human relationship is what helps people move from fear or avoidance to curiosity.

What is one book every leader in HR should read?

Matt Poladian:

Quiet by Susan Cain.

It’s a book about introversion and extroversion, and how people show up differently in group settings. But when I read it, I kept thinking about something beyond what the author originally intended: virtual and in-person participation has become its own version of that dynamic.

In a hybrid meeting, the virtual participant can sometimes show up like the introvert in the room: present and engaged, but structurally disadvantaged by the environment. That insight shaped how I think about hybrid work. At Liferay, I’ve recommended that virtual meetings happen on the days when everyone is remote, so no one is the person on a screen looking into a room.

To me, that’s the mark of a great book. It gives you a framework you can apply beyond the exact situation it was written for.

If you had an unlimited budget for one year but could only spend it on one area of the employee experience (e.g., wellness, learning, compensation, physical space), where would it go and why?

Matt Poladian:

Learning. Specifically around helping people understand and adopt the technology that’s already available to them. A McKinsey study found that 80%+ of organizations using AI haven’t seen enterprise-level impact yet, so there is clearly a deployment-vs-adoption gap.

I look at what companies are spending on AI tools and then I look at how people are actually using them. Right now, a lot of usage is still glorified Google searches, or expensive “rabbit trails” that drain token usage. We’re not getting close to the full value these tools can deliver.

If I had an unlimited budget for a year, I’d pour it into closing that gap. Not just webinars, but hands-on, gamified, practical learning experiences. McKinsey finds that organizations using gamified training see up to a 50% improvement in engagement and retention rates. We ran a competition on my team where people had to find a real AI use case that solved a problem they were facing at work. We got 18 ideas back. People built things, recorded presentations, and competed for a chance to attend a conference together. That kind of learning sticks. It improves productivity, but more importantly, it changes how people relate to the technology. They stop seeing AI as something to fear and start seeing it as something they can use. You can’t put a number on what it’s worth to have a workforce that is curious instead of fearful.

Matt Poladian is the Chief People Officer at Liferay, a global technology company. In that capacity, he is responsible for all areas of HR across the company's worldwide offices and several hundred remote employees. Before joining Liferay, Matt held various HR business partner and HR manager roles at large companies, most recently within Disney's Animation studios. He has degrees from UC Irvine (MBA) and Claremont McKenna College (BA). Matt keeps busy outside of work holding several non-profit leadership positions. His most important role is as husband to Jenny and dad to their three young kids.

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Quitting An Internship: Warning Signs That Tell You to Bail

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Quitting An Internship: Warning Signs That Tell You to Bail

What if that “dream” internship is quietly derailing your career before it even starts? 

In a market flooded with opportunities promising growth, many hide toxic traps like endless busywork or ghosting mentors that leave interns questioning their worth. 

How do you spot the moment to cut losses and run, preserving your confidence and time for real development?

HR Spotlight turned to CEOs, founders, and strategists who’ve seen it all: from vague roles breeding cynicism to ignored ideas eroding potential. 

Their unfiltered warnings? 

When feedback vanishes, hours explode without purpose, or your voice echoes in silence—bail fast. 

These aren’t minor hiccups; they’re signals of environments that exploit rather than empower. 

Discover how reframing “stuck” as a cue to exit can transform a bad gig into a stepping stone. 

Ready to decode the signs and safeguard your future? 

These eye-opening insights await on HR Spotlight.

Read on!

Aditya Nagpal
Founder & CEO, Wisemonk

A clear red flag that signals to an intern it’s time to walk away is when the company treats them like free labor instead of as a budding professional deserving of guidance.

An internship should provide structure, feedback, and opportunities for learning.

If weeks pass and the intern is stuck doing repetitive tasks without understanding how their work fits into the overall goals, that indicates the environment is not focused on their growth.

At Wisemonk, we collaborate with global teams and young talent across India, and we notice a consistent pattern.

Interns do well when they have a manager who takes a few minutes to coach them and show real interest in their development.

When that support is lacking and the culture ignores questions or makes interns feel replaceable, the intern should consider stepping away.
The early stages of a career should build confidence, not take it away.

Walk When They Treat You Like Free Labor

Cyrus Partow
CEO, ShipTheDeal

When your interns are constantly exhausted and making cynical jokes, but management doesn’t seem to notice, that’s a bad sign.

Good teams talk about this stuff.

They actually ask if you’re drowning in work.

But when your concerns get brushed off and nothing changes, the work gets sloppy and people just stop caring. If they’re not interested in fixing things, it’s time to go.

Burnout and Cynicism Signal a Toxic Team

Justin Carpenter
Founder, Jacksonville Maids

Here’s a red flag: a company that wants you to work insane hours but can’t tell you what you’ll actually learn.

I’ve seen interns get treated like extra bodies, not future talent, and they just quit caring.

It’s not the only reason to leave, but every time I’ve managed interns, the ones with predictable schedules did the best work and learned the most.

Quit When Hours Spike and Growth Stays Vague

Aja Chavez
Executive Director, Mission Prep Healthcare

Look, if you keep getting work that has nothing to do with the company’s big picture, it’s time to go.

I’ve seen so many interns get stuck in that rut.

One kid told me he spent weeks just copy-pasting data and felt totally useless.

If you ask for different work and nothing changes, you should probably leave.

Busywork That Ignores Strategy Means Go

Justin Herring
Founder & CEO, YEAH! Local

If your supervisor never replies, meetings keep getting cancelled, and you’re left guessing what’s next, that’s a real problem.

I’ve watched interns just freeze in situations like that.

Their learning stops dead without any feedback or direction.

If you’re not getting actual guidance after giving it some time, you should find an internship where they’ll actually show you how to do the work.

Walk When Guidance Vanishes and Feedback Never Comes

Rakesh Kalra
Founder & CEO, UrbanPro Tutor Jobs

If the intern list turns over every few months, or you can’t figure out what you’d actually be doing, that’s a bad sign.

I’ve worked in education and I’ve found that good companies give interns clear direction and real feedback.

If you’re just making coffee runs, find another place.

You deserve a spot where you’ll actually learn something and where people take you seriously.

High Turnover and Vague Roles Signal Exit

Debbie Naren
Founder, Design Director, Limeapple

When an intern finds their ideas are routinely brushed aside or go unheard, that’s a glaring signal that it’s time to consider other opportunities.

An internship should be a launchpad for growth and mutual respect—not a place where one’s potential is stifled or self-worth chipped away.

If your voice is consistently silenced, it’s not just a setback for your learning, but a cue to seek an environment that welcomes your contributions and values your development.

Leave When Your Voice Is Consistently Silenced

Bennett Maxwell
CEO, Franchise KI

After starting a few companies, I noticed a pattern.

High intern turnover or a manager who can’t explain your job clearly usually means the company itself is lost.

We always did better when we gave interns an actual plan and clear work.

If you’re stuck with vague tasks and no real support, just leave.

It probably won’t get better.

Exit When Leadership Can’t Clarify Your Role

Carissa Kruse
Business & Marketing Strategist, Carissa Kruse Weddings

A definite warning sign is when you feel like the internship dismisses your time, growth, or contributions, and this demonstrates a consistent pattern even after bringing up the issues, or seeking clarification.

For example, if you are repeatedly just assigned low level tasks with little learning value, your questions continue to go unanswered, and if deadlines or expectations are ambiguous enough that they create excess stress, this is a clear indicator that this experience is not being intentionally created to support your growth.

Another powerful warning sign is the absence of mentorship or constructive feedback.

Internships are meant to be places to learn, not just be a working environment.

If your supervisor or manager is unable to even find time to mentor you, review your work, have you understand the “why” behind each project, you are no longer learning a skill, you are just providing free labor.

Once either of these patterns becomes the norm or the expectation, you can feel certain it’s time to reconsider and find a placement that values your potential, growth and time in a fair way.

Leave When Mentorship and Purpose Are Absent

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Triumphs in Talent: Executives Reveal Their Proudest 2025 Milestones

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Triumphs in Talent: Executives Reveal Their Proudest 2025 Milestones

What if the HR triumph that elevated your year wasn’t a viral perk, but a subtle pivot fostering deeper trust, sharper skills, and unbreakable bonds? 

In 2025’s demanding talent landscape, leaders discovered that blending empathy with innovation—through AI-assisted hiring, personalized growth paths, and authentic recognition—didn’t merely retain staff; it ignited performance in ways that reshaped entire cultures. 

These victories stemmed from attuned choices, proving that investing in human potential yields exponential returns beyond metrics.

HR Spotlight convened CEOs, directors, and officers to recount their pinnacle moments: from zero-turnover feats via flexible scheduling to morale surges through real-time coaching, and global engines hiring 100 stars. 

Their insights spotlight efforts like competency frameworks, quarterly one-on-ones, and community-driven mentoring that turned fragmented teams into unified forces. 

Intrigued by how promoting internal pathways or embracing data-driven resets could redefine your dynamics? 

These compelling narratives demonstrate that the strongest wins prioritize clarity and connection. 

Discover the strategies fueling thriving workplaces on HR Spotlight.

Read on!

JZ Tay
Founder, WFH Alert

The HR Win That Transformed My 2025

I believed my biggest HR win for 2025 was when I consolidated feedback from the online community into a well-honed quality system for evaluating work-from-home jobs.

I had to dismantle my vetting process entirely because everything suddenly became too much for the job hunters to process.

This transition alleviated some burnout among applicants, replacing it with clarity so they no longer wasted snows of time on roles with sheepish communication or shady expectations.

Initially, there were a lot of positives from these job ads: they were attracting more appropriate applicants who were more motivated in respect to the job.

This win, due to my focus on identifying recurring patterns, made me rethink and strategize deeply.

Reports from a lightweight feedback loop were also introduced to aid candidates in pointing out compliance and responsibility in the hiring execution.

So with the year 2026, my eyes are set on scaling the system to help job seekers feel more supported and more confident while applying for any job.

Community Feedback Builds Quality Job Pipeline

Stefan Stojanovic
Director of Recruitment, Digital Silk

I believe that the best thing we did this year was to make our hiring process a truly strategic, data-driven talent engine that will help Digital Silk grow better over time.

By unifying competency frameworks and implementing formal evaluations, we made hiring faster and better.

We also invested in improving the applicant experience and internal mobility to strengthen our brand and cut down on attrition.

The most important thing was leading by example; we wanted to empower departments to make fact-based recruiting decisions by communicating their needs openly and adopting consistent hiring practices.

This shift produced our most efficient and high-performing hiring year to date.

Data-Driven Hiring Fuels Scalable Growth

Michael Goble
HR Consultant, Thehrconsultant 

Starting my own firm wasn’t a leap away from corporate life—it was a step toward purpose. 

I wanted to bring big-company experience to small and mid-sized organizations that often need it the most but couldn’t afford a full time HR professional. 

I have connected with community and business leaders and the one thing we all have in common is that we need people to accomplish our goals.  

Purpose-Driven Consulting Empowers Small Businesses

Chris M. Walker
CEO, Legiit

In 2025 my biggest HR win was integrating AI into recruitment and employee support while keeping empathy at the center.

We deployed AI screening to manage thousands of applications, cutting time to hire by 40 percent.

The key decision was ensuring human oversight remained part of the process.

Recruiters reviewed AI flagged candidates to confirm cultural fit and long term potential.

At the same time we introduced AI assistants to handle routine HR queries, which freed managers to focus on mentorship and career development.

The result was higher employee satisfaction scores and a stronger pipeline of talent.

This effort showed that technology can enhance HR when balanced with judgment and compassion.

For 2026 we are expanding into predictive analytics to anticipate retention risks and growth opportunities.

AI Screening Cuts Hire Time 40%

Paulina Roszczak-Sliwa
People & Culture Director, eSky Group

In 2024, eSky Group began a post-merger integration with Thomas Cook, bringing together two companies with long histories, distinct cultures, and different age structures.

In 2025 our biggest HR win was successfully navigating this integration while transitioning technology to our platform.

Aware of our differences, we focused on what unites our people. In traveltech, meritocracy is our anchor – talent, skills, and real impact matter most.

Multigenerational teams allow us to blend deep travel expertise with a tech-savvy mindset, strengthening our competitive edge.

When designing development programs, we combine short online formats with classic in-class training to meet the needs of all generations.

Flexibility is equally important: our remote-first model empowers teams to choose when online or in-person collaboration works best.

Finally, we ensure technology supports everyone by choosing intuitive tools and offering broad learning resources, from basic digital skills to advanced topics like AI, now central to our business.

Meritocracy Unites Multigenerational Teams

Christopher Pappas
Founder, eLearningIndustry

We recorded our biggest HR win in 2025 by promoting inclusive decision-making.

We invited more team members to join early discussions and this created a deeper sense of ownership.

We saw this in action when a strategist helped shape a major project after sharing ideas during an early planning session.

We learned that widening the room early gives people the freedom to contribute with confidence.

We supported this shift by sharing transparent meeting notes for every project.

We kept everyone informed and this helped teams stay aligned without confusion.

We noticed a clear rise in proactive leadership behaviors among employees.

We believe this happened because employees felt seen and trusted which strengthened their commitment to shared goals across the organization.

Inclusive Decisions Spark Proactive Leadership

Erwin Gutenkust
CEO, Neolithic Materials

The most meaningful HR win this year came from restructuring teams so every craftsperson operated strictly within their highest-value skill set, a move that defied the popular push toward extreme cross-functional blending.

In our world as a Natural Stone Supplier, precision matters more than multitasking.

When we reassigned a senior mason back to heritage-stone restoration instead of general installation, project efficiency jumped by 30% and rework dropped to nearly zero.

That single adjustment accelerated timelines on multiple custom builds and elevated morale across the shop.

The lesson: specialization isn’t old-fashioned; it’s the most reliable way to create mastery, accountability, and meaningful craftsmanship.

Specialization Sparks Mastery and Morale

Gregory Shein
CEO, Nomadic Soft

Our biggest HR win in 2025 at Nomadic Soft came from giving developers true autonomy and flexibility.

We realized that rigid workflows were stifling innovation and hurting retention, so we implemented a system where teams could choose their own sprints and tools within a clear strategic framework.

This approach was inspired by insights from our blog, highlighting that autonomy is now one of the top drivers of job satisfaction in tech.

The result? Employee engagement surged 35% in six months, and product delivery timelines improved while burnout rates dropped.

Looking ahead to 2026, we are doubling down on flexible work design and personalized growth paths, ensuring our SaaS teams feel trusted and empowered.

This isn’t just a perk; it’s a strategic lever that drives both culture and business outcomes.

Autonomy Boosts Engagement 35%

Pankaj Kumar
Founder, Naxisweb

The biggest HR win I registered in 2025 was the formation of a high-performing, retention-centric workforce as a result of the implementation of a structured Growth & Ownership Framework at Naxisweb.

With our clientele multiplying, the focus was on strengthening our core values of accountability and innovative thinking.
I was tasked with redefining job descriptions, instituting an element of transparency with the introduction of the OKR system for performance metrics, and forming custom paving for each team member.

This not only instilled a sense of productivity but also a sense of reduction in attrition levels by empowering employees to take the lead on their work and their destinies.

Furthermore, our flexible work arrangement, which married remote work autonomy with pre-scheduled collaboration days, enhanced morale considerably.

This, on the whole, transformed our HR and entrepreneurial ecosystem and a positive impact was felt as the construction of a motivated team for the future was realized.

Ownership Framework Slashes Attrition

The HR Spotlight team thanks these industry leaders for offering their expertise and experience and sharing these insights.

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2025 in Review: Leaders on the HR Bets That Paid Off

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2025 in Review: Leaders on the HR Bets That Paid Off

Ever wondered why some HR strategies spark immediate loyalty while others fizzle despite good intentions? 

In 2025’s volatile talent market, leaders uncovered that blending empathy with structure—through revamped recognition, flexible scheduling, and personalized growth paths—didn’t just stem turnover; it fueled innovation and cohesion in ways that metrics alone couldn’t predict. 

These triumphs weren’t born from grand overhauls but from attuned decisions that listened to unspoken needs.

HR Spotlight assembled reflections from CEOs, VPs, and directors who championed transformative moments: from AI-assisted workflows slashing creation time to quarterly one-on-ones fostering trust, and hybrid models blending global talent with local heart. 

Their narratives spotlight efforts like rigorous QA expansions, transparent pay scales, and community-driven mentoring that elevated teams from fragmented to formidable. 

Curious how promoting from within or normalizing feedback could redefine your dynamics? 

These compelling accounts demonstrate that the most potent wins prioritize authenticity and adaptability. 

Explore the blueprints for resilient cultures on HR Spotlight.

Read on!

Matthew Reeves
CEO & Co-founder, Together Software

Last year we built our own mentoring platform.

Over 200 people joined, and our internal management promotions jumped to 85% from the usual 45%.

This was huge when we were scaling fast and needed new leaders.

If your company is growing, making peer mentoring a real priority just works.

Mentoring Platform Hits 85% Promotions

Aliya Maseelall
Director, Gillette Children’s

The Dream Accomplice Program at Gillette Children’s in St. Paul, Minn., was the hospital’s biggest HR win of 2025.

Created through the Minnesota Dual-Training Pipeline Grant, the program gives current employees a pathway into critical care nursing – an occupation in high demand across Minnesota.

Rather than hiring externally, which the grant allowed, Gillette chose to invest in internal, non-licensed staff who already understand the patients we care for – children with complex needs, rare diseases and disabilities.

The grant covers on-the-job training and staff coaching through the nursing application process.

Gillette also provides tuition support.

At the end of nursing school and training, the graduates are guaranteed a critical care nursing role at Gillette.

The benefits are twofold: The program strengthens Gillette’s workforce and deepens expertise for a unique patient population.

Piloted in 2024, it supported two employees in 2025 and drew three times as many applications as the pilot year.

Internal Pathway Fills Critical Roles

Julie Lindgren
Marketing & Sales, Whitman Associates

Being named one of the top 3 staffing agencies by Three Best Rated for the 6th year in a row is a significant achievement for us.

This year, we’re especially proud of our outstanding Google review rating and the growth of our events division.
Three Best Rated’s rigorous 50-point inspection, which includes feedback from over 225 client and temp reviews, has recognized us as one of the best staffing agencies in Washington, D.C.

Top Agency Rating Drives Client Trust

Laurie Fainer
Transformation Coach, Dynamic Alchemy Advisors

My biggest HR win in 2025 was helping a client reframe fear as data. 

During a major transformation, leaders saw hesitation as pushback. 

By coaching them to slow down, pause, and listen, we uncovered that fear was pointing to the real issues – gaps in trust, worries about risk, and cracks in the culture. 

Once leaders stopped dismissing fear and started treating it as feedback, they could act with clarity instead of defensiveness. 

We built simple check‑ins that turned fear into dashboard input, highlighting where the team needed clarity or support. 

In 2026, I’m scaling this approach – helping more executives spot patterns in fear that sharpen strategy. 

The win wasn’t about eliminating fear; it was about turning it into a resource that fuels courage and alignment. 

Fear as Data Fuels Courageous Change

Delia Mendoza
President & Owner, Delia Mendoza Communications

In 2025, Coinme HR’s biggest win was demonstrating the strategic value of HR by turning employee and leadership feedback into meaningful organizational improvements.
We acted on survey insights by fully revamping our rewards and recognition program, ensuring every employee can give and receive recognition in ways that feel personally meaningful.

We also equipped managers with simplified tools and training to strengthen day-to-day appreciation and team engagement.

In response to employee feedback around meeting overload, HR championed “Deep Work Wednesdays” and redesigned our monthly all-hands structure, reducing the meeting time from two hours to one.

This change resulted in increased engagement and focus during the meeting and more efficient company-wide communication.

Additionally, HR responded to our business operations feedback and led the transition of our U.S. and global workforce to Rippling, streamlining HR operations, strengthening compliance, improving manager visibility for a dispersed team and delivering an estimated ~$400K+ in annual savings.

Feedback Turns Into Actionable Wins

B. Jaye Burchfiel
Vice President, MyComputerCareer

In 2025, our biggest HR win was transforming the way HR supports the organization through data, automation, and AI-driven insights. 

We strengthened our people-analytics foundation by standardizing retention and turnover reporting, and provided leaders clearer, faster visibility into workforce trends. 

We also began leveraging AI tools, including ADP Assist and internal automation pilots, to reduce manual work, support quicker decision-making, and improve the employee experience. 

These efforts allowed our small but mighty HR team to operate with greater speed and accuracy and help position the organization for a more consistent, technology-enabled HR model in 2026. 

The result is a smarter, more proactive HR function to support 400+ employees at MyCC.

AI Analytics Streamlines Workforce Decisions

Stephanie Manzelli
Chief People Officer, Employ Inc

One of our biggest achievements in 2025 was unifying revenue enablement, customer enablement, product readiness, and learning and development (L&D) under a single operating framework. 

For the first time, we had a shared understanding of the skills our organization needed, a scalable intake model, and consistent standards for training, onboarding, and change management. 

The turning point was establishing clear governance: HR owns the structure, standards, and quality; business leaders own priorities and deliverables. 

Once we aligned on that model, duplication went down, time-to-ramp improved, and learning paths became directly tied to business goals. 

It was the first year where talent development truly matched the pace and expectations of a high-growth company.

Unified Enablement Matches Growth Pace

Ace Zhuo
Business Development Director, TradingFXVPS

The greatest HR achievement we marked in 2025 was creating a globally unified workforce that excelled in coordination despite spanning multiple time zones.

This accomplishment stemmed from prioritizing customized communication strategies designed for the high-pressure requirements of the trading sector.

By introducing flexible scheduling methods and focused employee development initiatives, we ensured that each team member felt both valued and aligned with our organization’s vision.

Incorporating dynamic feedback systems significantly improved teamwork, allowing swift adaptations to the rapid pace of fintech.

This strategy not only elevated efficiency but also enhanced staff satisfaction, cultivating a culture of confidence and creativity within TradingFXVPS.

Custom Comms Unites Global Team

Ally Ipsen
VP of Marketing, PerformanceX

Our biggest HR win in 2025 was boosting employee performance scores by 28% across teams while cutting low-performer turnover in half. 

The key decision was moving from annual reviews to real-time performance coaching using data that actually matters: project contributions, peer feedback patterns, and skill gaps. 

We gave managers a simple dashboard through PerformanceX.ai that flagged when someone was struggling or disengaged so that they could act early with targeted support like mentorship pairings or skill training. 

The hard part was getting leaders to have more frequent, honest conversations instead of waiting for year-end reviews. 

But once employees saw we were investing in their growth and not just tracking numbers, engagement jumped 41%. 

High performers stayed because they felt seen, and struggling employees improved or self-selected out faster. 

We turned performance management from a dreaded annual chore into an ongoing development tool that people actually value.

Real-Time Coaching Boosts Scores 28%

The HR Spotlight team thanks these industry leaders for offering their expertise and experience and sharing these insights.

Do you wish to contribute to the next HR Spotlight article? Or is there an insight or idea you’d like to share with readers across the globe?

Individual Contributors:

Answer our latest queries and submit your unique insights:
https://bit.ly/SubmitBrandWorxInsight

Submit your article:
https://bit.ly/SubmitBrandWorxArticle

PR Representatives:

Answer the latest queries and submit insights for your client: https://bit.ly/BrandWorxInsightSubmissions

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The Winning Move: What Drove Success in People Operations in 2025?

by

The Winning Move: What Drove Success in People Operations in 2025?

What if the HR victory that reshaped your 2025 wasn’t a sweeping overhaul, but a targeted tweak that reignited passion and productivity? 

As talent wars intensified, leaders discovered that elevating teams often hinged on listening deeper, recognizing smarter, and empowering bolder—turning everyday decisions into catalysts for loyalty and innovation. 

These weren’t accidental breakthroughs; they were intentional bets on human connection over hierarchy.

HR Spotlight convened founders, CEOs, and directors to reflect on their pinnacle moments: from zero-turnover miracles via personalized KPIs to morale-boosting shoutouts and flexible hours slashing burnout. 

Their accounts spotlight efforts like cross-department pairings, rigorous training, and culture-fit hires that didn’t just fill roles—they fostered belonging. 

Curious how promoting from within or gamified chats could transform your dynamics? 

These vivid narratives reveal that the most enduring wins stem from valuing voices and adaptability. 

Ready to inspire your own shift? 

Uncover the strategies fueling thriving cultures on HR Spotlight.

Read on!

Carmen Jordan Fernandez
Academic Director, The Spanish Council of Singapore

Growing my quality assurance team from three to eight people was the best move I made all year.

We overhauled training to be more rigorous and collaborative, which made a real difference for student certification pass rates.

It was tough finding people who knew their language stuff and were also sharp analysts, but it was worth it.

Partner institutions saw a 35% jump in DELE certifications.

My advice is to hire specialists who not only know the subject, but are willing to question the way things are done.

Carmen Jordan Fernandez
Academic Director, The Spanish Council of Singapore

FEATURED

Internal Promotions Ignite Team Motivation
This year we promoted five people from our sales team into management roles.

We debated hiring from the outside, but eventually decided to promote from within. That was the right call.

We kept people who already knew our clients and our processes, and you could feel the whole team’s motivation improve. It might not work for everyone, but for us, it made all the difference.

QA Expansion Boosts Certification 35%

Tom Terronez
CEO, Medix Dental IT

This year we promoted five people from our sales team into management roles.

We debated hiring from the outside, but eventually decided to promote from within. That was the right call.

We kept people who already knew our clients and our processes, and you could feel the whole team’s motivation improve. It might not work for everyone, but for us, it made all the difference.

Internal Promotions Ignite Team Motivation

Amy Mosset
CEO, Interactive Counselling

Going remote in 2025 changed everything for us.

Suddenly we could hire the best therapists anywhere, not just the ones who lived nearby.

That meant more clients could actually get help when they needed it.

Our team got their work-life balance back too.

Honestly, I think letting people work from anywhere is what finally stopped the turnover.

People are sticking around now.

Remote Work Ends Turnover Crisis

Ryan Dosenberry
CEO, Crushing REI

This year we did one thing that actually worked: pairing new salespeople with our senior reps.

The new folks got up to speed way faster and stuck around longer.

In real estate, having someone show you the ropes makes all the difference.

If you’re building a team, just try pairing people up.

It’s a simple move that makes a real impact on how well everyone does and how they work together.

Pairings Accelerate Sales Ramp-Up

Daniel Kroytor
CEO, TailoredPay

The biggest win for me was the fact we had no turnover in 2025. It’s due to two things.

First, we carefully selected the best people for the role in terms of experience and culture fit.

The second thing was choosing the right kind of bonuses to encourage everyone to do their best.

We didn’t just use a common goal for all roles (e.g. MRR, new customers), but every person has a unique, personalized KPI that they can realistically hit and get a good bonus every month.

Personalized KPIs Deliver Zero Turnover

Selene Luk
Customer Care manager, Spanish Cultural Association of Hong Kong

I noticed some new hires were struggling to find their place, so I started pairing them with veterans from other departments.

We just set up regular coffee chats and skill-sharing sessions.

It wasn’t anything formal, but suddenly people were talking across teams.

Morale went up, and our clients even commented on how much more coordinated we were.

It just made the whole company feel more connected.

Cross-Team Chats Connect Company

Graham Bennett
COO, Bennett Awards

We noticed our sales team at Bennett Awards was losing steam, so I started a simple monthly award to publicly call out individual wins.

That small change led to eight internal promotions and a 25% jump in team morale.

As COO, it confirmed what I suspected: regular recognition keeps people motivated and loyal.

My advice if you try this? Just ask your team directly how they like to be acknowledged.

Monthly Awards Spike Morale 25%

Richard Brown
Owner, Essential Living Support, LLC

The biggest HR win in 2025 was better consistency and compliance in daily documentation and incident reporting.

We achieved this by adopting standardized checklists and structured forms and reinforcing immediate documentation after medication passes and appointment notes.

Standard Checklists Ensure Compliance Consistency

Phoebe Mendez
Marketing Manager, Morse Code Translator

We let people choose how many hours they work each week.

In 2025, the biggest change we made was to stop working conventional hours.

As long as the results were the same, we let each team choose their own schedule that worked for them.

Some teams switched to four-day work weeks.

Some people liked split shifts better.

People who needed long blocks of concentrate now received them without feeling bad or out of place.

The hardest part was believing that others wouldn’t take advantage of it.

It worked better than we thought it would after we made our expectations clear.

Productivity didn’t go down.

People stopped complaining about burnout quickly.

We stopped keeping count of hours and started looking at results.

The adjustment didn’t cost much, but it rapidly boosted morale and kept people around.

Flexible Hours Banish Burnout Complaints

The HR Spotlight team thanks these industry leaders for offering their expertise and experience and sharing these insights.

Do you wish to contribute to the next HR Spotlight article? Or is there an insight or idea you’d like to share with readers across the globe?

Individual Contributors:

Answer our latest queries and submit your unique insights:
https://bit.ly/SubmitBrandWorxInsight

Submit your article:
https://bit.ly/SubmitBrandWorxArticle

PR Representatives:

Answer the latest queries and submit insights for your client: https://bit.ly/BrandWorxInsightSubmissions

Submit an article for your client:
https://bit.ly/BrandWorxArticleSubmissions


Please direct any additional questions to: connect@brandworx.digital

Recent Posts

Discover the latest HR Tips and trends with our weekly newsletters!