HR Leaders

Hosted by Chris Rainey

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849

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Jun 2026

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About the show

Join host Chris Rainey on the HR Leaders Podcast, where he sits down with top Chief People Officers, CHROs, and leading HR experts to uncover the strategies, trends, and insights shaping the future of human resources. Each episode dives into best practices in people management, leadership challenges, and transformative HR innovations that impact both business success and society at large. Whether you're an HR professional or simply passionate about modern workplace strategies, this podcast delivers expert advice, real-world experiences, and the latest trends in HR, making it your go-to resource for all things human resources. ]]>

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60 recent

June 15, 202630 min

How to Make Culture More Than Words on a Wall

In this episode of the HR Leaders Podcast, I had an inspiring conversation with Kelly Costanza, Chief People Officer at CAVA, to unpack how one of the fastest-growing restaurant brands is turning culture, hospitality, and frontline careers into a real business advantage.Kelly shares why culture cannot just be a word on a wall. At CAVA, culture is operationalized through values, competencies, recognition, career pathways, frontline listening, stock grants, mental health benefits, and leadership rituals that make the employee experience feel just as intentional as the guest experience.Most importantly, Kelly explains how CAVA is building a place where people can have a career, not just a job, from hourly team members growing into general managers, to leaders staying connected to the restaurants through shoulder-to-shoulder service, town halls, and practical feedback from the frontline.🎓 In this episode, Kelly discusses:How CAVA turns culture into everyday operating practicesWhy frontline careers are central to CAVA’s origin story and growth strategyWhy support center leaders work in restaurants every quarter to stay close to the frontlineHow values like generosity first always show up in benefits, recognition, and guest experienceHow CAVA is building career pathways through Flavor Your Future, stock grants, and leadership development🙏 Thank you to our series partner, AristMeet the end-to-end AI agent for enablement that finds talent gaps, builds personalized interventions, and delivers learning directly in the flow of work → https://arist.com/resources/webinars/agent?utm_source=hr_leaders_podcast&utm_medium=sponsored&utm_campaign=hr_leaders_podcast_cr_june_2026See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

June 10, 202630 min

The Burnout Problem Most Leaders Are Missing

In this episode of the HR Leaders Podcast, we sit down with Anju Choudhary, Chief People Officer at Xoxoday, to unpack why burnout is not just a wellbeing problem, but a work design and change design problem.Anju explains why organizations often treat burnout as an individual resilience issue, when the real problem is often the way teams are overloaded with unclear priorities, constant change, weak manager support, and poor recognition systems. She shares why leaders need to stop rewarding unsustainable hustle and start designing cultures where people can perform, grow, and recover without burning out.Most importantly, Anju breaks down the practical ways HR leaders can reduce burnout, build trust, and create healthier performance cultures, from clearer feedback and better change management, to manager enablement, recognition, AI coaching, team playbooks, and reward strategies that actually connect to the lived employee experience.🎓 In this episode, Anju discusses:How unclear change creates cognitive overload for teamsWhy burnout is a design issue, not just a resilience problemWhy leaders must stop rewarding unsustainable hustle behaviorsWhy managers need better support for crucial conversations and changeHow recognition and feedback shape the culture employees actually experience🙏 Thank you to our series partner, AristMeet the end-to-end AI agent for enablement that finds talent gaps, builds personalized interventions, and delivers learning directly in the flow of work → https://arist.com/resources/webinars/agent?utm_source=hr_leaders_podcast&utm_medium=sponsored&utm_campaign=hr_leaders_podcast_cr_june_2026See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

June 8, 202643 min

The Future of Learning at Work

In this episode of the HR Leaders Podcast, we sit down with Allwyn Dsilva, VP HR & Global Head of L&D, Future of Work & Business HR at Tata Communications, to unpack why the future of learning must be built around business outcomes, skills, internal mobility, and AI-enabled career growth.Allwyn shares how Tata Communications moved beyond disconnected learning platforms and traditional course libraries to build a more connected ecosystem, linking skills, career aspirations, hiring, learning, coaching conversations, and AI-powered recommendations into one joined-up employee experience.Most importantly, he explains why learning teams must stop leading with the beauty of their programs and start proving behavior change, business impact, and real outcomes. From AI literacy and dark network operations to internal hiring, AI interview practice, and skills-based career pathways, this episode shows what it looks like when L&D becomes a true business engine.🎓 In this episode, Allwyn discusses:How AI can help employees prepare for future roles and interviewsWhy learning teams must prove behavior change before selling designWhy skills-based platforms are changing internal mobility and career growthHow Tata Communications is building AI literacy across different roles and levels🙏 Thank you to our series partner, AristMeet the end-to-end AI agent for enablement that finds talent gaps, builds personalized interventions, and delivers learning directly in the flow of work → https://arist.com/resources/webinars/agent?utm_source=hr_leaders_podcast&utm_medium=sponsored&utm_campaign=hr_leaders_podcast_cr_june_2026See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

June 3, 202636 min

The AI Shift Every HR Leader Needs to Prepare for in 2026

In this episode of the HR Leaders Podcast, we sit down with Khadija Ben Hammada, Member of the Executive Board and Chief People Officer at Merck Group, to unpack how HR can lead through AI transformation without losing the human heart of the organization.Khadija shares why leaders cannot run global organizations from an ivory tower, and why being close to employees on the ground creates the trust, safety, and pride people need to speak up. She explains how field visits, human connection, and a strong sense of global community help Merck stay united across regions, even as the world outside becomes more fragmented.Most importantly, she breaks down how Merck is building AI capability across the business, from AI literacy for everyone, to leader upskilling, internal AI tools, hackathons, flagship use cases, and HR agents that can improve employee experience at scale. Through it all, Khadija is clear: AI should take tasks, not humanity, and HR must stay at the intersection of business, technology, and empathy.🎓 In this episode, Khadija discusses:How Merck is building AI literacy across employees, leaders, and top executivesWhy the future of HR sits at the intersection of business, technology, and humanityWhy AI should remove low value tasks so HR can focus on human and strategic workWhy leaders must stay close to employees on the ground, not lead from headquartersHow hackathons and flagship use cases help turn AI learning into real business impact🙏 Thank you to our series partner, AristMeet the end-to-end AI agent for enablement that finds talent gaps, builds personalized interventions, and delivers learning directly in the flow of work → https://arist.com/resources/webinars/agent?utm_source=hr_leaders_podcast&utm_medium=sponsored&utm_campaign=hr_leaders_podcast_cr_june_2026See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

May 27, 202616 min

How Microsoft Is Keeping People at the Center of AI

In this episode of our On The Road series, we sit down with Amy Coleman, Executive Vice President, Chief People Officer at Microsoft, to explore how leaders can scale AI transformation without losing the human connection at the center of work.Amy reflects on stepping into the Chief People Officer role at Microsoft, the humility of becoming a beginner again, and why leaders do not need to pretend they have all the answers in moments of uncertainty. What matters is being honest, learning fast, and bringing people with you.Her message is clear: AI and humans cannot be separated. As work changes, HR leaders have to help people understand what is shifting, what still matters, and how AI can unlock more creativity, curiosity, innovation, and human potential.🎓 In this episode, we get into:Why leaders need to become beginners again in the age of AIHow recognition helps people understand why their work mattersHow Microsoft is thinking about human plus AI as work is reinventedWhy organizations cannot scale AI without bringing employees alongHow AI can unlock creativity, curiosity, innovation, and human potential🙏 Thank you to our partner, WorkhumanDiscover how Workhuman helps organizations turn recognition into real business impact, building stronger cultures, more connected teams, and better visibility into the people driving performance.✅ Learn more about Workhuman → https://www.workhuman.com/See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

May 25, 202629 min

How to Build a Future-Ready Talent Strategy in 2026

In this episode of our On The Road series, we sit down with Laura Mattimore and Lucia Suarez from Procter & Gamble to explore how one of the world’s most iconic companies is redesigning talent for the AI era.Laura leads global talent across P&G’s enterprise talent systems, including hiring, learning, leadership development, workforce planning, and talent strategy. Lucia leads talent development, talent management, analytics, insights, employee experience, and transformation within that broader talent agenda.Their message is clear: AI is not just a technology shift. It is a work, culture, skills, and employee experience shift. For P&G, the opportunity is not to replace the human, but to build around human plus AI, with HR playing a central role in redesigning how work gets done.🎓 In this episode, we get into:How P&G is redesigning talent strategy around human plus AIWhy HR must become the architect of future jobs and work designWhy frontline plant technicians must be designed for from the beginningHow P&G is building its own talent hub to support a build-from-within cultureHow AI can personalize upskilling, career paths, and employee experience at scale🙏 Thank you to our partner, WorkhumanDiscover how Workhuman helps organizations turn recognition into real business impact, building stronger cultures, more connected teams, and better visibility into the people driving performance.✅ Learn more about Workhuman → https://www.workhuman.com/See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

May 21, 202621 min

How to Make AI Actually Useful in HR

In this episode of our On The Road series, we sit down with Kalifa Oliver, Ph.D. Senior Director of Technology - People Analytics at Lowe's Companies, Inc. to explore why HR needs to stop chasing AI tools and start solving the right business problems.Kalifa now sits in technology, not HR, leading teams across engineering, product, analytics, and people data. That gives her a very different view of what HR transformation actually requires.Her message is clear: AI is not magic. It will only be useful if HR asks better questions, understands the problem it is trying to solve, and stops adding technology on top of broken or unnecessary work.🎓 In this episode, we get into:Why HR’s role is not being replaced, but radically transformedHow to redesign work before adding AI on top of broken processesWhy leaders do not want more data, they want to know what to do with itHow HR can stop chasing AI tools and start with the problem it needs to solveWhy AI should be treated like a child that needs to be taught, not a fully grown adult🙏 Thank you to our partner, WorkhumanDiscover how Workhuman helps organizations turn recognition into real business impact, building stronger cultures, more connected teams, and better visibility into the people driving performance.✅ Learn more about Workhuman → https://www.workhuman.com/See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

May 19, 202621 min

How to Turn Recognition Into Real Business Data (and reduce turnover)

In this episode of our On The Road series, we sit down with Jennifer Reimert, SVP, Consulting Practice at Workhuman, to explore how organizations can make recognition reach the people who are often hardest to reach: frontline and deskless workers.Jennifer spent 20 years as an HR practitioner and total rewards leader before joining Workhuman. She was also a Workhuman customer back when the company was Globoforce, using recognition to help bring two merged companies together when culture, identity, and belonging were under real pressure.Her message is clear: recognition cannot only work for people at a desk. If most of the work that defines your culture happens on the floor, in the field, in hospitals, in plants, in stores, or across customer sites, then recognition has to meet people where they actually work.🎓 In this episode, we get into:Why 4–6 recognition moments in a year can help reduce turnover by halfHow to build a recognition business case that speaks the language of the CFOHow to make recognition work for frontline workers who are not sitting at a deskHow recognition data can reveal skills, networks, high performers, and hidden talentWhy recognition needs to reach people through kiosks, text, physical cards, and manager-led moments🙏 Thank you to our partner, WorkhumanDiscover how Workhuman helps organizations turn recognition into real business impact, building stronger cultures, more connected teams, and better visibility into the people driving performance.✅ Learn more about Workhuman → https://www.workhuman.com/See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

May 19, 202617 min

How to Find the Future Leaders Everyone Else Is Missing (before they leave)

In this episode of our On The Road series, we sit down with KeyAnna Schmiedl, Chief Human Experience Officer at Workhuman, to explore how organizations can identify future leaders before they are already in the obvious succession pipeline.KeyAnna shares how Workhuman’s Future Leaders technology is helping companies spot the people giving off strong leadership signals across the business, including those who may not be visible through traditional talent reviews, manager nominations, or proximity to senior leaders.Her message is clear: the best future leaders are not always the most obvious names in the room. If HR can use better signals to see talent earlier, organizations can retain, develop, and invest in people before they walk out the door.🎓 In this episode, we get into:Why the most visible people are not always the best future leadersWhy managers need to become talent exporters, not talent hoardersHow proximity bias shapes who gets noticed, sponsored, and promotedHow AI can help HR spot future leaders earlier without replacing human judgmentHow better talent signals can help companies retain future leaders before they leave🙏‍ Thank you to our series partner - WorkhumanDiscover how Future Leaders helps HR teams identify rising VP+ talent earlier, build stronger succession pipelines, and develop the leaders your people already follow.✅ Learn how to spot Future Leaders with Workhuman → https://www.workhuman.com/future-leaders/?utm_source=hr-leaders&utm_medium=partner_share&utm_campaign=1213801944017821&utm_content=null&utm_term=na_events_whl-orlando_prospecting~null_hr-leaders-podcast-recordings_1x1_5.20.2026See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

May 18, 202618 min

Why AI Will Change How People Get Paid (and what HR must fix first)

In this episode of our On The Road series, we sit down with Ken Wechsler, VP, Total Rewards at Akamai Technologies, to explore how AI is changing the conversation around rewards, recognition, performance, and the future of work.As a total rewards leader, Ken is now facing questions that would have seemed unlikely just a few years ago: What is our AI strategy? What outcomes are we trying to drive? How will AI change productivity, performance, and how people are rewarded?His message is clear: AI skills alone should not automatically mean higher pay. The real question is whether AI helps people deliver better outcomes, raise performance, create more value, and help the business move forward.🎓 In this episode, we get into:Why the real question is not AI usage, but whether AI improves outcomesWhy AI is forcing rewards leaders to rethink how performance is measuredWhy being proficient in Gemini or Copilot should not automatically mean higher payHow Akamai is connecting recognition, trust, and performance in a remote-first companyHow rewards teams can use AI to move from manual analysis to strategic business partnering🙏 Thank you to our partner, WorkhumanDiscover how Workhuman helps organizations turn recognition into real business impact, building stronger cultures, more connected teams, and better visibility into the people driving performance.✅ Learn more about Workhuman → https://www.workhuman.com/See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.