The Josh Bersin Company

Aimbridge manages 1100 hotels around the US and employs more than 45,000 employees. In this podcast, Conrad Riddle, VP of HR Shared Services at Aimbridge Hospitality, discusses how the company empowers employees (“Uberizing the Workforce”) and delivers a flexible, highly engaged workforce with dynamic workforce scheduling. The company leverages UKG Workforce Management to give employees a centralized app that lets an employee manage their schedule dynamically. As you’ll hear, Ambridge employees can now “bid and ask” for new shifts without going through management. Through schedule sharing across locations and bidding on shifts in an online platform, employees have more flexibility in their schedules and empowers them to manage their own shifts. It also enables managers to easily approve requests and effectively manage labor to avoid costly contractors. Additional Information Employee Experience: The Definitive Guide New Research: Cloud-Based HCM Can Redefine Employee Experience Join The Employee Experience Workshop: A Certificate Program In The Josh Bersin Academy  

In this week’s podcast I go through the 30 HR Technology AI Trailblazers in some detail. You’ll hear about all the companies in the Trailblazer Report, as well as some of my personal thoughts on their leadership teams, centers of innovation, and differentiating capabilities. My keynote at HR Tech was 75 minutes long and you can hear it or get access to the materials if you join our corporate membership (or come back to HR Tech 2025 next March!). For those of you in Europe, I will be speaking at Unleash Paris on Thursday October 17 and I will also be discussing many of these topics at Workday Rising EMEA on Wednesday December 11 at the RAI Conference Center in Amsterdam. In the meantime, I hope you enjoy hearing about these 30 amazing companies, each of which is delivering on AI in high-value, high-ROI solutions. I also spent some time talking about the COST of AI and why and how you can work on a business case for these new AI capabilities and make sure you have a clear use-case and implementation plan for these new, exciting, high-value innovations. AI in HR has reached a tipping point: it’s here and it’s delivering real value. Now we all have to figure out what to buy, which major players to standardize on, and which use-cases to address first. Vendors Discussed ADP Lyric HCM, Arist Creator and Teammate, Cornerstone Galaxy, Disprz Learning System, Draup Talent Intelligence, Deel Employment of Record Platform, Docebo Creator, Eightfold Career Navigator and Talent Intelligence, Galileo: The Expert AI Assistant for HR, Gloat Workforce Agility, Growthspace Precision Skilling, Heidrick & Struggles Navigator, HiBob, Lattice, LinkedIn Learning, Lightcast Skills, Medallia, Oracle HCM, Oyster Global Employment Platform, Paradox, Rippling Talent Signal, Sana Labs, SAP SuccessFactors and Joule, SeekOut, ServiceNow, SHL Global Assessments, UKG Bryte, Visier Vee, Workday Illuminate AI Platform (and HiredScore), Workera Skills System.  Additional Information The Trailblazer and HR Tech 2025 Report Josh Bersin Company Announces 30 AI HR Tech Trailblazer Vendors the CHRO Really Needs to Know About  

This podcast details what Workday’s new AI platform, Workday Illuminate, and also describes Workday’s momentum coming out of Rising. I also discuss why Salesforce slams Microsoft, the new tsunami of Agents, including Microsoft, Salesforce (who is charging $2 per conversation), SAP, Workday, UKG, ServiceNow, and others. I also discuss the near-term job disruption we’re seeing from Agents and what you should do to prepare. Then I discuss the strikes at Boeing and why “growth at any cost” is such a dangerous business strategy, and how we may avoid this problem in our companies. Read Irresistible to learn more. Additional Information What Is Workday Illuminate? Galileo Selected As Workday Innovation Partner Benioff Slams Microsoft as he Promotes Salesforce Agents Irresistible: The Seven Secrets of the World’s Most Enduring, Employee-Focused Organizations

In our latest WhatWorks podcast, Samantha Garvie, HR Safety and Compliance Director at Rowley’s Wholesale, speaks with Kathi Enderes from The Josh Bersin Company. Rowley’s Wholesale, a Michigan-based distributor of automotive and industrial products, has been in business for over 100 years and is currently in its third generation of ownership. With 125+ employees across three locations, the company utilizes UKG-Ready for its HRIS system, covering benefits, timekeeping, payroll, succession planning, and learning management. The mobile app has been widely adopted by employees, enabling them to access important information and complete tasks remotely. Samantha shares insights on how technology is transforming the employee experience and discusses her plans to explore AI to enhance fatigue management, stress management, retention, and succession planning. This episode offers valuable lessons on leveraging HR technology to support a distributed workforce and drive organizational success. Interviewee: Samantha Garvie, HR Safety and Compliance Director, Rowley’s Wholesale Company: Rowley’s Wholesale, a US-based distributor of automotive and industrial products with 125 employees

This week Klarna, a buy-now pay-later company in Sweden, announced plans to terminate its Workday and Salesforce relationships and build it themselves. A bunch of tech pundits are big fans, but I have my doubts. As you’ll hear in the podcast, many big companies (much bigger than Klarna) have tried this, only to retreat to vendor solutions. And I do question the business strategy of putting high-powered engineering talent on mature, enterprise products like HCM and CRM. Obviously AI is getting smarter and more capable by the minute. As I explain in the podcast, there are better ways to think about this problem, and this conversation opens up the door to a big discussion about the future of enterprise apps, agentic AI, and the role of large-scale incumbent vendors in our corporate IT stacks. Additional Information Klarna Cuts 50% of Workforce, Ends Partnerships with Salesforce and Workday Amid Generative AI Overhaul Klarna Plans to ‘Shut Down SaaS Providers’ and Replace Them With Internally Built AI. The Tech World Is Pretty Skeptical AI Agents, The New Workforce We’re Not Quite Ready For (Agentic AI)

Agentic AI is the next big wave in AI, where AI systems and chatbots can take actions on our behalf. These agents can perform tasks such as composing emails, creating documents, building courses, and even recruiting. They can be seen as virtual employees or teammates that can be trained and managed. These agents will change the technology landscape and the stack of tools in our organizations. They will require onboarding, training, and governance to ensure they are effective and secure. And Agentic AI has the potential to improve productivity and provide measurable ROI. Keywords agentic AI, AI systems, chatbots, virtual employees, virtual teammates, training manager, recruiting agent, technology landscape, productivity improvement, measurable ROI Takeaways Agentic AI allows AI systems and chatbots to take actions on our behalf, performing tasks such as composing emails, creating documents, building courses, and recruiting. These agents can be seen as virtual employees or teammates that can be trained and managed. Agentic AI will change the technology landscape and the stack of tools in organizations, requiring onboarding, training, and governance. These agents have the potential to improve productivity and provide measurable ROI. Chapters 00:00 Introduction to Agentic AI 01:11 Agentic AI in Training Management 05:56 Agentic AI in Recruiting 09:03 Onboarding and Training Agentic AI 12:08 Changing the Technology Landscape with Agentic AI 16:31 Measuring the ROI of Agentic AI Additional Information AI Agents, The New Workforce We’re Not Quite Ready For Artificial Intelligence in HR: Certificate Course From The Josh Bersin Academy Introducing Galileo, The World’s First AI-Powered Expert Assistant For HR Autonomous Corporate Learning Platforms: Arriving Now, Powered by AI    

In this podcast I discuss the ever-changing role of Labor in our economy, our companies, and our own personal lives. The word “labor” is really an old-fashioned idea, but we still have the US holiday, so I wanted to unpack what it now means. As you’ll learn Labor Day is a time to think about hiring, pay, development, and diversity as well as productivity, labor unions, the impact of tips and income inequality, and the enormous role of HR as an ombudsman between “labor” and “management.” And yes, AI is going to force us to think deeper about what “people” do in our companies. Remember that we’re all “labor” and every employee is a human being. So while US Labor Day was originally a way to celebrate unions and organized labor, let’s also think broader about all the value-based investments we make in every person in our companies. Keywords: Labor Day, labor movement, workers, economy, automation, technology, labor shortage, skills shortage, investment in employees, unions, fair pay, benefits, working conditions, income inequality, HR professionals, Boeing, Starbucks, employee activation Chapters: 00:00 The Importance of Workers in the Economy 02:11 Automation and the Changing Labor Force 04:07 Investing in Employees to Attract and Retain Talent 14:37 The Role of Unions in Advocating for Fairness 17:48 Addressing Income Inequality 20:08 The Role of HR in Supporting Employees   Additional Information When Will The Trillions Invested In AI Pay Off? Sooner Than You Think. With Thoughtful Design And Culture, Dropbox Proves Remote Work Is A Winner AI in HR Certificate Program in The Josh Bersin Academy Learn about Galileo: The World’s AI Assistant for HR

In this WhatWorks podcast I interview Andy Bradshaw, the CEO of SHL.  SHL is one of the world’s largest psychometric assessment vendors, bringing together psychology, skills assessment, and other forms of measurement to identify the capabilities, and potential of an individual at work. These highly scientific assessments are widely used for pre-hire screening, job-fit analysis, development planning, leadership development, and succession planning. But in a world of AI, where large HR platforms are “inferring” skills and capabilities, where do they fit? Andy, who has led SHL for many years, explains how psychometric assessment fits into the new world of AI and Talent Intelligence. He also shares how SHL itself has amassed a large data set on skills and roles that makes SHL a big data vendor as well. Keywords SHL, talent intelligence, assessments, AI, talent acquisition, talent management, leadership assessment, benchmarking, data-driven decisions Episode Chapters 00:00 Introduction 00:57 SHL: A Talent Intelligence Business 02:21 Psychometric Assessments and Tailored Solutions 03:47 Customization and Defensibility of Assessments 06:37 Consolidation in the Assessment Market 07:07 The Complementary Role of AI and Assessments 08:56 Assessments vs. AI: The Value of Insights 12:49 Assessing Leaders: Experience, Ability, and Potential 16:09 Benchmarking and Data-driven Decisions 19:03 Talent Intelligence: Aggregating Data for Better Decisions 21:17 Conclusion Additional Information Introducing the HR Career Navigator The Talent Intelligence Primer When Will The Trillions Invested In AI Pay Off? Sooner Than You Think.

In this week’s podcast I describe the HR Career Navigator and the role of HR skills and capabilities in HR and business transformation. Then, as we approach HR Tech season, I give you my three steps to evaluating HR Tech vendors. Additional Information Introducing The HR Career Navigator Why Is It So Hard To Be A Chief HR Officer (CHRO)? Research Shows That High Growth Large Companies Have Distinct HR Skills

This week I recap the idea of a “Corporate Learning Architecture” and give you some of my historic perspectives on why this is so important in the age of AI. A Learning Architecture is a constrained approach to corporate L&D that gives employees a clear and memorable approach to learning, and also gives you the “freedom within a framework” to use AI without creating chaos. We are in the middle of deep interviews, case studies, and vendor research on the impact of AI on L&D, so as I discuss here if you’d like to talk with us please let us know. Some of this podcast will be a good overview of the basics, but this is important because we don’t want our business training environments to look like TikTok! Contact us at https://joshbersin.com if you’d like to join in our Pacesetter program for Corporate L&D. Additional Information Oldie: The Need For A Learning Architecture Autonomous Corporate Learning Platforms: Arriving Now, Powered by AI The $340 Billion Corporate Learning Industry Is Poised For Disruption AI in HR Certificate Program in The Josh Bersin Academy