Hello Community,
Today is International HR Day, and this year's theme, “Empower People to Lead Change,” feels especially meaningful for our Community.
Our very beginnings (nine years ago!, in the Seattle, Chicago, and NYC Chapters) were all about coming together to build the future of work, putting people at the center. And that seed has grown into an amazing community with local chapters that cover all time zones, Learning Pods, research initiatives, and practitioners exploring everything from organizational design and ethical AI to wellbeing, leadership, people analytics, and workforce transformation.
In a time when change happens so fast, we double down on our mission: to create the BEST HR that has ever existed, with the goal of creating better organizations and a better world, where people don’t suffer work, but thrive, professionally and humanely.
This is why the conversations happening across our community matter so much right now. Organizations are rethinking workforce readiness, leadership, skills, AI, organizational design, and learning all at once. And HR is no longer simply “supporting transformation” from the sidelines. HR is helping build the systems, intelligence, and human capabilities that allow organizations and people to adapt continuously.
Inside this Edition
NEW Intelligence platform that will help you and your organization rethink workforce readiness
Deloitte’s findings: Why AI ROI is slowing down
The LaunchHR Summit goes live today, on International HR Day!
Upcoming events & learning programs with bonus gifts to develop your AI skills
Executive Network Reports & Resources
🗞 In case you missed it: If you have questions about Hacking HR Learning programs and memberships, join us tomorrow, Thursday, May 21, 08:00 AM, at the Open House! ➡️ Register here
WORKFORCE PLANNING
Workforce Readiness for Continuous Reinvention
Recently, Cornerstone OnDemand introduced Cornerstone Workforce AI, a new intelligence platform designed to help organizations rethink workforce readiness in a world where work, skills, and roles are changing continuously.
The most impressive aspect is not only the technology itself, but also the radical shift it brings to organizations moving from static workforce planning to continuous workforce intelligence and adaptability.
Cornerstone Workforce AI helps organizations:
Surface hidden talent and skills signals across the workforce to support internal mobility, growth, and more dynamic deployment of talent.
Move workforce intelligence into the flow of work with AI agents operating across systems like Teams, Slack, Salesforce, ERPs, HRIS platforms, and other workplace environments through integrations and APIs.
Turn workforce and labor market data into actionable insight while maintaining governance, explainability, and human oversight, powered by more than 1 billion workforce profiles and a skills taxonomy spanning over 55,000 skills.
The infrastructure can support organizations to better align human potential with evolving business needs while creating more fluid opportunities for learning, contribution, and growth.
As organizations rethink workforce readiness and AI transformation, many leaders are seeing that tech alone does not guarantee operational impact.
HR INSIGHTS
Why AI Investments Are Not Delivering Expected Value
In this week’s LinkedIn Newsletter post, we share insights from a Deloitte report in which 3,235 leaders from 24 countries share their perspectives on the state of AI in organizations. And here are some of the findings:
Many decisions around AI are driven by a fear of “falling behind.”
Organizations are in a race to deploy AI tools, announce pilots, and expand access.
BUT 84% of companies have not redesigned jobs around AI capabilities. Very few companies have a solid plan. And only 20% report revenue growth from AI.
Several foundational problems slowing AI ROI
Where is AI ROI slowing and why?
The main problem is not technical infrastructure, but unclear responsibility and fragmented ownership, according to 58.2% of organizations surveyed in Larridin's State of Enterprise AI Report, 2026. And this is something clearly visible in how decisions play out:
Fragmented systems & Poor Data Quality: Workforce, operational, and business data are inconsistent and live in disconnected platforms. Result: AI tools generate conflicting or unreliable results because the same question can produce different answers, depending on the system you query.
AI layered onto broken workflows: If you add AI without first redesigning workflows, the existing friction will not only remain but worsen, creating duplicate processes, additional approval layers, and confusion for employees and managers.
Weak governance: Having AI policies on paper does not equal governance. Governance means deciding who can use which tools, for what purposes, with which data, and under what conditions. Without that, employees can use whatever tools work for them, with all the risks that come with it.
Unrealistic ROI expectations: Some organizations expect AI to deliver transformation immediately, without first solving operational problems. The risk: measuring only adoption metrics and disconnecting AI strategy from business impact (revenue, growth, faster decision cycles, shorter time-to-hire…clear metrics tied to results).
Managers are becoming the make-or-break factor
While reading reports and surveys, there was one image that stayed with us:
“Managers are expected to build the plane while flying it.”
Rolling out AI tools and expecting managers and employees to figure things out on their own will not create results. Leaders must stay connected to how transformation lands on the ground, which means creating manager capacity and working closely with managers, the critical layer between AI strategy and operational reality. In practice, AI ROI depends less on access to tools and more on whether organizations can align leadership, operations, workforce capabilities, and governance around how teams work together every day.
If organizations want AI transformation to succeed, then leadership development, AI literacy, workflow redesign, and strategic HR capability are critical priorities. Check out what’s coming…
UPCOMING LEARNING PROGRAMS
Starting in June
Certificate Programs, Mini Masters, and Bootcamps
Global Chief People Officer (GCPO)
People Experience and Culture Strategist (PECS)
Strategic HR Business Partner
Fundamentals of Human Resources
Practical Applications of AI Mini-Master*
Bootcamp: Build Your Entire HR OS With Claude
In this Bootcamp, you will build your entire Operating System in just 5 lessons.
And because some of the best learning happens through live conversations, collaboration, and shared experimentation, several major community experiences are kicking off this week and throughout the summer.
UPCOMING EVENTS STARTING SOON
Starting Today: LaunchHR
May 20 & 21 | 100% Virtual
The LaunchHR Summit goes live today and tomorrow! The summit is a co-production of Hacking HR and Fractional People People. ➡️ Register here
AI Experience Summit - LIVE in London
June 16 · London · 1 Basinghall Avenue
AI Experience Live is the in-person companion to the AI Experience Summit. 300+ senior people, strategy, and transformation leaders gather in London for one high-quality day of real conversations, senior relationships, and agenda-driven thought leadership. Co-produced with People Strategy Hub.
Tickets: £199 single · £499 team
⭐ Every London delegate receives one free take of the PCSI-GSAIL (Global Strategic AI Leadership Certification). This is the first credential built specifically for the leadership layer of AI in people and culture functions. It is normally part of Premium+ membership. London delegates receive one complimentary take, included with the ticket. Learn more
AI Experience Summit - Virtual
June 17 to 19 | 100% Free to Attend
Three days of focused programming on AI, the workforce, and the next two years of HR. Free to attend from anywhere. Speakers from Microsoft, Moody's, PepsiCo, JP Morgan Chase, IBM, Oracle, Merck, Cloudflare, and more. This event is brought to you by HiBob, Workday, and Papaya Global.
➡️ Register here.
🎁 Bonus for all attendees: 3 FREE months of Read AI access.
HR Analytics Summit
September 3, London
HR Analytics Summit is People Strategy Hub's annual summit for HR analytics and people strategy leaders | Register now | Discount code: HACKINGHR (20% off all passes – single passes, group bookings, and Business Passes (for vendors)
NEW RESOURCES
Available Now
AI in Manufacturing: Workforce & HR Strategy Guide
A Guide to Workplace Wellbeing, Burnout Prevention, and Sustainable Performance
Claude for HR: How to Use AI to Create a Productivity System
A Practical Roadmap for SMBs to Redesign HR Workflows Using AI
Sometimes emotional resilience comes in adhesive format.
Start communicating boundaries… creatively.
SPONSORSHIPS
Thousands of HR executives will gather at our upcoming summits to shape the future of work:
AI Experience LIVE in London (June 16)
AI Experience Summit, Virtual, Third Edition (June 17-19)
Workforce Strategy and HR Budget Planning Summit (September 8-10)
If your company provides solutions in HR tech, benefits, people analytics, DEI, or workforce strategy, these events are your opportunity to connect with the decision-makers who control HR budgets.
👉 Book an intro call with Laurie Baggarly: [email protected]
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