Conversations about the future of HR

HR-Trends 2023 featured image of 2 people in a recording studio

HR Tech 2023:

Unum took its Gartner Marketing Award-winning HR Trends podcast studio on the road (again) to the 2023 HR Technology Conference & Exposition, held October 1013 in Las Vegas. Listen as some of the biggest influencers in the HR tech world reveal how they think the role of technology will change the HR profession and improve the employee experience through 2024 and beyond.

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Dr. Jarik Conrad

Vice President of Human Insights at UKG | Executive Director, UKG Workforce Institute

“People are struggling,” says Dr. Conrad. “IQ is down since the ‘70s; emotional intelligence has been going down; chronic conditions are on the rise. We need to figure this out because these are our people, our employees, our customers.” Hear why he believes HR needs to get more sophisticated at understanding people on an individual level. Erin Casey, Vice President of Platform Partnerships at Unum Group, moderates the discussion.

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Jeff Williams

Vice President, Enterprise and HR Solutions at Paychex

Along with Polly Nicholas, Senior Vice President of Unum Solutions at Unum Group, Williams explores the challenges HR will face in 2024, including the multigenerational workforce, burnout and how “40% of employees can’t come up with $400 today.” He urges HR to be bold: “We can’t go in the boardroom meek; we need to go in with ROI and a point of view.” Listen to learn about HR tech solutions that help meet this mandate.

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Stacey Harris

Chief Research Officer and Managing Partner at Sapient Insights Group

According to Harris, the most important question for 2024 is “Do we have the data?” Hear about Sapient Insight Group’s newest research and why Harris believes transformational leave management is a key HR priority this coming year. “Don’t just do change management,” she says, “manage the change. Employees are burning out. Give your executives a reality check.”

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Mark Stelzner

Founder and Managing Partner at IA

Organizations change every 90 days, says Stelzner, and transparency and consistency will be key to helping employees thrive in 2024. If organizations are open about what they do and don’t know, who they are and who they aspire to be, employees can self-direct and HR can enable. Listen to learn how HR can lean into leadership this coming year.

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Jess Von Bank

Global Leader, Solution Provider Services at Mercer

With generative AI and cutting-edge technology, HR professionals have an opportunity to reimagine the world of work for future generations. However, Von Bank believes HR professionals must first change their mindset and become business transformation agents. Listen as she reflects on emerging technology and how HR can lead a revolution to fuel change.

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Hebba Youssef

Chief People Officer at Workweek | Founder and Creator of “I Hate it Here” newsletter

With five generations in the workforce, HR teams are grappling with how best to support their diverse employees. Tune in to hear Youssef share advice for fostering authentic, meaningful connections that will help employees thrive as well as ways to better support women in the workforce. Swapnil Prabha, Vice President of Workforce Wellness Solutions at Unum Group, moderates the discussion.

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Jason Averbook

Senior Partner and Global Leader of Digital HR Strategy at Mercer

Every HR organization is undergoing perpetual transformation. “We live in a world where change is no longer the enemy — it has to be the strategy,” Averbook says. “Building an agile muscle is a mindset HR has to have in 2024.” Listen as he explains how tools like generative AI can help us rethink everything we do if we’re ready to “perpetually unlearn.”

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Jeanne Achille

Founder and CEO of The Devon Group | Chair of the “Women in HR Tech Summit” at the 2023 HR Technology Conference & Exposition

Listen to Achille discuss this year’s Women in HR Tech Summit and how it has evolved to include broader diversity topics, such as pay equity and inclusion. With today’s multigenerational workforce, Achille says inclusion and belonging should be a major focus for HR in 2024.

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Jessica Miller-Merrell

Founder and HR Trainer/Coach at Workology

Miller-Merrell delivers an inspiring message for HR: “Be the change you want to see and challenge those around you to be inclusive and supportive.” HR has a critical role to play in workplace wellness, including leaning into conversations about domestic violence. “Normalize these topics,” she says, and create systems to get employees what they need. Swapnil Prabha, Vice President of Workforce Wellness Solutions at Unum Group, moderates the discussion.

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Shelley Zalis

Founder and CEO of The Female Quotient

Hear Zalis talk about the five dimensions of a well-rounded life and how to protect those “slices of the pie” to succeed in work and at home. Learn about “life-stage accommodation” and why it is so important for employers to offer inclusive policies that show empathy and care. “When purpose meets passion,” Zalis tells HR, “you are unstoppable.” Chelsea Lugiano, Customer Engagement Manager at Unum Group, moderates the discussion.

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Rich Lappin

Vice President, Platform Strategies at Unum Group

Fresh off his standing-room-only talk at the Workday Rising and HR Tech conference session, Lappin explores the real-time data integrations offered to Workday® customers through Unum Total Leave and Unum HR Connect. Tune in to hear how the constantly changing workforce and complex compliance landscape have increased the importance of employee leave in 2024.

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Jamie Aitken

Vice President, HR Transformation at Betterworks

How can we modernize outdated performance management processes? Listen as Aitken discusses strategies to improve employee performance and in turn strengthen the performance of the company. One example, equipping managers with the tools to become more effective coaches.

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Robin Schooling

HR Leader and Advisor | Blogger | Host of the “DriveThru HR” podcast

Schooling takes listeners into the macro-level conversations she’s hearing at this year’s HR Technology Conference & Exposition. HR practitioners are finally showing more interest in technology, she says, but they must keep exploring ways to effectively and responsibly use those tools. Those who don’t may get left behind in 2024.

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Heather Bussing

Employment Lawyer | Writer | Law Professor | HR Tech Speaker

Listen in as Bussing discusses pay equity and the gender gap. She shares advice from her conference session about looking at the work — comparing “skills, effort, responsibility and working conditions” — to get the pay right. To help employees thrive in 2024, she says, HR pros need to be more efficient and intentional.

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Steve Boese

Co-founder of H3 HR Advisors | Program Chair of the 2023 HR Technology Conference & Exposition

Tune in to hear Boese review his 15 years at the HR Tech conference and the innovative ideas he’s seeing at this year’s Pitchfest, where startups bring new ideas to the fore. According to Boese, one of the top challenges for HR in 2024 is embracing technology more meaningfully. “AI can’t teach us how to love,” he says, so we must find ways to use technology while preserving the human touch.