In this episode of the Future Proof HR podcast, Thomas Kunjappu, CEO of Cleary, sits down with Stefani Voorhees, Chief Human Resources Officer at Propio Language Services, to explore what it really takes to adopt AI across an organization without losing the human element.

Stefani shares how executive alignment, transparency, and a clear philosophy that “AI makes people better, not replaced” shaped a company-wide shift toward responsible experimentation. From forming an internal AI function to launching small pilots with guardrails, she walks through the practical realities of change management in fast-moving, high-growth environments.

The conversation dives into real use cases across talent acquisition, learning and development, and performance management. Stefani explains how AI-powered recruiting insights are helping HR move from anecdotal feedback to data-backed strategy, while also emphasizing the importance of blending technology with empathy. As automation increases, she argues, HR’s role becomes more strategic, not less.

The episode closes with a candid look at the future of HR. Stefani shares why AI is accelerating the shift from administrative work to business partnership, why “people experience” must remain the north star, and how leaders can stay adaptable when the future is anything but predictable.

Topics Discussed:

1. Why AI must be treated as a business decision, not just an HR initiative
2. How to align executives quickly around a clear AI philosophy
3. Building guardrails with an AI committee and responsible pilots
4. Using AI in talent acquisition to turn interview data into strategic insights
5. Balancing content creation speed with human tone and quality
6. The risks and opportunities of AI in performance management
7. Why HR is shifting from administrative to strategic work
8. Blending technology and empathy to protect the employee experience
9. Leading transparently through rapid change and acquisitions
10. Future-proofing HR through adaptability and a fail-fast mindset

If you are an HR leader navigating AI adoption, managing change across teams, or trying to elevate your function from administrative to strategic, this episode offers a practical and grounded perspective on building momentum while staying people-first.

Additional Resources:

1. Cleary’s AI-powered HR Chatbot
2. Future Proof HR Community
3. Connect with Stefani Voorhees on LinkedIn

And I think when I look at it, I do not see AI as replacing people.

2

A machine didn't tell our executive

team, here's what you guys should

3

do over the next 12 months.

4

We had to come up with those ideas.

5

Thomas Kunjappu: They keep

telling us that it's all over.

6

For HR, the age of AI is upon

us, and that means HR should

7

be prepared to be decimated.

8

We reject that message.

9

The future of HR won't be handed to us.

10

Instead, it'll be defined by those

ready to experiment, adopt, and adapt.

11

Future Proof HR invites these builders to

share what they're trying, how it's going,

12

what they've learned, and what's next.

13

We are committed to arming HR

with the AI insights to not

14

just survive, but to thrive.

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Thomas: Hello and welcome to the

Future Proof HR podcast, where

16

we explore how forward thinking

leaders are navigating disruption

17

and redefining the future of work.

18

I'm your host, Thomas

Kunjappu, CEO of Cleary.

19

Now today's guest is Stefani Voorhees,

the Chief Human Resources Officer at

20

Propio Language Services, a fast growing

company in the language services industry

21

that's boldly embracing Artificial

Intelligence to enhance human performance.

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Under Stefani's leadership, Propio has

grown from under a hundred employees to

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over 600 in just two years, all while

launching an internal AI team and HR AI

24

agent and a philosophy that AI doesn't

replace people it makes people better.

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Stefani, welcome to the podcast.

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Thank you.

27

I'm so excited to be here today.

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So there's so much to talk about.

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Could you tell me a little bit just to

set the background, but what is Propio and

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what's been going on over the last couple

of years that's caused so much growth?

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Stefani: What hasn't been

going on the last couple of

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years is really the question.

33

So we are in the language services

world and we offer both interpretation

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and translation services.

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We've got clients all over the globe.

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It has been phenomenal.

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I've been here right at two years

coming up on two years in a couple

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of weeks and it's been a wild ride.

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When I first met with Marco and

the leadership team here they

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promised me wild ride and they

have yet to under deliver on that.

41

So we've grown both organically

and through acquisition.

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We've completed four acquisitions

over the last 18 months.

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So it has been phenomenal and really

excited to continue to see Propio grow

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and take this next step into the future.

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Thomas: And you're in the language

services space and to go a little bit

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back into like my career, like a while

ago, I worked on some software that

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included a lot of machine translation.

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We're going back well over a decade.

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And we also worked with a lot

of human translators to make

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a bunch of stuff happen there.

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And on the face of it, it seems like

an industry that has always been and

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is completely being rocked by AI.

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So tell me about how that's

happening and how you guys are

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growing despite or because of it.

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Like how is it related?

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We can just talk about the industry

because it's very interesting because

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language services it's like one of

those things where there's a lot of

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applications leveraging AI, right?

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Stefani: Yeah, absolutely.

60

And from the beginning, we have

really seen AI not as a threat, but

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really as a catalyst of growth for us.

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We are a people driven business and the

power of AI really is lying with how can

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we enhance the accuracy, the speed and the

insight, not replacing the human element.

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And so we recognized early that

organizations who are leaning in and

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learning fast with AI will really

set the pace in this industry.

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So for Propio and the things that we're

doing here, adopting AI was really

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about staying true to our mission.

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And that's connecting

people anywhere, anytime.

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And we are doing that through technology.

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And we are able to do it at a smarter

and more impressive scale than

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I think others might be able to.

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And it's really allowed us to innovate

from a position of strength rather

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than reacting from a place of fear.

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Thomas: Was there ever like a moment that

made you say, okay, now we're choosing,

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we're taking a right turn here as a team.

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And now we're going in like that in

terms of being an AI or was it just

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something that happened organically?

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specifically the reason I'm asking is

feel like a lot of companies and HR

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leaders who might be out there listening

are in that mode of deciding or helping

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decide at an executive team level.

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Okay, what is our posture

towards this for our industry

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and for us as an organization?

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So is it a lightning in a bottle moment

or was there just a I don't know,

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hundreds of meetings and hours over years?

85

Stefani: Yeah, it was definitely

a conscious decision on our part.

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was about 12 months ago.

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It was September.

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We knew that there was

a lot of buzz around it.

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Our executive team is

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very well versed in the industry.

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And we started hearing

about it more and more.

92

So a little over 12 years or 12 months

ago, we made that conscious decision.

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And September of 2024 is when

we took that out to our people.

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Thomas: It sounds like it was a

conscious decision at an executive team

95

level, seeing what in your industry

and where you wanted to go as an

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organization to really see it as a...

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you want to be an early adopter, you

want to lean in and also ensure that

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aligns still with your broader mission.

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And it does.

100

So once you got past that set

of decisions, what comes next?

101

How do you

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do the change management for an entire

organization around AI adoption?

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Stefani: It like you said, it

started at the executive team level.

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We had to have a lot

of those conversations.

105

But I think we came to this decision

relatively quickly and we all had the

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same thought around AI should enhance our

people and performance, not diminish them.

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And I think since all of us were

so aligned around that so quickly

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that we were able to expedite some

of those conversations that I'm

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sure companies are having out there

that are taking hours upon hours.

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Once we knew that was our clear principle,

the alignment came pretty quickly.

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Each of our executive team members looked

at how could we use AI in our functions?

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How could it elevate the functions

that we were responsible for?

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From HR to operations product, all of us.

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We really took a hard

look at what could we do.

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And then we jumped in and I think

it was a lot of communication.

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I mentioned this town

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We just came out and

said, here's our stance.

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We are leaning into this,

but we want you to know that.

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We believe this is enhancing.

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It's making people better.

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It's not better than people.

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And I think when we took the approach

of just going to be really open

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with our employees and our teams and

tell them what we're looking for.

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That kicked it off.

125

And then after that, it was how

can we test this responsibly?

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Little small pilots, little trials

and errors, continuously being

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transparent with our communication

around what we're doing.

128

We absolutely had to set guardrails.

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We established an AI committee very early

on saying, okay, what are our boundaries?

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And we were honest with that.

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We focused on our quick wins.

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We really demonstrated the

value that AI was bringing.

133

So the employees could

get a little bit of that.

134

A lot of times we're always

looking for that final win.

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We took little wins with AI.

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And because we had that early

on alignment, we were able to

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have the accountability with

each other to really make AI an

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innovative part of our business.

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Thomas: So it sounds like it was both

in product development as well as like

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internal operations for every department.

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It's as kaleidoscopically

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engaged as possible.

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And the approach you're

advocating for you went through

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is it sounds like transparency.

145

It's like you made a decision

fast and you went at it and

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said, here's what we're doing.

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And here's, there's a lot of

open questions, but we're going

148

to support people along the way.

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I think even if another stage I hear

about often are executive teams that

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are aligned, but then they're trying

to figure out how should we best

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go about engaging with a broader

employee population around this.

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All the way from like mandates to this

is completely open and experiments,

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promises about L&D in folks and skilling

versus just saying, hey, we need to

154

figure things out in a small group first

before we make a bigger announcement.

155

What kind of thoughts would you have

about those kind of change management

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decisions that people might be

going through about given executive

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alignment, how to go about that?

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What things would you consider

in forming such a strategy?

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Stefani: I think part of it for us was

we were really honest in saying, nobody

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knows what they're doing 100 % here.

161

Like AI is cool to everybody.

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And I think that just us being

willing to say, we're going to mess

163

this up 100 and being okay to try a

lot of things, fail fast with them.

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Because nobody has the playbook for AI.

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I think that's one of the most

asked questions for me right

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now, whether it's internally or

externally is what's your playbook?

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We don't have one.

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We're all writing this thing

together and one of our values.

169

And I think we'll talk a little bit about

some of our values later with fail fast.

170

It was perfect with AI.

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We just had to jump in, try it out.

172

And there was some strategy internally

with it and externally as well.

173

But on the internal side, it's we

identified groups of people that we knew

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were excited about it or interested in it.

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Why not be as hesitant?

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And we tried and we got

those little wins with them.

177

And then it was like, wait that's

really cool, I would like to try that.

178

And so it became a want what they have.

179

And so we were pretty strategic internally

with picking pockets to trial things with.

180

And then externally, obviously, so

much of what we do is in healthcare

181

and very regulated industries.

182

And so we had to be also on our client

teams, they were extremely strategic

183

and clients said they started to

have these discussions with, and we

184

took it as we're going to have to

try things, we aren't going to get

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it 100 % perfectly, but let's try it.

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But let's be really strategic about how

we try it, who we're trying it with.

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Thomas: So I have to ask them

about the HR element of this.

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Do you feel like as a people leader

within the organization, have you

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been taking on new things, would

you say, with this transformation?

190

Or does it feel like other exercises

that the function has historically

191

led, whether it's like a digital

transformation or company-wide

192

processes that you're rolling out there.

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How does this compare?

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Does it feel like it's adding more

to the already full functions on a

195

briefcase?

196

Stefani: I think it's

just something different.

197

I don't think it's anything

more, and it might just be me.

198

I've got a project management

focus when I'm building my HR teams

199

and running the people function.

200

It's all very project management focus.

201

But for me, it wasn't.

202

It hasn't been something that's scary

and it's like big overhauling thing.

203

Last year we implemented a new HRIS.

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That was not an easy feat.

205

We've gone through four

acquisitions and acquired a

206

thousand employees every 18 months.

207

That's not easy either.

208

To me, I didn't let myself get bogged

down in, my gosh, this is something new.

209

I've got to figure it out.

210

Let's jump in and figure it out.

211

What exciting things could

this do for us in the future?

212

And so I think a lot of it was the

mindset that I went in with it.

213

But I don't think it was any more than

any other change management that HR

214

function would do in the business.

215

It's just something different.

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Thomas: I love that attitude.

217

One of the things that you guys

did was actually build, that is a

218

little bit unique as you actually

have now a VP of AI, right?

219

So it's a function, right?

220

That's like now emerged, which some

organizations are also like thinking about

221

or it just may naturally go into existing

functions and it's maybe it becomes

222

more bottom up in terms of the strategy.

223

Tell me a little bit about what came about

with building this internal AI function.

224

How did that come about and why does

it make sense in your environment?

225

Stefani: It sense in a lot of ways.

226

And our internal AI function

it's not just internally facing.

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That team is doing

internal and external work.

228

But just like AI itself, it's evolving.

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It's a very new team.

230

just hired the VP of AI this year

and he came in and we immediately

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added a whole function to this group.

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And now we're adding yet another

function because we see yet another

233

opportunity and things are going

well and we want to expand on things

234

and we want more opportunities.

235

So it's very similar to AI

itslef, it's just ever evolving.

236

And I know where it sits today isn't

where it's going to be next year.

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It'll look completely different.

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And Proprio is very fortunate.

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We've got not even just the executive, all

of our senior leaders aren't scared of AI.

240

And I think that's where a lot of

businesses right now are struggling

241

is there is a lot of fear around it.

242

And that's something that makes our

management team so strong is some that

243

might be a little bit more hesitant

around it, are able to talk to the

244

ones that are more like, let's jump all

in and we can balance each other out.

245

And so think when you're looking

to build these AI functions.

246

We built a committee

as I mentioned earlier.

247

You've got to balance it out

because the people that want to

248

go all in, they probably need

to be rolled back a little bit.

249

There is a reality to businesses, but

also on the other side of it, those

250

that are terrified of it, sometimes

they need a little bit of push.

251

so ensuring that you have that

balance within the group is how

252

you're going to evolve as a business.

253

Thomas: Got it.

254

Then structurally, could you tell me

like how you got into a point where,

255

okay, the strategy is in place,

we're doing some change management,

256

bringing people along, and now we

even have this internal function.

257

Which is itself evolving over time.

258

But what is the structure now if

you want to bring in a new tool or

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bring change a particular process.

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What's been working for you?

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Or what's, what are things that you've

shifted in terms of process that is then

262

also enabled by this internal AI function.

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Stefani: Yeah, when we've wanted

to bring in a new tool or try

264

something out, it's obviously we've

got to make the business case.

265

It can't just be a half-baked idea.

266

We're really big into fully

bake the idea, then sell it.

267

But we've really been open-minded

to trying out different things.

268

We've had a lot of conversations with

external partners of tools we've brought

269

in and said, hey, we want to try all this.

270

We want to see what limits

we can push with it, where it

271

works, where it doesn't work.

272

And just having those conversations.

273

And then we put stuff

through the AI committee.

274

We talk about it as an executive team.

275

And I think it's critical when

you're looking at bringing in

276

new tools and changing processes.

277

I think a lot of times people think,

changing a process, that's HR's job.

278

It is yes, but I would say it's a yes and

for us, I really thought of it as AI at

279

Propio wasn't, that's not an HR thing.

280

That's a business decision.

281

HR plays a role in this absolutely,

but because AI is a business decision

282

for us, it's a business shift.

283

We've really empowered all of our leaders

to bring people along with the change

284

and not just put all of that on HR.

285

I can write a policy, yes, but I'm

not the one living with these teams.

286

I'm not the one sitting

beside them every day.

287

And so for us, we've really taken that

perceived burden away from HR and say,

288

guys, this is a whole business thing.

289

We're all in this together.

290

It's going to take all of our

time and all of our effort.

291

Thomas: Wow.

292

Let's talk about the HR side of it though,

because you mentioned the mandate is what

293

you guys have been doing is not just like

implementing AI for your product, but

294

also every function internally is also

going at it and finding different ways

295

to pilot and leverage new tools and or

ideas from an HR perspective specifically.

296

What have been some cool things that

you've tried that's been working?

297

I'm also just as curious about any

of the experiments from the fail

298

fast where you fail fast at any kind

of stage of the piloting process.

299

Stefani: Yeah.

300

So tried a few things.

301

I got a lot more on the roadmap for 2026.

302

Now you've got this AI function.

303

think there's a line out the door.

304

Who gets to use them the quickest,

but we tried a few things.

305

think most of it has been in our

learning and development function, as

306

well as our talent acquisition function.

307

We tried several tools on the TA side

around reviewing interviews, typing

308

up their notes, summarizing it.

309

We get a lot of feedback of and this

candidate only wanted hybrid or fully

310

remote, or they wanted fully in office.

311

But we've never been able to provide

data to make business decisions off of.

312

And so we implemented, we

tried a couple of AI tools.

313

We ended up implementing one that the

recruiters will have a phone conversation.

314

It writes their notes for it.

315

But my favorite part is I can go

in and say, how many times was

316

PTO mentioned in a phone call?

317

How many times was remote work brought up?

318

And so now I'm able to collect this

data and then I can come back and say,

319

okay guys, we say anecdotically that

this person declined because of XYZ.

320

I actually have data.

321

Do we want to make a

change in our programs?

322

Do we want to make a

change in our offerings?

323

Or does the data not support it and

it's actually just something that

324

like one person said and it got stuck.

325

So we're able to make a lot

better decisions for the

326

business strategy based off of TA

conversations, which is very unique.

327

Thomas: I love that example.

328

I've seen it a lot in high ticket B2B

sales for a while where the expectation

329

is that every call is recorded.

330

Part of it's like a little

bit almost cultural.

331

Are we okay with?

332

having these things, but I think

we're moving in that direction.

333

But then it's really interesting

because you can take out a lot of this

334

unstructured data, which is available

in so many transcripts for any kind of

335

context where a call can be recorded and

then convert that into useful insights.

336

And that work, even if you

had the recording, like before

337

this technology you're talking

about, that's a thankless job.

338

If you're going to try to take

hundreds of screening calls and

339

try to come up with a story.

340

great examples.

341

So then that's then come back into making

an impact on your processes or maybe

342

even the candidate experience or even

the employer value proposition overall

343

through in terms of what you're offering.

344

Stefani: Yeah, absolutely.

345

And our sales team uses the same tool.

346

We've got different platforms,

obviously, but they do use the same tool.

347

And like you said, my recruiting

team was very nervous at first.

348

I came to them and said,

Hey guys, guess what?

349

I'm really excited.

350

I'm going to record all of your phone

calls and I can listen to everything.

351

And the eyes got really

big and I don't want that.

352

I want the data.

353

And then when I told them, said,

you guys are saying that we need

354

to change our PTO policy or we

need to change our this or that.

355

I've never been able to do or

have these conversations that

356

don't have the actual data for it.

357

Guess what?

358

Now I do.

359

And I've been able to show

them because of this tool.

360

One, you guys are saving a ton of time.

361

You're not writing notes.

362

You're saving an absorbent amount of time.

363

I'm very compliant from

a note taking standpoint.

364

And I now have actual data and I'm

helping you guys and it is proven itself

365

a couple of times where they love it.

366

Thomas: I love that example because

often part of the journey is the change

367

management internally with a team that

has a process that they're comfortable

368

with and is getting to some results.

369

Now you got to really have the motivation.

370

There's some time saving element

here, obviously for recruiters, but

371

then there's also this carrot of we

can actually make a case to help you

372

convert, like in your case, have a

better employer value proposition and

373

convert candidates better if we're able

to improve the offering effectively.

374

That's

375

interesting because I see the

parallels with sales, of course,

376

but then also it's the...

377

would you say that like your recruiters

were after that initial time where

378

you're getting them board, did you

go through a pilot and then you got

379

everyone's feedback and now we're

just like off and standardized that

380

as a generally speaking as a process?

381

Stefani: No, I just threw them in.

382

said, They're rusting a pilot.

383

I said, we're doing this.

384

If it's terrible, I'll fix it.

385

But let's try it.

386

think it's going to be great.

387

Our sales team was using it beforehand.

388

And so I was able to sit down with

our SVP of sales and I'm like, show

389

me your ways, show me the value.

390

And I really did a ton of due

diligence on the front end.

391

And then I said, they're going

to panic about the recording.

392

I was right.

393

But then they saw the value very quickly.

394

And so I just, I jumped right in

and I showed them all of the why's.

395

And I showed them all the

value and brought them along.

396

And then they learned pretty quickly

that I was not incorrect in my selling.

397

This has been a fantastic

conversation so far.

398

If you haven't already done so,

make sure to join our community.

399

We are building a network of the

most forward-thinking, HR and

400

people, operational professionals

who are defining the future.

401

I will personally be sharing

news and ideas around how we

402

can all thrive in the age of ai.

403

You can find it at go cleary.com/cleary

404

community.

405

Now back to the show.

406

Thomas: And it's also an example where,

so you're at the level of setting the

407

strategy and saying, Hey, we're going

to all do this at a company level.

408

But then in your own function,

because arguably recruiters and

409

any team member could potentially

propose any of these ideas.

410

But yeah, I think at least what I'm

hearing is as a leader, doesn't.

411

You don't have to stop there.

412

You can go all the way into

let's try this particular tool

413

for this particular process.

414

And let's try that starting next

week and let's really roll up our

415

sleeves and go and see where we

end up to really force the issue.

416

It's like, see if you

can get to some results.

417

But I'm very curious also about

the other one that you use case you

418

mentioned on the L&D side, what's

been working or not working there.

419

Stefani: Yeah.

420

So content creation has been

the name of the game with that.

421

We've used AI a lot on

the content creation side.

422

But we're also starting to explore AI

on the L&D side around recommendations.

423

So we don't have this one

100 % figured out yet.

424

We're trying out some tools right

now where it can say, hey, the

425

employee's performance is showing X.

426

Maybe they need Y training.

427

Or hey, the feedback is here.

428

We recommend this.

429

And so actually making recommendations,

I am transparently little more

430

hesitant of how that works than I

was on the content creation side, but

431

my L&D team is definitely using AI

significantly in content creation.

432

It's speeding up.

433

We've got a small but mighty L&D team

here and they're able to produce a lot

434

more quickly the content that they're

supplying out to the organization.

435

Thomas: Isn't there a similar risk

with that content creation side too?

436

You're putting out AI slop.

437

Usually you'd have really.

438

Well thought through content for

a manager training or a specific

439

functional kind of training.

440

But now you're just, I

441

don't know, expected to do more.

442

Like we're to do 10

trainings instead of two.

443

And then you devolve towards

stuff that's not as good

444

basically, or not as effective.

445

Like what are the guardrails

or how do you feel like you're

446

on the content creation side?

447

Cause I feel like that's the place

where it's easiest to start, but

448

how do you protect against that?

449

The quality not being to the same

level as you used to have it.

450

Stefani: Yeah.

451

This is definitely an area that my

team had to learn a little bit from

452

when we first started this journey

a little over a year ago to today.

453

And I did quarterly town halls

with all of my people team.

454

And the last two, said,

okay, we're talking about AI.

455

We have a whole section on AI

and we're going to talk about it.

456

And it really has been around.

457

I love that you guys are using it.

458

I don't want to know that you're using

it by the product that's being produced.

459

And so reminded my team of the ChatGPT's

of the world writing our emails.

460

That's awesome.

461

I love this for us.

462

However, I don't want it to

sound like ChatGPT or your email,

463

please make it sound like you.

464

And so I really have had to actually take

examples of work product that I have seen.

465

I review a lot of the things before

they go out to the organization,

466

but I've had to take and say, look,

I knew this when we were in my AI.

467

Here's how I knew and i've compared

it to things and I think showing them

468

and just having that, I'm not upset.

469

I'm the one that told you to go do this.

470

I'm not upset at all.

471

I just want you guys to understand

that there is a balance to it.

472

AI is making us more efficient.

473

AI is providing us a lot of value,

saving us a ton of time, but we

474

are still responsible for humans.

475

And there's a human on the other

side of every single thing that we

476

do and we cannot lose sight of that.

477

So even when it comes as

far as to automation, I'm

478

pushing them to think through.

479

If you received that as your response.

480

If your chatbot responding that

way, how would you feel about that?

481

If an employee uses the chatbot and

says, my mother just passed away.

482

I do not want that chatbot to just respond

with here is the bereavement policy.

483

We need to build it to notify us.

484

And so a human can respond to

that because you need to know how

485

you would feel if you got that.

486

And so I'm doing that on the content side.

487

If you were sitting in a room going

through this, are you going to

488

feel like a machine did this or you

have to like a human invested time.

489

So it's definitely a balance and

it's an area that we had to learn.

490

And like I said, I was okay with saying,

I pushed you guys, but now I'm going

491

to show you how we can get better.

492

And we iterated together as a team.

493

Thomas: Can't be the high school teacher

telling your kids to use ChatGPT and

494

then complaining about plagiarism.

495

But

496

yeah, there's a balance here.

497

like your approach of just thinking about

it from the customer standpoint, right?

498

It's like an age old advice, right?

499

That's still relevant.

500

Put yourself in the customer's

shoes and what would you think?

501

Right.

502

And if people follow that.

503

Because if you chase efficiency to

the end, you have to balance that

504

right a little bit with the quality

from the customer's perspective.

505

So it's like there's content creation,

but then you're playing with the idea

506

of recommendations to keep people

think about what they could take next.

507

So then you said there's a

whole roadmap of other ideas.

508

What else are you like

509

What opportunities do you see and for

the organization to leverage more?

510

Stefani: Yeah, our biggest area

that we went to best in from

511

the people team is performance.

512

I still think there's some more I can

add into the talent acquisition function.

513

Our big joke is we actually use

ChatGPT to find our VP of AI.

514

Very roundabout way, but it was

involved in the hiring of our VP of AI

515

and it's one of our favorite stories.

516

We

517

want to really focus on the

performance side of things.

518

Performance takes a lot of time

and not everybody loves it.

519

Not everybody is as good from a leader

standpoint in having those discussions.

520

There are several tools that we're

currently evaluating right now that can

521

help us with some level of automation

with nine box AI performance review

522

writing, which sounds very scary, but

that is where I'm checking a lot of

523

boxes of saying, okay, but we have to

make sure the manager is able to say,

524

yes, that is what I want it to say.

525

And so that's really where we're

526

knows what the second half will

hold for us, but really that

527

first half is continuing to invest

on the talent acquisition side.

528

And then implementing some AI

enhanced performance tools.

529

There's a lot of debate around this,

but AI can be less subjective when it

530

comes to performance the tools that we're

currently looking at can pull data from

531

a lot of areas and make recommendations.

532

And I think at a minimum,

it's going to make the leader

533

stop and go, you know what?

534

That's probably correct.

535

Thomas: That's an

interesting can of worms.

536

Is AI more or less objective than

a human in its very context and

537

model dependent, I'm sure the answer

there, but it's just intriguing

538

that we can even ask that question.

539

So yeah.

540

There's so much value if you get it

right on the performance management side.

541

But when you're talking about

that, my mind went to just your

542

previous point immediately was...

543

imagine now it's a higher stake, right?

544

So if you're delivering L&D course

with some AI like looking wording

545

in there that's one thing you're

telling someone you're probably

546

going to go on a performance

improvement plan through AI writing.

547

That's like a whole other impact

from the customer standpoint, you

548

really have to guard against, right?

549

If you're zooming out then a little bit

with me then, and we're just talking

550

about the future in general, you have

so many different examples of ways that

551

you're executing area by area, trying

different things and going with AI.

552

What do you think, and that's a

crux of a lot of what we think about

553

on the Future Proof HR podcast.

554

What is the HR function in

the future like look like?

555

What skills are important or

what's less and more expressed?

556

How's it all shifting?

557

Stefani: Yes, I continue

to be asked this question.

558

And

559

I think I see HR as a little bit

different over the last five years.

560

I think the industry has seen it.

561

Thomas: You mean pre AI revolution,

are you talking about COVID pandemic?

562

Tell me about that first, then

we can talk about this next one.

563

Stefani: Yeah.

564

And I think I mentioned this when

I first met with you around HR is

565

not a checklist admin function,

I have not seen it that way.

566

And I think AI is just adding fuel to

this fire that has been within me of guys,

567

we are not this is what we actually are.

568

I've always felt HR

569

is way more than what it's

given credit for a lot of times.

570

And I'm fortunate at Propio that

I've been supported and been able

571

to carry out that vision around.

572

Propio HR is really

embedded in the business.

573

We understand the business goals.

574

We can anticipate their needs.

575

We can help them drive impact

through their growth and performance.

576

And so it's not just about ensuring simply

their compliance or processing forms.

577

It's building on capabilities.

578

It's strengthening our leadership team.

579

And really it's helping to create

580

programs or processes or

whatever it is that help the

581

people perform at their best.

582

And AI is just adding a fuel to that.

583

And in a way it's catching up to where my

mind's at I've spent over the last five

584

years, but AI is fundamentally shifting

HR from administrative to strategic.

585

There is no way around that.

586

And the real opportunity

is about replacing people.

587

It's about amplifying the human community.

588

I have always said it's not

employees, they're human capital.

589

It is the most important

thing to a business.

590

So AI is really just amplifying

the human capital's capabilities.

591

And we are seeing, especially

Propio, we are seeing AI as a tool to

592

streamline some of that routine work.

593

The teams can focus on

higher value initiatives.

594

And that's where I think

a lot of HR leaders and HR

595

professionals are scared of AI.

596

It's replacing my job.

597

It's not.

598

It's bringing you up to be more strategic.

599

It's bringing you up to be a partner.

600

It's allowing you to provide talent

strategy to an organization and

601

driving culture and being in a

leadership development opportunity.

602

It allows us to move much

faster, analyze data a lot more

603

and a lot more intelligently.

604

I just had somebody the other day

that said, I never trusted HR with

605

numbers before you and before your

leadership here at Propio I didn't

606

trust HR as far as their numbers go.

607

That is going to get better because of AI.

608

If HR leaders allow it to happen,

they are able to become a different

609

version of themselves to the business.

610

They're able to be that

person that has their numbers.

611

Be able to provide insights

that we never were able to

612

provide or would have provided.

613

Would have taken us hours and days

to provide any sort of insights

614

that may or may not be wrong.

615

Now we don't have to do that.

616

Thomas: I think your talent acquisition

implementation is an example of that.

617

First of all, you're getting data and

you can say, no, really this is brought

618

up in 80 % of the time in this market

when we're hiring for this role, they

619

keep mentioning PTO and here is the data.

620

It's hard to question that versus the

same conversation would have been, like

621

the recruiters keep, we keep hearing this

and a couple of our key managers agree.

622

So let's put this big investment

in to change the policy

623

that would help us close.

624

Or it's a very different conversation.

625

Stefani: And I told my team, said,

HR will really in the future be

626

defined as how can we effectively

blend technology and empathy?

627

We can never lose the empathy

component of our world.

628

How can we blend that technology and

the empathy and really use AI for

629

efficiency versus human connection?

630

Thomas: So you mentioned then it's going

to be less administrative as a function.

631

But the way I see it is

that's not going away.

632

The administration needs to happen, right?

633

People need to be the hiring and firing

and like the benefits and all that.

634

Do we agree that it's we're stacking on

top of that, but that's actually possible.

635

So we're going up higher up the hierarchy

of needs for the organization, but

636

we've never been able to get there, but

this stuff doesn't really disappear.

637

it?

638

Stefani: It doesn't disappear.

639

But I think it's because of these tools,

we're able to do it quicker and we're

640

able to add and in some ways we're

able to set up the systems to do it.

641

And so instead of me going in and changing

this system, this and this, or my team

642

going in and having a five step process,

this system is able to do that for them.

643

They still need to check in.

644

We're not going to get away from

I-9s or W-4s or whatever it is.

645

Those are always going to be there.

646

But the systems are making

them move much more quickly.

647

And so the team, I think, are

still doing those, but the time

648

it takes them is so much less.

649

And so they're.

650

They have so much extra capacity now

to where they can be those strategic

651

partners to the business and understand

the business at a deeper level

652

than we've been able to understand

653

it before.

654

Thomas: I love that.

655

So can I ask also about just

the future of work a little bit?

656

I think earlier when we

were talking about how

657

the employer-employee relationship,

it might be shifting and it

658

changes over the life cycle of an

employee of an employment period.

659

And sometimes employees grow with

the company as a company shifting,

660

or sometimes you grow apart.

661

This is all, guess, age old, like people

leadership stuff, but how do you handle

662

these kinds of conversations around

ensuring that as a company's pace is

663

so in terms of changes so fast, right?

664

What you're describing, which in

terms of employee growth, tooling

665

mindset shifts, like process changes,

it's a lot that's like happening.

666

You're throwing at people.

667

How do you balance that with just ensuring

that you're bringing people along and

668

having the right conversations to help

people grow into or out of appropriately?

669

Stefani: Yeah, that conversation

is one I have, I shouldn't say

670

I never shied away from it.

671

I think early on in my career, I was

in the, my gosh, we lost a person.

672

What are we going to do mindset?

673

And I really shifted away from that.

674

And now anybody that has gone

through an interview with me at

675

Perprio, I have said the same line.

676

This place, it's not

the place for everybody.

677

And I'm okay with that.

678

I tell people if you want a manual

that I can pull off of a shelf and

679

say, this is how we've always done it.

680

This is how you're going to do it.

681

This is exactly the key to success.

682

Harbor is not the right place for you.

683

And I know that there's talent out there

that are phenomenal at what they do,

684

but it's not the right place for them.

685

I've had people on my

team since I've been here.

686

I'm like, you're a great person.

687

I think you're great for a

business, just not this business.

688

And so I think that can be scary

because sometimes turnover is

689

looked poorly upon as a leader.

690

It's not always now, obviously I could

go down a rabbit hole of when it is.

691

But it's not always.

692

So I think the way that I handled it,

and especially at Propio is just with

693

honesty and transparency and respect.

694

I've brought people

along said, here's why.

695

My team knows all the changes we're

making, why we're making them.

696

Pros and cons to it.

697

I try to approach them very self-aware.

698

I know this isn't going to

be a perfect change for us.

699

I know this might give you a headache

or a little bit of heartburn here.

700

I'm through this with you guys.

701

And so I've been very

transparent with them on the

702

changes that we've had to make.

703

But also when team members have come

to me or I've had to have conversations

704

with team members, I don't feel

like you're loving this anymore.

705

Let's talk about that because

I want them to succeed.

706

I think unhappy people do unhappy work.

707

And that's not good for them.

708

And it's not good for Propio.

709

And I just want to have

that conversation with them.

710

If one of my team members says,

you know what, I don't, I can't

711

handle the change anymore.

712

Okay, the acquisitions are getting to me.

713

Okay, I get that.

714

I understand it.

715

And let's figure out a way that we

can support you on your way out.

716

You can support us on your way out.

717

Let's do this together.

718

And so I think being able to

listen to this is hard on me.

719

It is hard.

720

You never want to hear an employee say,

of this change is driving me crazy.

721

That's hard to hear because

the leaders were excited about

722

it and were ready to do it.

723

But I think if you can say, I did it.

724

Look, it's a lot and it's not a good

fit for you, then you're putting

725

yourself, the business and that

employee in a better position.

726

Thomas: Yeah, that's

tough, but transparent.

727

The

728

thing I'm thinking about is

if that's like the posture.

729

How do you stay people first, right?

730

Which is a big part of the ethos where

really what we're talking about is

731

a rapid acceleration of change that

everyone is experiencing throughout the

732

world, but certainly in the workplace.

733

But really a lot of that is being

driven by the AI enablement of

734

so many things like shifting.

735

Is there like a universal skillset

that is going to come into the fore

736

for everyone across every company?

737

I know you're commenting of

course about your organization and

738

what you're like seeing through.

739

But if you're stepping back out and

reflecting a little bit, generally

740

speaking, what is it going to be

meaning for any HR leader where

741

many of us are committed to being

people first and investing in the

742

people in an AI enabled world?

743

Stefani: Yeah, it's a great question.

744

And I think when I look at it, I

do not see AI as replacing people.

745

And everything that we are doing

with AI, we're asking what is

746

the impact on the employees?

747

What is the impact on the client?

748

What is the impact on the end user?

749

And so I think as long as you don't

lose sight of the people first,

750

you're able to successfully do it.

751

And I say people operate AI.

752

And that's what I tell

my team all the time.

753

I said, we've got to have a team

that can operate the machines

754

that are doing all of these tasks.

755

And people are the ones that

are coming up with the ideas.

756

A machine didn't tell our executive

team, here's what you guys should

757

do over the next 12 months.

758

We had to come up with those ideas.

759

And so what I really spent my time on

is what I mentioned earlier with my

760

team is how is a person receiving this?

761

It might've been done

in a third of the time.

762

Great for you.

763

But if it makes a person not

feel good, you've lost them.

764

And my team hears these two

words more than anything.

765

What is the experience?

766

It's people experience.

767

And that is what I will always do.

768

So when we're sitting, going through

and we're building the responses,

769

we're building the automations,

we're building out all these things.

770

How would you feel if you got that?

771

I think I'm probably the negative

Nellie in all of these implementation

772

calls of I wouldn't love that.

773

And also we've all sat on Amazon

or target or whoever's chat bot

774

trying to return something and we

all have wanted to throw our phones

775

out the car window while doing so.

776

I just remember-

777

yelling

778

Thomas: like a decade ago,

yelling operator into the phone.

779

Stefani: Yes.

780

I just want an agent.

781

Yes.

782

bring those examples up to my

team all the time of I never want

783

our employees to feel like that.

784

At the end of the day, our team is

literally called the people team.

785

We can never forget that.

786

Thomas: Absolutely.

787

As you look ahead and as our time is

closing out here, what are some things

788

that you're like really excited about the

next stage of growth and transformation

789

at Propio or for the HR team?

790

Stefani: It's what I don't know.

791

That's honestly what I'm so excited

about is it is I describe Propio

792

as a good type of crazy and it

will always ring true to me.

793

I don't know what is next.

794

I don't think we had a great idea, our CEO

might tell me different, but I don't think

795

that we had this thought that we would be

able to do for acquisitions in 18 months.

796

I don't think any of us thought that.

797

I didn't think that we would be able

to completely retool and function the

798

HR team within less than two years.

799

And those things were not

always on the roadmap, but they

800

were opportunities that came.

801

And so for me, what I'm most excited

about for my team, for Propio as

802

a whole, and for the HR industry

is we don't know what's coming.

803

None of us saw COVID.

804

I'm sure somebody saw AI, I

did not see AI coming at the

805

speed in which it came to us.

806

So it's just having the mentality and

loving what I do so much of I don't

807

know what's going to get thrown at us.

808

Let's figure this out together.

809

We might have a headache after that

day, but we're going to figure it out.

810

I think is what I'm most excited for.

811

Just we don't know what's coming and I

can't wait to see what's in store for us.

812

Thomas: Absolutely.

813

I think that is a great thought as

any to end this conversation Stefani.

814

Because the future is unwritten, there

is a lot we can learn from all of

815

these different projects that you've

gone through, both from the executive

816

alignment to change management

and how you thought about that.

817

Not just top down, but also bottom up and

how you've also rolled up your sleeves

818

into getting into specific projects.

819

We went to some great examples

across the employee life

820

cycle and HR programs, right?

821

There's no dearth of

822

projects or ideas, right?

823

For ways that people, depending

on the journey they're on and the

824

phase of the organization where they

can't find some room to experiment.

825

And I love your focus on mindset,

because that came up a bunch around

826

like what you're expecting from

the employee population, as well as

827

the HR team to actually move things

forward and all the nuances associated

828

with the communication, right?

829

From the leadership position and the

HR team more broadly in interaction

830

with the overall organization.

831

Thank you for sharing all this.

832

And you say you're a negative

Nelly, but on the other hand, you're

833

also pushing to try everything.

834

But I guess it's two

sides of the same coin.

835

Like we got to try everything,

but that's a fail fast, right?

836

But we got to be open to really evaluating

whether this is working for us or

837

not, but we got to keep evaluating.

838

And I suspect as you keep doing that,

the muscle just gets built and she

839

just, the whole team just gets better

at it and more efficient at it.

840

And it gets more fun, hopefully.

841

And less of those days with

headaches, as you mentioned.

842

Thank you for this conversation.

843

For everyone who's listening out

there and who's looking at ways to

844

future-proof their own organizations

and their own HR functions.

845

I think there are several nuggets.

846

Hopefully you have taken away from

this chat and to Stefani once again,

847

thank you for this conversation

and see you on the next one.

848

Bye now.

849

Thanks for joining us on this

episode of Future Proof HR.

850

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851

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852

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853

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how we can all thrive in the age on AI.