🏋️ IBM Uses Its Own AI to Fix Its HR Challenges

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➗ HR Trend Spotlight: Personalized Employee Experiences and the Rise of Fractional HR

The future of work is shifting towards personalization. Employees no longer want one-size-fits-all HR strategies. They expect tailored support, meaningful engagement, and benefits that reflect their individual needs. This demand is pushing HR departments to rethink how they deliver services—and many are turning to fractional HR models. Fractional HR allows organizations, especially small to midsized ones, to access experienced HR professionals on a part-time or project basis. These experts bring fresh perspectives and specialized skills without the cost of full-time hires. They’re often used to create more flexible and responsive employee experience strategies. Read more.

🎧 HR Insights

In this article, Nure A. Khan, CEO-CHARM, explains that businesses can grow fast without a strong HR foundation, but they can’t stay successful without one. In early stages, many companies rely on instincts, founder-driven hiring, and informal management practices. But over time, that approach creates cracks. HR becomes the engine that keeps the organization stable. It helps define roles clearly, keeps teams aligned, and builds systems that support long-term performance. Without HR, businesses risk high turnover, weak internal culture, and compliance problems.

💡 HR Tips & Tricks

Tip of the Day: Exit interviews tell you why someone’s leaving—but stay meetings tell you why they’re still here. Ask your top performers every six months: “What’s keeping you here, and what might make you leave?” The answers are often simple but highly actionable.

Trick of the Day: If your company uses internal systems that track peak intranet usage (without invading privacy), check when employees are most active. This can guide when to post HR announcements or launch surveys for higher engagement. Afternoon slump? Morning rush? Your timing matters.

Learn AI in 5 minutes a day

What’s the secret to staying ahead of the curve in the world of AI? Information. Luckily, you can join 1,000,000+ early adopters reading The Rundown AI — the free newsletter that makes you smarter on AI with just a 5-minute read per day.

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🧾 HR Case Files - IBM Uses Its Own AI to Fix Its HR Challenges

IBM used its own AI tool, Watsonx Orchestrate, to overhaul its overwhelmed HR operations. Burdened with manual tasks and massive data, the HR team automated key processes like promotion cycles and employee inquiries. The tool cut promotion review time from five hours to under one and reduced HR help desk tickets by 75%. AI handled tasks while humans made final decisions, contributing to IBM’s $3.5 billion in productivity gains and showing how internal adoption of AI can transform HR at scale.

Key Takeaways

• Automating complex workflows like promotions saves time and improves consistency.

• AI-powered support tools reduce ticket load and response times.

• Productivity gains are not just internal—HR can drive measurable business outcomes.

🧰 HR Toolbox

Stay equipped with the latest HR events and resources.

Resource of the Day

Managing employee data comes with legal and ethical responsibilities. This article outlines how HR teams in the U.S. should handle identification information—like social security numbers and driver’s licenses—especially during onboarding and verification. One key recommendation is limiting access to only those who need it. HR leaders should also avoid collecting sensitive information unless absolutely necessary. Regular data audits help ensure records are up-to-date and stored securely. The article also stresses employee transparency—letting people know what data is being collected and why.

Event of the Day

The Gulf Coast Symposium on Human Resource Issues, hosted by HR Houston, is scheduled to bring together over 2,000 professionals to explore HR challenges and solutions across sectors. This event, happening on July 30-31 at One Reliant park in Houston, will offer in-depth sessions on leadership development, talent management, HR technology, and workplace equity.

For event details and registration, visit the website. 

HR is lonely. It doesn’t have to be.

The best HR advice comes from those in the trenches. That’s what this is: real-world HR insights delivered in a newsletter from Hebba Youssef, a Chief People Officer who’s been there. Practical, real strategies with a dash of humor. Because HR shouldn’t be thankless—and you shouldn’t be alone in it.

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