Putting people ahead of platforms in HR transformation

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📊 HR Trends: Putting people ahead of platforms in HR transformation

Successful HR transformations do not rest solely on technology, but rather on putting people first. While modern HR systems—cloud-based, AI-enabled, integrated with payroll, finance and workforce planning—offer great potential, firms often fail because they neglect the human side. For HR teams this means shifting mindset. Instead of viewing HR tech as a tool to automate existing processes, the approach should be: how can we design experiences, support skills development, and empower managers and employees to act differently? The platform becomes enabler, but the transformation hinges on people. Read more.

🎧 HR Insights: Rethinking leadership in today’s world of work

Kylie Saunders (Founder & CEO of WorkTrybe) and Tull Roseby (Founder of Absolute Care & Health), discuss whether the current leadership-development approaches prepare leaders for the modern environment: remote/hybrid work, automation, regulatory and compliance pressures. The conversation underscores that leaders now require adaptability, authenticity and a voice in the ecosystem beyond traditional command-and-control.

🧰 HR Toolbox

Stay equipped with the latest HR events and resources.

Resource of the Day - Make Employee Navigator Work Even Harder for You

To thrive under tight timelines, changing conditions and evolving HR technology, brokers need simple solutions that help their clients get the coverage they need along with the power to close cases quickly in order to drive more business and achieve your goals. From understanding data sourcing and model testing to recognizing when GenAI may fall short, this is your blueprint for smart, scalable, and secure AI adoption.

Event of the Day

The upcoming event, Cannexus 26, from January 26-28, 2026 at Rogers Center Ottawa, brings together HR practitioners, career-development experts and workforce-strategy leads. This bilingual conference explores themes such as future skills, labour-market change, equity in work and career-pathways. Attendees will gain actionable tools for workforce planning, talent pipeline design and aligning HR priorities with broader economic trends.

Click here to be a part of this event

💡 HR Tips & Tricks

Tip of the Day: Introduce a “micro-onboarding plus” check-in at the end of week one for each new hire. Ask the new employee to identify one thing that surprised them about the role or culture. Collect these insights across hires, review quarterly, and use the findings to improve onboarding clarity, expectation-setting and early retention.

Trick of the Day: Deploy a “digital suggestion-box swap”. Each quarter designate a non-manager employee as “suggestion keeper”. They collect anonymous ideas through an internal chat or form and then lead a 15-minute live session where they summarise recurring themes (without names) and invite two feasible action ideas. This gives voice to non-leadership staff, boosts transparency and generates grassroots engagement.

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🧾 HR Case Files: With hybrid work and AI challenges, how can HR motivate disengaged employees?

A panel of HR leaders from organizations including Cadillac Fairview, Pet Valu Canada, Ontario Energy Board and Kettlemans Bagel explored the mounting issue of employee disengagement amid hybrid working models and increasing use of artificial intelligence.

Key Takeaways

• Clarify what returning to office or hybrid-presence achieves for employees, not only the employer. Provide a clear value proposition: connection, mentorship, visibility or career progression.

• Design work so that roles reflect purpose and autonomy. Embed tasks that allow discretion and initiative rather than checklist routines.

• Use AI intelligently as an enabler, not a replacement. Monitor how employees perceive AI-augmented work and address feelings of obsolescence or loss of influence.

• Cultivate psychological safety: encourage employees to speak up about how hybrid arrangements and AI affect their workflows, sense of belonging, and achievement.

This discussion highlights that HR functions must stay alert to the interpersonal and behavioural impacts of hybrid and AI work models. Without deliberate intervention, disengagement may rise—even when productivity remains stable on the surface.

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