Talent Edge Weekly - Issue #313

Chief People Officer outlook report, the ROI of AI in the workplace, a one-page example of an HR implementation plan, building a change-ready workforce, and a new study on AI voice agent interviews.

Author

Brian Heger
September 07, 2025

SPONSORED BY

Welcome to this issue of Talent Edge Weekly!

A shout-out to Nicole Del Valle, Sr. Manager, Talent Pipeline at JM Family Enterprises, Inc., for referring new subscribers to Talent Edge Weekly. Thank you, Nicole, for your support of this newsletter!

PRESENTED BY 365Talents

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THIS WEEK'S CONTENT

Below are links and descriptions of the topics covered in this issue. If you're interested in my deep dive, you can read the full newsletter.

Also, check out my job cuts tracker & Chief HR Officer move of the week.

Let’s dive in! ⬇️

THIS WEEK'S EDGE 

CHIEF HR OFFICER

A new 21-page report highlighting Chief People Officers’ priorities for the next 6–12 months, with a focus on AI adoption and risk management.

This past week, the World Economic Forum published its inaugural Chief People Officers Outlook 2025—a 21-page report based on a mid-2025 survey of over 130 Chief People Officers (CPOs) across industries and regions. It identifies three imperatives shaping talent strategy: 1) redesigning organizational structures and roles, 2) strengthening culture and purpose, and 3) advancing responsible workforce AI. Section 2 (page 10) highlights CPO priorities for workforce AI and automation over the next 6–12 months: collaborating with technical teams on AI tools and policies, mapping AI’s impact on jobs, tasks, and processes, and proactively redesigning jobs and workflows. As the report notes, “As AI tools become more embedded in daily operations, CPOs emphasize the importance of evolving traditional job structures.” This underscores that AI is not just a tool but a catalyst for workforce transformation. Alongside these priorities, CPOs flagged near-term AI risks, including employees not adopting or learning quickly enough, career stagnation or skill erosion from over-reliance on AI, and ethical or data privacy concerns—especially around data use in hiring or evaluations. To help organizations explore AI’s impact on specific tasks and processes, I am re-sharing my one-page template as a starting point. I’m also resharing a recent 28-minute podcast by The Conference Board, which outlines CHRO priorities for the remainder of 2025, with priority number one being HR’s role in leading AI and technology transformation.

AI AND ROI

A new 48-page report highlights ROI examples of AI in the workplace and shows how aligning initiatives to clear business goals strengthens adoption and C-suite sponsorship.

As leaders increasingly move from debating whether to use AI to identifying which use cases create the most value, the focus is on scaling capabilities—especially through AI agents—with a strong emphasis on ROI. The second annual report by Google Cloud and the National Research Group, based on a survey of 3,466 senior leaders at global enterprises ($10M+ revenue), provides timely insights on this shift. While there are several insights, one key point (p. 42) is that the greatest returns come when AI initiatives are tied to clear business goals; in turn, this alignment strengthens C-suite sponsorship and fuels adoption. While this may sound obvious, it is often overshadowed by “bright and shiny” AI projects that attract attention but lack a solid business foundation. To avoid this trap, here are six questions I recommend asking: 1) What business problem or opportunity are we addressing? 2) Why is it essential, and who are the key stakeholders that will benefit? 3) What evidence shows an AI-based solution can address the issue? 4) What alternatives were considered, and why are they less impactful than AI? 5) What risks come with implementation, and how will we mitigate them? 6) What are the risks if we do not act now? (e.g., lost market share, delayed launches)? These questions can help assess which AI initiatives are most likely to deliver both the strongest ROI and the greatest executive sponsorship.

HR EFFECTIVENESS + WORKFORCE PLANNING

My cheat sheet showing how using a one-page phased implementation plan—illustrated with a workforce planning example—can make HR initiatives easier to support and faster to move into action.

A few weeks ago, I shared my one-page cheat sheet for framing HR initiatives in terms of the business problems they address. It included space to define the business problem or pain point we’re trying to solve, highlight supporting data, recommend a high-level talent solution (in my example, workforce planning), and outline the negative impact of waiting or not acting. The resource enables us to critically evaluate the business impact of HR initiatives and strengthen the case for executive sponsorship. I’ve found it useful to pair that first one-pager with a second focused on implementation. While the first anchors us in the “why,” the second shows the “how.” By breaking initiatives into clear phases—each with a label, description, and sample deliverables—we can make proposals more concrete and less overwhelming. To illustrate, I’m sharing an example of how workforce planning might be structured across three phases. This is just a starting point that you can adapt to your organization or any initiative. Sometimes, pairing a concise business case with a phased plan is enough to create clarity, build support, and reduce unnecessary complexity—helping us take the first steps toward action rather than waiting for the “perfect” plan or conditions.

CHANGE MANAGEMENT

Highlights how leaders can help employees build their change capabilities through micromoments—low-stakes opportunities in daily workflows.

Leaders must often help teams navigate multiple changes simultaneously—from new technology launches and strategic shifts to restructurings, cultural transformations, and evolving policies, such as remote work. Each change is significant, but together they can strain the organization and put outcomes at risk. While change management has long been an essential leadership capability, today’s environment requires even greater support. A recent Gartner article introduces the concept of change reflexes—core change skills practiced until they become second nature. Employees with well-developed reflexes are 3.5x more likely to achieve healthy change adoption and 2.2x more likely to report high well-being. Unlike formal training sessions or high-stakes change events, micromoments—everyday opportunities in regular workflows—give employees frequent, low-risk chances to practice until these reflexes become intuitive. At fintech company Jack Henry, leaders embed this by having employees monitor external triggers, such as AI, and lead team discussions—helping them anticipate and prepare for future changes—and by using project debriefs to reflect on how emotions were managed, thereby strengthening emotional regulation skills. Since it’s also critical to help leaders gain a clear view of all changes underway, I am resharing my one-page template, which helps review current and proposed changes, their timing, and their impact across groups.

AI AND TALENT ACQUISITION

A new 89-page research paper examining AI voice agent interviews versus human recruiter interviews, based on a field experiment with 70,000 applicants.

This new 89-page research paper examined what happens when AI voice agents replace human recruiters in job interviews. Partnering with a recruitment firm, the researchers conducted a large-scale field experiment with 70,000 applicants who were randomly assigned to be interviewed by human recruiters, AI voice agents, or given the latitude to choose between the two. Regardless of the interview type, questions were consistent, and final hiring decisions always rested with human recruiters who reviewed transcripts, recordings, and standardized test scores. Contrary to recruiter forecasts that AI would lower interview quality and harm outcomes, AI-led interviews improved results, such as 12% more job offers and 18% more job starts. AI also elicited more relevant information (6.8 topics covered versus 5.5 in human-led interviews), leading recruiters to score AI-interviewed applicants higher. Interestingly, when given the choice, 78% of applicants opted for an AI interview over a human one, often citing convenience and reduced anxiety. However, those who selected AI interviews generally scored lower on standardized test scores. Another point is that 5% of applicants discontinued an AI interview in progress, and 7% encountered technical glitches that added to their stress. As with all studies, this research has limitations; however, it provides a useful data point to consider alongside broader research. I also found this 17-minute AI-generated podcast summarizing the findings, implications, and limitations of this study.

MOST POPULAR FROM LAST ISSUE

AI’S IMPACT ON HR

A 22-page slide deck that explores how AI agents are reshaping HR work, offering frameworks and use cases to help HR teams plan for the function’s transformation.

JOB CUTS AND LAYOFF TRACKER

Check out my tracker of announcements from a segment of organizations that have conducted job cuts and layoffs since the start of 2023.

A few job cuts announced this past week:

  • ConocoPhillips (NYSE: COP). The Houston-based oil and gas giant said it plans to cut 20–25% of its global workforce—up to 3,250 jobs—as part of a broad restructuring effort aimed at streamlining operations.

  • Kroger (NYSE: KR). One of America’s largest supermarket chains announced it is laying off around 1,000 corporate associates after announcing store closures. The cuts do not affect people working in stores, manufacturing facilities, or distribution centers. 

  • Salesforce (NYSE: CRM). The cloud-based software company has announced plans to cut over 4,000 jobs, reducing its workforce from 9,000 to 5,000, which is a nearly 45% reduction. However, it has been described more as a “rebalance” rather than a direct layoff, as hundreds have already been redeployed into sales and other parts of the business. The decision comes as AI agents now handle half of all customer interactions.

Click here to access my tracker with all announcements.

CHIEF HR OFFICER MOVE OF THE WEEK

This past week, 10 new Chief HR Officer announcements were posted on CHROs on the Go, my subscription-based platform tracking movement in and out of the CHRO role. This week’s CHRO move of the week is:

  • ​​Compass Minerals (OVERLAND PARK, KANSAS) [NYSE: CMP]— a leading global provider of essential minerals—has named Amy Tills as its Chief Human Resources Officer, effective September 15. She joins from Fluke Corporation, where she served as Global VP of HR since April 2024. Prior to her role at Fluke, she served as VP of Global HR at SPX Technologies. Her experience includes several HR roles within manufacturing companies, including Honeywell, Amcor Ltd., and Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company.

🔓️ Never miss another Chief HR Officer announcement!

CHROs on the Go has over 4,500 archived announcements in its online platform, with new announcements added daily!

If you are already a subscriber to CHROs on the Go, log in here.

FROM ME ON LINKEDIN

Catch up on what you may have missed from me on LinkedIn:

THE BEST OF AUGUST 2025

SPONSORED BY

Did you miss the “Best of August ” issue of Talent Edge Weekly? If so, check out issue #312, which includes the most popular resources from the month.

Thank you to TechWolf, who sponsored the Best of August. TechWolf invites Talent Edge Weekly readers to an exclusive rooftop gathering during Workday Rising. 

On Sept 16, join TechWolf at Shelby’s Rooftop Bar in San Francisco for premium food & drinks, golden-hour views, and candid conversations with HR leaders like Diane Gherson (former CHRO at IBM) & Josh Tarr (Director, Skills Based Organization at Workday).

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Talent Edge Weekly is written by Brian Heger, a human resources practitioner. You can connect with Brian on LinkedIn and brianheger.com