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How HR Can Speak the CEO’s Language
Inside: HR’s Role in AI Transformation
The HR Takeaways
August 12, 2025
Hello, HR Pros!
2025’s workplace trends are anything but subtle. From the boardroom to the front lines, HR leaders are navigating data-driven decisions, AI transformations, shifting labor markets, and the lingering sting of workplace bias.
This edition unpacks the hard truths, surprising stats, and actionable playbooks you need to stay ahead—because the pace of change isn’t slowing, and neither should you. Let’s dive in ✨
📰 Upcoming in This Issue
📈 Speaking the CEO’s Language: Turning HR into a Profit Driver
🧠 HR’s Role in AI Transformation: A Playbook
🕰️ Ageism’s Hidden Cost: Why Disrespect Is Driving Talent Away
🎓 The Graduate Job Myth: More Than Just AI
⚙️ Why Some HR Teams Are Quietly Rethinking Payroll and HRIS
Talk to any HR leader and you’ll hear about inefficiencies they’ve learned to “just live with.” Payroll that takes days to process. Manual tax filings. HR records that don’t match payroll data.
Some teams have decided to stop patching these issues and rebuild their systems with payroll and HRIS working together from day one.
With Rippling Payroll, HR can process payroll in under 90 seconds, automatically file federal, state, and local taxes, and pay both U.S. and global teams—all without re-entering data.
That accuracy comes from Rippling HRIS, which keeps every employee record like titles, benefits, documents—all HR data in one place and updates it everywhere automatically. When HR data changes, payroll, benefits, and even IT systems are in sync instantly.
It’s less about buying software and more about removing the quiet, constant friction that’s been slowing HR down for years.
📣 Trending HR News
90% of older workers report experiencing age discrimination (Yahoo)
Meta has best hiring, retention rates among Big Tech (Semafor)
Atlassian layoffs ignite conversation about best way to conduct cuts (The HR Digest)
By 2028, 1 in 4 candidate profiles will be fake, Gartner predicts (Yahoo)
Too often, HR talks in culture and engagement while the C-suite thinks in EBITDA, margins, and ROI. That language gap sidelines CHROs from strategic influence. Bob Goodwin’s message is clear: translate HR’s value into the hard numbers CEOs live by.
From quantifying turnover costs (often 30–200% of salary) to linking internal mobility with faster revenue impact, the article shows how to frame retention, well-being, and workforce agility as measurable business wins. Case studies from Hilton, SAP, Amazon, and Pfizer prove the payoff—millions in savings, stronger pipelines, and sharper competitive edges.
The takeaway? Ditch “HR as a cost center.” Present initiatives as investments with projected returns, lead with business outcomes, and speak in metrics that secure a seat at the decision-making table.
Key Takeaways:
💰 Quantify turnover costs: Use CFO-friendly formulas showing 10% turnover reduction saves millions annually, tying retention directly to margin gains.
📊 Link HR to KPIs: Show how internal mobility, well-being, and data ownership boost operating margins, revenue per employee, and ROI.
🧠 Lead with business results: Start conversations with cost savings or productivity gains, then reveal the HR initiative driving the outcome.
📈 Own the data: Centralize HR analytics to link workforce metrics with financial impact, as Pfizer saved $8M via skills redeployment.
⏰ Employee Scheduling Feels Like a Puzzle? There's an Easier Way
If scheduling shifts is taking too many hours (and still causing headaches), you're not alone.
HR teams are using employee scheduling tools like When I Work to cut labor costs, reduce overtime, and improve shift attendance—with much less effort.
AI isn’t just a tech upgrade—it’s a business model shift. ServiceNow’s playbook shows how HR can be the catalyst for this transformation, moving from admin efficiency to strategic innovation.
To lead effectively, HR must align AI initiatives with business outcomes, integrate AI into employee workflows, and address workforce skills gaps head-on. This means HR acting as both architect and change champion.
The winners will be the HR teams that measure AI’s impact in business terms—speed, productivity, engagement—and make those results impossible for leadership to ignore.
Key Takeaways:
📊 AI investment is accelerating — 82% of organizations expect to boost AI spend next year, with 86% of employers predicting transformative impacts by 2030.
🤖 AI frees substantial capacity — Within five years, AI could release at least 25% of HR staff time, reshaping roles toward strategy and experience design.
📈 ROI measurement remains a gap — While 74% of leaders see positive ROI from GenAI, only 29% have clear metrics for tracking AI transformation returns.
🧠 Reskilling urgency is high — 64% of employees expect AI to alter their roles; by 2030, 59% of the global workforce will need reskilling.
Age isn’t slowing these workers down — but the bias is real. Resume Now’s 2025 Age Disrespect Report reveals that 90% of U.S. employees over 50 have faced ageism, with nearly half feeling regularly disrespected by younger colleagues. The impact goes beyond feelings, hitting paychecks, promotions, and workplace inclusion.
Despite exclusion and bias, older employees remain resilient: 91% still find their work meaningful, and 81% see their age as an advantage. Yet without active efforts to bridge generational gaps, companies risk losing valuable institutional knowledge and damaging cross-generational collaboration.
The data paints a clear picture: respect is a retention strategy. Bridging the generational divide can unlock loyalty, morale, and productivity — but ignoring it will cost.
Key Takeaways:
👎 Bias is widespread: 90% of over-50 workers have faced ageism; 47% feel regularly disrespected by younger peers.
💰 Pay gaps persist: 58% earn less than younger colleagues for the same job, directly undermining equity and motivation.
🚪 Opportunities blocked: 24% have been passed over for challenging assignments, while 15% missed promotions to less experienced workers.
💪 Resilience remains high: 91% still find meaning in work, and 97% say their institutional knowledge is valued by employers.
Forget the headlines—AI isn’t the sole culprit behind the graduate hiring crisis. Global degree attainment has doubled in two decades, saturating entry-level markets and fueling underemployment. Skills-based hiring now demands proven ability, not just credentials, while “entry-level” roles increasingly require experience.
Economic headwinds, policy shifts, and hidden job markets compound the challenge, especially in tech where U.S. tax changes have cut R&D hiring. The truth? Graduates face a perfect storm—oversupply, mismatched expectations, and evolving employer demands.
The winners will be those who adapt fast, build networks, and embrace non-linear career paths that combine skill acquisition with flexibility.
Key Takeaways:
📈 Graduate oversupply strain: In many countries, over 40% of young adults hold degrees, yet entry-level demand hasn’t kept pace.
🛠 Skills > credentials: Skills-based hiring rewards proven capability—graduates must gain hands-on experience via internships, projects, and gig work.
🌐 Hidden job market edge: Many SMBs hire through referrals, intern pipelines, and direct outreach—bypassing traditional job boards entirely.
⚖ Complex crisis factors: AI plays a role, but policy changes, economic caution, and sector mismatches are bigger forces shaping outcomes.
The bottomline
HR’s role has never been more complex—or more critical. From speaking the CEO’s language to steering AI adoption, from guiding graduates through a fractured market to dismantling entrenched ageism, today’s challenges demand both hard metrics and human empathy.
The edge belongs to HR leaders who balance strategy with inclusion, who can read both the balance sheet and the room. Keep that balance, and you’re not just managing change—you’re defining the future of work. ✨
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