Latest news with #Betterworks
Newsweek
23-06-2025
- Business
- Newsweek
AI Management Tools Promise to Drive Employee Satisfaction and Innovation
The impact of AI in the workplace is already profound, but that impact is expected to grow exponentially in the coming years, as recent breakthroughs have accelerated the vision for an AI-powered future of work. "AI's been around for a long time, but when ChatGPT hit the scene, it really captured everyone's imagination," Cheryl Johnson, chief product officer at Betterworks, said. Over the last year, we have seen an expansion in agentic and generative AI tools aimed at helping people save hours per day or week at work by automating reports, summarizing meetings, writing first drafts, improving drafts and helping people and teams stay on top of their performance and development goals. Best-in-class innovations in workplace AI are highlighted by Newsweek's AI Impact Award winners in the workplace categories: Zoom, Pfizer and Betterworks. Their new offerings are enabling smoother collaboration, reductions in meetings, improved goal-setting, time-saving for managers and better adoption of emerging technology. Workplace tools were just one industry represented. Across more than a dozen categories, 38 winners were selected by a panel of judges made of AI and subject matter experts. AI Impact Awards: Workplace AI Impact Awards: Workplace Newsweek Illustration "Hybrid and remote work have become super noisy," Smita Hashim, head of product at Zoom, told Newsweek. "How can we help people really automate away some of the more mundane things which they have to do, so they can focus on more strategic work, so they can focus on connecting with each other? That's where we want to take AI Companion." Better Performance Management Many are trying, but the performance management process remains a heavy burden for managers and direct reports, with many struggling to see the value in the process or in their ability to communicate the breadth and value of their accomplishments over the course of a year. At Betterworks, the solution was to address certain pain points in performance management with an AI tool to support goals that give feedback and prompt manager conversations around goals. "AI was used not to replace people but to enhance them—acting as a copilot to guide goal-setting, feedback and performance conversations. The objective was to free employees from administrative overload and focus their energy on growth, development and productivity. The result? More relevant and meaningful feedback to drive employee engagement and better data for HR teams to understand their workforce," a representative wrote in the company's award application. One of the organizations using Betterworks, the software company LivePerson, drove a 30 percent improvement in timely completion of performance reviews, and its employees reported 75 percent less time spent to complete them. Managers and employees also reported improved clarity and tone in performance feedback, in addition to value. "We saw immediate positive response for, especially, employees who were maybe not as great with communication," Johnson shared. "They felt like they could put their notes in, and it would be transformed into something that was more on point." For managers, especially those with 10 or more direct reports, reviewing goals for every employee and writing feedback can be incredibly time-consuming. Having the ability to give feedback to employees as they set their goals can prevent multiple rounds of edits with the manager and ensure better alignment with team and company goals. "The friction point is the blank page," Johnson said. "With Goal [AI] Assist, you click one button, and it's looking at your job title, past goals, company goals, your manager's goals. It's looking at all this information in the system. It's looking at your past feedback, your past feedback from your manager, and recommending professional and development goals." Before rolling out Betterworks, the team at LivePerson, an AI chat company itself, put a stress test on the technology as a means of vetting the new AI offering. "They build AI technology themselves, so they're pretty savvy," Johnson shared. "They had their team come in and essentially try to break our AI. They gave it some challenging scenarios to see what the response would be." After passing the stress test, LivePerson shared those results internally as it deployed the Betterworks tool to help its workforce know that it was thoroughly vetted. "You have employees really being supported to fire on all cylinders and show up as their best because they have clarity on what's expected, how they're performing, what the gaps are, how they might fill those gaps," Johnson said. In the future, Betterworks plans to expand on this offering with a "robust data set" around succession planning and "a manager homepage that kind of leads all the insights from the platform for their team and pulls out the same endpoints and allows them to take immediate and quick action on those points," Johnson said. As middle managers report rising burnout and trouble managing conflict across expectations between workers and executives, finding ways to save them time and manage better can pay large dividends. "We think a lot about the manager, and how to help them shine, really, fundamentally, is at the crux of what we're doing," Johnson said. A Zoom office location. A Zoom office location. Getty Images A Companion for Collaboration (and Fewer Meetings) The company that allowed many organizations to stay in touch and keep having meetings during lockdown has been working hard to make the meeting experience richer over the last few years, launching whiteboarding tools, live transcripts and added privacy and communication features. With the launch of Zoom AI Companion, people can attend fewer meetings while having more impactful communication with colleagues, and the AI tool can also help set tasks and calendar events during or after meetings. "How can you be more effective in your meetings, but how can you also maybe not have meetings if you don't need to have them? AI Companion does an amazing job summarizing meetings and converting it into next steps as well," Hashim said. Zoom also made AI Companion available at no extra cost to its enterprise users, to allow companies the widest possible aperture for experimentation and discovery around the possibilities of AI in different employees' workflow. During meetings, users can ask Companion questions on the side, like if they missed a segment of what was said or want to search the web for information to share in the meeting. Like a lot of the traditional generative AI tools, Companion is also helping employees across the board with first drafts of emails, outlines or memos and can incorporate information from meetings and other company documents to help build those drafts. "We are focused a lot on the process that we call 'from conversation to completion,' so you're having all these conversations. But then, how can you complete the work or how can you get more out of these conversations?" Hashim said. Zoom users in finance, sales, customer service, operations, HR, IT and product management are developing their own use-cases for how they can benefit from this tool. In most cases, it is being used to synthesize large amounts of information that they need to summarize and communicate to other parties. The speed of collecting and summarizing information that may be readily available in company documents and meeting summaries can have a profound impact on productivity and innovation. Hashim notes that some features are aimed at the general productivity of any employee, but all functions have different ways of collaborating that can be supported by AI Companion. Finance managers can collect reports from a variety of sources and ask prompts of the AI to determine their next steps for work rather than having to review all of the documentation. Product teams can collect user data and feedback and summarize it faster to accelerate their iteration cycles. Sales and account management teams can summarize their calls and get actionable feedback for product teams and client service plans. "We have a prompt library, which users can use in order to discover different ways of working with Companion," Hashim said. The company also makes best practices available. Among Zoom clients, 60 percent of its Fortune 500 users have AI Companion enabled. Gainsight, a customer success platform, noted that AI Companion offered the functionality of a premium AI assistant tool within a software it already has and uses, while also enabling privacy and data security in customer communications. Cloud security company Zscaler enabled AI Companion for all employees and reports healthy adoption with minimal training as well as success with customer-facing teams. BairesDev, one of the largest fully remote companies in the world, estimates it has saved employees over 19,000 hours with AI Companion since November 2023. "We will see a lot more people being able to do a lot more effective work and lot more strategic work in ways that are more relaxing and more energizing for them," Hashim said. AI Training Program Pfizer developed a proprietary generative AI platform called Vox, a tool meant to help its pharmaceutical and biotechnical development teams with functionality, like drafting patents, generating code and identifying new business opportunities. The company also made Microsoft's Copilot available to employees. Pfizer representatives told Newsweek that "despite Vox and Copilot's extensive functionalities, Pfizer encountered challenges in conveying the value and driving the adoption of these new technological tools to its workforce." The biopharma giant responded with the creation of a learning program "aimed at helping novice users grasp the concepts of artificial intelligence and generative artificial intelligence as well as the functionalities of Vox, Copilot and other tools available to all Pfizer employees." The program included introductory AI training, an "AI Academy" for those looking to reach mastery and external educational opportunities. Over 12,000 company employees have begun training with the academy, representing over 15 percent of Pfizer's global workforce, with a 96 percent positive feedback rating from a survey of learners, and 250 employees have begun graduate programs in this domain through partnerships with the Stevens Institute of Technology. Pfizer has also put over 200 high-potential company leaders through leadership development programs that include AI training as part of the curriculum. A Pfizer office location. A Pfizer office location. Getty Images In partnership with a consulting firm, Pfizer built out this program by identifying four key milestones in the AI learning journey: Exploring AI, Understanding AI, Practicing AI and Mastering AI. They then set out to develop a variety of learning opportunities in a wide variety of formats, including workshops, nanodegrees, "prompt-a-thons" and role-based training. They also developed resources for specific roles and departments, such as the AI Academy for Finance and Global Business Services, and later tapped members of an internal AI Champion Network and other employee volunteers to create role-specific resources and training for the most popular AI Academy workshops. Pfizer also put a special emphasis on launch and rollout with its Digital division, a group primarily consisting of tech workers. Today 46 percent of Pfizer Digital employees are active in AI Academy. For less technically inclined employees, Pfizer addressed skepticism around AI with its training, created badge credentials to mark progress and developed placement exams for determining which training pathways to pursue, in addition to the role-based guidance and resources. Pfizer also launched an in-person, three-day event called AI Academy Live for a more interactive experience that featured influential company speakers, including Yolanda Lyle, SVP and chief of staff to CEO Albert Bourla, and Mack MacKenzie, VP of Digital Client Partner, Business Innovation and PHI, "who discussed maximizing colleague potential through AI and ensuring a human-centered approach to AI transformation," Pfizer representatives said. Pfizer's AI Strategy Framework Tier 1 AI Adoption was credited with $163 million in ROI, thanks to the support of AI Academy efforts, with the company finding that participants were 68 percent more likely to use Copilot than non-learners and also completed twice as many actions using the tool. "Session has provided [me the] confidence to play around with GenAI tools and begin embracing these tools in my day to day," one of the participants wrote in their feedback. "Thank you for creating a fun, interactive Unlocking GenAI Potential training session! I can't wait to put this training to use and see the limitless potential of using AI in real-world applications." To see the full list of AI Impact winners, visit the official page for Newsweek's AI Impact Awards. Newsweek will continue the conversation on meaningful AI innovations at our AI Impact Summit from June 23 to 25 in Sonoma, California. Click here to follow along on the live blog.
Forbes
23-06-2025
- Business
- Forbes
Overcoming AI Impostor Syndrome: How Leaders Can Support Their Teams
John Schneider, CMO at Betterworks, drives business growth through large-scale transformations, market positioning and innovation. Are you old enough to remember when a calculator in math class felt like cheating? Move forward a few decades, and no one bats an eye at someone using Excel to perform calculations. Spell check was also once thought of as a cheat, but now it's integrated into most software tools. AI tools represent a similar technological leap, but in a more expansive way. Given the constant change, why do people put caveats on their AI-assisted accomplishments? I recently heard someone sheepishly say, 'Well, I used ChatGPT!' Using ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini or any other AI tool isn't cheating. It's the evolution of technology and human usage and adaptation, and it's nothing to apologize for. An Intelligence Extension Many professionals who want to communicate with clarity and impact feel AI usage is a black mark on their capabilities. That's impostor syndrome, a psychological pattern in which individuals doubt their accomplishments and fear being exposed as a fraud, despite evidence of their competence. Generative AI (GenAI) isn't a replacement for our wit, creativity and drive—and its output certainly must be checked for accuracy. Oftentimes, though, it's a great starter dough. We provide the inputs and parameters, but AI tools correlate the data. They enhance our creativity, offering content ideas or different approaches to help solve problems. Data from Betterworks' recent 'State of Performance Enablement Report' supports AI's workplace benefits, noting 87% of users report improved accuracy, speed, quality and creativity because of AI. My teams at Betterworks use AI to brainstorm ideas and develop concise content. They can build a blog structure or case study outline with a large language model (LLM) and, with some revising, get a draft that meets our standards. With AI prompts, we get a rewrite or polishing that speeds the process, so the team can accomplish more creatively. Remember that sales prospect from a year ago? AI does. And not just their name, but why they went with another vendor, that they had a daughter headed to Stanford and a dog named Baxter. People's memories are fleeting and fallible, but GenAI can recall and polish our thinking, bringing our best selves to any conversation, analysis or recommendation. Reframing AI Business Success With AI, the important question is the implications of its usage, not whether it will become ubiquitous or secondhand. We remain the sentient being that applies intelligence to the AI; we shouldn't feel we defer to it. AI removes redundant and tedious work. However, if employees and leaders just let it run in a 'set and forget' mode, they're missing the point. It's a system that makes mistakes because it's only as smart as the person inputting prompts and delivers outputs based on pattern detection. It can't mimic individual intelligence, experience or creativity—at least not yet. I'm proud that my team continually discovers new uses for AI, as they see where it can take them and the company, while remaining in charge. Employees want to feel a measure of control and understanding with AI. Unfortunately, according to a Wiley Workplace Intelligence Report, 96% of workers feel stressed due to change at work, with AI being a major cause. Also, 75% say they lack confidence in utilizing AI. With AI as a co-pilot, managers and employees can quickly craft performance and stretch goals grounded in past feedback, progress and priorities—goals that are sharper, more impactful and aligned to business outcomes. What once took hours now takes minutes. Add a bit of human finesse, and the ideal goal is ready to go—without the heavy lifting Leaders must reframe AI business success by approaching AI as a strategic partner, not a tool. A calculator is a tool that handles repeatable tasks. GenAI rides any wave you are surfing by framing the wave, helping you stand and ride it and then advising you on the best place to jump off. Changing The Narrative You can use AI to conduct stock research, code for a new microsite, write a sci-fi story and list the five best barbecue joints in Memphis. This broad capability is similar to the smartphone, which replaced answering machines, GPS devices and a host of other gadgets and tools. People adapted to this usage, and some tech leaders like Sam Altman want to replace the smartphone with a ChatGPT device, so innovation continues unabated. I agree with him on this topic, that we'll have an AI smartphone that will eliminate and unify many current apps. Using a phone to check your email or calendar are secondhand actions for workers, done without any stigma. AI tools need to reach this acceptance point, which means framing AI as a collaborative workplace partner. Leaders can 'flip the script' to change narratives over time. If staff members frequently say with a deflated tone, 'I created the report with AI,' take another perspective. Encourage instances of 'I didn't spin my wheels because I had a creative sounding board that gave fresh ideas without feeling drained.' Ask your teams what they did or will do with the time they saved through AI-driven productivity. The world is changing because we can get much of our jobs done in a fraction of the time, so proactively help teams manage this change. AI can present new pathways for thought, and workers have the autonomy to run down those paths or create their own twists and turns. AI is the colleague who doesn't tire, the advisor who's always available and the trusted colleague who remembers all the key details but judges nothing. More Than A Feeling Worry about AI usage and authenticity isn't just about feelings; it impacts business results. When employees downplay their output and productivity due to AI usage, they might not innovate or act confidently, which can hurt their company's fortunes. Imposter syndrome ignores the truth: that proper AI usage requires humans who understand context and embrace creativity. Forbes Communications Council is an invitation-only community for executives in successful public relations, media strategy, creative and advertising agencies. Do I qualify?
Forbes
02-06-2025
- Business
- Forbes
If You're A First-Time Bоss, 4 Tips Can Help You Lead Like A Pro
If you're a first-time boss, here are four leadership strategies that will garner you the corner ... More office. Gen Z is the future of work, expected to dominate the workforce by 2030. But truth be told, the rise of young bosses is already happening, and they're already in charge. There are over 6,000 Gen Z CEOs in the U.S. already, and 38% of the younger generation are aiming for leadership roles (more than any other group). Plus, Google searches for 'how to be a young bоss' are up 72% in recent months. If you're a first-time boss, here are expert leadership tips on how you can manage teams, earn respect and avоid first-time pitfalls. Caitlin Collins, organizational psychologist and program strategy director at Betterworks, declares that well-being comes first for this generation. She told me that Gen Z is willing to sacrifice a lot to protect their mental health at work--from lower salaries to forfeiting leadership positions. It's impressive how Gen Z is re-writing the rules of the workplace in 2025, updating and modernizing how work gets done. And they deserve credit for bringing flexibility and work-life balance to the forefront, an important mental health advantage that I've written about for years. Plus, they have popularized micro-shifts, micro-retirement and reverse mentoring where they're coaching older employees. Yet, they have been vilified as lazy, unprofessional and hard to manage. Collins explains why they haven't been given their due and their contributions have been interpreted as opposition to the current state of the workplace. 'The hustle-and-grind narrative that defined startup culture doesn't resonate with Gen Z," Collins explains. 'They're still builders, but they want to innovate from places of sustainability, not exhaustion. They're showing us that performance and well-being are not at odds; they're interdependent.' Referring to Gen Z, Collins says this generation is 1.7 times more likely to avoid traditional leadership roles, and she argues that it's not from fear but intentionality. "Gen Z wants impact without sacrificing their mental health, and they're challenging outdated systems that equate long hours with loyalty.' While the focus on mental health is a breath of fresh air, Avery Morgan, CHRO at EduBirdie, underscores four standard tried-and-true strategies that young bosses also need to lead with confidence--even if you're in your 20s: 'According to the American Society of Training and Development, 70% of managers struggle with delegation,' Morgan points out. 'It's especially hard early on, as fear of losing control or quality gets in the way. However, this skill is key to leadership. Teams that feel trusted are 36% more likely to take ownership of results, and companies that empower employees see 26% more prоfit per head.' Morgan suggests that you start small and find a minor but impactful task to delegate each week, like which metric to feature in the next report. If it seems impossible, she recommends that you imagine there's an emergency, and ask yourself, 'What would you hand оff, and to whom?' Morgan's point is that, instead of just assigning tasks, you give your team the authority to make decisions and be clear about expected outcomes, not just the job to be done. Morgan emphasizes that you don't avоid tough conversations. 'Poor communication causes one-third of projects to fail,' she says. 'Meanwhile, teams that communicate well hit 80% of their goals on time and on budget.' It's important to spot miscommunication early, so you must look out for repeat questions, recurring mistakes, mismatched expectations and passive or vague responses," she advises. 'If someone says, 'Yeah, аll good,' but you're not sure, ask them to recap the next steps. Add a weekly 15-minute 'challenge check-in' meeting to your calendar--no formal agenda, just a safe space where the team can talk about their concerns and identify problems early. And don't try to fix everything immеdiately. Listen, take notes and follow up later.' 'Grеat leaders are often seen as confident, extroverted and commanding,' Morgan notes. 'And while Gen Z rejects toxic workplace culture, the 'tough bоss' stereotype still sticks around, making it feel like chill = weak. Spoiler: it doesn't.' So, how can you strike the right balance? For starters, Morgan advises that you don't try to overcompensate for your insecurities by mimicking what she calls the 'bоss from the book.' Instead, she stresses that you embrace your authentic self and lead by example, not ego. 'Encourage your team to reflect before reacting. Teams led by leaders who prioritize reflection over rushed discussions are 28% more productive. Quiet leadership isn't passive, but powerful.' Morgan points out that Gen Z often gets labeled as 'bad at taking feedback.' But she insists the good news is that top performers don't just ask for feedback, they ask for advice. She cites a study by Harvard researchers, who found that when people are asked to give advice (instead of feedback), they offer 34% more areas for improvement and 56% more actionable suggestions. 'Embrace not having аll the answers,' she suggests. 'It doesn't hurt your authority—it boosts your judgment and opens you up to fresh perspectives. Find mentors, advisors or business coaches who can challenge your thinking. And don't overlook your team—asking for their input builds trust, shows respect and creates a culture where people care deeply about the work.' We often hear people say that good first-time bosses are hard to find, and that may be true, especially when it comes to employee mental health. One of the biggest criticisms of seasoned managers is that they have put the organization and profit before employee wellness. Gen Z is changing the workplace by putting their mental health at the forefront. These young, first-time bosses already possess the top qualities of a great manager: the desire to create "employee-centric" workplace cultures where employee flexibility and work-life balance are top priorities. As a first-time boss, when you prioritize employee mental health and lead with confidence, openness to feedback, clear communication and strong personal connections with employees, age doesn't have to be as big a factor in your leadership abilities.
Forbes
27-05-2025
- Business
- Forbes
IBM Replaces Hundreds With AI As HR, L&D Leaders Rethink Roles
Putting the pieces together with AI. IBM has replaced hundreds of workers with AI, and now reports that 94% of routine human resources (HR) tasks are handled by artificial intelligence. However, IBM CEO Arvin Krishna says that AI has allowed the company to expand, not shrink. 'Because AI gives you more investment to put into other areas,' he tells the Wall Street Journal. The company's CTO, Ji-eun Lee, says that the company saw a 'productivity improvement' of over $3.5 billion in the last two years across 70 business units, due to AI. For HR pros, and learning and development (L&D) leaders, this shift towards automation has caused a rethinking of roles - not just a reduction in force. What does it mean to be a leader in HR, as the future of work integrates even further with AI? Nickle Lamoureux, Chief Human Resources Officer at IBM, tells Josh Bersin that AI agents write performance reviews, create development plans and coach managers and senior leaders on multiple performance-based decisions. Bersin, an industry pundit and consultant in HR, forecasts a 20-30% reduction in headcount (per employee) in human resources due to AI advancements, including learning and development, training, and other key functions. Jamie Aitken, VP of HR Transformation at software company Betterworks, calls for a rethinking of what HR really means. "This is the moment to elevate HR from a collection of administrative tasks to a strategic, data-powered driver of business success." A structured, process-oriented approach (with AI as a foundation) is what Aitken advocates. "HR is uniquely positioned to decode what people need to grow, stay, and succeed. That's the power of a systemic approach: better retention, stronger performance, and a culture ready to innovate and adapt.' 'Some tasks will be easily handled by AI,' according to Rasmus Holst, CEO of Zensai, a learning and development software platform company based in Denmark. 'Working alongside AI is the new normal. But bringing on an AI agent is not necessarily a 'senior hire'. The setup and orchestration of AI agents, assigning tasks, and monitoring performance - these things will be guided by humans for a long time to come." Aaron Levie agrees - and he's even more bullish on the power of AI. Levie, the CEO of Box, shared his viewpoint on the Masters of Scale podcast with Bob Saphian. He talks about what AI does best - and how companies can maximize the role of AI agents. Regarding the rise in capabilities of programs like ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini, he shares, 'The deep research moment of this paradigm is much longer answers in terms of the amount of content you get, takes about five or 10 minutes of kind of thinking time for these AI models, and they're going across the entire up-to-date corpus of the world, which is the internet, to go get the answer.' He emphasizes that AI's role in the enterprise is to augment human capabilities, not replace them. AI agents, he says, will be focused on the tasks that require significant human effort (like deep research and analysis, or responding to basic boilerplate HR questions). The future of work belongs to those who can interact effectively with these AI agents, across all parts of the organization. 'When you have more trivial tasks handled by agents, you need the best people making decisions for you," Holst shares, as he reflects on how humans and AI can work together. "Recruiting and retention becomes even more important, mapping skills between what agents do and what humans do,' he says. 'Our stance is that making humans better is what AI does best,' according to Zensai's Chief Business Officer, Robin Daniels. He shares that the company is focused on Human Success, a rising new initiative among HR pros that focuses on data-driven results and goals. Daniels describes the movement towards Human Success as an 'individual journey to become the best you can be every day, fueled by growth, joy and fulfillment," with technology (metrics) at its foundation. Empower the individual and you empower the organization, according to Daniels. Fostering human success is the prime directive for AI. For HR directors and leaders, understanding how to integrate artificial intelligence is an exercise in collaboration. For HR leaders today, real-time listening, taking action on feedback, and gathering a statistically significant picture around corporate culture is vital to engagement - and strategic relevance. For HR leaders and L&D pros, looking to have a more important seat at the table, the outsourcing of basic functions to AI is evidence of a powerful shift in the future of work. 'Instead of getting stuck in a cycle of fear, HR leaders should view this as a clarion call to rethink the purpose and structure of their organizations," Betterwork's Aitken says. In the age of AI, everyone's role is shifting - and HR leaders are rethinking how collaboration can shape the future of work.
Forbes
04-04-2025
- Business
- Forbes
Meet Your Digital Teammates That Reason, Act And Collaborate With You
As AI transforms how we work, the American workforce is worried that it will replace them, taking over decision-making and eliminating jobs. According to Gartner, 'Agentic AI offers the promise of a virtual workforce that can offload and augment human work.' And you might soon meet your digital teammates as agentic AI systems move from promise to practice this year. The Pew Research Center finds that 52% Of U.S. employees fear AI could take their jobs. But recent studies show that AI is helping, not hindering productivity. Even in situations where it's eliminating jobs, it's simultaneously creating new ones. In January 2025, AI eliminated over seven thousand jobs from 31 major tech companies, but it was good news in disguise. Laid-off tech workers pivoted careers amid ongoing AI-driven layoffs and found six-figure salaries, flourishing in careers in unexpected sectors. A recent study shows that 61% of business leaders say AI's automated tasks have improved their work-life balance, doing their busywork and freeing their time to focus on more important tasks. The Betterworks 2025 Global HR Research Report also reveals that 75% of employees want to use AI to support their career growth, while 96% insist it can help them advance internally. Jamie Aitken, vice president of HR transformation at Betterworks argues that AI helps managers be more human. This is where AI-powered performance management makes a real impact," Aitken states. 'By enabling the kinds of conversations that lead to skill and career development, AI tools can help managers deliver more timely and personalized conversations, as well as more actionable feedback, making it easier to talk about growth and not just performance.' I wanted to know more about the new technology called agentic AI systems or what experts describe as 'your digital teammates.' I spoke with Kevin Frechette, co-founder and CEO at Fairmarkit, who is at the forefront of applying agentic AI. He tells me that 2025 is the year HR will evolve from autonomous AI that simply assists to agentic AI systems that act independently as teammates to help organizations operate on a global scale. Frechette explains that autonomous AI usually focuses on completing a single task without human involvement, unaware of how that task fits into the bigger picture, whereas Agentic AI is workflow-aware and business-aware. 'You've got a network of agents that collaborate, adapt and pass tasks to one another, all while aligning with broader business objectives' he clarifies. 'It's not just about automating a single step. It's about automating the whole job, with people involved when and where they're needed. That's a huge shift. Autonomous and agentic AI both improve efficiency, but agentic AI brings a deeper level of context, coordination and scale.' He describes how agentic AI systems are made up of multiple AI agents--all working together independently reasoning, acting and collaborating. 'At its core, it's a system of autonomous AI agents designed to handle complex, multi-step workflows, not just single tasks,' he points out. 'These agents can make decisions, coordinate with one another, adapt to real-time inputs and escalate to a supervisor agent when needed. Think of it as a digital team built to move faster, scale smarter and work alongside your human workforce, with people still in control.' To describe how your digital teammates might function, Frechette gives the example of procurement where one agent handles sourcing, another manages vendor compliance and another negotiates pricing. He describes how they're all syncing with each other in real time. 'The real value shows up when these systems operate seamlessly behind the scenes, reducing the manual lift for teams and speeding up execution without sacrificing control or transparency. At Fairmarkit, we're seeing this play out in sourcing, where agents are actually handling work that used to take days in just minutes.' Predictions are that by 2028, your agentic AI digital teammates will make at least 15% of day-to-day work decisions autonomously. Frechette believes HR leaders will be one of the earliest winners with less time spent on manual, administrative tasks and more focus on strategic, people-first workplace initiatives. He lists four major advantages that your digital teammates bring. 1. Speed execution. 'AI agents can complete tasks in seconds that would otherwise take hours, from processing requests to generating reports to triggering follow-ups. This helps teams move faster, clear backlogs and boost performance. AI agents can sift through thousands of resumes, conduct initial interviews and synthesize feedback so hiring teams can handle second-round interviews and onward.' 2. Improve coordination. Agentic AI improves coordination across systems and functions. 'Instead of relying on people to move information from tool to tool, agents talk to each other, hand off tasks and keep workflows moving without delays or dropped steps. On-boarding, for example, usually involves multiple workflows and hand-offs. Agentic AI can autonomously manage each step and ensure all the agents involved are communicating, so nothing gets lost in translation.' 3. Allow autonomy. Agentic AI introduces true autonomy, according to Frechette, 'not just automating tasks but understanding context, making decisions and escalating when needed. That's a game-changer for businesses looking to scale without losing control. AI agents that 'talk' to each other can guide employees across their entire lifecycle--from training to benefits to internal mobility--without added lift from HR teams.' 4. Lengthen human bandwidth. 'Now, even small teams can mobilize a large number of agents to tackle work in parallel, turning a team of five into the output of fifty. That opens up entirely new possibilities for innovation, responsiveness and scale.' Frechette predicts that looking ahead, your digital teammates of agentic AI will shift how companies operate across the board. 'It makes advanced automation accessible to teams that don't have big IT budgets or technical expertise,' he explains. 'But it also raises new questions about ethics, oversight and accountability. That's why the companies that invest in thoughtful design, transparency and human-in-the-loop controls will be the ones that lead the way when it comes to agentic AI.' With AI agents working in sync, Frechette concludes that in a world where one employee can have 20 or 100 AI agents working in sync, you're unlocking an entirely new level of productivity and execution. He insists that your digital teammates are more than automation--they're your digital workforce.
