Here’s an irony worth sitting with, though likely not surprising to HR teams: The more AI dominates the conversation, the more employees want distinctly human things from work.
New data from employee experience platform Reward Gateway | Edenred’s Building Human Workplaces report finds that, despite 89% of senior HR leaders telling a CNBC poll that they expect AI to impact jobs this year, employee expectations aren’t centered on tech readiness.
They’re surging around wellbeing, belonging and flexibility.
What do we want?…Recognition
Since 2023, the share of employees who value a company that cares about their wellbeing over a 10% pay raise jumped 14 points to 58%. Schedule control saw a 13-point spike. Manager concern for wellbeing rose 12 points. Learning and growth climbed 10. These aren’t technology demands. They’re relational ones.
Meanwhile, the tech that is making a measurable difference isn’t the kind generating breathless headlines. According to the report, 84% of managers say technology helps them manage overwhelm, and formal recognition programs produce employee net promoter score increases comparable to bonuses at a fraction of the cost. Seventy-five percent of employees say recognition motivates them to work harder, and 78% say it carries value even without a financial reward attached.
While boardrooms chase AI transformation, the workforce is playing a different tune. According to the report, business leaders should invest in tools that help managers coach, communicate with and recognize their people. That’s where the ROI lives right now.
When do we want it?…How about now?
AI may reshape work eventually.
But the data says the most urgent technology gap in HR isn’t artificial intelligence. It’s the unglamorous engagement platforms that make people feel seen.
Earlier this year, HR Executive reported on Gartner research that supports the idea that AI investments in HR often underperform without addressing foundational people needs like engagement.
It seems that other leading consulting firms tend to echo these findings. Deloitte researchers note AI consumes budgets, but ROI lags without skills and culture focus. Also, McKinsey findings highlight talent gaps blocking AI maturity. These align with urgent needs for “unglamorous” platforms boosting retention via recognition over flashy AI.
HR tech in the news
We start this week’s roundups with some industry C-suite news, including an unexpected (to many) announcement that a familiar face is returning to the helm at Workday.
HR tech people moves
Workday co-founder Aneel Bhusri is returning as CEO of the cloud-based HR and finance platform, succeeding Carl Eschenbach. Bhusri says AI represents a once-in-a-generation opportunity and plans to lead the company through what he calls its fourth chapter of transformation.
Cross-border payments provider Nium appointed three new C-suite leaders. These include Sekhar Cidambi as chief technology officer, Amaresh Mohan as chief risk & compliance officer, and Danielle Gotkis as chief marketing officer.
HR tech announcements and releases
Workplace futurist Alexandra Levit co-authored Make School Work with GPS Education Partners. The book outlines a six-part framework for scalable work-based learning that bridges persistent gaps between education and employer workforce needs.
Earned wage access provider Rain launched a Microsoft Teams integration that lets employees check their available earned wage balance before payday directly within their daily workspace, making it one of the first EWA providers on the platform.
Cultural collaboration platform Country Navigator launched Carla 3.0, an AI cultural intelligence coach that provides personalized guidance for navigating global teamwork challenges. This innovation centers on cross-cultural communication to replace the one-time workshop model with on-demand support.
Everest Group research projects the U.S. business-to-business earned wage access market will grow from over $400 million in 2023 to more than $1.5 billion by 2029. The projection is expected to be driven by expanding adoption among small and mid-market enterprises.
New research from the Josh Bersin Company finds AI-first learning teams outperform even the most advanced learning organizations of 2022. The reporting finds that these companies are 28 times more likely to unlock employee potential and six times more likely to exceed financial targets.
Indeed launched an app within ChatGPT, allowing job seekers to search and discover opportunities directly through the AI chatbot, integrating the job platform’s listings into OpenAI’s conversational interface.
Virtual obesity care provider Vida Health expanded its clinical portfolio to include support for patients with noncirrhotic metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis, giving employers and health plans a broader solution for managing costly obesity-related conditions.
HR technology company Phenom acquired Be Applied, an AI-driven cognitive assessment solution, to help enterprises move to skills-first hiring by combining Phenom’s applied AI platform with Be Applied’s evidence-based candidate and employee assessments.
More from HR Executive
In October, Oracle HCM leaders told HR teams gathered at Oracle AI World that 2026 would be “the year of operationalizing AI.” Four months later, the tech giant announced it plans to raise $45-$50 billion in 2026 specifically to build cloud infrastructure capacity for AI workloads from customers, including OpenAI, Meta, NVIDIA and xAI.
If your organization is navigating AI regulation using a patchwork of state laws, you’re not alone in feeling the strain. Congress heard testimony this month that those very laws may be broken, contemplating whether new federal laws are needed to regulate artificial intelligence in the workplace.
Venture capitalists poured $6.24 billion into work technology companies in 2025, marking a 31% jump in average deal size. This happens even as pending lawsuits against industry leaders threaten to reshape how artificial intelligence can legally be deployed in human resources.
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