L&D and HR Leaders Architecting a Skills-First Future of Work

In this article we discuss:

• AI-First, Human-Led Philosophy
• Development Done Differently
• Barriers to Overcome
• Work Redesign
• A United Future of Work

Amidst an unprecedented transformation of work, the conversation around AI and skills is constant. But what does it look like to move from discussion to action? How are leaders architecting a future where technology and people don't just coexist, but thrive together?

To get to the heart of the matter, Josh Tarr, Workday’s director of skills-based organization, recently sat down with two visionary leaders on the front lines of this monumental shift: Dalia Kendik, head of digital HR and global services at Thomson Reuters, and Chris Ernst, Workday’s chief learning officer. They shared their advice on navigating the AI adoption journey.

Here are the top takeaways from their discussion.

AI-First, Human-Led Philosophy

At Thomson Reuters, Kendik is actively laying the groundwork for transformation. This shift in the skills workers need to operate in the AI era not only puts employees at the forefront of the AI revolution, it also empowers her organization to look at AI through a human-led lens. Kendik is designing a culture where we don’t talk about AI without talking about skills and our people—bringing promise, potential, and peace-of-mind back into the organizational fold.

Ernst echoed this sentiment, saying “We need to widen the conversation around AI and skills. It’s still a conversation that’s focused on efficiency and productivity and that’s important, but the real opportunity is how these technologies drive and enable growth. Growth of your people and growth of your business. You can’t just automate your way to innovation.”

Ernst further highlighted Workday's vision, mentioning the company’s intent to acquire Sana. He envisions Workday and its customers actively forming the future of work, where enterprise knowledge, data, and actions intersect, using AI agents to empower employees to do their best work. During such a fundamental shift, it can be daunting to zoom out and determine where to start, but Kendik believes that leaders are who the workforce will model after.

When asked how she’s developing leaders to lead differently in this moment, Kendik states, “It really does start at that top layer. If leaders can’t understand how to build and train our AI models, how are we expecting our colleagues to do that?”

These two principles—being AI-first and human-led, and cultivating a culture of adaptable leaders—are an essential part of the recipe for a successful AI adoption journey. And while AI may be rumored to be pushing humans out, it’s actually forcing us to be more human than ever.

Development Done Differently

A significant, and often overlooked, part of the AI conversation must include a radical rethinking of development, as that will become a competitive differentiator in the future. At Workday, the learning and development (L&D) team began rigorously researching the barriers to AI usage and adoption among approximately 20,000 employees. The spoiler? It depends on the user.

Through Workday’s EverydayAI program, Ernst and his team are on a mission to “Help everybody at the company develop the mindset, skills, and habits to use AI effectively everyday.”

Whether it’s conducting hackathons, developing custom learning content for different functions, or tying AI goals to employee performance, Workday has an impressive 80% adoption rate, which is a 30% increase from the starting point. Many leaders are wondering what becomes of the time savings brought on by AI, and the results Ernst touched on are encouraging.

An exciting output from the Everyday AI program showed that AI adopters gain two additional hours per week for collaboration, while high-adoption sales team members spend an extra hour weekly engaging with customers. Ernst emphasized this benefit, saying, “AI is not just a technological revolution, it’s very much a human one.”

At Thomson Reuters, AI adoption and tools are being embedded into the connective tissue of the organization. Not only does that impact employee AI adoption, but Kendik believes it’s “Actually fostering a meaningful way to come together in the office. Think about all the time you can save, for those meaningful connections.” While return-to-office (RTO) policies are different everywhere, the collaborative benefits of AI can be consistent anywhere.

Barriers to Overcome

Psychological safety is a core priority in Kendik’s approach to AI adoption. It’s natural for employees to be concerned about their jobs and to harbor a degree of distrust towards new technology. With the immense opportunities AI presents, it can almost seem too good to be true, leading to skepticism and resistance.

Kendik challenges that narrative, encouraging a “What could go right?” mentality.

Ernst shared an additional perspective, explaining the 70-20-10 model for human growth and learning at work. “The way that humans grow and learn at work happens 70% through real experience, 20% through relationships, and 10% through formal learning or personal development. So here’s the question: What happens when AI can give you the perfect answer in less than 30 seconds effortlessly?”

He also stressed that for HR and L&D leaders, “The technology is neutral. We have to be designers of work that mitigate that risk and ensure that our people continue to learn and grow and thrive in this new world.”

Taking the conversation a step further, Kendik gets specific about actual job design: “As you go deeper into the skills that you need in your organization, we start thinking about AI and that future-forward, digital-first organization. How do you go forward and create these experiences in these roles? We finally have an opportunity to design those roles.”

In essence, when employees know what an organization expects of them, the guessing game is over, fostering clarity and purpose.

Work Redesign

The two delved into a question on everyone’s mind: How will roles be redesigned to integrate AI effectively? While the complete answer is still evolving, the core principles are clear: fluidity, learning agility, and flexibility will be paramount. Ernst shared a compelling example of this in action through “gigs”. These internal opportunities allow employees to work on different teams, harnessing new or underutilized skills, exploring new interests, and expanding their professional capabilities.

Kendik further emphasized this shift, highlighting that agents will necessitate upskilling for everyone, “You’re going to have to manage this agent, coach it, prompt it. Whether you’re a manager or not, I think we’re all going to be managers.”

This underscores a fundamental change in leadership, moving beyond technical skills—which AI can now handle—to prioritize human approaches to connection, collaboration, and agility.

Despite intimidating headlines, AI cannot replicate and replace the cultural elements that are required for organizations to be successful. Ernst summed it up perfectly, stating that “Innovation thrives on connection and withers on disconnection.”

Ultimately, AI is going to democratize skillsets for workforces in every industry, and reprioritize our human abilities ahead of all others.

A United Future of Work

The conversation ended with a pivotal reminder around the importance of cross-functional connection during the adoption and implementation of AI. The sheer scale of functional impact being created by AI poses a risk for organizational siloes.

By having the right cross-functional conversations during the process, people leaders can transform a fragmented approach to technology implementation into a united effort that’s aligned to functional needs and organizational goals.

The most inspiring and reassuring takeaway is this: the AI revolution, at its heart, is profoundly human.

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