Emily Olinger

Leading HR Tech analyst Josh Bersin explains in a new conversation how his report reveals the benefits of investing in an often-overlooked part of the hiring process: your frontline workers. Watch the full discussion between Josh and Joshua Secrest: https://lnkd.in/g7Fwqiwh

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Most small businesses skip HR until chaos hits. Here’s why no company is too small for HR - and how right-sized systems can bring clarity and calm.

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AI is accelerating operational velocity inside organizations. But speed without certainty creates chaos. I’m heading to Chicago this week for Rippling on the Road 2026 where I’ll be facilitating a workshop called: “How HR Wins in the Age of AI: Automate the Mundane. Humanize the Complex.” The short version of the thesis: AI is incredibly good at accelerating operational velocity. However, the more we automate, the more important certainty becomes, for every employee in the system, both human and AI. 👀 Right now I’m seeing shifts happen quickly: • Administrative work is being automated • Decision-support is becoming increasingly data-driven • The hardest problems left are deeply human ones Which means the role of HR isn’t shrinking. It’s becoming more strategic. HR/People Ops is an engine, helping organizations operate with clarity and confidence, whether supporting human teammates or increasingly agentic ones. If you’re attending Rippling on the Road in Chicago, come join the session. I’m looking forward to comparing notes with others leveraging AI inside their organizations. Rippling shared a few complimentary passes with speakers. If you'd like to attend, you can register using code WAVEMAKER26. If I don't see you in Chicago, hopefully San Fransisco...

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The year-end crunch. Are you feeling it yet? Welcome to HR in Q4 — also known as: • Budget Season Bingo • The Holiday PTO Shuffle • Strategic Planning Whiplash • The Open Enrollment Hunger Games • “Did we ever finalize the org chart?” Limbo • Performance Review Panic ("wait, you're telling me we do these 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 year?") December doesn’t care how seasoned or strategic you are. If you’re in HR, you’re one "can you resend that invite to me?" email away from becoming the person in this photo. Which is exactly why fractional HR support exists. Not as a replacement. Or a rescue mission. As clarity. As pressure relief. As capacity you don’t currently have. And regardless of your org-size or HR team size, there's value in strongly considering some year-end / year-start supplemental support: 1️⃣ For the experienced HR team that’s drowning in priorities You know what to do. You just need more hands, more hours, or more altitude so you can think instead of react. Fractional support might look like: • clearing backlogs • accelerating key projects • giving your team breathing room so the strategic work finally gets done • (without burning out the people you’re trying to retain) 2️⃣ For the small HR team trying to do “more with less” You’re running payroll, wrangling employee relations, managing benefits, updating policies, and daring the printer to jam again so you can vent your frustrations by bashing it with a sturdy 3-ring binder. What you don’t have is time to build scalable systems. Fractional support might mean: • providing structure • introducing best practices • implementing repeatable frameworks • and adding actual capacity (so you don't need to reinvent everything from scratch) 3️⃣ For the small business with no HR team If the CEO is the Head of Sales, COO, and the accidental HR Manager…you’re one sick day away from all-out chaos. Fractional support gives you: • hiring support • compliant foundations • culture and performance systems • someone to call before a small issue becomes a legal one • (so you can run the business you want, not the HR department you never meant to inherit) Bottom line: If your December looks anything like this photo, you might feel alone, but you don't have to remain that way. If you want extra hands, extra clarity, or someone who can step in without slowing you down, I can help. Send me a message. Let’s make your year-end look a lot less…flammable.

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Compensation isn't one-size-fits-all, and the 2026 Salary Guide from LHH proves it. Whether you're hiring in Denver, Kansas City, or Seattle, local market data matters. The guide includes regional pay multipliers and hundreds of national benchmarks to help employes tailor their approach to the talent landscape in their area. With AI reshaping roles and employee expectations evolving, leaders need more than national averages, they need insights that reflect their market. Let me know if you're interested in the salary guide and local market insights where your people are.

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Wendy Hernández, LionsPride Assistant Founder and CEO, was recently quoted in a Skift Meetings article about SHRM’s decision to platform a speaker who publicly boasts about pressuring brands to roll back protections for marginalized employees. Let’s be clear. When diversity, equity, and inclusion are treated as topics for debate, it sends one unmistakable message that the safety and belonging of professionals of color are negotiable. That is not leadership. That is harm. #HRLeadership #DEI #WorkplaceSafety #ExecutiveSupport #lionspride #assistant

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A high-profile HR conference is putting the idea of “viewpoint diversity” to the test — and sparking outrage in the HR community. SHRM’s Blueprint 2025 conference in Louisville will feature Robby Starbuck, a vocal anti-DEI critic, in a session with CNN commentator Van Jones. SHRM says this is about fostering dialogue across perspectives. Members say it’s about legitimizing harm. Hundreds of HR professionals have voiced concern. Some have canceled memberships or pulled out of the conference. Critics argue that platforming Starbuck — who has no formal DEI experience — sends a dangerous signal: that inclusion and equity are negotiable. The debate raises a critical question for HR leaders and event planners alike: When does “diverse viewpoints” cross the line into controversy that undermines trust and inclusion? https://hubs.li/Q03PLLfw0

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Your HR team answers the same questions 100 times a week. "How much PTO do I have?" "When does open enrollment end?" "How do I submit an expense report?" While they're stuck responding to repetitive queries, strategic work, talent development, culture building, retention planning gets pushed aside. HR chatbots aren't replacing your team. They're freeing them to do work that actually matters. The ROI is staggering: 70% of routine queries handled automatically, $180K annual savings on benefits enrollment alone, and 58% of IT/HR tickets deflected before they reach your team. Implementation takes 6-12 weeks. The payback? Usually under 6 months. This isn't future technology, it's table stakes for efficient HR operations in 2025. Ready to give your HR team their time back? Deploy AI-powered HR solutions: https://lnkd.in/dKk_4dTN #AIinHR #HRTech #GenerativeAI #FutureOfWork #EmployeeExperience #HRAutomation

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