Crissy McConnell

What's keeping me up at night as an HRBP? Making sure employees trust the story we're telling them about pay. Because when comp conversations are unclear or inconsistent, it doesn't just impact satisfaction—it chips away at retention, motivation, and belonging. At Payscale, we believe transparency is earned, not just posted. Here's how we're building it: -Our talent acquisition team sets the tone early, with posted ranges and internal equity considerations in every job description. -We use our own compensation tools and data to guide every decision—because if we believe in the product, we better be living it. -Managers are trained to have real conversations about pay and growth—not just once a year, but consistently. -Our internal engagement data guides where we invest—like increasing parental leave, boosting 401(k) match, and building stronger leveling frameworks. And when an employee doesn't feel fairly paid? We don't shut down the convo—we dig into it. Sometimes that leads to a career development plan. Sometimes to a better understanding. Always to trust. What's your strategy to align perception with reality? #hr #compensation #humanresources #paytransparency

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TA Week wrapped, and one thing is clear. Talent teams aren’t lacking ideas. They’re overloaded with them. Across sessions on AI innovation, candidate experience, employer brand, social recruiting, and human-centered hiring, the message was consistent. The teams seeing progress aren’t doing more. They’re doing less, better and focusing on what actually moves the needle. Less noise. 🎯 More clarity on what’s working. 🔍 More confidence in where to focus next. ✅ TA Week reinforced that simplifying strategy, aligning teams, and measuring what matters is how TA teams move forward in 2026. If you were there, we’d love to compare notes. And if you weren’t, happy to share the biggest takeaways. #TA_Week #TalentAcquisition #RecruitmentMarketing #HopeLeighMarketingGroup

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The leadership playbook is being rewritten in real-time. Is your HR strategy built for acceleration or inertia? 1. Block's plan to replace 40% of its workforce with AI is a stark signal for HR leaders. This move forces a critical evaluation of workforce planning, requiring strategies that balance radical efficiency with ethical transition management and robust reskilling. 2. Immigration uncertainty is now a core business continuity risk. HR must build resilient talent pipelines and contingency plans for visa stalls, moving immigration strategy from a transactional process to a strategic component of workforce agility. 3. The rise of the 'megamanager' overseeing 12+ direct reports is creating a leadership attention deficit. HR must equip managers with new tools and training for effective coaching at scale, making attention management a critical 2026 capability. 4. Flexible work is a lifeline for disabled women, not a perk. As remote options decline, HR must champion intentional work design to prevent a severe inclusion backslide and retain vital talent, making flexibility a cornerstone of equity. 5. A wave of HR tech acquisitions is consolidating the market, giving buyers more integrated platforms but also raising stakes for vendor selection. HR must navigate this landscape to avoid lock-in and ensure tech investments deliver on promised talent outcomes. #Leadership #HRStrategy #FutureOfWork #EmployeeExperience #HRTech

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How do successful Talent Acquisition leaders consistently stay ahead, create strategic impact, and drive measurable business value? After interviewing hundreds of innovative TA leaders for the Recruiting Future podcast over 10 years, I've noticed some clear patterns. The TA Leaders who really make a difference to their organization share four key capabilities: Foresight: Anticipating future trends and proactively preparing for what's next. Influence: Building credibility and effectively securing senior stakeholder support. Talent: Identifying and adopting innovative approaches to attract and retain critical skills. Technology: Strategically selecting and implementing recruiting technologies, including AI, to stay ahead. Inspired by these insights, I've developed the FITT for The Future Framework, a simple, practical model designed to help TA leaders quickly build strategic clarity, enhance their influence, and proactively shape the future of their organizations. We are currently experiencing the most disruptive period Talent Acquisition has ever faced, making capability in these four pillars more critical than ever. Next week, I'll be sharing more about the FITT Framework, starting with my presentation at RecFest UK (11:00 a.m. on the Discovery Stage - see you there if you're going!). I'll also provide practical resources to help you benchmark your capabilities and enhance your own capabilities. In the meantime, please share in the comments: What capabilities do you think the best TA Leaders have?

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Stop buying AI tools. Start building HR confidence. When I was a SHRM Chapter President in 2002, the message to HR from SHRM national was clear: "Earn a seat at the table" by getting an advanced degree. In 2026, the reality is even clearer: AI is that table. Right now, most HR teams are being thrust into "AI Lead" roles with high expectations, no budget, and zero formal training. We’re expected to become tech leaders overnight while managing the very real fears of our workforce. But here is the hard truth: AI transformation isn't a technology rollout, it’s an HR project in disguise. If we don't lead this, technical teams will, and they’ll likely overlook the human implications that define our culture. In my webinar tomorrow, I’m breaking down: The 2026 Compensation Crisis: How do you pay two employees in the same role when one uses AI to double their output in 30% less time? Existing pay philosophies are about to fail. From Assistants to Agents: Moving past "chatting" with AI to delegating bounded workflows. The Human Equity Paradox: Why automation without a people-first strategy only accelerates existing inefficiencies. Governance by Design: Building an ethical architecture for data, disclosure, and oversight from day one. The window for proactive leadership is open right now. We can lead this transformation, shape it, and own it, or we can watch from the sidelines. Are you ready to lead? 👇 Join me tomorrow to bridge the gap between AI capability and genuine business needs. https://lnkd.in/gQifCzmn

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Interesting SHRM article this week. Amazon is reportedly considering a significant reduction in its workforce (including within its People function) as it advances an AI-first strategy backed by a $100B investment. For People leaders, this raises some important questions: 1. What is the future work of the People function? 2. What skills will HR professionals need now? 3. And how do we lead transformation instead of simply reacting to it? From my perspective, this moment isn’t simply about “fewer People roles.” It signals a fundamental shift in the HR operating model - toward deeper focus on leadership capability, manager effectiveness, organizational clarity, and true business partnership. We have to be part of the transformation. People leaders must be both architects and participants. That requires credibility, communication, and a clear, compelling narrative about what’s evolving and why. The future of HR doesn’t need to be smaller. It needs to be more strategic, more integrated and absolutely more human. Article link: https://lnkd.in/ecc-pqd3

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🚀 Tired of clunky hiring processes slowing you down? It’s time to modernize. Today’s most effective talent acquisition teams are turning to "Interview On Demand" tools and centralized job portals to accelerate hiring, streamline scheduling, and improve candidate experience—without compromising quality or cultural fit. Here’s how: ✅ Faster, smarter screening – Remote interviews and automated workflows eliminate bottlenecks, reduce time-to-fill, and give recruiters more time for strategic conversations. 📅 Optimized scheduling – Automated tools reduce the back-and-forth, send real-time calendar invites, and help candidates interview on their terms—no matter where they are. 📈 Data-driven decisions – Consistent interview protocols and centralized applicant tracking generate meaningful performance metrics, helping recruiters hire more confidently and adjust strategies in real time. 💡 Improved candidate experience – Tools like Interview On Demand mimic on-site interviews while giving candidates more flexibility and transparency. That leads to higher engagement—and better acceptance rates. 💰 Cost and resource efficiency – Virtual interviews and integrated job portals minimize travel, reduce admin load, and help recruiting teams do more with less—without losing quality. 🌍 Scalable and future-ready – AI-powered testing, predictive analytics, and nationwide talent access make it possible to grow quickly and sustainably, no matter how complex the workforce needs. 📌 The result? A faster, fairer, and more strategic hiring engine that supports long-term growth and keeps your talent strategy one step ahead. 👉 How is your team evolving its hiring process for scale, speed, and experience? Let’s connect and share ideas. #TalentAcquisition #RecruitmentTech #CandidateExperience #HiringInnovation #HRStrategy #DataDrivenHiring

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You've contributed. Now see the results! 📊 The State of HR 2026 report is here. We surveyed 400+ HR leaders, and the message is clear: budgets are holding steady, AI is accelerating, and HR is at an inflection point. Our new State of HR 2026: Tech-First, Strategy-Driven report reveals: ✅ Why tech investment is HR’s #1 priority for 2026 ✅ The engagement gap still holding teams back ✅ How analytics maturity separates trailblazers from the rest Which path will your organization take? 🚀 👉 Download the full report (link in the comments)! #StateofHR2026 #HR #FutureOfWork

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Many organizations hesitate to partner with a third-party recruiter, especially if they already have an internal talent team, want to avoid placement fees, or have had mixed experiences with recruiters in the past. Those concerns are valid, but they can also come at a cost: missed candidates, longer time-to-fill, and added strain on internal teams. I appreciate this blog from Talisman Advisory Partners breaking down the true competitve advantage you gain from utilizing a third party recruiting consultant. https://lnkd.in/gCW67f6c

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TA Leaders - Let’s talk budget. Annual budgets? That’s old news… Now it’s: 🧾 Start at zero 📈 Make the case 💰 Hope you get what your team needs So how do you secure a budget for the tools, headcount, consultants, or programs that would make your life easier and your team more effective? Here’s what we’ve learned from supporting dozens of companies: 👉 Budget approvals rarely start or end with Finance. Your CFO might sign the check, but the case is won or lost with your cross-functional allies. If you want buy-in, speak their language. Start with urgency → highlight the pain → paint the upside for the business. 🎯 Talking to your Head of Engineering? They need to hire 100 engineers in 6 months - 4x their usual pace: Don’t just say “we need process help.” Say: “At our current conversion rate, we’ll need 750 interviews. That’s 500+ hours of Eng time. But with structured interviews, we can reduce interview load by 40% and hire faster. Let’s invest now to save hundreds of hours later.” 💡 Pitching to your Head of People? They’re managing tradeoffs across the entire People team. Don’t say: “We need to improve our interview process.” Say: “Our current process is creating inconsistent candidate experiences - and it’s showing up in Glassdoor reviews and offer declines. If we roll out a interview training program, we’ll improve manager confidence, mitigate bias, and better support our DEI and employer brand goals. It’s a small investment with high visibility and long-term retention benefits.” 📊 And for your CFO? Quantify the cost of inefficiency. Don’t say: “We need a sourcing tool.” Say: “Last quarter, we spent over $150K on agency fees to fill roles we had already sourced candidates for - but couldn’t move fast enough. With a lightweight investment in interview scheduling automation and better funnel analytics, we could cut agency usage in half this year.” Most people outside TA don’t realize what it takes to run a high-performing function. It’s on you to educate, empathize, and make the business case crystal clear. Your ask should feel so logical, so strategic, and so tied to business outcomes - that saying no would be irresponsible. You don’t need to beg for budget. You need to build the case. 🛠️ Want help making that case? We helped the VP of Talent at FLYR Labs secure budget for fractional RecOps support when they couldn’t afford a full-time hire. And we’d be happy to help you do the same. ———————————————————————— 👋 I’m Brandon. I help TA leaders build high-performing recruiting engines - through better systems, streamlined processes, and empowered teams. Ready to lead with less stress and more support? Let’s talk. #TalentLeadership #RecruitingOperations #RecOps #BudgetStrategy #TAReality #NobleTalent

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More TA leaders are rethinking how they structure their team. Not cutting for the sake of it. Right sizing because it is the smarter commercial call. A full time recruiter sits on payroll whether the workload is high or low. A fractional specialist flexes with it, and brings sharper expertise to the roles open. It is time to redesign, think differently. The leaders doing this are running TA like a business unit, not a cost centre. https://hyring.ai is built for this shift. #talentacquisition #hiring #hyring #abudhabi #dubai #riyadh #doha #recruitment

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The HRBP isn’t just a business partner anymore. They were the company’s unofficial AI engine. Ask a vague question. Get a scarily accurate answer. 🧠 “Do we sponsor this role?” 💬 “Only if it’s in SF or NYC and not remote.” 🧠 “When’s the employee’s PERM recruitment deadline?” 💬 “Tuesday. I’ll resend the calendar hold.” 🧠 “Do we have a global onboarding checklist?” 💬 “Not officially. I made one in Excel. Want it?” They respond in seconds.....with context....and an attachment you forgot existed. All while managing comp cycles, calming a VP, and double-checking immigration filings from two time zones. HRBPs aren’t waiting for AI to catch up. They’ve been doing predictive modeling, real-time support, and context-aware decision-making since before it was cool. The problem is: We treat them like infinite processors with no bandwidth limit. 🧃 Even the smartest systems overheat. Let’s stop treating HR like a catch-all inbox. And start giving them real infrastructure. So they can do their jobs without recreating knowledge from memory. #HRBP #PeopleOps #HRLeadership #WayLit #HRTech

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A full people analytics stack doesn’t just take tools—it takes time, expertise, and continuous upkeep. Before you even get to insight, you’re managing a backlog of integrations, validations, and support needs. Visier gives you a running start with prebuilt infrastructure and proven models—so you can focus on enabling better people decisions from day one. 🔧 See what it really takes to build from scratch—and what you gain by starting with Visier. Download the full guide 👉 https://okt.to/92yMKw

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If you’ve ever run a survey in HR and then spent weeks trying to make the data usable Keep reading, this will hit close to home This part of Shapes (formerly DreamTeam) genuinely stopped me in my tracks The survey functionality Anyone who has run engagement or pulse surveys inside a traditional HRIS knows the pain You can collect responses But the moment you want to turn that data into real insight By role Team Tenure Location Manager You’re exporting files, opening spreadsheets, and teaching yourself a BI tool late at night That’s the reality I’m living in right now Actively For months Last month I was walking through Shapes with Ben Feldman from their team I explained how limited my current survey tools are And how much manual effort it takes to turn survey data into something leaders can actually use He showed me how Shapes handles surveys It took about three minutes Fully customizable surveys Native connection to people data Segmentation without exports Insights that actually reflect what’s happening across teams All inside the platform No exaggeration Something that’s taken me months to build and maintain elsewhere Shapes handled immediately For HR operators, this matters Survey data only creates value when it connects to real decisions And tools that make that easy give hours of time back every single week More to share on Shapes (formerly DreamTeam) But this part stood out for a reason Real problems Solved in a way that respects the time, pressure, and invisible work people teams carry every day

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When you present a People Ops business case, don’t start with "engagement scores". Start with the ending. Lead with ROI. “We’re proposing a $125k investment that will return $347k in year one and $520k annually thereafter.” Then work backward. - Show the cost of doing nothing - $860k annually in attrition, lost productivity, and wasted overhead. - Show how your solution changes that: faster time-to-hire, reduced turnover, and freed-up People Partner time. - Demonstrate that the risk is minimal by piloting first and scaling later. - Most importantly, use visuals that highlight MONEY. Cost savings hit differently than engagement charts. Your job isn’t to sound business-y. It’s to make it easy to say yes. Read our MPL Build article from Jessica Z. on “How to build a business case that gets approved": https://lnkd.in/dPt8a_6W

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