{"type":"rich","version":"1.0","provider_name":"Transistor","provider_url":"https://transistor.fm","author_name":"HR Voices","title":"Jessica Smith, Chief People Officer at Hays","html":"","width":"100%","height":180,"duration":1170,"description":"From Big Tech to Staffing: Hays’ CPO on Accountability, HR Wellness, and Practical AI\n\nSummary\nThe recruiting world is transforming at high speed—AI is reshaping workflows while markets stay volatile.\nHow do you keep teams resilient and deliver results?\nJess Smith, Chief People Officer, Americas at Hays (formerly at AWS, Amazon, and Meta), shares how Big Tech agility translates to a global staffing leader with 10,000+ employees across 23 countries. Jess breaks down how Hays is building “the Hays of the future” in the Americas—rethinking org design and tooling while putting people first.\nShe outlines an accountability-first culture with above/below-the-line thinking to create stability in constant change, how managers coach teams from finger-pointing to ownership, and why HR must protect its energy during emotionally heavy transformations.\nOn AI, Jess gets practical: balancing budget cuts with expectations, piloting over promises, guarding candidate experience, and planning for training, prompt fluency, and time-to-value. E\nxpect usable coaching prompts, an AI evaluation checklist, and clear guidance for HR leaders navigating relentless change.\n\nTimestamps\n[00:45] – Guest intro: Big Tech lessons, “human capital strategist,” and agility in action\n[01:59] – Inside Hays: global footprint, Americas growth, and services from placements to RPO/MSP\n[03:36] – Navigating constant change and AI’s impact on recruiting\n[05:34] – Building an ownership culture: accountability and above/below-the-line thinking (and how to coach it)\n[08:13] – Protecting the people team: HR wellness and emotional labor in transformations\n[11:06] – Practical AI in HR: expectations, budget pressure, and what to pilot now\n[13:41] – How to evaluate AI tools: candidate experience, training needs, and time-to-value\n[18:41] – Parting advice: self-care amid a once-in-a-generation shift\n\nTakeaways\n- Build accountability with above/below-the-line thinking to create stability during change.\n- Coach teams...","thumbnail_url":"https://img.transistorcdn.com/ICj-SdAh1nzlUbpg9TUNmSjJhLHXAqS1LpGATLia9gE/rs:fill:0:0:1/w:400/h:400/q:60/mb:500000/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbWct/dXBsb2FkLXByb2R1/Y3Rpb24udHJhbnNp/c3Rvci5mbS8wNmVk/YTIzMTQ5Y2RkMjQx/ZWUwNTFhMTE1Y2Nl/NGI5Yi5qcGc.webp","thumbnail_width":300,"thumbnail_height":300}