What really happens to employee trust when AI rolls out across an organization?

According to Symphony Lindsey, Head of Human Resources - GTM at Twilio, it does not disappear. It becomes conditional. And that distinction changes everything about how people leaders should approach AI adoption.

In this episode, Symphony joins host Darcy Mehta on CultureClub X to share the playbook she has built leading global teams through AI-driven change at companies like Amazon Web Services, PepsiCo, and Twilio. She covers what actually builds trust during implementation, why managers are the most under-leveraged asset in any AI change program, which wellbeing signals surveys alone cannot capture, and why treating employee skepticism as resistance rather than feedback is the most costly mistake people leaders make right now.

Her most direct advice from this episode: "Have the conversation you have been avoiding. The worst thing a leader can do right now is stay silent. Employees are already speculating."

WHAT YOU WILL LEARN

- Why employee trust in AI becomes conditional rather than disappearing, and what that shift demands from leaders

- The difference between imposing AI and introducing it, and why the approach determines whether trust holds or breaks

- What integration pauses are, how they work in practice, and why peer learning turns AI from a threat into a shared tool

- Which signals reveal hidden AI adoption risks beyond engagement scores: psychological safety indexes, attrition spikes, and tool utilization rates

- Why managers are the most under-leveraged asset in any AI change program, and how to equip them even without AI fluency

- The one action people leaders should take this month to get ahead of fear of obsolescence before it spreads

- Why employee skepticism about AI is data, not resistance, and how reframing it changes what leaders do next

- How pulse surveys surface what employees actually experience during AI rollouts, and why acting on that data is what earns trust back

ABOUT SYMPHONY LINDSEY

Symphony Lindsey is Senior Director of HR Business Partnering for GTM and Marketing at Twilio, one of the world's leading cloud communications platforms. With over a decade of experience leading global HR strategy, she has held senior people roles at Amazon Web Services and PepsiCo, supporting globally dispersed workforces across North America, EMEA, APJ, and Latin America.

Beyond her corporate work, Symphony is a certified professional coach and founder of Ili Ori Coaching LLC, where she partners with leaders navigating transformation, growth, and purpose. She has been at the table for some of the most consequential people decisions in tech and consumer goods, and brings that lived experience directly into her approach to AI adoption.

Connect with Symphony on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/symphone-e-lindsey/

🔗 LINKS AND RESOURCES

Full episode page and transcript: https://www.culturemonkey.io/cultureclubx/s06-e07-reassure-teams-in-ai-rollouts-playbook-for-impact-in-2026/

1️⃣ How trust shapes employee behavior and engagement at work: https://www.culturemonkey.io/employee-engagement/trust-in-the-workplace/

2️⃣ How to design an employee trust survey that surfaces real sentiment: https://www.culturemonkey.io/employee-engagement/employee-trust-survey/

3️⃣ Compare and choose the right employee engagement survey tools: https://www.culturemonkey.io/employee-engagement/employee-engagement-survey-tools/

Explore all CultureClub X episodes: https://www.culturemonkey.io/cultureclubx/

Explore CultureMonkey: https://www.culturemonkey.io/

Book a demo with us: https://www.culturemonkey.io/features/book-a-demo

#CultureClubX #AIAtWork #EmployeeEngagement #HRLeadership #AIRollout #PeopleLeaders #CHRO #TrustAtWork #ChangeManagement #PsychologicalSafety #FutureOfWork #HRStrategy #EmployeeWellbeing #AIAdoption #WorkplaceCulture #CultureMonkey

What happens when organizations race to deploy AI without preparing the people inside them?

Jennifer Love and Kelly Timpane, two HR executives who've led people strategy across 20+ countries and 30+ M&A integrations, join host Darcy Mehta on CultureClub X to answer exactly that.

With hard-won experience from scaling HR operations at global life sciences and tech companies, they share what AI adoption is actually doing to employee trust, how managers can become the most powerful force for psychological safety during change, and why listening, through pulse surveys and open-ended feedback, is the most underused weapon CHROs have right now.

Their sharpest line from this episode: "AI is not being done to employees, it's being done with them."

WHAT YOU WILL LEARN

- Why AI adoption fails not because of the technology, but because organizations skip governance, strategy, and data readiness

- How to reframe AI from a threat to a colleague, and what messaging actually shifts employee perception

- Why managers are the single most influential voice in AI adoption, and what "informed and committed" managers actually look like in practice

- How Jennifer and Kelly built a real manager portal at Precision Medicine Group, and why every organization needs one

- What a support ecosystem for AI anxiety looks like: micro-learning pathways, peer learning, guardrails, dedicated office hours, and more

- What CHROs must prioritize first: AI governance committees, data consistency across systems, narrative control, and listening cadence

- How pulse surveys with open-ended questions surface AI-related fear and resistance in real time, and how to act on that data fast

- The three to-dos every people leader should start with to mitigate AI risks and build lasting engagement

ABOUT JENNIFER LOVE

Jennifer Love is an innovative, agile HR leader and business strategist who guides global teams through major organizational change. She builds scalable talent management programs that strengthen leadership capability, boost engagement, and drive long-term business growth.

A SHRM and Chief member, she brings deep expertise in resilience, change leadership, inclusion and belonging, and high-trust management, and has been a guest lecturer at colleges and universities. Jennifer began her career in marketing and advertising, working on brands like McDonald's, Converse, and Fidelity, before transitioning into HR through her work on Monster.com and ultimately at Precision Medicine Group.

Connect with Jennifer on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennylove25/

ABOUT KELLY TIMPANE

Kelly Timpane is a global people and HR operations executive with 20+ years scaling teams across high-growth tech and life sciences companies. She specializes in operational excellence, people analytics, and AI-enabled HR transformation, and has led 30+ acquisitions and divestitures in complex, highly regulated environments.

A recognized thought leader and frequent speaker at HR conferences and industry podcasts, Kelly's expertise sits at the intersection of HR systems, technology, and data governance.

Connect with Kelly on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kellyhrninjanerd/

🔗 LINKS AND RESOURCES

Full episode page and transcript:https://www.culturemonkey.io/cultureclubx/s06-e06-mitigating-ai-risks-boosting-employee-engagement-in-2026/

1️⃣ What is change management and why it matters for AI rollouts:https://www.culturemonkey.io/employee-engagement/change-management-definition/

2️⃣ Change management survey questions to gauge employee sentiment:https://www.culturemonkey.io/employee-engagement/change-management-survey-questions/

3️⃣ Start measuring employee engagement with CultureMonkey:https://www.culturemonkey.io/employee-engagement-survey/

Explore all CultureClub X episodes: https://www.culturemonkey.io/cultureclubx/

#CultureClubX #AIInTheWorkplace #EmployeeEngagement #HRLeadership #AIAdoption #PeopleLeaders #CHRO #ChangeManagement #PsychologicalSafety #ManagerEffectiveness

What is the difference between a high-trust culture and one that is quietly eroding?

Dani Herrera, Culture, DEI and Talent Consultant at Kay and Partners, joins host Darcy Mehta on CultureClub X to explore exactly that. With 20 years of experience at the intersection of talent, equity, and culture, Dani shares the early warning signs most leaders miss, explains why DEI needs dedicated ownership to work, and lays out a clear path for rebuilding trust after organizational missteps.

Her most memorable line from this episode: "Culture is the software. You cannot run your computer without it."

WHAT YOU WILL LEARN

- Why engagement survey scores can look healthy while culture erodes underneath, and what to check instead

- How to read which demographics are not responding to surveys, and what that silence may indicate

- Why "DEI is everyone's responsibility" without ownership structures becomes "DEI is no one's responsibility"

- A step-by-step approach to rebuilding organizational trust: acknowledge, apologize, act, and communicate at every stage

- Why culture is not a checklist item but the core operating system of your organization

- The specific behavioral signals CHROs should track: PTO patterns, one-on-one quality, feedback practices, and microaggression reports

- Why many managers are sharing opinions rather than feedback, and how that quietly erodes culture over time

- How to choose and use HR tech platforms for feedback and surveys in ways that generate meaningful, actionable data

ABOUT DANI HERRERA

Dani Herrera (she/her/ella) is an award-winning, bilingual Latina immigrant, Talent and DEI Consultant, Trainer, and Speaker with 20 years of experience helping organizations become more intentionally inclusive and more effective. Known for her bold voice, cultural fluency, and real-world strategies, Dani's work lives at the intersection of talent, equity, and culture.

She has trained and advised hundreds of people and companies across industries on inclusive leadership, equitable hiring, ERG strategy, equitable talent practices, and building intentionally inclusive company cultures. Dani started her career in recruiting and talent operations, moved into leading global talent acquisition and operations teams, and then transitioned into the space where talent, DEI, and culture intersect.

Connect with Dani on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danielagherrera/Dani's platform: https://deibydani.com

🔗 LINKS AND RESOURCES

Full episode page and transcript:https://www.culturemonkey.io/cultureclubx/s06-e05-culture-at-the-core-how-to-enhance-trust-and-business-performance/

1️⃣ How strong company culture drives employee performance:https://www.culturemonkey.io/employee-engagement/how-a-strong-company-cultures-drives-employee-performance/

2️⃣ How to track and improve DEI metrics:https://www.culturemonkey.io/employee-engagement/dei-metrics/

3️⃣ CultureMonkey DEI solutions:https://www.culturemonkey.io/solutions/diversity-equity-and-inclusion/

#CultureClubX #CompanyCulture #DEI #EmployeeEngagement #HRLeadership #TrustAtWork #OrganizationalCulture #DaniHerrera #PeopleLeaders #CHRO #WorkplaceCulture #DiversityEquityInclusion #CultureMonkey #InclusiveLeadership #HRStrategy #EmployeeExperience #TalentManagement #PeopleFirst #FutureOfWork #HRTech

Most organizations are treating AI adoption like a technology rollout. They automate tasks, deploy tools, and hope teams adapt.

But four-time CHRO Jackson Lynch has a sharper frame: tasks get automated, but roles need to be redesigned. And if CHROs don't lead that redesign deliberately, they lose the development pathways that gave people a reason to grow.

In this episode of CultureClub X, Jackson shares a systems-led approach to redesigning work for the AI era, keeping hybrid teams engaged through the shift, and building cultures where people own results, not just task lists.

💡 WHAT YOU'LL LEARN

→ Why conflating task automation with role redesign is the mistake most CHROs are making right now

→ How to run a yield conversation with every direct report to surface where AI can free up high-judgment work

→ What the adaptability gap is, and why it now matters more than the experience gap

→ Why culture is decision residue, and what your last 100 people decisions reveal about your AI readiness

→ A 3-month action plan to redesign work without demoralizing your team or damaging your culture

→ How the manager's role is shifting from coordinator to coach, and what CHROs need to do about it

→ How to design pulse checks that track where humans are being displaced from judgment calls before active disengagement sets in

TIMESTAMPS

00:00 Welcome to CultureClub X

01:53 Jackson's Leadership Journey: From Factory Floor to CHRO

03:07 Augment vs. Automate: How to Decide Which Roles Change

05:23 Involving Employees in Redesigning Their Own Roles

06:57 When AI Outperforms Humans: Addressing the Power Shift

10:06 Balancing AI Efficiency with Human Meaning and Growth

16:40 Real Example: How AI Transformed Jackson's Daily Workflow

17:55 The 90-Day CHRO Action Plan for Redesigning Work

23:11 Preparing Managers to Lead Hybrid AI-Human Teams

28:11 How Pulse Checks Track Engagement in Hybrid Teams

ABOUT JACKSON LYNCH

Jackson Lynch is a four-time CHRO, founder and president of Talent Sherpa, CHRO coach, board advisor, and CNBC Workforce Executive Council member. He has led HR transformations at Sunnova Energy, Rent., BlueLine Rental, Clearwater Paper, Nestle, and PepsiCo, delivering top-decile employee engagement and 90th-percentile organizational health across rapid growth, Chapter 11 restructurings, acquisitions, and digital pivots.

Through Talent Sherpa, his multi-channel platform with 6,300+ weekly Substack readers, a top-rated podcast, and the CHRO Academy, he helps CEOs and new CHROs build clear people operating rhythms and AI-enabled talent strategies.

👤 Connect with Jackson: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jxnlynch/

LINKS

📄 Full episode page + transcript: culturemonkey.io/cultureclubx/s06-e04-how-chros-should-redesign-roles-as-ai-reshapes-work/

1️⃣ Scale Engagement With AI (see how AI is reshaping engagement strategy): https://www.culturemonkey.io/employee-engagement/scale-engagement-with-ai/

2️⃣ Change Management Survey Questions (measure what employees feel during role redesign): https://www.culturemonkey.io/employee-engagement/change-management-survey-questions/

3️⃣ Pulse Survey Tools (track power shifts and hybrid team engagement in real time): https://www.culturemonkey.io/employee-engagement/pulse-survey-tools/

📺 Watch all CultureClub X episodes: https://www.culturemonkey.io/cultureclubx/

🏷️ ABOUT CULTUREMONKEY

CultureMonkey is an AI-powered employee engagement platform that helps organizations listen to employees, analyze sentiment, and turn feedback into action in real time.

Used by HR teams globally to:

- Run pulse surveys

- Measure eNPS

- Track engagement drivers across hybrid and AI-human teams

- Build continuous listening systems

- Enable leadership action at scale

🌐 https://www.culturemonkey.io

🎯 https://www.culturemonkey.io/features/book-a-demo

#CultureClubX #CultureMonkey #CHRO #AIAtWork #FutureOfWork #HRLeadership #WorkplaceAI #EmployeeEngagement

Most reskilling programs fail before they even start.

Not because employees can’t learn AI tools, but because organizations focus on skills before behavior, mindset, and psychological safety.In this episode of CultureClub X, Darcy Mehta sits down with Nadia Vatalidis, People & Culture leader at Doist, to break down what it really takes to move from “skills chaos” to a true AI edge in 2026.

Drawing from Doist’s fully remote, globally distributed environment, Nadia explains why the future of reskilling is not about teaching tools, but about helping teams adapt, rethink how they work, and continuously evolve through feedback and coaching.

This conversation reframes AI adoption from a technology rollout into a leadership and culture problem.

💡 WHAT YOU’LL LEARN

→ Why most AI reskilling programs fail despite heavy investment

→ Why behavior change is harder, and more important, than skill development

→ How psychological safety determines whether teams adopt AI or resist it

→ The role of real-time feedback loops in driving engagement and continuous improvement

→ Why coaching and mindset shifts are the real levers for transformation

→ How leading companies are turning reskilling into a competitive advantage

ABOUT NADIA VATALIDIS

Nadia Vatalidis is a People & Culture leader at Doist, a fully remote company operating across 35+ countries.Her work focuses on building high-trust, distributed teams that can continuously learn, adapt, and operate effectively in fast-changing environments shaped by AI and evolving work models.

👤 Connect with Nadia: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nadiavatalidis/

🔗 Learn more about Doist: https://www.linkedin.com/company/doist/

🎙️ ABOUT CULTURECLUB X

CultureClub X is CultureMonkey’s global thought leadership videocast, where CHROs, CPOs, and senior people leaders share practical strategies for building high-performing, future-ready workplace cultures.Hosted by Darcy Mehta.New episodes every season.

LINKS

📄 Full episode page + transcript:https://www.culturemonkey.io/cultureclubx/s06-e03-from-skills-chaos-to-ai-edge-reskilling-engagement-for-global-teams-in-2026/

1️⃣ AI in employee engagement (understand the shift driving reskilling):https://www.culturemonkey.io/guides/measuring-employee-engagement/metrics-for-employee-engagement/role-of-ai-in-analyzing-trends-and-patterns-in-employee-engagement/

2️⃣ How to build an employee feedback loop (turn feedback into action):https://www.culturemonkey.io/employee-engagement/employee-feedback-loop/

3️⃣ Best employee feedback tools (platforms that enable continuous listening):https://www.culturemonkey.io/employee-engagement/employee-feedback-tools/

📺 Watch all CultureClub X episodes: https://www.culturemonkey.io/cultureclubx/

🏷️ ABOUT CULTUREMONKEY

CultureMonkey is an AI-powered employee engagement platform that helps organizations listen to employees, analyze sentiment, and turn feedback into action in real time.

Used by HR teams globally to:

- Run pulse surveys

- Measure eNPS

- Track engagement drivers

- Build continuous listening systems

- Enable leadership action at scale

🌐 https://www.culturemonkey.io

🎯 https://www.culturemonkey.io/features/book-a-demo

#CultureClubX #EmployeeEngagement #AIinHR #Reskilling #FutureOfWork #PeopleStrategy #Leadership #PsychologicalSafety #HRTech #ContinuousListening #EmployeeFeedback #WorkplaceCulture #PeopleOps #CHRO #HRLeadership #AITransformation #EmployeeExperience

What does it actually take to keep teams engaged when everything is changing around them?

In this episode of CultureClub X, host Darcy Mehta sits down with Jamy Conrad, Director of People at University Federal Credit Union (UFCU) - a 25-year HR veteran who has led people strategy through a pandemic, a corporate acquisition, and a full digital transformation.

Jamy introduces the Change Readiness Loop - a four-stage framework built for CHROs and HR leaders who need their managers to lead change with empathy, consistency, and confidence rather than improvisation and mixed messages.

WHAT YOU'LL HEAR IN THIS EPISODE

→ Why coaching skill is the single most powerful engagement lever during change

→ The Change Readiness Loop: Scenario Planning, Language Alignment, Real-Time Feedback, Peer Accountability

→ How one leader took their team eNPS from -8 to +57 in 18 months through real-time feedback discipline

→ Why mid-level managers are where change communication breaks down — and how to fix it

→ How to run scenario planning that prepares leaders before crisis arrives

→ Why GenAI tools can make leadership more human, not less

→ The safe word technique for peer accountability during live meetings

ABOUT JAMY CONRAD

Jamy Conrad is Director of People at UFCU (University Federal Credit Union), Austin's largest locally owned credit union. With 25+ years of HR leadership across tech, healthcare, and finance, she has partnered with organizations including TrustRadius, HG Insights, PAM Health, and Travis Medical Sales Corp. She is a founding member and board advisor to multiple HR industry bodies.

Career highlights: reduced regrettable turnover from 40%+ to under 5% in two years, saved nearly $500K annually through benefits strategy optimization, and boosted new manager effectiveness scores by 28% in 12 months.

Connect with Jamy on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamyconrad

ABOUT CULTURECLUB X

CultureClub X is CultureMonkey's global thought leadership videocast where CHROs, CPOs, and senior people leaders share real strategies for building thriving, future-ready cultures. Hosted by Darcy Mehta.

Full episode page + transcript:

https://www.culturemonkey.io/cultureclubx/s06-e02-leadership-during-change-empathy-confidence-sustained-engagement-in-2026/

ABOUT CULTUREMONKEY

CultureMonkey is an AI-powered enterprise employee engagement platform that helps people leaders listen to their employees and build workplace cultures where trust, growth, and performance thrive.

Website: https://www.culturemonkey.io

Book a demo: https://www.culturemonkey.io/features/book-a-demo

All episodes: https://www.culturemonkey.io/cultureclubx/

In S06 E01 of CultureClub X powered by CultureMonkey, host Darcy Mehta speaks with Shari Chernack, Chief People Officer at Isaacson, Miller and founder of Palimpsest Advisory and Coaching, about how upskilling, career growth, workplace culture, and employee engagement are evolving in 2026.

This episode explores why many learning programs fail to improve engagement, how organizations can make upskilling feel like a benefit instead of a mandate, and why reskilling must connect directly to performance, employee listening, and career progression to create lasting impact.

Shari shares practical insights on employee choice, personalized learning, development investment, group learning, real-time feedback, and how AI sentiment can help make learning more inclusive, responsive, and useful at work.

What you’ll learn:

→ Why many learning programs fail to improve employee engagement

→ How to make upskilling feel valuable and relevant

→ Why career growth and learning must stay connected

→ How cultural health shows up in learning initiatives

→ What CHROs need to do in 2026 to lead the reskilling shift

→ How personalized learning and AI sentiment can strengthen engagement and retention

🎥 Watch the full episode to learn how people leaders can build stronger learning cultures that improve employee engagement, retention, workforce agility, and future-ready organizations.

📣 Connect with Shari

LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/in/sharichernack/

🔎 Learn More

Explore CultureMonkey → https://www.culturemonkey.io/

Read our resources → https://www.culturemonkey.io/employee-engagement/

See more from CultureClub X → https://www.culturemonkey.io/cultureclubx/

🤝🏼 Connect With Us

LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/company/culturemonkeyhq/

Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/culturemonkeyhq/

Facebook → https://www.facebook.com/culturemonkeyhq/

⏱️ Timestamps

00:00–04:27 – Introduction

04:28–07:29 – Where learning programs fail

07:30–09:49 – Upskilling as benefit, not mandate

09:50–14:07 – Learning and career growth

14:08–15:47 – Measuring cultural health

15:48–22:02 – CHRO moves for 2026

22:03–25:15 – Personalized learning impact

25:16–28:36 – Real-time listening

28:37–29:48 – Outro & connect

#CultureClubX #CultureMonkey #Upskilling #EmployeeEngagement #LearningAndDevelopment #CareerGrowth #PeopleLeadership #FutureOfWork #AISentiment #WorkplaceCulture

What leadership behaviors make the biggest difference to employee experience during change?

In this episode of CultureClub X, host Jodie O’Brien sits down with Debra Corey, award-winning HR leader, founder of Step It Up HR, and bestselling author, to unpack the leadership behaviors that help employees feel supported, valued, and engaged during times of change.

Debra brings more than 20 years of HR experience across industries and geographies, and today works as a consultant, speaker, trainer, and author helping organizations rethink people strategy through a more human-centered lens.

The conversation explores why stability matters during change, how leaders can avoid relying on one default leadership style, and why personalization, awareness, and feedback are essential for improving leadership impact. Debra also shares her Awareness → Acceptance → Action framework, discusses the role of analytics and behavioral feedback, and reflects on what makes a truly great leader memorable.

In this episode, we discuss:
• Why leaders must create stability during change through mission, vision, and values
• How different employees and situations require different leadership behaviors
• Why curiosity and continuous learning reduce fear of becoming obsolete
• How personalization improves engagement and retention during transformation
• Why awareness is the starting point for leadership growth
• How feedback, analytics, and action help leaders strengthen trust and performance

About the guest:
Debra Corey is an award-winning HR leader and founder of Step It Up HR. She is a consultant, speaker, trainer, and six-time bestselling author who helps organizations build impactful people strategies and more human-centered cultures. She is widely recognized as a global thought leader in engagement and leadership.

Connect with Debra Corey:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/debracorey/
Website: https://stepituphr.com/

Explore more from CultureClub X and CultureMonkey:
CultureClub X: https://www.culturemonkey.io/cultureclubx/
CultureMonkey: https://www.culturemonkey.io/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@culturemonkeyhq

Follow CultureMonkey:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/culturemonkeyhq/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/culturemonkeyhq/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/culturemonkeyhq/

Tags

Leadership Insights, Season 5, leadership behaviors, employee experience, change leadership, employee engagement, workplace culture