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