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