Five Minutes With…Stacie Baird

Briefly explore the career, leadership strategies, and  life lessons of a fellow HR innovator. Nearly half of employees worry that GenAI could negatively impact the nature of their work. However, with the right guidance, Chief People Officer Stacie Baird believes it could improve the workplace Human Experience (HX). 

Global employee perceptions of AI have come a long way since ChatGPT first made headlines in the final months of 2022, but we’re still far from a true consensus. According to a PwC survey of more than 56,000 workers across 50 countries and regions, there are still major concerns about GenAI negatively impacting the nature of work. This could come in the form of bias, incorrect or misleading information, or even gaps in L&D if employers fail to adequately upskill employees to take full advantage of their new, tech-enabled capabilities. As a result, PwC advises organizations to lean into a “human led, tech-powered approach” that uses leadership fundamentals to reassure employees – an ethos mirrored by Stacie Baird.

Stacie is a deeply motivational HR visionary who currently serves as the Chief People Officer for Community Medical Services, a high-growth provider of addiction treatment services directly tackling the nation’s Opioid Crisis. She’s also an award-winning speaker, author, and host to the HX Podcast, which is dedicated to exploring how powerful moments within the Human Experience can be leveraged to effect positive organizational change. 

Across her industry contributions, Stacie warns about the alienating effects emergent technologies can have on employees if their rollout isn’t managed effectively. She posits that HR strategy plays a pivotal role in preventing that disconnect and spoke with us about how her peers can avoid those pitfalls as they continue to expand their use of AI within the  workplace: 

Fear has been an ongoing element of the “workplace AI” conversation. How are you as an HR leader tackling that problem with your own teams? 

I believe the best way for us to ignite a positive conversation around AI is to lead by example, which is why I started a series on the “HX of AI” on my 
podcast. I wanted to learn more about where this technology is going, where it has been, and what the most practical applications are today, all from experts who have been in this space for over a decade. What I’m learning is to start small, such as by practicing core competencies like exceptional prompt writing. I’m then sharing that knowledge with my team, learning alongside them, and encouraging them to experiment. 

Another critical consideration is providing clear guidance around the ethical use and misuse of AI in our functions. For example, we now understand the potential impact of reinforcing bias by using unproven models in talent selection functions. It is vital for CHROs to lead that conversation and extend application use guidelines, as well as partnership opportunities, to our IT and Ops peers.

Speaking of partnerships, how are you working with managers and team leads to help assuage employee fears – and their own – about AI having a negative impact? 

In my experience, the best way to alleviate fear and concern is to encourage teams, leaders, and employees through action. Leading the way on how AI can be used practically and ethically to elevate the Human Experience within the organization does so much to help. For example, I like to challenge our teams to think about what would be possible if they were alleviated from certain rote, repetitive, and tactical tasks in their daily schedules. 

It also helps to actively publish information on where this technology is being used effectively and the positive impacts it’s having on both the business and the Human Experience. You can often couple that with specific guidance on your organization’s official AI policies, usage guidelines, and best practices. Ultimately, managing these fears is a matter of ongoing staff and leadership development. 

Do you believe there are opportunities for AI to help improve leadership performance, and if so, how? Can that have a positive effect on the “human element” of their roles? 

I do, yes. I recently spoke to two founders of an AI technology that provides real-time coaching recommendations for frontline managers. This isn’t in any way a replacement for having a leadership coaching conversation with team members, but rather, a tool to help team leads respond to an all-too-common situation: problems that require immediate intervention. The tool helps them answer preliminary considerations, like, what’s the best way to start that conversation with the employee? What should the manager say, or what should they not say?

Providing users with real-time access to information and recommendations is one of the clearest examples of how AI can accelerate business performance and elevate the Human Experience. What could have otherwise been a tense and unproductive conflict without that managerial guidance is instead turned into a comfortable, easier conversation that helps both sides feel seen, respected, and heard. 

Based on your experiences so far, what advice would you give to peers who want to be mindful of the interplay between AI and the Human Experience?

I would advise my peers to make an active commitment to continuously learn and consume all the information they can about the progress and missteps of other organizations. AI is not as new as it seems, and if you are interested, you can begin to understand practical ways it can be applied without negative impacts to the Human Experience inside or outside your organization. Being educated on the clear pitfalls of where the technology can fail, such as with vulnerable groups, is critical for us to humanize it effectively across our own diverse teams and organizations.

Functioning in our roles today without computers or the internet seems inconceivable, and today’s  newest technological advancements are heading 
that same direction more rapidly than ever. Start small with a narrow focus that feels comfortable, such as applying it to data – how could you use 
various available tools to evaluate and understand the implications and impact of your data? What did those tools conclude, where does that differ from your own analysis, and what does that tell you to be cautious of? Stay curious about the ways technology and human intervention can be combined to maximize the Human Experience.

Stacie Baird

Driven by purpose and focused on building foundational trust, Stacie has found her way through multiple successful start-ups, high-growth environments, and large public company environments. Specializing in leading innovative HR teams that are highly aligned to having a measurable business impact, she has a passion for connecting people to their superpower. She is passionate about the movement from HR to the next generation of HX, a focus on Human Experience.

Currently leading in the role of Chief People Officer for a national Mental Health organization focused on solving the Opioid Crisis. She and her Employee Experience team lead change across a highly distributed workforce with a strong purpose to impact the lives of patients and bringing communities together to #breakthestigma of Opioid Use Disorder and solving this public health crisis. EXT is the problem-solving, project-oriented team that focuses on the HX of candidates, employees, and partnerships. This team works across the business to focus on the very real human challenges employees navigate each day and look for human centric solutions elevate that experience.

With a true focus on driving more human in the human experience, Stacie hosts a weekly syndicated podcast, HRtoHX focused on the practice of Human Resources and practical solutions for the professionals navigating that space. Each episode focuses on key actions you can take for the mental health and wellbeing of your organization as well as yourself.