Your HR Tech Stack Is Quietly Breaking Employee Experience

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YOUR HR TECH IS QUIETLY BREAKING THE EMPLOYEE EXPERIENCE

Employee experience (EX) today is shaped by dozens of tools, platforms, and moments. 

However, few companies are managing it as a connected ecosystem. 

• 43% of onboarding experiences fall short

• 61% of employees say workplace tech is burning them out

What’s driving the breakdown? 

There are two things: disjointed systems and a massive perception gap between employees and leaders regarding what’s working.

🎙️ Today, you’ll hear from Mine Sinem ARIKAN (General Manager, Global HR Platform, Sony) as she shares the most manual parts of hiring ripe for automation, how you know when your tech really works, how to overcome barriers in implementing new tech, and more! 

We’ve got loads more in store for you as well. Check out what’s waiting for you inside this edition… 

Inside this edition

• Where the Employee Experience breaks before day one even starts

• The onboarding bottlenecks that hurt trust and retention

• Why tech “solutions” often create more work, not less

• The overlooked moments breaking the EX journey from inside

• Expert Insights: How Sony’s HR Platform Is Rebuilding EX, One System at a Time

• A 5-step fix—proven by VMware, Bimbo, and Roche

🏆 This week’s success stories show you how to standardize safety procedures across 20 plants in 10 countries in just 8 weeks, what an AI-powered learning system can do for your HR initiatives, how top organizations are achieving up to 30% increase in key soft and strategic planning skills, and more! 

PLUS your free whitepaper download: Your step-by-step guide to using AI & Automation for Smarter, Faster Recruiting.

🗞️ In case you missed it: Federal firings spark DEIA lawsuits, a startup trades time for growth, and U.S. jobs rise—while China retaliates with 84% tariffs on U.S. goods (ouch!) and Trump hikes China's to 125%.

Let’s pull back the curtain on what’s quietly breaking the employee journey—from the inside out.

SPREAD FOR YOU
📢 WHY YOUR TECH ECOSYSTEM ISN’T DELIVERING EXPERIENCE

According to Deloitte, global enterprise tech spending is expected to grow 14% in 2025, with HR and AI strategies at the forefront.

With a tech ecosystem that has grown faster than ever meant to scale, most HR functions now manage dozens of platforms across recruiting, onboarding, learning, performance, and internal mobility. 

Each tool may be working as designed. 

But together, they rarely add up to a seamless experience.

Here’s what that looks like:

• Employees spend 40% of their time just finding information

• HR spends 57% fixing system gaps

• Only half of companies design tech with people in mind—and 73% of leaders admit they can’t measure if it’s working (sounds like a recipe for disaster, and often it is!)

The employee experience isn’t breaking because of one lousy system. It’s breaking because…

 1. No one owns the whole experience

Each stage has a different owner: TA, L&D, HR Ops, IT, and Business Unit leads. Nobody’s responsible for stitching it together into something coherent. As a result, employees restart at every stage. Managers don’t see the full journey. HR can’t diagnose what’s working. Even when individual moments succeed, the full experience feels chaotic and misaligned.

2. Systems were added to fix tasks, not design journeys

Most HR tech was bought to solve isolated problems, such as better onboarding emails and faster learning delivery. But the tools don’t talk to each other. And they weren’t selected with end-to-end experience in mind.  The result? Employees bounce to and fro between platforms, systems create duplication, and important signals get lost.

3. HR and IT rarely co-design the ecosystem

HR knows the moments. IT knows the architecture. But the two don’t always (maybe never) sit down together to map the experience across the entire ecosystem. Therefore, integration is patchy. Implementation focuses on function, not flow. Change management is reactive.

4. Metrics focus on efficiency, not experience

Most HR systems are evaluated on cost savings, time-to-fill, or completion rates. But what about how they impact trust, growth, or belonging? Tech ROI might look fine on paper, but it doesn’t show what it’s costing in talent retention, employee engagement, or performance.

5. AI and automation are layered on top of broken flows

Instead of rethinking the whole experience, many organizations have layered AI or chatbots into existing silos, which end up speeding up bad design. The byproduct? Employees feel surveilled and not supported. Processes are faster but still confusing. AI is not coming to save HR from a terrible employee experience.

Until the system is designed for connection—not just function—tech will keep doing what it’s doing now: working hard but working against the experience.

HR FRAMEWORKS

THE 5-STEP FRAMEWORK TO FIX THE SYSTEM

You don’t need to replace everything. You need to reconnect what’s already there.

Most companies already have the right tools. What they’re missing is an EX operating system: a strategic layer that ensures people, processes, and platforms are working together to support the employee experience beyond HR tasks.

This means shifting from tool-by-tool optimization to system-level design.

Here’s how leading organizations are doing it…

1. Redefine the ownership of EX

No one owns the journey? Form a cross-functional EX team (HR, IT, Ops, Comms) to own the entire employee lifecycle—not just their siloed piece of it.

• Set one priority per quarter: Choose based on where employee sentiment or system drop-off is worst.

• Use one shared journey map: Clarify handoffs and friction points across tools and teams.

• Align on outcome-based ROI: Anchor decisions in metrics like retention, readiness, or time-to-competency.

2. Design before you buy

Instead of adding tech before employee journeys are understood, focus on design. Map employee intent, emotion, and actions before selecting any solution.

• Conduct friction audits: Ask employees to narrate real experiences, not just click paths.

• Build journey blueprints: For key moments—onboarding, feedback, growth—before any procurement.

• Pressure test with users: Run mock “day in the life” walkthroughs before system deployment.

3. Shift metrics from process to outcomes

Stop measuring tech by usage or time savings alone (logins, time to resolve). Start tracking experience metrics (growth, internal mobility, sense of belonging).

• Tie metrics to EX goals: For each system, define how it contributes to business + human outcomes.

• Build a human outcomes dashboard: Include readiness, retention, engagement, and well-being.

• Reward teams based on people impact: Not just speed, volume, or task completion.

4. Build feedback into the system

Most organizations collect employee feedback but don’t link it to the EX system design, so feedback becomes unused. Build listening mechanisms that inform real-time improvements and help prioritize what needs fixing. Use real-time signals to update workflows, content, and priorities, not just report out.

• Close the loop fast: Share what’s being fixed based on feedback (monthly, if possible.)

• Route insights into EX sprints: Treat feedback as input for design, not just HR analytics.

• Tag feedback by system/tool: Identify where experience consistently breaks down.

5. Connect the dots

Don’t just automate broken processes. Rebuild them to flow across moments. Ask: “What happens right before this step? What comes after? And does the employee experience that as a continuation—or a restart?” Audit the full EX flow and remove duplicate steps, disconnected logins, and dead ends.

• Run an integration audit: Where do people re-enter the same data across systems?

• Invest in connective tissue (APIs, portals): Focus less on replacing tools and more on linking them.

• Embed EX into design reviews: Make “Does this create flow?” a required question for any new rollout.

You’ve seen the system gaps—now let’s put your EX knowledge to the test before hearing how Sony’s HR team is rebuilding it from the inside.

TRIVIA TIME

EXPERT INSIGHTS
WHEN TECH WORKS, PEOPLE ARE WOWED

🎙️ Interview with Mine Sinem Arikan, General Manager, Global HR Platform, Sony

DJ: What moment made you realize the power of technology in transforming the employee experience?

Mine Sinem Arikan: 

Most of the time, people don’t know what to expect from technology—especially when they’re on the “user” side. What I find truly powerful is when an HR colleague or business leader clicks a button, finds exactly what they’re looking for, and suddenly says, “Wow, that was so easy!” That moment of surprise and delight is the real turning point. For me, one of those moments was when we presented our global leader with an HR dashboard that consolidated employee data from across the globe. His reaction? “Do I really have access to all that?” 😊 That’s when you see the impact of well-designed tech—making data accessible, actionable, and empowering.

DJ: How have you used automation or personalization to create a more engaging candidate experience in your hiring process?

Mine Sinem Arikan: 

Interestingly, one of the most manual and time-consuming parts of hiring happens after the “Hire” action—when we begin collecting data for onboarding. Candidates are often asked to enter the same type of information multiple times across different systems or touchpoints. I focused on automating this stage to eliminate repetitive tasks, making the experience smoother for candidates and more efficient for HR. By streamlining data collection and integrating systems, we not only saved time but also created a more seamless, professional experience from the candidate's perspective.

DJ: What’s been the biggest barrier in embedding tech-led personalization without making the experience feel robotic?

Mine Sinem Arikan:

Ironically, the biggest barrier is often the technology itself. Many users don’t want to log in to a system or navigate multiple interfaces just to complete a simple action. What I’ve found powerful is integrating those systems into tools people already use—like Slack or MS Teams—so they can take action directly within a chat interface. That kind of frictionless access makes personalization feel natural and intuitive rather than mechanical or forced.

DJ: What strategies or tools have helped you scale personalization across the employee lifecycle without overburdening your HR teams?

Mine Sinem Arikan:

Definitely focusing on modular design! For example, in the HCM system we utilize, we’ve built templates that adapt based on role, region, or business unit, which makes communications and processes feel tailored to specific localization needs. We also integrate our HR tools through APIs to minimize double data entry and ensure consistency. Empowering local HR partners through guided workflows and data dashboards has also been key—they can act on insights quickly without relying on centralized teams. It’s about finding that sweet spot where technology enables personalization and efficiency.

So what happens when EX design goes beyond the whiteboard? Here’s what we can learn from Bimbo, Roche, and VMware.

SUCCESS STORIES
WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU TREAT EMPLOYEE EXPERIENCE AS A SYSTEM

When companies stop patching tech problems and start mapping the whole experience, the transformation is tangible.

According to Deloitte, only 17% of organizations design tech around the employee experience—yet those that do report gains in internal mobility, onboarding speed, and trust across the journey.

By building intentional systems that connect touchpoints—rather than tools—these organizations have unlocked measurable results: reduced time-to-competency, safer frontline operations, and stronger leadership pipelines.

A well-structured HR tech stack can reconnect the journey, remove the friction, and make experience part of the system.

🟩 Grupo Bimbo | Scaling Safety Through System Design

Impact:

🚨 Safety procedures standardized across 20 plants in 10 countries in just 8 weeks

⚙️ Implemented real-time data visibility across all safety operations

💬 Delivered multilingual training in 8 languages

📉 Improved employee safety and reduced incidents through digitized SOPs​

The Challenge:

Grupo Bimbo’s safety performance was critical to its operational strategy—but its legacy, paper-based systems couldn’t deliver real-time insight or consistent training. With teams operating across more than 30 countries, the lack of standardization made proactive safety management nearly impossible.

What They Did:

They adopted Parsable’s Connected Worker® platform to digitize safety processes and create a live data layer across all levels of the business. Within two months, the new system enabled complete visibility, multilingual training, and real-time corrective actions across plants globally.

🟩 Roche | Cutting Time-to-Competency by Over 90%

Impact:

⏱️ Reduced time-to-competency from 1.5 years to just 90 days

💡 Shifted from mandatory participation to voluntary employee engagement

🤝 Enabled collaborative learning across mentors, trainers, and peers

💬 Created “custom learning journeys” based on roles and readiness

The Challenge:

Roche needed to upskill a global workforce of engineers and specialists, but its old learning systems were fragmented and confusing, especially for new hires and customer-facing roles. With productivity and customer success on the line, Roche had to reimagine the learning experience.

What they did:

They partnered with Cornerstone to implement an AI-powered Learning Experience Platform (LXP) that integrated mandatory and skills-based training into a single, intuitive journey. Employees now follow personalized tracks with feedback checkpoints and clear milestones. The shift not only improved training speed but also created excitement and ownership around learning. “Now, people come to us asking, ‘When can I start my custom journey?’” (Cristy Mangin, Manager of Technology and Admin, Roche Diagnostics.)

🟩 VMware | Empowering DEI Leaders to Drive Systemic Inclusion

Impact:

📈 30% increase in strategic planning skills

🙌 20% improvement in guiding others

🧠 18% increase in well-being through stress management

⬆️ Notable improvements in clarity, sense of purpose, and psychological safety among community leaders

The Challenge:

VMware’s “Power of Difference” (POD) employee communities were central to its inclusion strategy—but many POD leaders lacked the support and coaching needed to navigate their dual roles as culture carriers and employees. While EX tools existed across the organization, these programs were not integrated or measured as part of a unified system of leadership growth and belonging.

What they did:

VMware partnered with BetterUp to provide individualized coaching for POD leaders. These 1:1 sessions focused on leadership, emotional regulation, and strategic communication. The coaching experience, enabled by AI and personalized feedback, acted as a human-centered extension of VMware’s digital experience. Most importantly, it connected people development with systemic EX goals across the business.

A great starting point to fix friction points is analyzing your hiring processes. This downloadable resource will help you.

YOUR DOWNLOADABLE RESOURCE
THE HIRING REVOLUTION: AI & AUTOMATION FOR SMARTER, FASTER RECRUITING

Hiring is often the first friction point in a broken EX system. This guide offers a hands-on look at how automation and AI can clean up the hiring experience without overwhelming your team.

• How to automate resume screening, interview scheduling, and candidate follow-ups

• Tips for surfacing under-the-radar talent through AI-powered sourcing

• Ways to improve candidate experience using chatbots and real-time updates

• Basics of using predictive analytics to improve quality-of-hire

• Guardrails to reduce bias and stay compliant

• A 6-step playbook for modernizing your hiring process

If hiring is where your EX starts breaking, this resource can help you rebuild that foundation—faster, simpler, smarter.

UPCOMING EVENT
THE AI EXPERIENCE SUMMIT

AI is no longer just a tool—it’s becoming the co-architect of strategy, leadership, and workforce transformation.

The three-day AI Experience Summit will explore how AI reshapes the employee experience, redefines leadership, and accelerates workforce potential. From talent acquisition and learning to ethics, productivity, and innovation, attendees will get frameworks, use cases, and strategies to lead in the AI era, without losing the human thread.

With expert panels, live workshops, and future-ready insights, this summit is a must-attend for HR, tech, and business leaders building the next chapter of work.

📅 When: June 3-5, 2025 (7 am–11 am Pacific Time)
💻 Event Type: Online | Free
📢 Content Format: Panel | Workshop

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