Gartner HR Symposium – Beyond the hype
What the Gartner HR Symposium taught us about the human-AI future
The Gartner HR Symposium/Xpo in London this month was a valuable opportunity for CHROs and HR leaders to discuss some tough realities. The focus was firmly on two major issues facing our industry:
- How to handle the pressure on our people
- How to strategically implement AI.
We attended the symposium to validate our core belief that the future of work hinges on empowering people, and this came across loud and clear. Those presenting and attending the event were passionate about leveraging technology where it adds the most value to people and performance.
We were also delighted to exhibit and present our session, “From exhaustion to empowerment: Reducing HR burnout and healing the broken workforce.” The session was packed with attendees in agreement that we have a burnout crisis and that transformation is urgently needed to address it.
Here is a summary of the key takeaways from our conversations at Gartner. These align perfectly with our belief that empowering people with the right technology tools and training is key to the future of work.
Burnout, absence and the employee experience imperative
A common message that came across was that we can’t focus on performance until we properly address the health and well-being of our teams. We heard a lot about the high cost of HR burnout and record sickness absence, confirming that these are now major business drivers.
Gartner’s data reinforces that employee experience is a core business strategy that requires renewed focus, and line managers were recognised as an integral part of the strategy. High-impact organisations are prioritising experience in a way that links mission to people and, perhaps most importantly, to people leaders.
The employee relations function is critical
Our session focused specifically on a vital, but often poorly prioritised, area that contributes to this strain: Employee Relations (ER) transformation. The ER function is critical, and given the upcoming new Employment Rights Bill, tackling it with modern, compliant processes is now a strategic imperative that requires investment, yet budgets are often lacking in the HR function.
This is backed up by our own research findings that show that although organisations recognise the strategic importance of a modern ER operating model, budgets to transform are below what’s required.
Yet the benefits and return on investment of the right employee relations transformation initiatives are clear:
- Improve manager capability and confidence
- Reduce risk and increases compliance
- Better employee experiences
- Insightful analytics to drive a data-driven approach
- Reduce costs through proactive people management.
The impact of a strategic investment in technology and tools to transform employee relations management has far-reaching benefits across the business, not just in HR.
Check out these two case studies, where our award-winning HR transformation solution delivered a 10% reduction in sickness absence, returning 15,000 hours to the front line, and a 60% reduction in tribunal claims and legal costs.
The HR tech and wellness link and the need for external HR support
The push for fit-for-purpose tech is directly related to this wellness crisis. Clunky, disjointed HR systems create digital friction, which is a significant contributor to employee frustration and burnout. The HR function must be a strategic enabler, proactively eliminating this friction with technology that is intuitive and improves ways of working.
For many overstretched HR teams, finding ways to transform, including exploring external support and outsourcing, can be a real lifeline. Outsourcing employee relations advisory services to experts in the field often improves employee experiences, reduces case durations and reduces costs, offering vital capacity for teams struggling to keep up with regulatory demands and high case volumes.
Empowering managers is the linchpin of business success
Throughout the Symposium, the important role of the middle manager was a thread of conversations. With work models continuously evolving, from hybrid structures to human-AI collaboration, managers are undeniably central to sustaining employee productivity. Yet, many managers remain under-equipped for this complexity.
The need to empower managers to handle everything from performance discussions and coaching to well-being support was identified as a critical priority. Simply promoting a high-performer into a management role is no longer sufficient; line managers need to be more capable people leaders, trained and empowered to effectively support employees in the evolving experience and legal landscape.
Training and tools for HR transformation
We believe the failure to equip managers is a major oversight in HR today. True manager empowerment requires a dual strategy:
Technology innovation: Providing managers with innovative, fir-for-purpose HR tech that guides them through how to respond to employee matters in the moment is business-changing.
Our empower® solution stood out in the medley of the exhibition hall because it not only enables line-manager to confidently, consistently and compliantly manager employee relations matters, but it also provides HR with relevant data and actionable insights to take a data-driven approach to people strategies. Managers and HR need tools that simplify administrative tasks and improve ways of working, so they can spend more time doing what they do best.
Targeted training: Coaching managers on the new skills required for the AI era of the human-AI blended team requires a mindset change, which takes people leaders from task supervisors to confident developers of talent.
The AI era: Transformation, not just technology
The Gartner Opening Keynote suggested AI is shaping up to be HR’s Defining Moment, fundamentally changing how work gets done and potentially unlocking future value. The concept of the “human-AI workforce” means CHROs must urgently figure out where human input is essential and where AI can contribute value.
This change is significant, and it requires businesses to not just bolt on generic software or dive immediately into the most shiny AI tool, but to strategically identify where efficiencies can be made and what pain points they need to prioritise, then invest in solutions the fit the bill.
A more holistic approach to transforming ways of working to ensure they are fit for the future and support and an agile, resilient workforce is essential.
Embracing AI with strategic caution
While the excitement around Generative AI is palpable, our experience in transformation and the data shared by other experts demands caution. We must ensure that our approach to AI in HR is strategic, or we risk being among the estimated 95% of organisations that fail to see a meaningful return on their AI investment.
To avoid this pitfall, the focus cannot be solely on the technology itself, but on:
- Governance and literacy: Investing heavily in AI literacy and upskilling for the entire workforce, coupled with a robust governance framework to ensure ethical, secure and valuable use is vital.
- Clear use cases: Focusing on real, high-impact use cases rather than broad, costly and ill-defined rollouts will help avoid being part of the failure statistic.
- The human-technology blueprint: Shift to a demand-driven operating model built for sustainable change, where AI enhances human capability.
Leading with intention is the path forward
The 2025 Gartner HR Symposium confirmed that the next era of HR transformation requires a clear, intentional strategy that links three core pillars: Employee wellbeing, manager empowerment and strategic AI adoption.
The challenge is not whether to change, but how quickly and strategically we can lead that change. HR leaders must seize this moment to accelerate the reshaping of work, ensuring that our technology investments serve to amplify human potential and simplify work.