AI, Data & the Future of HR: What Actually Matters in 2026

Why Healthcare Costs Keep Rising — and What Employers Can Do About It

In this season two finale of Talk HR, Harrison Newman and Samantha DiMercurio tackle one of the biggest challenges facing employers today: the rising cost of healthcare. Despite years of cost-shifting, plan redesigns, and annual renewals, employers continue to face increasing expenses while employees experience higher deductibles, reduced affordability, and growing frustration. Joining the conversation is Ashok Subramanian, CEO and Co-Founder of Centivo, who shares why traditional approaches to healthcare cost management often fall short and what employers can do differently. Ashok explains how healthcare pricing lacks transparency, why quality and cost are often disconnected, and how employers can rethink benefits strategies to create better outcomes for both their organizations and their employees. The discussion explores the role of primary care-centered healthcare models, direct provider partnerships, and employee choice in reducing costs without sacrificing quality. Ashok also shares practical advice for HR leaders navigating benefits decisions, including why choosing the right benefits advisor may be one of the most important decisions an organization can make. Whether you're responsible for benefits, total rewards, finance, or employee experience, this episode offers valuable insights into the future of employer-sponsored healthcare and strategies for creating more sustainable health plans. Key Moments (00:46) Why healthcare costs continue to rise despite years of cost-control efforts (02:00) Ashok Subramanian’s background and the founding of Centivo (02:27) Why the current healthcare system isn't working for employers or employees (05:18) How Centivo approaches healthcare affordability differently (08:52) The rise of primary care-centered and high-performance network models (11:02) Educating employees about healthcare costs and quality differences (14:20) Why shifting costs to employees doesn't solve the problem (16:20) The limitations of healthcare consumerism and price transparency tools (17:21) How transparency data is changing healthcare purchasing decisions (21:00) The importance of choosing the right benefits advisor (24:31) What employers can realistically expect in healthcare savings (26:57) How to learn more about Centivo and alternative healthcare strategies

Beyond Borders: What Global Hiring Actually Requires

Global hiring has never been easier — but building a company that can actually operate globally is a different challenge entirely. In this episode, Harrison and Sam sit down with Barbara Matthews, Chief People Officer at Remote, to dig into what happens when international expansion starts revealing the cracks in a company's infrastructure. From blurred ownership and compliance risk to cultural nuance and asynchronous communication, Barbara unpacks the real complexity behind scaling a workforce across borders. Barbara also shares how Remote has tackled these challenges from the inside out — through documentation culture, manager enablement, AI-powered performance tools, and a people-first philosophy that treats every new country hire as a repeatable, structured process. Whether you're an HR leader at a fast-scaling startup or an established enterprise eyeing global expansion, this conversation offers a grounded, honest look at what it actually takes to build without borders. Key Moments   (00:10) Welcome & Episode Introduction (01:41) Introducing Barbara Matthews, CPO at Remote (02:37) What Accelerated the Global Hiring Trend (04:03) Where Global Operations Start to Break Down (05:11) Ownership, Documentation & Inclusive Management (07:21) What Getting Global Hiring Right Looks Like (11:11) Technology, Employee Experience & the 48-Hour Performance Review (15:18) Practical Advice for Startups Hiring Internationally (17:12) Overcoming Fear of AI & Encouraging Experimentation (20:51) Why Companies Should Consider Hiring Globally

Designing Financial Benefits Employees Will Use

In this episode of Talk HR, Harrison Newman and Samantha DiMercurio explore one of the most overlooked drivers of employee wellbeing: financial health. While organizations focus on mental and physical well-being, financial stress continues to quietly impact retention, productivity, and engagement across the workforce. They’re joined by Caroline Woodson from Stream, a financial well-being platform designed to help everyday workers manage money with confidence. Caroline shares how financial stress shows up at work—and why traditional benefits often fail employees who are living paycheck to paycheck. The conversation highlights a key gap: only 29% of workers understand basic financial concepts like interest and inflation. But those who do are far more likely to use benefits effectively. The takeaway? Education alone isn’t enough—employees need simple, accessible tools built into their daily lives. For HR leaders, this episode makes one thing clear: financial well-being isn’t just a personal issue—it’s a business imperative. And employers are uniquely positioned to make a meaningful impact. Key Moments (00:08) Why financial well-being is often overlooked in HR strategies (02:09) What Stream is and how it supports employees (04:27) The link between financial stress, retention, and productivity (08:52) Financial literacy gaps across today’s workforce (11:07) Why education alone isn’t enough (13:28) Designing benefits employees will actually use (17:04) HR’s role in driving financial well-being

Future-Proofing Talent: Why Skills Matter More Than Titles

In this episode of Talk HR, Harrison Newman and Samantha DiMercurio welcome Angela Finlay — HR executive, consultant, professor, and author — for a timely conversation about the future of work and why “skill stacking” may be the most important strategy for navigating it. With technology accelerating change and AI reshaping job requirements at an unprecedented speed, Angela introduces a practical framework designed to help both individuals and organizations stay resilient. Drawing on global workforce research and her experience advising companies and teaching the next generation of professionals, she unpacks how nearly 40% of today’s skills could become outdated within just a few years — and why traditional, linear career paths are no longer sustainable in a 60-year career landscape. For HR professionals leading through constant disruption, this episode offers both a mindset shift and a roadmap: start by skill stacking within HR itself, then build cultures that reward curiosity, experimentation, and continuous growth.  Key Moments: (00:07) Introduction to the changing world of HR and workforce development (01:35) Angela Finlay’s career journey from accounting to HR leadership (02:36) The origin story behind the skill stacking framework (06:35) Why 40% of skills may soon become obsolete — and what that means for HR (11:32) Breaking down the STACK model: Supportive, Tactical, Adaptive, Complementary, and Knowledge-Seeking skills (18:42) Hiring for a 60-year career: balancing present needs with future potential (20:42) Rethinking learning & development and performance management for exploration (22:03) The power of micro-mentoring and internal skill marketplaces (23:39) Unlocking untapped talent pools through a skills-first mindset (30:54) Why HR must lead by example and start skill stacking internally To learn more about Angela’s work and explore the skill stacking framework, visit stackyourcareer.com. For more episodes of Talk HR and upcoming NYC SHRM events, visit nycshrm.org.

2026 Compliance Readiness: Pay Reporting, Risk, and HR Strategy

In this episode of Talk HR, the conversation turns to one of the biggest compliance challenges facing HR leaders in 2026: expanded pay data reporting and workforce disclosure requirements. With new federal filings, evolving state mandates, and New York City’s upcoming reporting rules, HR teams are navigating a level of complexity that demands early preparation and cross-functional coordination. Hosts Harrison Newman and Samantha DeMarcurio are joined by Stacy Bastone and Evan Citron, principals at Jackson Lewis, who work closely with employers on pay equity, workforce analytics, and employment compliance. Together, they break down what’s changing, why these laws exist, who the data is actually for, and the real risks of waiting to act. As reporting deadlines approach, this episode offers HR leaders a practical roadmap for understanding obligations, avoiding costly mistakes, and using 2026 as an opportunity to strengthen pay practices and compliance infrastructure. Key Moments: (00:07) Introduction and why 2026 reporting requirements matter for HR (00:36) Overview of new federal, state, and NYC pay data obligations (03:35) The evolution from pay equity to pay transparency to pay reporting (05:00) Why employers should review pay practices before reporting (06:50) Core federal reporting requirements HR must still prioritize (8:54) How California, Illinois, and Massachusetts raise compliance risk (11:23) California’s shift to mandatory penalties and why urgency is rising (12:30) What NYC employers need to know about timing and enforcement (15:36) First steps HR teams should take now to prepare for 2026