HR.com Launches 2026 Advisory Board to Tackle Employee Productivity and Engagement in Hybrid and AI Era
The HR Research Institute has formed a 2026 Advisory Board of senior HR leaders and experts to guide research and a virtual event on improving employee productivity and engagement amid hybrid work and generative AI challenges.
The HR Research Institute, powered by HR.com, has announced the formation of its 2026 Employee Productivity and Engagement Advisory Board, bringing together senior HR leaders, workforce strategy experts, and engagement specialists. The board will guide a research initiative and virtual event focused on one of the most pressing challenges for organizations today: improving productivity and engagement in the context of hybrid and remote work and the rise of generative AI.
As organizations adapt to these shifts, understanding how to define and measure engagement and which HR practices have the greatest impact has become critical. The Advisory Board will examine how productivity and performance are viewed across different contexts and how engagement, productivity, performance, and retention are interconnected to drive better business outcomes. Findings will inform both a research survey and a virtual event scheduled for August 19, 2026, which will offer actionable strategies for HR leaders.
The newly formed board includes distinguished experts from major organizations: Deepti Chaudhary, Senior HRIS Manager at Dover Corporation; Madeline Des Jardins, Global Senior Director of Internal Communications & Employee Engagement at WalkMe; Janiece Ferrell, Global Program Manager for Talent Supply Chain, Workforce Planning, Effectiveness and Efficiencies at Dell Technologies; Bridgett Hart, Vice President of Employee Experience at Ibex; Shipra Kamra, Vice President of the People Team (Head of HR - Global) at Responsive; Susana Kelly, Employee Experience & Engagement Analyst at Numeracle; Sandra Loughlin, Chief Learning Scientist at EPAM Systems Inc.; Cassandra Lowery, Global Human Resources Manager at Liminal; Lauren Mutz, Director of Employee Experience & Engagement at Daiichi Sankyo Inc.; Jason Richmond, Chief Culture Officer at Ideal Outcomes, Inc.; Kristen Ruttgaizer, Chief People Officer (on sabbatical); and Siri Svay, Program Manager of Culture and Engagement at IAT Insurance Group.
“We are thrilled to bring together such an outstanding group of experts to guide this important work,” said Debbie McGrath, CEO of HR.com. “Their real-world experience will help HR leaders better connect productivity and engagement in a time of rapid change, and we look forward to the impact this collaboration will bring to the HR community.”
The HR Research Institute releases annual “State of the Industry” reports in various HR topic areas, including last year’s report, HR.com's State of Employee Productivity and Engagement 2025, which covered the same topic. This and other free research reports and infographics can be downloaded at hr.com/researchinstitute.
HR.com, the #1 source for HR research, serves more than 2 million HR professionals. Its HR Research Institute identifies key trends and best practices to help organizations make strategic decisions with informed research findings. The institute has published hundreds of high-quality reports across a wide array of HR topics, available through HR.com’s free membership.