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Live Conference Recap BY Jessica Swenson | June 18, 2026

The Evolving Benefits Landscape: Personalization, AI, and the New Era of Employee-Centered Strategy

Many employers responded to increasingly diverse workforces and the pandemic-era talent landscape by adding niche benefits, only to find that employees either don’t know about them or aren’t using them. Amid continuously mounting financial pressures, those same organizations are now facing a renewed focus on the cost of benefits packages and their administration.“There is more focus from business leaders asking, ‘Do we need to be spending this extra money in these extra ways? Is this the right thing to do for our people?’” said Amy Waickman, global head of benefits at Arup. She suggests evaluating each benefit individually to determine whether it serves a clear purpose, is well-communicated, and is being used. “Because if it’s not, then what’s the value of having it out there?”In conversation with HR Brew reporter Mikaela Cohen at From Day One’s half-day Chicago benefits conference, Waickman discussed strategies to balance budget requirements with an optimized employee benefits experience.Growing legislation regarding pay transparency means that employees can more easily learn about and compare compensation with their peers. As a result, said Waickman, “benefits are going to become an increasing differentiator in total rewards packages.”While budget constraints can force difficult benefits decisions for employers, she recommends taking a structured, cautious approach rather than abruptly pausing or cancelling offerings. Organizations need to know why they’re pausing a benefit and what outcomes they need to see to make a go-forward decision. Communication is also key to keeping employees informed and maintaining trust.Amy Waickman, global head of benefits at Arup, spoke with Mikaela Cohen, reporter at HR Brew, during the fireside chat in Chicago Employers can optimize access to existing benefit programs by helping their teams better navigate their options, she says, especially during times of crisis. The ability to meet employees where they are and fulfill their unique needs simplifies the experience and helps reduce their anxiety. However, she shared that the old model of reaching out to an HR contact for guidance is shifting, as companies are now exploring AI to offer true personalization. She expects it to change how employees interact with their company’s benefits ecosystem—possibly within the next six-to-twelve months.“There’s a change now. In the past, it’s been really difficult to communicate and navigate well at a personal level. Now, with AI, I think there’s going to be an opportunity to help employees navigate that on a personalized, individual basis based on their circumstances,” she said. While AI has transformed the benefits landscape significantly, Waickman noted that it happened a little slower than the industry expected—which she thinks is a good thing. Her HR and benefits team has improved efficiency in some administrative and operational tasks by using AI to compare year-over-year plan documents, automate surface-level invoice checks, or translate foreign-language policies and handbooks.But an element of caution is also warranted. One area of focus for Arup’s leadership team is vendor AI practices. At each contract renewal, the company inquires how employee data is used in vendor systems to determine whether contractual guardrails are needed. “I think there is a danger there of not protecting our employees, and making sure that we’re getting the best outcomes for our people. We don’t want our vendors to be using AI or using data in a way that would inhibit that.”One challenge of integrating AI into HR operations is identifying and measuring ROI. In the planning stages, Waickman quantifies its value through time saved, but in later phases it can be difficult to retroactively confirm those projections.“We can say we’re freeing up X amount of time from our benefit professionals to do these other sorts of activities and things, but is there going to be a way to look back and say actually we did free up [a specific] amount of time, and what does that look like compared to what we expected?”To offset employee uncertainty about the advent of AI and job security, she takes an approach that shows how AI can support and elevate them. “All we can do as leaders is make sure that we are demonstrating clearly the ways that AI can help them become more efficient,” she said, “and then continually give them other opportunities to expand, so that they feel confident around their job security.”Jessica Swenson is a freelance writer and proofreader based in the Midwest. Learn more about her at jmswensonllc.com.(Photos by Josh Larson for From Day One)

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Feature BY Erin Behrens | June 09, 2026

Meet the AI Natives Who Don’t Want to Be

Just because they’re good at it, doesn’t mean they like it. Growing up with algorithmic feeds and AI-generated content, Gen Z is one of the most AI-fluent generations, but increasingly, they’re the most skeptical of it. It’s a paradox playing out in the workplace, on social media, and even on the stages of this year’s commencement ceremonies, where VIP-speaker references to the promise of AI were met with choruses of boos.Many employers have assumed that because Gen Z grew up alongside these tools, they’re both comfortable and confident using them in professional settings. But the reality is far more complicated, and to understand how Gen Z is actually navigating this moment, From Day One went straight to the source.A Label That Might Not FitFirst, the roots of the label. An AI native “refers to something—usually a product, company or workflow—that was designed from the ground up with AI as a core component, not bolted on later as a mere feature,” according to an IBM explainer. In some cases, Gen Z has been given this title simply due to the timeline of AI’s emergence in the workforce and education. Having been early adopters in terms of their age, they’re generally not getting into a deeper commitment. According to a Gallup poll, “Gen Z’s use of generative AI in everyday life has been largely stable since March 2025. About half (51%) of 14 to 29 year olds continue to say they use AI either daily (22%) or weekly (29%), while 11% report using it monthly, 20% every few months, and 19% say they never use it.” But use doesn’t necessarily equate to trust or excitement. “In most of these cases, Gen Z-ers have become increasingly skeptical, increasingly negative—from a place where even last year, they weren’t particularly positive about it,” Zach Hrynowski, a senior education researcher for Gallup, told the New York Times.Rocki Rockingham, chief HR officer at GE Appliances, notices that younger employees aren’t more trusting of AI than their older counterparts, but on the other hand, they are “more willing to take chances. To try new things, to do things differently,” she said at From Day One’s Miami conference. It’s a distinction worth making at a time when Gen Z’s feelings about the new technology grow more complicated. The Pipeline ProblemRecruiters and hiring managers are increasingly flagging AI fluency as a core qualification in the workforce. It’s no longer a differentiator, but table stakes. An ominous new corporate cliché has even been propagated: AI won’t take your job, but someone who knows how to use it will. Postings that once listed tools like Google Suite and Canva are now leading with ChatGPT and prompt engineering. The message to Gen Z candidates is clear: you were born into this, so you should know it.The expectation of AI fluency creates uneven ground for those early in their careers who may not have hands-on experience with the technology, widening the gap between candidates before they’ve even had a chance to compete. Dani Monaghan, the SVP of global talent enablement at Expedia Group, worries about the access. “If you’re not taught AI at school or in university, and you don’t have the means to access technology, I think the gap is bigger than it will ever be before,” she said at From Day One’s Seattle conference. It’s a gap that’s leaving members of Gen Z increasingly wary. One member of Gen Z, Alec Gautier, a graduate of Marist University’s class of 2023 and now a retention specialist at Saatva, says his attitude toward AI “is one of skepticism.” At root is his distrust of its creators. “I am not inherently opposed to the idea of generative AI, but its current architects and proprietors have, to put it lightly, dubious motives,” he said. This skepticism seems to be a trend, with 14% of Gen Z reporting a decline in excitement in AI since 2025, and 48% believing the risks in the workforce outweigh the benefits, according to Gallup data. Even if Gen Z realizes that AI will have to be part of their working lives, they don’t like the side effects and don’t want to wear the label.Their Role in Leading AI ResistanceWhile Gen Z is being cast as the face of AI prodigy in the workplace, they are also the ones leading the resistance against it, or at least, being the loudest about their unease with it. At graduation ceremonies this spring across the U.S., many graduates hooted at distinguished commencement speakers who spoke of AI, including former Google CEO Eric Schmidt at the University of Arizona. He acknowledged that graduates feared “that the future has already been written, that the machines are coming, that the jobs are evaporating, that the climate is breaking, that politics are fractured, and that you are inheriting a mess that you did not create.” But he told them, essentially, that if they don’t like it, they should just fix it. Alvarado, records management specialist at the Jefferson County Clerk's Office in Watertown, NY, shared her thoughts on the AI boom (photo courtesy of Alvarado)Indeed, students, new graduates, and those early in their careers are experiencing existential concerns about AI’s ethics and its impact on their life and work. They worry about how it affects our ability to connect and be creative, and also the mere amount of “slop” being brought into the world. “AI is just being used way too commonly across all fields, including art, music, fashion, writing, anything that takes a little bit of creativity or brainpower,” Hailey Alvarado, a St. Lawrence University class of 2022 alumna, told From Day One. “When we have an automated intelligence that is programmed to affirm everything we say to it, there is no actual intelligence. It’s just a robot designed to agree with us,” she said.Gen Z also worries about their ability to find early-career roles at a time when entry-level jobs are being stripped away. “Companies are citing A.I. as the reason for mass layoffs; according to the Alliance for Secure A.I., there have been almost 120,000 A.I.-linked job losses in the United States just since last year. Recent college graduates are facing a brutal job market as entry-level positions disappear and A.I. renders the application process inhumanly opaque,” according to the New York Times. And those fortunate enough to get jobs may be arriving just in time to find that “AI is unraveling the social fabric of work,” as Aki Ito, chief correspondent at Business Insider, reported last month. Perhaps most importantly, the generation fears the technology’s environmental impact as its ubiquitous data centers gobble up resources and spew pollution. Having grown up in a world marked by environmental disasters and an escalating climate crisis, Gen Z has long been associated with sustainability activism, and their skepticism of AI is no exception. “While I do have some personal and professional concerns about AI, they are wholly secondary compared to my environmental concerns about the technology,” said Gautier. “The environmental implications of AI I find deeply troubling. The proliferation of data centers and the damage they’ve already done to local ecosystems, public spaces, and fresh-water sources in vulnerable communities is extremely distressing,” he said. The Future of Connection, Creativity, and WorkNo generation can be reduced to a single trait or defining point, but when a crowd of graduates erupts in unanimous boos when their supposed role models mention AI, it’s hard to dismiss it as anything other than a distress signal. Whether it’s a trend, a backlash, or something more lasting, one thing is clear: Gen Z’s relationship with AI is far more portentous than the “AI native” label suggests.The frustration for many isn’t just about the technology itself, but also about what gets lost when we rush to adopt it. Said Alvarado: “We need more true, genuine connections, more creative expression, more critical thinking. Not less. Not from a robot.”Erin Behrens is an associate editor at From Day One.(Featured photo by PeopleImages/iStock)

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What Our Attendees are Saying

Jordan Baker(Attendee) profile picture

“The panels were phenomenal. The breakout sessions were incredibly insightful. I got the opportunity to speak with countless HR leaders who are dedicated to improving people’s lives. I walked away feeling excited about my own future in the business world, knowing that many of today’s people leaders are striving for a more diverse, engaged, and inclusive workforce.”

– Jordan Baker, Emplify
Desiree Booker(Attendee) profile picture

“Thank you, From Day One, for such an important conversation on diversity and inclusion, employee engagement and social impact.”

– Desiree Booker, ColorVizion Lab
Kim Vu(Attendee) profile picture

“Timely and much needed convo about the importance of removing the stigma and providing accessible mental health resources for all employees.”

– Kim Vu, Remitly
Florangela Davila(Attendee) profile picture

“Great discussion about leadership, accountability, transparency and equity. Thanks for having me, From Day One.”

– Florangela Davila, KNKX 88.5 FM
Cory Hewett(Attendee) profile picture

“De-stigmatizing mental health illnesses, engaging stakeholders, arriving at mutually defined definitions for equity, and preventing burnout—these are important topics that I’m delighted are being discussed at the From Day One conference.”

– Cory Hewett, Gimme Vending Inc.
Trisha Stezzi(Attendee) profile picture

“Thank you for bringing speakers and influencers into one space so we can all continue our work scaling up the impact we make in our organizations and in the world!”

– Trisha Stezzi, Significance LLC
Vivian Greentree(Attendee) profile picture

“From Day One provided a full day of phenomenal learning opportunities and best practices in creating & nurturing corporate values while building purposeful relationships with employees, clients, & communities.”

– Vivian Greentree, Fiserv
Chip Maxwell(Attendee) profile picture

“We always enjoy and are impressed by your events, and this was no exception.”

– Chip Maxwell, Emplify
Katy Romero(Attendee) profile picture

“We really enjoyed the event yesterday— such an engaged group of attendees and the content was excellent. I'm feeling great about our decision to partner with FD1 this year.”

– Katy Romero, One Medical
Kayleen Perkins(Attendee) profile picture

“The From Day One Conference in Seattle was filled with people who want to make a positive impact in their company, and build an inclusive culture around diversity and inclusion. Thank you to all the panelists and speakers for sharing their expertise and insights. I'm looking forward to next year's event!”

– Kayleen Perkins, Seattle Children's
Michaela Ayers(Attendee) profile picture

“I had the pleasure of attending From Day One. My favorite session, Getting Bias Out of Our Systems, was such a powerful conversation between local thought leaders.”

– Michaela Ayers, Nourish Events
Sarah J. Rodehorst(Attendee) profile picture

“Inspiring speakers and powerful conversations. Loved meeting so many talented people driving change in their organizations. Thank you From Day One! I look forward to next year’s event!”

– Sarah J. Rodehorst, ePerkz
Angela Prater(Attendee) profile picture

“I had the distinct pleasure of attending From Day One Seattle. The Getting Bias Out of Our Systems discussion was inspirational and eye-opening.”

– Angela Prater, Confluence Health
Joel Stupka(Attendee) profile picture

“From Day One did an amazing job of providing an exceptional experience for both the attendees and vendors. I mean, we had whale sharks and giant manta rays gracefully swimming by on the other side of the hall from our booth!”

– Joel Stupka, SkillCycle
Alexis Hauk(Attendee) profile picture

“Last week I had the honor of moderating a panel on healthy work environments at the From Day One conference in Atlanta. I was so inspired by what these experts had to say about the timely and important topics of mental health in the workplace and the value of nurturing a culture of psychological safety.”

– Alexis Hauk, Emory University