When Carole invited Helen Burns onto the Inspiring Conversations podcast, the aim was to explore the evolving world of work through the lens of someone who’s lived it from both the inside and out. With a background in consulting and experience in both private and public sectors, Helen recently started a new role with a global organisation. Her onboarding experience was entirely virtual. There were no handshakes, no office tours, and minimal human contact.
The Challenge of Remote Onboarding
“The whole experience from the letter of offer to receiving my laptop and accessing systems was driven entirely through technology,” Helen said. “There were people, but everything was virtual.”
For some, particularly seasoned professionals like Helen, this may be manageable. But for others, such as new graduates or early-career professionals seeking community, this approach risks missing a fundamental piece: human connection.
“Humans need connection,” Carole noted. “That first 120 days can shape whether someone stays, thrives or leaves.”
Helen agreed, adding that a simple improvement would be scheduling face-to-face interaction during onboarding. The absence of physical presence can impact culture in ways that aren’t immediately visible but show up in engagement scores and retention challenges.
How AI is Transforming HR
The conversation then turned to AI. While many still treat it as a novelty, used to write recipes or itineraries, Helen urged us to think much bigger.
“AI at an enterprise level changes everything,” she said. “It shifts your operating model, requires new skills, and alters how we think about roles in HR.”
The shift is particularly stark in HR operations. Automating tasks like recruitment, onboarding, and performance management frees up time. However, it also displaces some roles. Helen highlighted the need for new skills including prompt engineering, cognitive science, and behavioural analytics.
“You need people who understand humans deeply,” she said. “Because even in a data-rich world, culture and connection still matter.”
The Importance of Human Interaction in the Workplace
Helen also spoke about the potential loss of casual, human interactions. Grabbing a coffee, making a joke, and reading someone’s body language all shape culture more than we often acknowledge.
So where does this leave HR?
“We’re not removing humans,” Helen clarified. “But the humans who remain need to be highly skilled, strategic thinkers who can work programmatically and use data to drive engagement.”
Australia’s AI Adoption and the Intergenerational Divide
In the broader landscape, Helen was clear: “Not much is happening yet in Australia. There’s talk, but investment in cloud-based platforms and capability uplift is still catching up.”
There’s also an intergenerational challenge. “Younger professionals feel overwhelmed,” she said. “They’ve just finished uni, they’ve got a HECS debt, and now we’re telling them to reskill. That’s a lot.”
Her advice to early-career HR professionals? Choose a direction. Either go deep on operations and process improvement or lean into behavioural science and group dynamics. Either way, stay curious.
As the conversation wrapped, one thing was clear. Technology will keep evolving, but human connection and the culture it creates will always matter.
The full discussion is really worth a listen, the episode is now available on Spotify. Search for Inspiring Conversations with Carole Cooper or click here to listen.
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