Employees are not just a way to reach a business goal.

One of the biggest misconceptions is that HR only works to protect the company or support management. I see that opinion a lot on social media, and I think part of it comes from the fact that employees don’t always see how much HR does in the background.

A lot of our work takes time to become visible. Employees may not see the conversations, recommendations, or small battles that happen behind the scenes to find a balance between what the business needs and what employees need. For me, employees should not be seen only as a way to reach a business goal. They are also people who are part of the culture and values of the company.

At the same time, I think HR also has some responsibility for that lack of trust. Because we hear complaints, have difficult conversations, and sometimes have to share bad news, we can distance ourselves from employees. But if we want to understand what the workforce needs, we also have to build relationships with them and allow them to see our human side.

To me is Performance. Performance has a big impact because it connects with so many other areas, including payroll, compensation, benefits, and opportunities for growth. When an employee is performing well, they are more likely to receive better pay, additional benefits, or more opportunities within the company.

But performance also depends a lot on the support employees receive. Supervisors and HR need to make sure employees have the tools and information they need to do their jobs well, and also that they feel the company cares about their growth. That can mean helping them learn more about their field, listening when they suggest changes, and giving them room to make mistakes and learn from them.

Employees are more likely to stay when they feel that their work is recognized, that they are growing, and that the company is also investing in them.

I’m actually going through that challenge myself. I think the first thing we have to accept is that AI is part of the future, so as HR professionals we need to keep learning and understand how to use these tools if we want to stay relevant.

Where I see AI being most useful is in automating processes and helping with administrative work. For example, it can help us identify payroll errors, create reports to monitor KPIs, organize information, or help employees find where a policy is located in the handbook. I think there is a big difference between helping an employee find a policy and interpreting that policy for their specific situation.

For me, AI can be a great tool as long as there is still human oversight. We need to make sure the information is accurate, unbiased, and compliant with the law. I see technology as something that can make HR more efficient, but not something that should replace human judgment.

We as HR professionals have to be in constant learning. AI can actually be a great tool for that because it can help us learn about new trends, new generations entering the workforce, new systems, terminology, and changes in the way people work.

But HR is not always black and white. Not every decision can simply be yes or no. A lot of the decisions we make depend on context, whether that is the employee’s situation, their history, the team, or what is happening at that particular moment.

That is where I think human judgment becomes even more important. Technology can give us information and help us understand our options, but a person still needs to understand the context and decide what makes sense for that specific situation.

I’ve been fortunate to work in Miami, where there is a very strong mix between U.S. and Latin American culture, and one of the biggest things I’ve learned is how important cultural background is when it comes to communication.

Sometimes the challenge is not even the language itself, but how something is interpreted. The way feedback is normally given in the U.S. workplace can sometimes feel too direct or uncomfortable for someone from a Latin American background. On the other side, U.S. managers may not always understand some of the motivations or cultural norms behind the way Latin American employees communicate or react.

For me, the biggest thing is intention. There has to be a real intention to understand the other person and to open your perspective. You can still have the same expectations and standards for everyone, but understanding where someone is coming from can make a big difference in how you communicate those expectations.

Making them part of the decisions plays a big role. Even something as simple as asking for their opinion about a new project or initiative, or asking how a change could affect their work, can make a difference. Remote employees should not only hear from the company when something is needed from them. They should understand what is happening in the organization, how their work connects to the company’s goals, and feel that their opinion is valued. I think people feel more connected to a company when they are given the opportunity to contribute to it, not just complete tasks for it.

We are in a very important generational moment in the workplace. We have 3 different generations working together, technology is changing very quickly, and employees now have different expectations when it comes to communication, flexibility, feedback, and the relationship they have with their employer. I also see HR moving more from being just another department in the company toward becoming more of a business partner and mediator between the workforce and senior management.

For that to work, HR needs to be able to give objective advice to both sides. If HR is seen only as an employee who is expected to agree with management, it becomes difficult to have open conversations or give honest advice when a decision may not be the best one. I think employees will increasingly expect HR and managers to communicate more openly, listen more, and be willing to understand different perspectives.