The great tech shift has been slowly approaching since the internet’s invention, and with the advent of AI, the workplace as we know it is already in the past. So, how can HR shepherd the next generation of workers into this new business world?
Thanks to Chelsea MacMullan, Org Change Management lead for Meta, we have an idea on how the world’s biggest name in tech is transitioning and training their employees for the future. HR Daily Advisor sat down with MacMullan ahead of her presentation at SPARK HR 2026 to get a sneak peek at the need-to-know advice she’ll be giving to HR professionals for the future of tech. Check out the full conversation here!
Here are our 3 biggest takeaways from the conversation:
Close the Gap
No matter the change, MacMullan has seen the same problem creep up and stall progress in companies: a gap between leadership expectations and employee desires that’s left unresolved.
In order to come to any meaningful agreement, and align an entire business towards one objective, MacMullan says it’s key to have “empathy to different peoples’ points of view, and understanding why that excitement is there, or why that skepticism is there.”
Understand the Technology, Really
Hype is one of the prime emotions in the tech world, and while it brings excitement for innovation, it can also blind investors and professionals from looking at these new tools critically.
“What I think is helpful is understanding what we’re actually trying to do with this technology rather than just throwing it at the wall and seeing what sticks,” MacMullan says. Like all tools, new tech needs a purpose and a plan to be successfully adopted. Any less and you run the risk of implementation harming your business rather than helping.
Let Passion Guide Your Practice
Above all, MacMullan urges an understanding of what tech can and can’t do when looking to transition teams through new changes. And part of that is setting in stone what work requires passion and human hands over just being efficient.
MacMullan says, “I think that there is a benefit to actually helping people understand the core value add of their work rather than just what the tech can replicate. I want to read something that holds someone’s actual opinion, not just a research review every time.”
Want to learn more? Catch Chelsea MacMullen live at SPARK HR 2026, April 28-30, in St. Pete Beach, FL, for her full session: Helping Employees Own (and Lead?) Technology Change.