Employee experience has spent years building credibility, securing influence, and proving its connection to business success. Yet many EX leaders still face the same challenges: stagnant engagement scores, limited budgets, rising employee burnout, and constant pressure to do more with less.
In this solo episode of The EX Conversation, Kaz Hassan shares why he believes 2026 represents a pivotal moment for the profession. As AI reshapes the workplace, EX leaders have an opportunity to move beyond incremental improvements and rethink employee experience from the ground up. Rather than layering AI onto existing systems and processes, Kaz explores what it means to build AI-native employee experiences that drive productivity, reduce friction, and create measurable business value.
If you're responsible for employee experience, internal communications, HR, or the digital workplace, this episode will resonate with the realities you're navigating today. It offers practical thinking for leaders who are tired of fighting the same budget battles, struggling to demonstrate impact, and looking for a new way to position EX as a strategic business driver.
🎧 Enjoy the episode and thanks for listening.
00:00 – 01:25 | The state of employee experience today
Kaz reflects on how EX has evolved, the growing influence of people-first leadership, and the progress the profession has made in gaining credibility.
01:25 – 02:35 | Why EX still feels stuck
Despite years of progress, engagement remains stagnant, budgets remain under pressure, and EX leaders continue to face the challenge of doing more with less.
02:35 – 03:35 | The AI opportunity—and risk
Kaz explores how AI could either worsen digital workplace complexity or become the solution to long-standing employee experience challenges.
03:35 – 04:25 | What the Big EX Reset means
An introduction to the concept of the Big EX Reset and why incremental improvements are no longer enough.
04:25 – 05:20 | Reset #1: Create an intelligent digital front door
How AI-native employee experience platforms can help employees find information, complete tasks, and reduce friction.
05:20 – 06:10 | Reset #2: Scale employee experience through rapid change
Why fast-growing organizations are using employee experience to support acquisitions, growth, cultural alignment, and agility.
06:10 – 07:10 | Reset #3: Adopt a new language of value
Moving beyond engagement scores and intranet metrics to focus on productivity, friction reduction, and measurable business outcomes.
07:10 – 07:50 | The cost of standing still
What organizations risk if they continue treating employee experience as a support function rather than a strategic advantage.
07:50 – 08:10 | Taking the first step
Kaz closes with practical next steps for organizations beginning their AI-native employee experience journey.
About The EX Conversation
The EX Conversation is a podcast series from Unily that brings together employee experience, internal communications, and digital workplace leaders from across industries.
Each episode features an open, practical conversation with people on the frontlines of EX: sharing what’s working, what’s hard, and how they’re navigating complexity in real time. No hype. No scripts. Just honest perspectives and hard-won insight to help EX leaders learn from each other and move the workplace forward.