As the world of work evolves, expectations from HR are rising faster than ever. Efficiency alone no longer defines success. Today, HR must deliver strategic outcomes that directly support business growth. The new mandate is clear: prove impact, drive ROI, and do it at speed.

In this closing session of the Future of People & Work Week, presented by People Matters in partnership with ServiceNow, we explored how AI is enabling HR leaders to rise to this challenge. From faster case resolutions to safer, smarter workplaces, intelligent tools are transforming HR from a support function into a value-creating powerhouse.

In a thought-provoking conversation, Bahar Niakan, Global Executive – Employee Experience at ServiceNow, joined Cheshta Dora, Head of Research, Content & Community at People Matters, to unpack how organisations can align HR outcomes with enterprise priorities—and measure what truly matters.

From operational support to strategic driver

“HR has always been in a tough spot,” Bahar opened, reflecting on her early transformation work. “But now, expectations are higher. We’re not just supporting people—we’re expected to personalise experiences, drive engagement, support development, and still focus on workforce planning.”

And yet, many HR teams remain stuck in outdated systems, drowning in manual work and siloed data. The result is that it is creating a disconnect between effort and impact.

“I once had an employee tell me, ‘HR feels like a black hole. You send in a request and never know what happens next.’ That stayed with me.”

This is where AI steps in, not as a replacement for HR, but as a powerful enabler.

“With platforms like ServiceNow, we’re not just talking about AI that saves time. We’re talking about AI that can take action: answer questions, update records, trigger workflows. That’s transformational.” She added

By automating repetitive and administrative tasks, AI frees HR to lean into moments that matter, mentorship, performance, and employee wellbeing.

Case in point: Transforming leave of absence requests

This shift from task management to value creation comes alive in one powerful example Bahar shared, how AI transformed a traditionally complex HR process: leave of absence.

“On the surface, it seems simple. But when you look deeper, there are policies, eligibility rules, approvals, compliance, often at an emotionally difficult time for the employee,” she explained.

Previously, this process required multiple emails, manual checks, and HR intervention. Now, with AI:

“An employee can just ask, ‘Am I eligible for medical leave?’ and get a personalised response—because the system knows their role, location, and employment status. It can even start the case for them.”

The results speak for themselves: faster resolution times, significantly reduced service effort, and a near 90% employee satisfaction rate.

“Employees feel supported. HR isn’t answering the same question 50 times. Everyone wins.”

Proving ROI: The metrics that matter

So, how do you measure the impact of AI in HR?

According to Bahar, it’s not just about internal efficiency—it’s about aligning with business outcomes. HR leaders should evaluate AI’s impact across three key lenses:

Operational impact

• Time to resolution
• Request deflection rates
• Number of transactions handled by AI (e.g., benefits queries, leave of absence)

Experience impact

• Employee satisfaction
• First-contact resolution
• HR team feedback on reduced manual workload

Strategic impact

• Productivity gains across the workforce and HR
• Improved internal mobility and retention
• Faster, data-driven decision-making

“You really have to go beyond efficiency. The real value comes from what you do with that efficiency, how you elevate operations, experience, and strategy.”

She also shared a real-world success story:

“A tech customer shifted from one HR agent per 300 employees to one per nearly 900. They didn’t just reduce costs, they reinvested capacity. Former transactional HR staff were upskilled into HR business partners, driving strategic alignment and workforce planning.”

The path forward: Human-centred, AI-enabled

Bahar was clear: the goal isn’t to replace the human side of HR, but to amplify it.

“AI should support the human side of HR, not remove it. By automating the repetitive work, we give HR teams the time and space to focus on the conversations, decisions, and care that make the biggest difference.”

Looking ahead, she highlighted the shift from automation to autonomy, driven by agentic AI.

“We’re not just digitising forms or routing tickets anymore. We’re talking about AI that can initiate and complete tasks, anticipate employee needs, and orchestrate outcomes with little to no human input.”

ServiceNow’s platform already resolves 70% of HR queries through AI and self-service, with 90% employee satisfaction—a sign that trust in AI is growing when it's implemented with purpose.

Leading with people, powered by AI

When asked for a final takeaway, Bahar offered a simple but powerful call to action:

“Lean in. Take action. Start small, begin with the pain points your people experience every day. Don’t wait for perfection. The organisations that are winning with AI are applying it with purpose, freeing their teams to focus on what truly matters.”

This conversation made one thing clear: AI is not just another tool, it’s a strategic capability that, when paired with people-centric design and data fluency, can redefine HR’s value.