Kristen Suess shares her journey from Starbucks to Slack, exploring the importance of people experience, effective communication, and leveraging technology like Slack and AI to enhance workplace culture and productivity.
02:45 — A chaotic night and the black bear comparison
09:08 — Kristen’s journey into people and HR
13:28 — What Starbucks taught her about people leadership
19:26 — Why the customer experience starts with the people experience
21:29 — The hidden cost of layoffs
26:20 — How Kristen landed at Slack
30:29 — Lessons from Slack: curiosity, humility and versatility
34:14 — When should a company hire its first HRBP?
38:12 — What makes a strong HRBP valuable
40:40 — Behind the scenes of life at Slack
46:10 — How to use Slack more effectively
48:11 — Career breaks, consulting and the future of HR
56:33 — Kristen’s approach to AI and Claude
58:49 — AI tools, productivity and experimenting with technology
02:45 — A chaotic night and the black bear comparison
09:08 — Kristen’s journey into people and HR
13:28 — What Starbucks taught her about people leadership
19:26 — Why the customer experience starts with the people experience
21:29 — The hidden cost of layoffs
26:20 — How Kristen landed at Slack
30:29 — Lessons from Slack: curiosity, humility and versatility
34:14 — When should a company hire its first HRBP?
38:12 — What makes a strong HRBP valuable
40:40 — Behind the scenes of life at Slack
46:10 — How to use Slack more effectively
48:11 — Career breaks, consulting and the future of HR
56:33 — Kristen’s approach to AI and Claude
58:49 — AI tools, productivity and experimenting with technology
