News Spotlight

Office amenities are being used for RTO. Companies are offering free food, a spa, sports activities, and more in order to lure workers back to offices (Chicago Tribune).

The return of shared workspaces. More companies are ditching individual desks and embracing shared spaces (Fortune).

ESOPs gain popularity as an employee benefit. Employers gravitate toward employee stock ownership plans for retention purposes (CNBC).

Stat of the Week

A new study finds that leaders expect their teams will be training (41%) and managing (36%) AI agents within 5 years.

This research underscores a significant shift in the future role of HR leaders, requiring them to proactively develop strategies for workforce training and management that incorporate AI agents as integral team members. HR will need to create training programs not only for employees to effectively utilize AI tools in their work but also to equip them with the skills to train and oversee the performance of AI agents, ensuring alignment with organizational goals and ethical guidelines. HR will be instrumental in redefining team structures, performance management systems, and job roles to accommodate this human-AI collaboration, fostering a culture of adaptation and continuous learning within the organization to maximize the benefits of an AI-augmented workforce.

Deep Dive Article

How HR Can Empower Their Workforce with Agentic AI

The Shift to Agentic AI Is Underway

In a rapidly changing workplace, digital transformation has moved beyond a buzzword into a strategic necessity. HR leaders today are confronting the need to empower a modern workforce that is both digitally native and continuously evolving. With rising demands for agility, personalized support, and streamlined operations, HR departments are turning to agentic AI — a form of AI that actively engages with employees and assists in performing tasks autonomously — to meet these needs.

The business case for integrating digital labor into HR is clear. As organizations strive to do more with less, agentic AI has emerged not just as a helpful tool, but as a transformative partner. It enhances human creativity, improves decision-making, and increases operational efficiency. The introduction of intelligent, AI-powered agents enables round-the-clock support, elevates employee experience, and optimizes internal workflows.

HR leaders are increasingly embracing agentic AI to create centralized, self-service platforms for their employees. This move empowers staff to find resources, get support, and complete tasks across multiple channels with minimal friction — all while freeing up HR professionals to focus on strategic priorities.

Why HR Must Act Now: The Case for Digital Labor

​Agentic AI is not a trend; it’s a seismic shift in how work gets done. In Salesforce’s study of 200 global HR executives, 80% believe that within five years, most workforces will include both human employees and AI agents working side by side. This blended workforce model is projected to bring significant gains in productivity and cost efficiency.

Specifically, Chief Human Resource Officers (CHROs) expect a 30% increase in employee productivity and a 19% reduction in labor costs because of integrating agentic AI. As a result, many HR leaders are already preparing for massive shifts in their workforce structure. Nearly a quarter (23%) of employees are expected to be redeployed to new roles or teams as digital labor takes on more operational responsibilities.

This isn’t about replacing people — it’s about redeploying talent more effectively. In fact, 89% of CHROs say that digital labor will empower them to reassign employees to more relevant roles. Redeployment is also seen as more cost-effective than external hiring, with 88% of CHROs favoring this approach.

Building a Workforce That Thrives Alongside AI

As agentic AI becomes more widespread, the roles that remain human-led are shifting. CHROs anticipate that soft skills and relationship-building roles will become increasingly valuable. In fact, 75% say that AI agents will increase the need for soft skills like collaboration, adaptability, and emotional intelligence.

As repetitive tasks are automated, employees will be reskilled and reassigned to roles where their human touch makes the greatest impact. CHROs plan to reassign talent to relationship-based positions, such as account management and partnerships, where empathy and strategic thinking are irreplaceable. 81% of CHROs are either already reskilling or plan to reskill employees to prepare them for the agentic economy. This proactive strategy ensures that companies remain competitive while keeping their workforce engaged, future-ready, and loyal.

A Wake-Up Call: Awareness and Education Are Lacking

Despite the enthusiasm among HR executives, there’s a significant gap in employee awareness. 73% of HR leaders report that their employees don’t understand how digital labor will impact their roles. This lack of clarity can hinder adoption, breed fear, and slow down transformation efforts.

To overcome this, HR departments must take an active role in educating and engaging employees about the value of agentic AI. Clear communication, ongoing learning opportunities, and visible leadership support will be essential in aligning the workforce with the vision for a hybrid human-agent workplace.

In this new model, transparency is key. Employees should not only know how agentic AI will affect their day-to-day work but also understand the benefits — from faster support to more fulfilling roles. HR plays a critical role in managing this transition with empathy and clarity.

The Role of Agentforce and HR in the Future of Work

To help HR departments meet these evolving demands, HR teams can leverage Salesforce’s Agentforce to deliver fast, easy, and personalized support for employees 24/7. Agentforce provides digital labor, ensuring every employee gets the help they need, whether they’re updating their profile, checking PTO balances, or submitting expenses, right within tools like Slack or the Employee Portal.

Agentforce can be deeply integrated with company and employee data, which allows it to provide tailored responses and even act — such as updating records or triggering workflows — without the need for human intervention. This intelligent automation not only boosts productivity but also frees HR professionals to focus on strategic areas like talent development and employee engagement. By enabling centralized, seamless access to HR services, Agentforce reinforces the idea that digital labor is not a replacement but a force multiplier for the entire workforce.

The Strategic Upside: Redefining HR's Value

The integration of agentic AI represents more than just operational efficiency — it’s a strategic elevation of HR’s role within the organization. As AI handles administrative and transactional work, HR teams are liberated to focus on value-driving initiatives, from shaping workplace culture to developing the next generation of leaders.

77% of CHROs believe that digital labor will transform their organizational structure, offering a chance to rethink how work is allocated and how teams are built. Departments like customer service, operations, and finance are expected to downsize slightly as automation becomes more prevalent, while functions that rely on human judgment and creativity will expand.

This rebalancing presents HR with an unprecedented opportunity to act as architects of the new workplace. By driving reskilling efforts, leading AI integration, and designing new career paths, HR professionals can cement their place as key strategists in their organization’s future.

Empowerment Through Partnership

The rise of agentic AI marks a pivotal shift for HR — from administrative gatekeepers to strategic enablers of transformation. As businesses embrace digital labor, HR must lead the charge by empowering their workforce to adapt, evolve, and thrive in a world where humans and AI work hand in hand. By leveraging solutions like Salesforce’s Agentforce and committing to workforce education and reskilling, HR teams can unlock unprecedented levels of productivity, agility, and employee satisfaction.

More than just a tool, agentic AI represents a mindset shift — one that views technology as a collaborative partner, not a replacement. HR leaders who embrace this partnership model will optimize performance and foster greater trust and engagement among their people. By focusing on meaningful human work and delegating routine tasks to AI, organizations can build a workplace where employees feel supported, valued, and empowered to do their best. This synergy between people and AI is the foundation for a more resilient, responsive, and future-ready workforce. As this transformation unfolds, HR has a unique opportunity to champion a culture of innovation, inclusion, and continuous growth.

See Agentforce in Action

Want to see how agentic AI can empower your HR team and transform employee support?

​Join Salesforce live on Tuesday, May 6 at 9:00 a.m. PT | 12:00 p.m. ET for an exclusive session showcasing how Agentforce streamlines HR processes by delivering employee support and freeing HR teams to focus on work that requires empathy and specialized, strategic thinking. Hear directly from experts, watch live demos, and get firsthand insights into how AI-powered agents are reshaping the future of HR.

Tune in on Salesforce+ to explore how you can streamline processes, elevate employee experience, and lead your workforce confidently into the age of digital labor.

Thanks for reading — be sure to join the conversation on LinkedIn and let me know your thoughts on this topic!

Quote of the Week

“To succeed in life, you need three things: a wishbone, a backbone, and a funnybone.”
​Reba McEntire