My daughter has been home this week for spring break, and spending time together reminded me of a few things.

When she left for college a year and a half ago, I worried about her relationship with her younger brother. Would she be too busy? Too caught up in her new life to stay connected? What's actually happened has been the opposite and it’s been so nice to see. Not only does she call him, but she answers when he calls, and they've built a close friendship that’s been great to watch.

This week we went to one of his track meets. Watching her on the sideline, genuinely cheering for him, encouraging him to keep going, was one of those moments I really appreciate these days.

Of course, track season also means injuries. And like most teenage athletes, my son would rather push through pain than stop and deal with it. So naturally, that falls to me. The stretching reminders. The ice pack. Making sure recovery actually happens.

I'm persistent about it because I learned this lesson the hard way. I ignored small injuries when I was younger, and I still feel those consequences today.

That same pattern is exactly what I'm seeing inside organizations right now.

Questions to Ask Before Building Your HR System Business Case

I see the same pattern inside organizations all the time.

HR systems are rarely designed all at once. They are added gradually over the years. A new vendor here, another platform there, sometimes even different tools across business units. Each decision makes sense in the moment, but over time the environment becomes harder to operate.

For a while teams manage the complexity. They create workarounds, add processes, and rely more heavily on vendors to keep everything running. Eventually something happens that forces the conversation. Organizations eventually reach a point where they step back and say, “We cannot keep operating like this.”

That moment is often what triggers discussions around system consolidation or modernization. But recognizing the problem is only the first step. The harder part is translating that operational frustration into a business case that leadership can actually evaluate.

If you’re considering a system change or consolidation, these questions can help you frame the conversation and clarify the financial impact.

Question #1
Do you know your fully loaded operating cost?
Look beyond vendor invoices. Consider internal labor, manual reconciliation, duplicate administration, and vendor support services required to keep systems running.

Question #2
Where does duplication exist today?
Many organizations unknowingly run overlapping systems across payroll, benefits, learning, or recruiting. Identifying these overlaps helps clarify where complexity and cost lives.

Question #3
What contracts are currently in place across the organization?
In multi-entity or decentralized environments, different business units may hold separate vendor contracts for similar services. Mapping these contracts helps reveal consolidation opportunities and timing constraints.

Question #4
What services are those contracts actually covering?
Two vendors may appear to provide the same solution, but the services may differ across business units. Understanding what each contract includes can uncover both duplication and gaps.

Question #5
When do those contracts expire or renew?
Contract timing often determines when a system transition is financially feasible. Early visibility prevents surprises later in the process.

Question #6
What would the transition period realistically look like?
Consider how long systems may need to run in parallel and what resources will be required during implementation and stabilization.

Question #7
Who will own the system after implementation?
Governance, configuration oversight, and vendor management are ongoing responsibilities that should be planned before the project begins.

If this resonates, we go deeper into how these decisions are evaluated in our latest blog.

Happy Spring,
Leah ❤️

BENEFITS X AI: SOLVING FOR THE HUMAN VARIABLE

As I was working through this piece in the Benefits X AI: Solving for the Human Variable series, I kept coming back to how often issues in benefits don’t originate where they show up. Over the years, I’ve seen situations where something surfaces in payroll, at the carrier, or through an employee experience, and the immediate reaction is to fix what’s visible. But more often, the root cause sits several steps upstream – in how data moves, how systems interact, and how ownership is (or isn’t) defined across that process.

This piece takes a closer look at that reality, and why the complexity of the benefits ecosystem itself is one of the main reasons we haven’t yet seen a wave of truly AI-native solutions in this space.

You can read the latest post and explore the full series below.

Read more →

WHERE TO FIND US

Transform 2026

Heading to Transform next week, and I’m really looking forward to it.

I’m excited for another opportunity to meet new people, reconnect with familiar faces, and hear how others across the industry are thinking about what’s ahead. Conferences are always a great chance to step back, learn from shared perspectives and understand what’s changing in HR and the workplace in general.

If you’ll be at Transform, let’s connect on linkedin. Looking forward to the conversations ahead.

Connect with me on LinkedIn →

UPCOMING EVENTS & COMMUNITY

HCM Tech Advisory HR Roundtable

Thursday, April 23, 2026

Join the Conversation →

Explore Our Webinars

Our webinars tackle timely topics across HR, benefits, and the evolving HR tech landscape, from emerging trends to practical strategies for leaders who want to stay ahead. If you’d like to revisit the insights, you can watch the full recordings here.

Revisit the insights →

Our Latest Blogs