Faces of HR: The Human Behind the Human Experience—KeyAnna Schmiedl
Ever wonder who’s shaping the future of how we work? Meet KeyAnna Schmiedl, the powerhouse Chief Human Experience Officer (CHXO) at Workhuman. She’s not just a leader; she’s a visionary dedicated to making work, well, more human!
What Does a Human Experience Officer Actually Do?
As Workhuman’s CHXO, Schmeidl is at the helm of their people function, crafting strategies and experiences that resonate. Her secret? She’s always one step ahead, predicting what the workforce needs next. Schmiedl’s mission is to connect people, processes, programs, and policies in a way that benefits everyone—from the business to its customers, and most importantly, the employees themselves. This creates a win-win, propelling both the company and its people forward.
“Making work more human for every individual on the planet” isn’t just a company mission for Schmiedl; it’s a personal passion. She’s seen firsthand how genuine connections forged through recognition and insights from real human data can transform the work experience for the better.
Before joining Workhuman, Schmiedl made her mark as the VP of Social and Environmental Impact at Mozilla, the global head of Culture & Inclusion at Wayfair, and worked with big names like Harvard University, Santander Bank, and IBIS Consulting. Talk about a resume!
The Spark That Started It All
So, how did Schmiedl get into this fascinating field? She says she’s always known the importance of working well with others, even back in grade school. But it was the realization that our less-than-perfect human instincts (think selfishness and competitiveness) can sometimes derail those connections that truly ignited her passion.
Instead of being discouraged, Schmiedl was motivated. She wanted to understand how we could all do better. “At the end of the day,” she explains, “organizational success comes down to people working well together. If they can’t, then the organization is going to fail.” This powerful belief led her to explore the employee experience from every angle, shifting the focus from seeing colleagues as obstacles to seeing them as partners and assets.
It was during this quest that she discovered Workhuman. Her immediate reaction? “This is it! They’re getting this right. I want to be a part of this movement and company.” And the rest, as they say, is human experience history!
Who is/was your biggest influence in the industry?
Two names come to mind: Kara Todeschini and Tim Harford, Economist. Kara was the first manager I had in my first HR job (org effectiveness, training & development) and she was the embodiment of empathetic, authentic, and excellent. The way she balanced care for the team with investment in the individual and rationalizing the business needs was so thoughtful and effective that I am still in touch with her and reference her practices to this day. Anyone who has come in contact with her knows this is not hyperbole, and although less known than some other big names, still far and away a top tier people leader.
I’ve been listening to the cautionary tales podcast by Tim Harford since its inception and I credit this podcast as one of the core tools behind how I have developed as a people leader. What I appreciate about the podcast is the framing that he brings to sometimes common, other times less-known, stories so that you see diagnosed problems as more of a symptom to larger challenges. Those larger challenges are typically people operating in a set standard without revisiting or questioning why this is the standard, could anything else work, and why this might not be the standard that sets us up for the future. This stance is why I feel strongly about not identifying best practices but looking toward promising practices that should always be revisited and reexplored.
It sounds like through your experience you really care about people, and you want to help them feel safe and comfortable, which is important in the industry. Please elaborate here.
Yes, that’s one of my main goals. Everyone should feel safe and comfortable at an organization, whether that’s in their interactions with leadership or colleagues. That sense of psychological safety can truly make (or break) an employee’s experience.
The big question that organizations often ask is, “I know this feeling of security and empathy is important, but how do we actually achieve that?” That’s where recognition and appreciation come in. I am proud to work for a social recognition platform because it allows me to live my principles daily. Whether I’m recognizing my colleagues for a job done well or seeing a stream of recognition moments on my curated feed, I am constantly reminded of the power of connections and the strong, values-driven culture that recognition helps build. Receiving a moment of recognition can turn my day completely around and remind me how valued and appreciated I am as a human –– something everyone needs from time to time.
One of my favorite things about logging onto our platform is seeing all the new pets, babies, houses, and weddings our employees across the organization experience and share. It’s this constant reminder that we are all humans who have beautiful and unique lives outside of work—so why not celebrate that?
How can HR most effectively demonstrate its value to the leadership team?
HR brings immense strategic and business impactful value to an organization, and I hope that it will be increasingly recognized for this. The key to demonstrating this value is aligning HR initiatives with overarching business goals and seeing the real impact that human-centered strategies can have on the business.
Sometimes it’s hard to communicate these successes, so leaning on data to showcase the impact can help others better understand. Today HR leaders have access to more insights than ever before, whether that’s recognition data (and the ROI it delivers), attrition patterns, or engagement surveys, this all helps to zero in on the health of an organization, and the needs of the people. When HR shows up with this kind of evidence, the impact it drives is undeniable.
Where do you see the industry heading in five years? Or are you seeing any current trends?
As I mentioned earlier, I really do hope that in five years we will have put to bed the question of whether People/Human Experience (HX) organizations are strategic business partners, actively shaping strategy alongside leadership, or just an administrative function. HR leaders and their teams have a lot to offer their organizations! Our insights should occupy the same space as any other function leader in the company with the added benefits of insight into how the employees may respond to change, transformation, and innovation.
I also see a growing focus on employee well-being and mental health initiatives. More organizations are starting to prioritize holistic well-being, offering mental health support, greater flexibility, and personalized career development. I see a transition from a “check-the-box” approach to meaningful, personalized, support. I hope and think this shift will continue to deepen over the next few years.
And with the rise of AI, there’s an important conversation around how to integrate it into the workplace. We see AI as a tool for human-enhancement, not replacement. AI should seamlessly integrate into organizations to support and enhance human work, automating tasks while allowing employees to focus on creativity, strategy, and meaningful collaboration—overall making work more human-centered, not less.
What are you most proud of?
One of the things I am most proud of is the AI hackathon we launched at Workhuman. It all started when I tapped our CTO’s shoulder and said we should start an AI council. I told him that I believed we should be thoughtful and intentional about AI rather than wary and risk averse. With this principle in mind, we launched plans for the hackathon. The AI hackathon was all about inviting ideas from across the entire organization, not just our tech teams. So, we opened the floor for anyone and everyone to submit their ideas on how to implement AI at Workhuman. We wanted folks to feel empowered, knowing that they could think big and that they would have the support systems to do so.
When we selected ideas for implementation, the ones we chose to move forward with didn’t come from tech or engineering –– they came from HX, customer service, and finance. Moreover, through collecting all these awesome ideas, we were able to identify people who are passionate about AI and appoint an AI ambassador to each department, driving lasting impact and excitement across the company.
I think sometimes it can be hard for people to understand how an organization can be both people-first and AI-first, but the hackathon is a great example of how to bring that aspiration to life. It created a space for employees, regardless of department, to be open and honest about the integration of AI. It was a generative seed of true collaboration and innovation and reinforced a more human-centered workplace where everyone is invited to contribute, rather than a workplace based on assumptions (about whose knowledge matters most and who gets to be included).
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