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World Congress 2025 • Aug 20, 2025 • Session details

HR & Tech: Why can't we be friends?

Sibila Erdei

Why do developers often view HR as a necessary evil? Uncover the deep cognitive divide keeping your technical and human resources teams apart. Learn to dismantle these dangerous silos.

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#1 about 2 min

Experiences of feeling isolated across tech startup environments

Working as the only human resources professional in early-stage engineering teams often creates unnecessary barriers to cross-functional collaboration.

#2 about 3 min

Surveying developer sentiment regarding modern capabilities of human resources

Asking developers about the data-driven systems and modern tools utilized by people operations teams reveals a deep industry skepticism.

#3 about 3 min

Analyzing developer feedback on systemic human resources issues

The perception of human resources as administrative bureaucracy leads to developers feeling treated as mere resources instead of humans.

#4 about 3 min

Psychological factors driving the divide between engineers and human resources

Cognitive ease and the need to preserve professional identity cause different departments to operate in defensive and isolated silos.

#5 about 4 min

Bridging high context and low context workplace communication styles

Translating abstract company values into clear behavioral expectations reduces frustration among software engineers who rely heavily on direct clarity.

#6 about 3 min

Understanding how gender demographics affect department communication and preferences

Acknowledging the gender imbalances between technical and people operations teams highlights the systemic devaluation of essential emotional labor.

#7 about 2 min

The business costs of misaligned technical and people operations

Friction between departments directly leads to tangible innovation bottlenecks, unnoticed employee burnout, and severe damage to overall employer reputation.

#8 about 2 min

Uniting human resources and developers to manage artificial intelligence

The ethical implementation of upcoming automation tools requires coding expertise combined seamlessly with the deep contextual understanding of people operations.

#9 about 5 min

Establishing mutual trust through cross functional design and data

Utilizing objective metrics and actively involving engineers in program creation firmly establishes the psychological safety needed for candid communication.

Matching moments

2:55 min

Fostering active interactions between human resources and technology leaders

Rudi Bauer Rudi Bauer +1 · Cappuccino with HR

1:45 min

Overcoming HR apprehension toward technology stacks

Rudi Bauer Rudi Bauer +1 · Cappuccino with HR

1:47 min

Bridging the gap between HR and engineering

Rudi Bauer Rudi Bauer +1 · Cappuccino with HR

3:36 min

Sustaining HR credibility through direct AI technological proficiency

Rudi Bauer Rudi Bauer +1 · Cappuccino with HR

5:18 min

Addressing psychological safety and ethical risks of AI adoption

Vera Slavnić Vera Slavnić · Europe 2026 Virtual

2:35 min

Merging software development and human resources practices

Sophie Okonkwo Sophie Okonkwo · WWC 2025

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