There’s a particular kind of exhaustion that HR professionals know well. It’s not the kind that comes from running a marathon. It’s the kind that comes from running a marathon every single week, with the finish line always moving. The compliance shifts. The hiring pressure. The employee relations conversations that never quite fit the flowcharts. The technology landscape that rewrites itself every six months.
If that sounds familiar, you’re not alone. And that’s exactly the point.
This week, HR Summer School returns — June 2nd, 3rd, and 4th — and if you’ve never attended before, think of it less like a webinar series and more like a reunion for a community you didn’t know you needed. The event is free, livestreamed on LinkedIn, and packed with the kind of sessions that make you want to text a colleague and say, “you need to hear this.”
Why Community Is the Real Curriculum
When HR Summer School launched in 2020, the world had essentially folded in on itself. Conferences were canceled. Hallway conversations disappeared. The informal networks that quietly sustain this profession went silent. What filled that void? Thousands of HR practitioners showing up to learn and, more importantly, to remind each other that this work matters.
That spirit hasn’t left. And in a year when the conversation about AI, automation, and the future of work is louder than ever, this community gathering feels more necessary than it ever has. Because for all the noise about what technology will replace, HR Summer School keeps returning to a quieter but more enduring truth: the future of work is human. It always has been.
That’s what makes this event different from everything else on your calendar. You can read a white paper alone. You can watch a recorded session at 2x speed while eating lunch. But you can’t recreate the moment when someone in the live chat says something that perfectly names a challenge you’ve been sitting with for months. Community doesn’t happen on-demand. It happens in real time, with real people.
What’s on the Agenda
Over three mornings (10:00 AM – 12:30 PM CST), more than a dozen speakers will cover the topics that actually keep HR leaders up at night. And if there’s a thread running through all of it, it’s this year’s theme: the future of work is human. Not automated. Not optimized into a flowchart. Human.
Day 1 — Tuesday, June 2nd
- Rod McDaniel on what it actually looks like when humans do their best work
- Amy Mosher (isolved) on a data-backed paradox: why happy employees are still leaving
- Lance Sapera on why going back to hiring basics is the most forward-thinking move you can make right now
- Angela Briggs-Page on leading with clarity and belonging
- Jack Hooper (Take Command) on new research showing employees want more choice in their benefits
- Allyson Smart on how HR can double down on humanity as automation accelerates
Day 2 — Wednesday, June 3rd
- Christine Beldner on growing and leading the next generation of HR professionals
- Ken Matos (HiBob) on the three things HR leaders must understand about AI skills right now
- Abhijit Bhaduri on building a future-proof career in the AI era
- Kim Stevens (Employ) on the growing crisis of trust in hiring
- Bucketlist Rewards on employee recognition that drives measurable business results
- Emma Belconis on what she calls “the unwritten HR task”: creating connection
Day 3 — Thursday, June 4th
- Shane Noe on helping HR leaders finally speak Finance fluently
- Mike Bollinger (Cornerstone) on unlocking hidden talent already sitting inside your organization
- Jim Morgan on whether generational differences at work actually matter
- Zech Dahms on building trust when speed and efficiency dominate the conversation
- David Sajn (Verified First) on why resumes alone aren’t enough to screen candidates in the AI era
- Tyrese Manigault on designing employee engagement for real, lasting impact
A Thank-You to Our Sponsors
None of this happens without the organizations that invest in the HR community. This year’s sponsors include isolved, Cornerstone, Take Command, HiBob, Verified First, Employ, and Bucketlist Rewards. These aren’t just logos on a landing page — their speakers and research are woven throughout the agenda, which means you’ll hear directly from the people building the tools and insights that shape how HR works today.
The Invitation
Think of HR Summer School like a river that runs through the middle of a dry season. The content is real. The conversations are alive. The community that shows up — hundreds of thousands of HR practitioners from all over the world — is the reason people come back year after year.
If you need education, it’s here. If you need inspiration, it’s here. If you’ve been grinding through the year and need someone to remind you why this work matters, that’s here too.
Register at hrsummerschool.org and join us starting Tuesday, June 2nd. The sessions are being submitted for SHRM/HRCI credit, and yes — they’re recorded if you miss a morning.
But show up live if you can. That’s where the community lives.
HR Summer School runs June 2–4, 2026. Sessions stream daily from 10:00 AM – 12:30 PM CST on LinkedIn Live. Registration is free at hrsummerschool.org.
Ben Eubanks is the Chief Research Officer at Lighthouse Research & Advisory. He is an author, speaker, and researcher with a passion for telling stories and making complex topics easy to understand.
His latest book Talent Scarcity answers the question every business leader has asked in recent years: “Where are all the people, and how do we get them back to work?” It shares practical and strategic recruiting and retention ideas and case studies for every employer.
His first book, Artificial Intelligence for HR, is the world’s most-cited resource on AI applications for hiring, development, and employee experience.
Ben has more than 10 years of experience both as an HR/recruiting executive as well as a researcher on workplace topics. His work is practical, relevant, and valued by practitioners from F100 firms to SMB organizations across the globe.
He has spoken to tens of thousands of HR professionals across the globe and enjoys sharing about technology, talent practices, and more. His speaking credits include the SHRM Annual Conference, Seminarium International, PeopleMatters Dubai and India, and over 100 other notable events.
