Here Are The Best 4 Moments From 15Five’s 2025 HR Superstars Summit 

15Five’s HR Superstars Summit brought together some of the brightest minds in HR and people leadership to share real experiences of creating workplaces where businesses and people thrive. 

Whether you joined us live or missed the summit, we’ve captured the most valuable takeaways from our incredible speakers. Here’s what resonated most with your fellow HR Superstars.

Empowering managers is the key to preventing HR burnout

Burnout continues to be a major issue in HR, with 81% of HR leaders reporting symptoms of burnout. While many HR leaders focus on helping support their companies manage burnout, they often don’t give themselves the same attention.  

In this session, Karina Young, VP of People at 15Five and our host for the day talked with Brittany Fowler, HRBP and Talent Business Partner, and Stephanie Smith, Chief People Officer, about their experiences with burnout as HR leaders. They dived into personal stories, research-based insights, and strategies for keeping their HR teams healthy in fast-moving organizations.

Watch the on-demand replay of the HR Superstars Summit

The key to preventing burnout is shifting from HR being the fixer to empowering managers to lead effectively. When managers are set up for success, HR professionals get to focus on strategic initiatives, not just putting out fires.

Big Takeaways: 

• Distinguish Stress, Languishing, and Burnout
  Understanding the spectrum, from everyday stress to deeper feelings of disengagement and, ultimately full-blown burnout, helps HR leaders intervene early and more effectively.
• Empower Managers to Share the Load
  When managers are equipped with the right tools and training, they become the first line of support for employees, reducing the burden on HR teams and helping prevent burnout across HR.
• Create Sustainable Systems and Supports:
  Automating recurring tasks enables HR to focus on strategic work rather than getting overwhelmed by administrative duties.

Best Quotes:

• “We didn’t have a cohesive management philosophy that everyone was brought onto. This created a lot of challenges, so we created a shared philosophy of management and really invested in them” – Brittany Fowler, Kickstarter
• “Responsiveness does not define your define your value. And I think for a lot of us, that too causes us to feel go from whelmed to overwhelmed of having to constantly keep up.” – Stephanie Smith, Tagboard

Employee engagement insights must drive action

Engagement surveys need to drive meaningful change, but data without action is just noise.

Mike Pilarz, Senior Director of Corporate and Product Marketing, and Laura Cristobal, Senior Product Manager, led a deep dive into managing the employee lifecycle and how HR leaders can use continuous measurement and feedback to maintain engagement at every stage. Kate DeAngeli, Associate Director of People, joined to discuss common pain points (like inconsistent onboarding experiences) and to introduce 15Five’s new Lifecycle Surveys.

Big Takeaways: 

• Holistic View of the Employee Lifecycle

Going beyond talent acquisition means addressing onboarding, development, and retention as an interconnected journey. Small gaps in these stages can grow into bigger organizational issues.

• Early and Ongoing Touchpoints

Frequent check-ins (e.g., at 30, 60, and 90 days) provide “early warning” signals about engagement, role clarity, or support gaps. Catching these issues early can significantly reduce the likelihood of turnover.

• Data-Driven Intervention

Combining quantitative data (survey results, engagement scores) with qualitative insights (open-text feedback) offers a comprehensive view. This helps HR pinpoint exactly where employees are struggling and take action.

Best Quotes:

• “When we get employee lifecycle strategy right, there are huge benefits not only to the employee, but to the business.” – Mike Pilarz, 15Five
• “Our annual engagement survey is such a critical piece of us understanding how much progress we’ve made toward our goals.” – Kate DeAngeli​, Embark Vet

When finance and HR work together, magic happens

One of the standout conversations at the summit was about the relationship between HR and finance. Too often, these teams operate in silos and operate more like negotiators than teammates. 

But the best HR-finance partnerships aren’t transactional. They are built on shared goals and trust. In this session, we got to know Jamy Conrad, VP of People & HR, and Bill Tole, CFO,  whose partnership is like two wheels on a tandem bike, each pedaling in perfect sync so the entire organization moves forward. Their conversation went beyond surface-level cost-versus-people debates and revealed a genuine partnership built on trust and shared goals.

A strong partnership between HR and finance can drive better business outcomes. But if HR wants a seat at the table, it has to bring numbers, not just narratives. 

Big Takeaways: 

• Data-Driven Alignment
  HR metrics can be just as influential as financial KPIs. Bringing clear, compelling data to finance helps shape strategic decisions and shows HR’s tangible impact on the bottom line.
• Trust Through Communication
  Frequent, open dialogue builds a foundation of trust. Honest communication, especially around financial constraints and people needs, prevents surprises and fosters collaborative problem-solving.
• People-Centered Results
  While Finance focuses on cost management, HR can highlight the human element that underpins productivity, innovation, and long-term growth.

Best Quotes:

• “Eighty to ninety percent of the cost for my company is people cost. So I would I would be a fool not to listen to what Jamy is telling me” –Bill Tole, TrustRadius
• “We don’t have the benefit of working in a silo within our company. The whole company is our company.” – Jamy Conrad, TrustRadius 

Performance data fuels meaningful change

We finished off the day with a very special bonus session for our customers.

This session focused on taking performance review data beyond basic collection and using it to create actionable plans. 15Five Product Manager, Sam Harris, showed how 15Five’s features like performance ratings to action plans can guide managers and HR leaders in retaining top performers and supporting underperformers. 

The live demo showed how to use insights on engagement and manager effectiveness to kickstart meaningful initiatives that boost both individual and organizational success.

Best Takeaways: 

• Move from Data Collection to Strategic Action

Annual reviews shouldn’t end with a stack of feedback. Turn that feedback into specific, measurable action plans, like prioritizing stay interviews or manager coaching, to sustain momentum year-round.

• Use Calibration for Fair, Consistent Ratings

Calibrating performance feedback across departments ensures that “top performer” and “low performer” designations are accurate, transparent, and free from individual bias.

• Harness Manager Enablement

Empowering managers with ongoing training ensures they can effectively lead check-ins, develop career roadmaps, and maintain accountability for their teams’ success.

Final thoughts

The 2025 HR Superstars Summit tackled the real issues HR teams face today like HR burnout and employee lifecycles. HR and finance leaders shared honest stories about what’s working (and what isn’t) as they build healthy company cultures, use data to keep their best people, and give managers the tools they need to help their teams succeed. 

We also shared 15Five’s latest capabilities that help HR teams turn employee feedback into concrete action plans. The conversations proved just how much HR has grown into a true strategic partner, working hand-in-hand with executives to create great employee experiences while driving business results.

If you missed this year’s Summit, catch the on-demand replay now. 

Ready to show the real impact of your people programs? See how 15Five gives HR leaders the data and insights they need to make strategic decisions and prove ROI. Book a demo today.