Steve  0:09  
Welcome to the HR Happy Hour Media Network. Today, we're bringing you a special episode recorded live from SHRM 2026. Across several conversations with leaders from Experian Employer Services, one theme kept coming up: some of the most important employee experiences happen in moments employees never think about until they need them. Starting a new job, buying a home, navigating a life change, trusting that their information is accurate, secure, and available when it matters most. Today, we're looking at how technology compliance and connected HR systems come together to support those moments that matter. How have the conversations around compliance changed at the employer level. You've been doing this for a while. Is how what's different in 2026 than maybe you didn't hear as much of say five seven years ago?

Tom Fischer  1:10  
Right? I would say there's probably been a shift from forms and process to taking care of the people. Yeah, it's not that the forms and processes are not important, right? They still are, but some of that has figured out and can be helped with technology and automation. But I would venture to guess most people are not getting into the HR space because they want to do processes and forms. Yeah, they want to help people. So that that movement to how's the employee experience going? What's the user interface look like like how is that person being treated? Are things transparent? All sorts of things that can put the human back into the human resources part while that compliance stuff is still going on.

Steve  1:52  
And that idea that HR processes are really human experiences becomes even more important when we look at the moments where employees depend on their employer's data outside of work.

Troy Hupp  2:06  
I like to think this is where like employee and consumer kind of meet, right? So it's when they're getting benefits in the real world. Maybe they're they're purchasing a home, a car, refinancing. So some of the most stressful, maybe important, you know, actions in your life. I guess that you that you take care of. But beyond that, government verifications, right? So your people applying for government benefits, and so it's very stressful, right? Employees are looking for something to be simple, easy to access because outside of work, it's one of the most important and stressful situations that they encounter.

Steve  2:44  
Why does this matter so much in terms of like when it's when they're inaccurate or when they're delayed or when whatever problems that can happen in the verification process? Why does that cause such a problem?

Troy Hupp  2:55  
Well, you know, it causes problems really for everybody involved, but you know, namely the employee or the consumer, right? So if there's if there are inaccuracies or delays in fulfilling the process, it can impact their ability to gain that benefit, right? So if you think about a mortgage, maybe they're trying to lock in a rate and they don't, you know, the rate goes up, right? Or yeah, time, you know, they get yeah, or they could get declined because of incorrect information that's there, it also impacts the the verifier and the employer. Because then they're you know maybe contacting the employer because they have a question or there's an issue, and so you start this kind of like churn and thrash, right? Where just uses resources from all over all three groups: employers, verifiers, and employees.

Steve  3:40  
These moments depend on more than a single process. Behind every seamless employee interaction is an ecosystem of technologies and partners working together.

Erin Derby  3:50  
If you think about like a classic HR organization, they just want to have their employees have a good experience coming in the organization, working there, and when they're leaving. So a lot of HR experts aren't necessarily technology experts, so there's a lot of information that they can be taking in, and usually they have to have a whole separate team that's expert in the technology itself. When they're considering what do they want to bring in, they have to look at what do they already have. You run into the the situation of a jack of all trades or a master of none, right? Do you want a shop that does a little bit of everything, but they don't necessarily do everything really, really well? Yeah. So, kind of going back to that, you know, why are they buying? Why are they shopping? What is it that they actually need, and where can they can get that expert level type of product? The good news is a lot of this ecosystem is tightly integrated, so as much as they can have that data sharing and seamless experience, they can find a couple providers that can do that for them. 

Steve  4:52  
Yeah, and that's critically important, right? Because we talked about things like you know data security and integrity. Oh, there's also a fairly significant cost. Involved right with making sure that you know the data transfer and the integration between system A and B and C stays up to date. It doesn't change when one of the systems on either end has an upgrade or an enhancement, et cetera. That's a lot of heavy lifting for organizations to do. What are some of the values of sort of going down the route with, hey, I'm going to bring in a provider safer compliance, right? That's already got a really good integration with my core platform as it exists today. What does what benefits if you're new to the employer in that situation?

Erin Derby  5:34  
I mean, I think about you know, have you ever had to go cell phone shopping?

Steve  5:38  
Yeah, I sure have.

Erin Derby  5:39  
Okay, so it's not it's not the most fun experience, but you look at it as like this is the phone I want, this is the provider I want. Just make it work.

Steve  5:48  
Right.

Erin Derby  5:48  
And I think a lot of employers think about it that way too. We've got this one platform, but we need this one service. How can you make it work, keep it secure and keep it going? And I think the good news is with a healthy partnership program within any organization like we have at Experian.

Steve  6:06  
Yeah.

Erin Derby  6:06  
We're building those relationships, but we're also building those entry points for the data, managing the security around all of it, the privacy around all of it, and being able to show that value of reducing risk and making the jobs of our HR organizations easier. That's ultimately what they want.

Steve  6:26  
And while technology continues to transform how organizations manage these moments, the foundation still comes back to reducing risk, creating consistency, and getting the details right.

Brian Elfrink  6:37  
This is well beyond just a simple form. It's incredibly complex, yeah, and it requires that really concentrated actions on behalf of the employer to ensure that the process is standardized and everybody understands how critically important it is to maintain proper compliance for Form I-9 and eVerify.

Steve  6:57  
Brian, are there bigger picture trends happening in organizations? I know remote work was certainly one of them that impacted I nine. Are there things that you're seeing, and you know, across the folks you work with, that are that are happening in their workforces that that have downstream effects on on things like I-9 processes and I-9 compliance?

Brian Elfrink  7:15  
Yeah, and you hit the nail on the head. I mean, you know, obviously remote work was a thing prior to the COVID 19 pandemic, but you know through that, obviously that's been exacerbated, and now you know we've got so many individuals working remotely. Then you've got the hybrid work experience, added layers of complexity. Who's doing Section Two? Obviously, now that you have the ability to do that virtually, is a great opportunity for employers to leverage that, but then you've got multi-state complexity because of the remote workforce. So you've got employers who are now doing hiring activity in certain states, maybe they weren't in before, right? And so you know, interstate compliance and regulatory oversight creates complexity, and then that's also why it's so important to have that standard process or standard operating procedure that everyone adheres to consistently?

Steve  8:06  
Yeah. We ended every conversation at SHRM with the same question: What is one word organizations should remember when designing for these moments that matter?

Erin Derby  8:16  
I would say, you know, really, I think it's kind of it might be seen as like old fashioned, but I think it's about service.

Steve  8:24  
Yeah.

Erin Derby  8:25  
There's so many like, oh, we want to do something quick, automation, no touch, low touch, and those are really important in a fast pace environment. But I think there's something to be said about service and subject matter expertise from a human.

Steve  8:39  
Yeah.

Erin Derby  8:40  
AI is everywhere. It's going to help our lives in a lot of different ways, but there's something that's totally different when you have a human actually servicing what's going on in your environment and knows your business, and it's not a robot.

Steve  8:55  
That is so.

Erin Derby  8:56  
I would say service.

Troy Hupp  8:57  
One word. Wow. I think I've used the word consumer a lot, you know, because again, you know, employers, you know, they're competing for the top talent. They want to retain the top talent, and so you have to understand the challenges that they encounter as a consumer outside of work, and and and verification services is kind of where those meet. Like the word is serve.

Steve  9:20  
Serve. Love it.

Tom Fischer  9:21  
Like I said, you're you're we're here to serve each other in an organization, but serving that employee is a really important part of what I think we all need to make sure we're doing. It's easy to forget. That's no judgment. But when you're busy and you're when you have so many tasks and pressures and deadlines, being there to serve that employee is key.

Brian Elfrink  9:41  
I'm I'm going to do two words because it's risk management, right? And so you know, especially on the I nine front, you know, Immigrations and Customs Enforcement just updated and moved several errors from technical to substantive, meaning they're no longer correctable, right? And so there is this increased enforcement action happening at the federal level. Now is the time to manage financial risk attributable to onboarding compliance. Yeah. And so I think this becomes not just an HR conversation. This is a C-suite level conversation that needs to be happening right now, especially for those employers who are really just now realizing how critical Form I-9 and eVerify compliance are.

Steve  10:34  
As we wrap these conversations, one thing became clear: the moments that matter are not always the moments we plan for-they're often the moments employees find themselves in: starting a new role, making a major life decision, navigating change, or simply needing something to work the way it should. And while technology, automation, and innovation continue to transform HR, the goal remains deeply human. It's about creating experiences where employees feel supported, where trust is protected, and where the systems behind the scenes make life a little easier during the moments that matter most, because the employee experience isn't only shaped by the big milestones we celebrate; it's also shaped by the quiet moments when information is accurate, when support is there, and when people know their organization has thought about what they need. A huge thank you to the Experian Employer Services team for joining us at SHRM 2026 and sharing their insights on how HR leaders can rethink compliance, technology, and service through the lens of the employee. And stay tuned for more conversations from the HR Happy Hour Media Network as we continue exploring the ideas, innovations, and people shaping the future of work.

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