As the Chief Human Resources Officer at White Lodging, one of the largest hotel management companies in the US, AJ Brow oversees all human resources functions, including talent development and recruiting, and is focused on modernizing White Lodging’s strategic human resource capabilities and executing initiatives to support the company’s Associate Promise. AJ joined White Lodging from NiSource, one of the nation’s largest fully regulated gas and electric utility companies, where he oversaw all human resource business partners and labor relations as Vice President.
We are delighted that AJ will be speaking in Chicago as part of our Wellbeing at Work Summit US next week. We caught up with him to see how he’s feeling in the runup to the event.
Hi AJ we are thrilled that you will be joining us at the Wellbeing at Work Summit US in May. Our first and most important question is, how are you doing today?
I’m doing well…busy, but in a good way. We’ve got a lot of momentum right now around our people strategy, which is energizing.
I’ve also gotten more disciplined about managing my own capacity. If I’m not intentional about that, I’m not as effective for my team or the organization.
As a leader based in the region, what are the main challenges you are facing when it comes to employee wellbeing and mental health?
The biggest challenge right now is sustained pressure on the workforce. It’s not one issue, it’s the combination of workload, pace of change, and external factors like financial stress.
From an organizational standpoint, the real gap is integration. A lot of companies still treat wellbeing as a set of programs instead of embedding it into how work actually gets done.
The other challenge is consistency at the leadership level…the employee experience still varies too much depending on who your manager is.
What strategies have you seen developing over the past 6 months, both internally and externally, that are moving the dial on wellbeing in the workplace?
What I’ve seen working, both internally and across the market, comes down to a few things:
- Investing in managers: giving them practical tools, not just concepts
- Connecting wellbeing to business outcomes: retention, engagement, productivity
- Focusing on workload and prioritization: not just asking people to be more resilient
The shift I’m encouraged by is moving from “supporting people after the fact” to designing work in a way that prevents burnout in the first place.
Why is employee wellbeing so important to you personally?
For me, this is pretty straightforward. I’ve seen what happens when organizations get this wrong and the cost is high, both for the individual and the business.
I also believe strongly that you shouldn’t have to choose between performing at a high level and maintaining your wellbeing.
As a leader, I see it as part of the job to create an environment where people can do both.
What impact is AI having in your organization and how are you managing that?
AI is already impacting how work gets done primarily around efficiency and decision support.
The opportunity is clear, but so is the uncertainty it creates for employees. Our focus has been on clarity and capability. We have taken the “fast follower” approach and spend time learning from the innovators, like the technology and financial services companies.
AI has created a large demand from a learning perspective and we’ve leaned into that through online courses and experimentation with different AI product pilots.
We’re also being very intentional about not letting AI drive unrealistic expectations around output or availability.
Other than AI, are there any challenges that you are seeing for the first time and how are you addressing them?
The biggest one I’d call out is capacity and prioritization.
We’re asking a lot of teams right now, and in some cases, we haven’t been equally disciplined about what we’re asking them to stop doing.
We’re addressing that by:
- Forcing clearer prioritization across our organization
- Being more explicit about what “good” looks like
- Conducting quarterly progress conversations to acknowledge wins, development and reprioritize
I also think connection and culture are harder to maintain than they were a few years ago, and that requires more intentional leadership.
What areas do you think employers should be focused on over the next 12 months?
Three areas:
- Sustainable performance: making sure expectations are realistic and repeatable
- Leader effectiveness: especially at the frontline level
- Measurement: getting more precise in how we connect wellbeing to business outcomes
If those three things are in place, most organizations will make real progress.
Do you feel that investment in employee wellbeing in the region is increasing or decreasing and is that a direct reflection on HR leaders’ increasing ability to demonstrate effective returns of their strategies to leadership?
I’d describe it as more disciplined, not necessarily higher or lower.
Leadership teams are asking tougher questions about impact, which is appropriate. The expectation now is that wellbeing strategies need to tie directly to performance, retention, and overall business results.
HR is getting better at telling that story, but there’s still an opportunity to be more rigorous in how we measure and communicate outcomes.
How has your organization been leading the way?
I’d start by saying we don’t have this all figured out. Like most organizations, we’re learning and adjusting in real time.
What we have done is get really clear on a few areas that we believe make the biggest difference:
- Advanced scheduling: especially in our industry, giving associates more predictability and control over their time is one of the most tangible ways to impact wellbeing
- Creating positive employee experiences: being more intentional about the day-to-day moments that shape how people feel at work, not just big programs
- Investing in leadership development: because the manager experience is the employee experience
- Embedding regular check-ins: making sure conversations about workload, priorities, and how people are doing are happening consistently, not just once or twice a year
For us, it’s less about having a perfect model and more about staying focused on what actually moves the needle for our associates and being willing to adjust as we go.
AJ is speaking in Chicago as part of our Wellbeing at Work Summit US 2026 which takes place in Chicago and Los Angeles this May. Click the links below to find out more and book your tickets:
May 5 2026 – Chicago. Click here to find out more and book your tickets
May 7 2026 – Los Angeles. Click here to find out more and book your tickets
