HR Under Pressure: What Small Teams Can Teach Us About the Future

In this episode, Thomas Kunjappu sits down with Michael Salamey, an HR leader with deep experience in tech, employee engagement, and workforce analytics, to talk about the realities of running lean HR teams in today’s AI-driven world. Drawing on his experience leading small HR teams across industries, Michael shares why smaller often means sharper—and how embracing limitations can build better HR leaders.

Topics Discussed:

• The hidden strengths of small, scrappy HR teams

• How collapsing roles creates broader, deeper skill sets

• Why most tech evaluations get silently deprioritized

• The paradox of AI adoption in under-resourced orgs

• Tactical ways small teams can still experiment with automation

• A candid take on today’s messy job market and hiring tools

• How to avoid overengineering your HR function

• Where AI can help (and where it still falls short)

If you’ve ever been the one-person HR department—or worked like one—this episode will feel like a conversation you didn’t know you needed.

Additional Resources:

• Cleary’s AI-powered HR Chatbot