HRTech Interview with Harper Wells, Chief Compliance Officer at Learning Pool

Harper Wells, Chief Compliance Officer at Learning Pool shares more on what modern businesses can to implement and drive better learning and development initiatives in this catch-up with HRTech Series:

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Hi Harper, please tell us about yourself and your role at Learning Pool.

I’m Harper Wells, Chief Compliance Officer at Learning Pool. I’ve spent more than 20 years working in governance, risk, and compliance across various heavily regulated industries. Now, I lead Learning Pool’s ethics and compliance program and champion our ESG initiatives, including our B Corp certification. Promoting and sustaining a values-based culture is of critical importance to us—not because we’re required by law—but because it’s the right thing to do and is in direct alignment with our mission to deliver extraordinary outcomes for all of our stakeholders.

I’m dedicated to making a difference by leveraging advanced technology and behavioral analytics to develop innovative ethics and compliance programs. Our team supports more than 1,400 organizations worldwide, including many Fortune 500 companies, helping them enhance their compliance strategies and effectively address their governance challenges.

What are some of the most innovative features in learning software that have piqued your interest of late?

For me, the most innovative solutions in learning are those that address a common challenge: demonstrating the effectiveness of training. I’m particularly excited about the growing interest in adaptive learning, as it’s finally receiving the attention it deserves in the compliance field. These tools personalize each learner’s journey based on real-time performance and provide deep behavioral insights into decision making. This allows compliance practitioners to identify the root causes of performance gaps and predict where the “forgetting curve” might be strongest.

In my experience, adaptive learning solutions have revolutionized how I use data. For instance, I’ve used insights from training simulations to identify gaps, align findings with audit data, and integrate real-time guidance into systems employees regularly use, resulting in more effective and measurable risk reduction.

Ultimately, it’s not just about collecting data—like training completion rates—but about contextualizing it to drive meaningful changes and foster an ethical culture. This proactive approach has been crucial in refining compliance strategies and making a tangible impact within organizations. It’s really what we need to do to be strategic business partners who deliver realized value, not another cost center for the business.

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When it comes to employee training and learning: what key changes do you feel organizations need to make to drive better processes?

I’d love to see the outdated, one-size-fits-all training programs that rely on annual completion and generic slide presentations retired. It’s surprising that they’ve lasted this long! We know you can’t manage what you can’t measure, and simply tracking completion only shows whether employees clicked through the course, not whether they understand what to do when ethics and compliance issues happen in real life. For fostering a truly ethical culture, compliance training should be an ongoing, behavior-focused process, not just legal formality.

Training needs to be tailored to each employee’s role and specific risks, rather than using the “kitchen sink” approach where every employee gets every training module—that fails to address what employees actually need to know in their daily work. And when I say “ongoing”, I don’t just mean e-learning. Training should encompass various formats—like job aids and checklists—and delivered through multiple channels that employees regularly access in the course of their role.

We’d love to hear about some of Learning Pool’s newest product enhancements and how they will change the game for end users?

At Learning Pool, we’re excited to introduce our latest innovation in AI Conversations: Taking Your Code from Policy to Practice. This new feature leverages generative AI to create realistic, interactive gray area training scenarios where employees can practice navigating challenging workplace conversations with AI-generated characters.

What makes this tool stand out is its ability to prepare employees for the complex and often ambiguous areas of ethics and compliance they might face in real life. By simulating these scenarios, our solution helps employees build the confidence needed to handle real-world situations effectively. It’s a game-changer for creating a more practical, engaging, and impactful training experience.

How can businesses today use AI more effectively to drive learning and development experiences?

AI can be incredibly effective in driving learning and development, especially when personalized, one-on-one experiences aren’t feasible due to scale or limited resources. For example, it’s often impractical for compliance leaders to engage in role-based learning with every employee individually.

AI tools, such as auto-translation and new software platforms, make authentic coaching and navigating difficult conversations more accessible across global teams. These technologies eliminate language barriers and simplify the complexities of scaling personalized learning. They enable L&D departments to implement robust, cost-effective programs that can be customized and quickly rolled out to diverse audiences. Making learning tools accessible to everyone is crucial for maintaining high training standards in multilingual and multicultural environments.

Digital Adoption Platforms (or “DAPs”) offer significant opportunities for just-in-time learning support. By integrating AI, DAPs can anticipate employee needs and provide tailored, dynamic guidance based on individual skill levels and current tasks. This ensures support is immediate and relevant, effectively bridging the gap between learning and doing. This advancement in DAP technology enhances workflow efficiency and on-the-job training.

AI-driven search capabilities are also fast becoming essential, allowing users to find information quickly and accurately. This improves learning efficiency by ensuring that employees have access to the most relevant materials at the right time, boosting engagement and outcomes in corporate training environments.

Can you share five thoughts on the future of HRTech before we wrap up?

HR tech will continue to become increasingly sophisticated, responsive, and integral to managing modern workforce needs and challenges. We’ll continue to see:

1. Increased use of AI and automation where it makes sense, especially in routine, operational processes.
2. More tailored employee experiences for everything from onboarding to training and communications.
3. Strong efforts to recruit and retain employees that promote a strong, resilient workforce.
4. Improved cross-functional collaboration and shared data to improve the overall organization.
5. Greater focus on data privacy and security to not only comply with regulations, but also increase employee trust.

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