Meg Bear on Change Fatigue, Career Elasticity, and Why HR Needs a Rebrand

The world of work is transforming—but are we talking about it the right way?

There’s a lot of noise right now about change, resilience, and the future of HR. But beneath the buzzwords lies a deeper question: How do we design work to be human-first, yet future-ready?

In this episode of Skills Connect, Reejig CEO Siobhan Savage sits down with Meg Bear, President and Chief Product Officer at SAP SuccessFactors, to explore the tensions shaping today’s workforce. With decades of experience across tech, product, and people innovation, Meg brings a refreshing honesty and a product mindset to the people space.

They dive into how to make HR a strategic growth function, what leaders get wrong about change management, and why building career elasticity is the key to both individual and organizational resilience.

1. “People aren’t tired of change—they’re tired of not being part of it”

Meg Bear calls out a common misconception: people don’t hate change. They hate feeling powerless.

“People are not exhausted from change. They’re exhausted from not being included in the decisions that impact them.”

The takeaway? Change doesn’t need more hype—it needs more humanity. When people understand the ‘why,’ and can see their role in the bigger picture, they lean in.

Takeaway: Shift from change management to change co-creation. Inclusion is the antidote to fatigue.

2. “HR has a brand problem”

Meg doesn’t mince words when it comes to HR’s evolution. It’s time to think less about policies and more about products.

“We need to start thinking of HR like a product organization. What problems are we solving? Who are our users? What outcomes matter?”

In other words, treat employees like customers—and career journeys like customer journeys.

Takeaway: Rebrand HR from enforcer to enabler. Focus on value, experience, and outcomes.

3. “We’ve been optimizing for efficiency, not elasticity”

For too long, organizations have chased optimization at the cost of adaptability.

“We’ve been designing for efficiency, but what we need now is elasticity—career elasticity, skill elasticity, organizational elasticity.”

Meg urges leaders to embrace ambiguity and create systems that flex with the times, not break under pressure.

Takeaway: Design your org for stretch, not stress. Elasticity is the new efficiency.

4. “If we only look at the data we have, we’ll never see what’s possible”

In a world obsessed with data, Meg pushes for more imaginative decision-making.

“Data is a mirror of the past, not a window to the future. If you only act on what’s already been captured, you’re not creating space for what's next.”

It’s a call to pair data with curiosity—to use insight not just for measurement, but for bold reimagination.

Takeaway: Don’t just analyze the past. Design for the possible.

5. “You don’t need to be perfect to be impactful”

Meg leaves us with a powerful reminder: progress beats perfection.

“In times of transformation, the goal isn’t flawless execution—it’s meaningful momentum.”

This means piloting ideas, testing assumptions, and staying responsive to real-world feedback.

Takeaway: Lead with iteration. Impact starts with intent, not certainty.

Final Thought: Build what's next, not what's safe

Meg’s message is clear: This is HR’s moment. Not just to support transformation—but to lead it.

To build systems that grow with people. To design work that doesn’t just deliver outcomes—but creates meaning. And to stop waiting for certainty before stepping into possibility.

As Meg puts it:

“We don’t need to have all the answers—we just need to be willing to ask better questions.”

Listen now on Spotify.

Love bold conversations like these? Tune in live to Skills Connect every Wednesday at 11am EST.