Kerris Hougardy, the vice president of people at Ada, said the pandemic has elevated the role of HR at companies. Ada has a wellness fund for each employee to have access to mental and physical health support. This article is part of Most Innovative HR Leaders, a series about talent heads who are innovating company culture, DEI, and employee experience. The number-one skill she's used to be successful in HR is empathy, she said. Empathy has even helped with the 'harder' side of HR with things like project management, data analysis, and budgeting."

---