SAP’s new People & Culture Lounge (P&C Lounge) concept provides all SAP employees access to one-on-one conversations with HR experts. The P&C Lounge complements SAP’s existing digital HR service channels and will be available to all 110,000 SAP employees worldwide by the end of 2025.

With artificial intelligence and digital technologies massively transforming today’s workplace, a crucial question comes to the fore: how can companies maintain focus on the human aspect? Personal contact is indispensable, particularly when it comes to support on people matters. That’s why SAP is deliberately pursuing a balanced approach to providing HR support to its employees: modern technologies and AI provide efficient and smart solutions, but personal consulting remains essential to offering employees worldwide the best possible support.

“The world of work around us is changing at breathtaking speed,” says Dr. Christian Schmeichel, global head of People & Culture Services at SAP. “Currently, we have four generations in our workforce, and naturally this changes the requirements and expectations for HR. The P&C Lounge is designed to address complex questions and issues raised by employees that are better resolved through personal conversations than through the HR ticketing system.”

Comprehensive HR support approach based on multi-tier model

SAP pursues a differentiated approach to employee support, which Schmeichel describes as a “multi-tier model.” Employees can find general HR information comprehensively covered on SAP’s internal portal, while standard requests—such as vacation requests, payroll statements, or certificates—are efficiently handled through self-services and the company’s Shared Service Center. The new P&C Lounge complements these offerings as a new service channel that provides the option for individual conversations when needed. This strategically brings the human factor back to the foreground: “From my perspective, this more personalized consulting approach for complex issues on a company-wide basis was missing. This is the blank spot that we are now strategically filling in our HR service portfolio,” Schmeichel says.

Previously, personal HR consulting was primarily available to managers through business partners or advisors. With the P&C Lounge, all employees now have access to individual consulting for more complex questions, from personal team issues to challenging payroll questions to career development.

The process is straightforward: employees can schedule appointments through a booking tool and are matched with the expert most appropriate for their query. The system displays which HR specialist will conduct the meeting and in which languages they provide consultation. “Whenever possible, the conversation takes place in the local language; otherwise in English,” Schmeichel explains. For payroll questions, a payroll expert is automatically assigned; for career topics, a corresponding specialist. Intelligent matching will occur with AI support.

“The HR employees who serve as experts in the P&C Lounge have been thoroughly familiarized with the new approach beforehand,” Schmeichel says. Personal affinity is also important: employees must have genuine interest in this type of work and are specifically prepared for the expected topics.

Optimization in HR through AI

Surprisingly, it was the increasing use of AI that paved the way for this new format. “This works because we have developed a very smart resource allocation concept, combined with modern technology that ensures the right expert is selected for each topic,” Schmeichel explains.

However, AI will do more than just help find the right expertise for each inquiry; it increasingly supports routine tasks in HR, creating more time to invest in personal care and dialogue. The use of Joule, SAP’s AI copilot, provides employees with a central point of contact and helps enable significantly faster and more intuitive navigation through the diverse digital HR services, relieving the burden on both employees and HR teams in daily operations.

Precisely because technologies like Joule increasingly resolve standard inquiries efficiently, personal conversation in complex situations gains additional importance. Schmeichel also emphasizes this development: “In the past, there were already pilot projects designed to enable this direct contact with the HR department. But only now do we have the technical capabilities for smart resource allocation and the corresponding capacity through the strategic further development of our HR business model.”

People centricity as integral pillar of our people agenda

The rollout of the P&C Lounge began in late 2024 with pilot projects in Italy and Japan. “We deliberately chose two culturally very different countries to see how the offering would be adapted in each,” Schmeichel explains. “While in Italy practically all appointments were booked immediately, Japan’s response was initially reserved for the first two weeks. But then the offering was well-received.”

Following the recent rollout in Germany and the United States, the P&C Lounge is now available to all 110,000 SAP employees in over 70 countries. SAP adapts the offering to local conditions. For example, in the United States, due to vast geographical distances, there will be a stronger virtual component, while in other regions primarily in-person meetings are offered.

With the P&C Lounge, SAP positions itself as a pioneer for an HR strategy that places people at the center in the AI age. “In the current transformation- and technology-driven changes to the world of work, we at SAP can position ourselves as an attractive employer—with the human component being put at the center,” Schmeichel explains.

Customer interest is significant: “We currently see great interest in customer conversations to learn more about how SAP deliberately emphasizes and supports the human factor in times of artificial intelligence.”

The P&C Lounge is a perfect example of this approach of meaningfully combining technology and human interaction. “Our ambition with the P&C Lounge is to set new standards for what is possible in global HR support,” Schmeichel concludes. “It’s about the optimal combination of people-centricity and modern technology in a new world of work.”

At a time when global supply chains are enduring acute strain from seesawing tariff rates, escalating military conflict, and proliferating compliance requirements, enterprises large and small are turning increasingly to cloud-based business networks and emerging AI solutions to provide actionable insights, operational resilience, and, above all, confidence despite volatile times.

Visibility has always been essential for navigating uncertainty in business-to-business commerce. Yet it is also insufficient. After all, what good is merely seeing across the various tiers of the supply chain if a business lacks the ability to identify available alternatives, shift course immediately, and counter disruption before it impinges on the balance sheet?

At Supply Chain Connect at SAP Connect Las Vegas, our customers and partners had an extraordinary opportunity to explore our latest SAP Business Network innovations—and the generative and agentic AI solutions that are rapidly reshaping enterprises’ ability to extend N-tier visibility and take the decisive actions necessary to preserve the smooth flow of operations from the dual threats of volatility and risk.

To strengthen every link in the supply chain, businesses need to connect their mission-critical operational processes with those of their trading partners. Doing so enables them to achieve transparency, foster collaboration, drive efficiency, and maximize customer satisfaction. Through the vast troves of operational data that millions of trading partners accumulate in the routine course of day-to-day operations, SAP Business Network—the world’s largest business-to-business platform—is uniquely positioned to help business leaders orchestrate their supply chains for success, no matter the circumstances.

Today, SAP helps our customers to accomplish these objectives with a suite of AI-infused supply chain management applications—all of them integrated with ERP and adjacent line-of-business applications to connect seamlessly with trading partners. By applying advanced analytics, operational insights, predictive signals, and recommended actions derived from both internal and external data sources, SAP Business Network has set in motion an increasingly autonomous supply chain.

The innovations underlying it, meanwhile, are accelerating.

To further distinguish SAP as the leader in enabling supply chain orchestration, I am extremely excited that in the first half of 2026 we will deliver a new product to help provide enterprises with capabilities for issue detection, insight, and action across their supply chains. Aptly called SAP Supply Chain Orchestration, this new solution will help deliver N-tier insights and transform external and internal signals across supply chains into prioritized actions. These capabilities will rest on the SAP Business Network foundation, drawing upon master data as well as native AI solutions to help orchestrate workflows and dramatically expand visibility across every tier of the supply chain.

SAP Supply Chain Orchestration can equip our customers with the tools and inference-driven insights they need to help mitigate multi-tier risk, enhance compliance, and bolster decision-support. The goal is to head off disruption before it arises—and to offer our customers one of the most elusive yet priceless advantages that anybody can have in these turbulent times: peace of mind.

That’s why our customers entrust so many of their core operational processes to SAP Business Network in the first place: for peace of mind, for resilience, for enduring value. Our strategy to deepen that value takes root in our ongoing transition to SAP Business Technology Platform (SAP BTP), working to provide faster speeds, easier integration, faster collaboration, and continuous innovation on a grand scale, across industries. Our vision takes shape through intelligent applications, network convergence, and unmatched extensibility. Our priority to accelerate the value we make available to suppliers on the network finds example through our innovations that help simplify e-invoicing, expand automation, and facilitate discoverability by new potential trading partners. All these strategic elements take center stage in our product strategy, each of them strengthened by the unmatched generative and agentic AI capabilities that customers and partners have come to rely on from SAP in our quest to make the world run better and improve people’s lives.

Couldn’t join us in Las Vegas? Check out the Supply Chain Connect at SAP Connect Virtual keynote session, “Supply Chain Orchestration – Run Supply Chains That Think, Connect, and Adapt,” presented by Dominik Metzger, president and chief product officer, SAP Supply Chain Management.

Jörn Keller is executive vice president and chief product officer for SAP Business Network.

Today’s flood of AI information for business leaders is often overwhelming and it often lacks the guidance you really need. You want to know where to start, how to scale, and how to ensure your AI investments move the needle on business results.

On top of that, you know AI agents are the new frontier and will allow you to automate processes that today absorb a large amount of time and resources. You want to know how to be among the first to use them to gain an early advantage.

To get these answers and discover how SAP is uniquely positioned to help you leverage AI for business results, attend SAP Connect in 2025, being held October 6-8 in Las Vegas as well as virtually. It’s the destination for leaders ready to embed the latest from AI into the foundation of how their organizations run to produce real, enterprise-wide outcomes.

Learn how to become a leader in the era of AI

According to Boston Consulting Group, which analyzed the relatively small number of companies already scaling these advanced technologies, “AI’s greatest value lies in core business processes where leaders are generating 62% of the value. Leveraging AI in both core business and support functions gives these companies a competitive advantage.”

This is exactly our approach and position of strength at SAP. We infuse AI directly into the business processes, decisions, and data models that power finance, supply chain, HR, customer service, and more. That’s also how Joule and Joule Agents are enabling systems that anticipate needs, reason, act and learn and adapt in real time. And because these tools are built on SAP Business Technology Platform (SAP BTP), they operate with the scale, security, and interoperability that enterprises demand.

SAP Connect is where this vision comes to life. Over three days, the program will move from strategic framing to hands-on guidance, tailored to every role in an organization, and with each day anchored on specific business needs.

An agenda focused on moving your business forward

Day one at SAP Connect addresses strategy: how to turn geopolitical and market volatility into a catalyst for growth, unify your organization through shared data and synchronized purpose, and elevate your workforce with AI. Our first day keynote will show you how to navigate uncertainty by leveraging enterprise-wide data capability, Joule Agents, and SAP Business Suite to turn insight into action—creating a sustained advantage for your enterprise.

Day two focuses on how to use our latest innovations across SAP Business Suite applications to bring AI-driven results to life within your enterprise, plus practical road maps across your lines of business.

Day three is about execution: how to leverage SAP BTP and a unified data core to activate agile technologies, build interconnected ecosystems, and accelerate returns on innovation. Our closing keynote will show you how to use a unified foundation to smoothly extend, integrate, automate, and innovate while leveraging AI and data to transform your company.

The core theme across all three days is how to build, adopt, and scale AI that spurs impactful business outcomes. For example, you will learn from companies using embedded AI to improve forecasting accuracy, unlock working capital, boost workforce productivity, and reduce operational risk.  These enterprise use cases are already delivering measurable value.

Three days of learning and leadership

For leaders looking to advance their knowledge on AI, the agenda at SAP Connect is built for depth and relevance, and AI content and insights will be available across all tracks: spend management, supply chain, customer experience, and human capital management.

For example, in the Unlocking productivity with Joule Agents session, you will learn how AI agents are transforming enterprise agility by autonomously executing tasks, adapting in real time, and driving productivity.

SAP Connect is a working session for those ready to lead the next phase of intelligent business. For leaders building AI strategies that are real, resilient, and ready to scale, this is the place to advance them.

Register now, set up your AI sessions, and take your seat at the center of the business AI movement.

Brenda Bown is chief marketing officer for SAP Business AI at SAP.

Generative AI is widely celebrated as a powerhouse for improving productivity, automating workflows, and accelerating efficiency in the workplace.

However, its potential goes far beyond simple optimization: generative AI can be a trusted ally for personal growth and confidence building, especially when navigating unfamiliar professional territory.

Whether you’re assuming a new leadership role, mastering a complex technical skill, or simply feeling uncertain about your next career step, AI platforms can truly help you gain clarity and confidence.

Here are three straightforward ways to use AI as a growth tool when venturing beyond your career comfort zone.

1. AI as a judgment-free partner

One valuable yet often underappreciated role of generative AI is its ability to serve as a non-judgmental sounding board. Transitioning to a new role or company often brings uncertainty, questions, and sometimes self-doubt. Regardless of the change, AI offers a non-judgmental space where users can openly share thoughts and explore solutions. This use of AI can help individuals better understand their uncertainties and organize their experiences in a positive, constructive way — laying the groundwork for confident problem-solving and, ultimately, success through a transition or challenge.

2. Breaking down big hurdles into bite-size goals

Facing broad, complex objectives can feel overwhelming. Generative AI can aid career growth by breaking down daunting challenges into smaller, manageable milestones. By asking AI to convert broad objectives into “bite-size” tasks, professionals gain a clear road map to achieve their goals. This approach reduces cognitive overload and encourages momentum through steady progress. Whether leading a new team or mastering advanced analytics, these small wins build confidence and reinforce a proactive mindset.

3. Expert-curated learning tailored to your needs

Finally, generative AI can customize and deliver high-quality learning resources that address your unique knowledge gaps and career context. For instance, AI can recommend expert insights and training modules that align with your individualized development path via the SAP Learning site, which provides access a broad portfolio of self-paced and premium learning opportunities to achieve business transformation and grow your career with free, self-paced, and on-demand SAP learning resources to both obtain and maintain SAP Certifications. From exploring agile frameworks as a project manager to deepening cybersecurity expertise as an IT professional, AI acts as a personalized guide to expert-level content designed to meet your specific needs.

To further support scalable and targeted learning, the SAP Learning site provides learners access to both self-paced and guided learning resources, allowing them to follow learning journeys tailored for specific roles and skill levels in a self-paced way. This adaptive approach enhances engagement and retention, helping users not only acquire new skills, but effectively apply them in their roles. Seamlessly embedded into everyday workflows, these online courses empower employees to engage in continuous development without interrupting their daily responsibilities — strengthening both their individual growth and overall organizational capability.

Whether managing cross-functional projects, mastering data analysis, or navigating career pivots, AI-enhanced learning experiences provide dynamic support that transforms uncertainty into clarity and fosters sustained growth.

Leveraging generative AI has become essential for confident, forward-thinking career advancement as new skills and roles emerge rapidly. Integrating AI into personal development helps professionals transition into new roles with greater assurance and agility.

More than a productivity tool, AI serves as a growth partner — listening without judgment, breaking down complex challenges into clear steps, and offering tailored learning paths. By embracing AI as a trusted resource, individuals and organizations can nurture a culture of continuous learning and navigate change and growth opportunities with confidence.

Andre Bechtold is president of Industries & Experiences at SAP.