Future of HR “Shaping Culture: Why Active Listening Beats Annual Surveys” with DJ Casto, CHRO, Synchrony
Jan 20, 2026
In this discussion, DJ Casto, Executive Vice President and CHRO at Synchrony, shares his unique journey into HR and emphasizes the importance of active listening in shaping a trusting workplace culture. He reveals how adopting agile methodologies transformed their HR practices and led to a flexible work model that respects employee feedback. DJ also highlights the creation of a frontline experience team that enhances both employee and customer journeys, advocating for continuous, real-time listening over outdated annual surveys.
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Active Listening Builds Trust
- Active listening drives employee trust and faster business outcomes when paired with rapid action.
- Trust grows when leaders quickly pilot, iterate, and communicate wins from employee input.
Run Daily Standups For HR Agility
- Do daily standups and real-time feedback loops to make HR more agile and responsive.
- Use short cycles to surface backlogs and fix high-priority friction quickly.
Pandemic Pivot: Coaches And MVP Sabbaticals
- During the pandemic Synchrony launched wellness coaches after employees said 1-800 hotlines felt transactional.
- They also released a sabbatical as an MVP and co-designed benefits with participants.