Betterworks adds AI tools to boost workforce readiness. Tue, 29th Sep 2026 (Today) Betterworks has introduced new artificial intelligence features aimed at workforce readiness. The update adds tools to analyse manager-employee conversations and link development plans to learning. The release is intended to give employers a more immediate view of how employees are building skills, where gaps may be emerging and what support may be needed as business priorities shift. At the centre of the launch is Conversational Intelligence, which analyses transcripts from meeting transcription applications used in manager-employee discussions. The system identifies discussion themes, commitments, action items, skills and development signals, and indicators linked to goals. Betterworks is also adding Individual Development Plans with Adaptive Learning & Upskilling. The tools connect employee development with skills, performance and learning, while allowing staff to create development goals tied to specific skills or receive AI-generated recommendations based on their role, target skills and current capabilities. The broader aim is to bring together information that often sits in separate parts of an organisation. Employers commonly gather signals about employee progress through one-to-one meetings, development plans, learning programmes and performance processes, but those records are often fragmented and difficult to use as a single view of workforce preparedness. The meeting analysis tool is designed to capture those signals as work happens rather than relying only on periodic reviews. Managers can use it to surface coaching opportunities, monitor recurring themes across conversations, track follow-up actions and prepare for future discussions with more context. The product is designed to work with existing meeting platforms and note-taking tools through connected transcripts. That reflects a broader trend in workplace software, with suppliers trying to embed analysis into tools employees already use rather than asking companies to adopt separate workflows. Development focus The development planning side of the release is intended to turn signals from performance conversations into specific actions. Employees can connect development priorities to relevant learning, giving managers a clearer view of how individuals are progressing against expected skills. In practice, the platform is trying to bridge a common gap between identifying a need and assigning support. Many companies have systems for reviews and separate systems for learning, but often struggle to tie those records to changing role requirements or emerging organisational needs. Doug Dennerline, Chief Executive Officer of Betterworks, outlined the company's view of the problem in a statement accompanying the launch. "The workforce that will drive tomorrow's business outcomes is being built today," said Dennerline. He added: "Organisations can't afford to wait until a critical skill gap appears to start developing the capabilities they need. By bringing intelligence from the conversations they're already having with development and upskilling, Betterworks helps organizations understand how their people are growing, build critical capabilities faster, and prepare their workforce as business priorities change." Market pressure The release comes as employers face pressure to keep pace with changing skill needs, internal mobility demands and tighter scrutiny of hiring and retention decisions. In that environment, software providers have increasingly focused on connecting performance management, coaching, learning and workforce planning into more unified systems. Betterworks is positioning its latest additions around that convergence. Rather than treating performance reviews as isolated events, it presents workforce readiness as a continuous process built from day-to-day conversations, evolving development priorities and targeted learning. That could appeal to organisations trying to spot vulnerabilities before they affect project delivery or leadership succession. A sudden departure, a new strategic initiative or a shift in company priorities can expose weak points in skills coverage, particularly when data on employee growth has been collected inconsistently. Betterworks says its software can preserve growth signals over time and use them to inform a broader view of workforce capability. It argues that this gives managers and employers more useful evidence when supporting employees, conducting reviews or making wider talent decisions. Betterworks, which counts Intuit among its customers, sells performance management and talent software to large and growing companies. The latest release brings together goals, feedback, skills and talent intelligence within everyday work processes to provide a clearer view of employee growth and organisational readiness. According to Betterworks, Adaptive Learning & Upskilling gives employees "a clearer path from development goals to action while giving managers better visibility into how employees are growing."

Betterworks introduces ai-powered capabilities to give organizations real-time visibility into workforce readiness. Organizations often discover workforce capability gaps when they can least afford to: when a critical person leaves, a strategic initiative launches, or business priorities suddenly change. Yet the signals that show how employees are growing, which capabilities are emerging, and where gaps may be forming are often scattered across manager conversations, development plans, learning programs, and performance processes. Betterworks introduced new AI-powered capabilities designed to bring growth signals, development, and upskilling together to give organizations a more real-time view of workforce readiness. Conversational Intelligence captures development and performance signals from everyday manager-employee meetings, while Individual Development Plans and new Adaptive Learning & Upskilling help employees turn development priorities into focused actions and relevant learning tied to the capabilities they need next. "The workforce that will drive tomorrow's business outcomes is being built today," said Doug Dennerline, CEO of Betterworks. "Organizations can't afford to wait until a critical skill gap appears to start developing the capabilities they need. By bringing intelligence from the conversations they're already having with development and upskilling, Betterworks helps organizations understand how their people are growing, build critical capabilities faster, and prepare their workforce as business priorities change." Capture growth signals from your meetings Conversational Intelligence analyzes meeting transcripts from your preferred meeting transcription app to surface important context from manager-employee conversations, including discussion themes, commitments, action items, skills and development-related signals, and goal-related signals. By capturing those signals as work happens, organizations gain a more continuous view of employee growth and performance. Conversational Intelligence helps managers turn everyday performance conversations into context they can use to support performance and development: * See what matters for performance and growth: Surface goals, commitments, coaching opportunities, development signals, and potential risks discussed in 1:1 meetings and check-ins. * Keep important next steps moving: Bring conversation insights into 1:1 meetings, action items, and Betterworks workflows so commitments are easier to track and follow through on. * Coach with better context: Give managers visibility into recurring themes, progress, and open commitments across conversations. * Work with the tools your teams already use: Capture performance signals through connected meeting platforms or transcripts from preferred note-taking tools. This gives managers useful context they can return to throughout the year, whether they're preparing for a 1:1 meeting, coaching an employee, or contributing to a review or talent discussion - while helping organizations preserve the growth signals that can inform a broader view of workforce capability over time. Build the skills employees need next Betterworks is also introducing Individual Development Plans with Adaptive Learning & Upskilling to connect employee development with skills, performance, and learning - and help employees build capabilities as business needs evolve. Employees can create development goals tied to specific skills or receive AI-generated development recommendations based on their role, target skills, and existing capabilities. Adaptive Learning & Upskilling helps connect those development priorities to relevant learning, giving employees a clearer path from development goals to action while giving managers better visibility into how employees are growing. Together, these capabilities create a more connected approach to workforce development - capturing growth and performance signals from real work, turning those signals into focused development and upskilling, and giving organizations greater visibility into whether their workforce is developing the capabilities the business will need next. Because building the workforce you need tomorrow starts with understanding how your people are performing and growing today. Topics: AI David Marshall is the founder of VMblog.com, one of the industry's longest-running independent publications covering modern data center technologies. What began as a focus on virtualization and cloud computing has expanded to cover the full spectrum of enterprise IT, including AI, security, and DevOps, making VMblog a trusted destination for vendor news, technology analysis, and industry commentary.Beyond publishing, David has spent his career at the intersection of technology and business, inventing, marketing, and launching a number of successful software companies and products, and building a reputation as a skilled marketing executive in the enterprise IT space.David is also a published author, having written two well-regarded books on virtualization and served as technical editor for two "For Dummies" titles covering virtualization and cloud computing. He co-founded CloudCow.com, a publication focused on cloud computing, and has been named a VMware vExpert every year since 2009, one of the longest continuous honoree streaks in the program's history.Connect with David on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidmarshall/