Working Well: Benefits in the Age of AI
Many ops leaders didn’t sign up to own People. And yet two thirds of operations leaders do, rising to 78% in companies under 51 people. For most it’s one of ten functions they run, with no reward specialist and no time.
So benefits get bought once and renewed on autopilot. Nobody can say what it costs per head or what actually gets used. And with AI dominating budget conversations, every pound spent on people has to earn its place.
This session gives ops leaders a practical way to decide what to keep, what to add, and what to cut.
What we'll cover
💰 Work out cost per head and spot what’s sitting unused
🏗️ Separate what everyone should have from what people choose to spend their budget on
💼 Make the case for people spend in a budget round where AI takes the bigger share
🤖 Know where AI genuinely helps in benefits, and where it doesn’t
What to expect
A short data opener from YuLife and then a moderated panel conversation with an open Q&A throughout. You'll leave with a benefits budget template and a live benchmark of what fellow attendees spend and offer.
A heads up: we ask a few more questions than usual at registration. Your answers feed directly into an anonymous live benchmark that we’ll share with everyone after the session, so the more the room shares, the more useful it becomes for everyone in it.
You should join us if you're...
✅ A COO, Head of Ops, or Chief of Staff at a company of roughly 10 to 250 people who owns People or the benefits budget
✅ Someone who has hired a first People lead but still signs off the spend
You're unlikely to benefit if...
🚫 You’re at a larger company with a dedicated reward or HR team
🚫 You’re an HR or reward specialist, this session will be too introductory
Meet the speakers
Sam Fromson
Co-founder & COO @ YuLife
Sam is the Co-Founder and Chief Operations Officer of YuLife. Before co-founding YuLife, he built out the business development and operations functions at Invoice Cycle, a UK SME lender, bringing a grounded, hands-on approach to scaling businesses from the ground up. A former hedge fund equity analyst with a background in finance, Sam brings a commercial lens to the world of employee wellbeing and operations.
Olya Yakzhina
Head of People & Culture @ Work.Life
Olya leads on all aspects of the employee journey, from recruitment to retention, development, and engagement. With over 9 years of experience in Tech scale-up startups, she's have successfully implemented People frameworks and processes, while nurturing a positive and inclusive culture.
Olya is also a Co-Founder of People Stories, a London-based community of progressive, driven and engaged People professionals.
Noah Warwick (Moderator)
Chief of Staff @ Learnerbly
Noah Warwick is Chief of Staff at Learnerbly, the learning and development platform that powers impactful workplace learning. He has spent seven years helping build the business, from leading operations and finance to HR and revenue. In 2026, he led Learnerbly’s shift to an AI-first product and team, giving him a close view of how AI is reshaping the way employers design and deliver benefits.
Please note: This is a co-hosted event between YuLife and Operations Nation. Attendee information submitted at registration will be shared with both parties for the purposes of running this event. Read Operations Nation's privacy policy and YuLife's privacy policy.