Emily Elrod

Emily Elrod is a nationally recognized HR strategist, workplace well-being expert, and people-first leader who brings a rare combination of lived experience, engineering precision, and infectious energy to every room she enters. As the President of Workzbe, Emily helps high-pressure organizations—from Fortune 500s to healthcare systems and logistics firms—go from stressed to strategic through her signature WISE approach: Work Well, Work Intelligent, Work Safe, and Work Empowered.

Emily's journey is one of resilience and innovation. Once a 21-year-old single mother and lead ergonomic engineer, she witnessed firsthand how stress erodes innovation, performance, and human dignity in the workplace. Her early career in health and safety strategy sparked a powerful realization: even well-intentioned programs were shaping people into better workers—not better humans.

In response, she founded Workzbe, a consultancy focused on building collaborative, energized, and people-centric cultures. Her WISE engagement strategies are grounded in data and humanity—delivering measurable outcomes like a 22% decrease in turnover, a 28% increase in employee engagement, and over $1,900 in ROI per employee through reduced claims and increased productivity.

Trusted by clients across manufacturing, utilities, banking, professional athletics, and more, Emily is known for helping leaders unlock performance by prioritizing psychological safety, organizational culture, and employee well-being. Whether she’s on stage or in the boardroom, she “nerds out” on the science of how people, places, and things (yes, nouns) move from surviving to thriving.

Emily is a compelling speaker for audiences of HR leaders, people strategists, and culture champions ready to elevate their organizations with wisdom, empathy, and real results. When she’s not leading her world-class team, you’ll find her playing tag with her kids or caring for animals on her family farm.