Catalyst Brands is rolling out the WorkJam frontline operations platform across its full portfolio of retail brands - Aéropostale, Brooks Brothers, Lucky Brand, and Nautica - extending the technology to approximately 70,000 associates across North America. The expansion builds on WorkJam's existing deployment at JCPenney, where the platform has already boosted employee engagement and retention, and introduces an AI Agent that delivers on-demand HR support directly within the app.
The move places conversational AI into the daily workflow of store and supply chain employees, giving them instant access to HR and benefits information without pulling managers off the floor or contacting support centers. "Serving millions of customers across our unmatched portfolio of iconic brands depends on creating a workforce that is connected, agile, and increasingly AI-enabled," said Andre Joyner, EVP and Chief Human Resources Officer for Catalyst Brands.
AI-powered HR support where employees already work
The new AI Agent lives inside the same WorkJam app associates already use for scheduling, training, and communication. Employees can ask HR questions in their own words and receive policy-based answers immediately. Because the agent operates within WorkJam's existing permissions and governance controls, it respects the same access boundaries already in place for each user. Catalyst Brands plans to expand the agent beyond HR over time, eventually helping employees with everyday operational questions during their shifts.
"At Catalyst Brands, we believe the future of work will be defined by how thoughtfully organizations use technology to help associates perform at their best," Joyner said. "Through our partnership with WorkJam, we're embedding AI directly into the flow of work, giving associates faster access to needed information, reducing everyday friction, and creating more capacity for managers to lead their teams and serve customers."
What the platform already delivers at JCPenney
WorkJam's existing footprint at JCPenney provides a template for what the broader rollout aims to achieve. Associates use the platform to swap shifts, request time off, access training, and get early access to earned wages - all from a single mobile app. The platform's Target Audience Engine sends personalized communication and training based on role, location, shift, and certification, so employees receive relevant information without sifting through noise.
Since implementing WorkJam, JCPenney has seen employee referrals increase manifold, signaling stronger engagement among frontline staff. Each Catalyst brand can tailor the platform's features to its specific operational needs while maintaining consistency across the portfolio.
Scaling frontline flexibility across five brands
Steven Kramer, CEO of WorkJam, said the expansion reflects real results on the ground. "Catalyst is expanding WorkJam across all five brands because it's delivering for their associates and the managers who lead them," he said. "As part of that, they're putting AI directly in the hands of employees, starting with on-demand HR support, inside the same platform they already use to run their operations."
The rollout gives Catalyst a foundation to extend AI-powered support across the frontline over time. By starting with HR use cases - where questions are frequent and answers are often policy-driven - the company creates a low-friction entry point for AI adoption among a workforce that may have limited exposure to enterprise AI tools.
Why this matters for HR professionals
This deployment signals a shift in how large retail organizations approach AI for Human Resources: not as a standalone chatbot, but as a capability embedded in the operational platform employees already use daily. For AI for HR Managers, the takeaway is practical. When AI tools live inside existing workflows, adoption barriers drop because employees don't need to learn a new system or remember a separate login. The Catalyst deployment also demonstrates a sequenced approach - prove the platform's value with scheduling and communication first, then layer in AI-powered HR support, then expand to operational questions. HR leaders evaluating AI rollouts should note that starting with high-frequency, policy-based queries reduces risk while building user trust and usage data that inform future expansions.
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