We're Only Human
Ben Eubanks
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A podcast focused on blending research and practical advice to help today's HR, talent, and learning leaders improve business outcomes.
We're Only Human was started in 2016 as a way to enable today's HR leaders to access the insights of innovative thinkers, thought leaders, and influencers in the human resources, talent, and learning industry. HR is often thought of as a stodgy, uptight bunch of administrators. In reality, great HR leaders are dynamic, innovative business professionals that greatly influence organizational outcomes. We're Only Human focuses on interviews with high quality HR leaders, influential vendor executives, and more to help today's businesses improve their HR service delivery and performance.
Available episodes
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Oct 25, 2023
Turning Labor Market Insights into Talent Intelligence with Brian Jackson of Southwest Airlines
So we're looking at how the words are actually formed. When you're hiring for a technology manager, what does that mean? Are you looking for a technical technology manager? Are you looking for someone who grew up in the chops of software development, knows all of the full delivery life cycle, or are you looking for someone who's more project focused? If your job description isn't conveying those skills or that type of clarification in the job description, you're not gonna get the right person. You might get lucky. But when you're hiring at scale, you know you can't do that time and time again.
Brian Jackson, Talent Acquisition Consultant, Southwest Airlines
We're Only Human -- Episode 166
How can employers use the data from the larger labor market to make decisions on key skills, strategic workforce planning, and other human capital activities?
In this episode, Ben talks with Brian Jackson of Southwest Airlines on that exact topic, diving into data sources, how to translate insights, and more. Talent leaders that have considered exploring the new era of talent intelligence will learn Brian's thinking on the topic and how he supports his team with external labor data from beyond the four walls of the organization. Show Notes
* Connect with Brian on LinkedIn
* Want to see our latest and ongoing research? We post all of it here.
* Check out our show archives and sign up for updates so you don't miss an episode
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Oct 4, 2023
Skills, Potential, and Work Insights from Heidi Perloff of The Estée Lauder Companies
" I do think that there is so much hidden talent inside our organizations, and we don't even realize it. How do you find that? How do you leverage that? How do you build and develop that? This is what I find so interesting about the skills conversation. Everything that we've just been talking, about the potential and impact for any one of us is huge."
Heidi Perloff, SVP, Global HR Strategic Initiatives and Delivery Solutions at The Estée Lauder Companies Inc.
We're Only Human - Episode 165
Think about yourself and your work for a moment. Does your job title capture everything you are capable of doing, or does it just highlight a small subset of your skills that make you who you are?
In this episode of We're Only Human, Ben talks with Heidi Perloff from The Estee Lauder Companies about the importance of knowing our people, understanding our own talents and passions, and how to bring those together in the workplace. Show Notes Show Notes
* Connect with Heidi
* Want to see our latest and ongoing research? We post all of it here.
* Check out our show archives and sign up for updates so you don't miss an episode
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Aug 28, 2023
How to Skip 1,500 Interviews and Increase Quality of Hire
And so that doesn't happen overnight. But over time, as people bought into it and we started to see over the course of one year, we gave the business back 1500 interviews. Imagine the extra time that was available for our product managers. They could do their job, and then when the quality of hire goes up with that, you start to get this [positive] cycle. You've now made a better hire, and because you started with listening, there's a high probability that [they're] gonna be successful and stay longer.
Lance Sapera, Former VP Talent Acquisition, Talend
We're Only Human -- Episode 164
How do you structure talent acquisition teams to support business growth?
Did you know that the best approach isn't to use a very lean team and overwork them? That's the perspective of today's guest, Lance Sapera, who has supported multiple organizations through rapid growth as a talent acquisition executive. The insights he offers are a roadmap to smarter, more effective hiring practices.
As the title indicates, Lance shares one change to TA processes that led to 1,500 fewer interviews AND a stronger quality of hire at the same time, which is virtually unheard of.
Grab your notepad. This is a great episode and you should have some excellent takeaways. Show Notes
* Connect with Lance
* Thanks to Lever for connecting us with Lance!
* Want to see the upcoming research Ben mentioned in the intro? We post all of it here.
* Check out our show archives and sign up for updates so you don't miss an episode
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Aug 4, 2023
Can HR Really Work Remotely? How Eco’s Head of People Does It
I'm really excited we are a fully remote organization. It's why I get to do the work I do from Hawaii. It does mean I have really early mornings, so be aware of what you're signing up for, but I get to work fully remote. In supporting fully remote organizations, we have to be incredibly intentional about the culture and the way we work.
Diana Brown, Head of People, Eco
We're Only Human -- Episode 163
Working remote. It's a polarizing topic overall, but perhaps even more so when it comes to HR positions. Should HR be in the office, or is it okay if People professionals work remotely?
In this episode, Ben talks with Diana Brown of Eco about how she and her team manage the remote/distributed aspects of creating a connected, employee-focused culture through intentional design, communications, and more. Show Notes
* Connect with Diana
* Thanks to Goody for connecting us with Diana!
* Check out our show archives and sign up for updates so you don't miss an episode
goody ongoody.com https://www.ongoody.com/business
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Jul 17, 2023
3 People Leaders Share Frontline Employee Engagement Secrets
"One of the things that a lot of our industry struggled with was trying to regulate employees and not let them have their phone in their hand, but we actually encourage it. We ask them to help us do TikToks. Everybody gets involved. It really brings in a sense of camaraderie. We're not constantly saying, 'Get off your phone. Get off your phone. Get off your phone.' We're encouraging them: get on your phone, take the pictures, take the videos, promote the brand."
Michele Corkins, Senior Manager, People Solutions, Hawaiian Bros Island Grill
We're Only Human -- Episode 162
Think about this research stat: One out of every two frontline workers thinks they aren't treated equitably with corporate staff. In our 2022 Frontline Worker Study that covered thousands of frontline staff around the world, we found so many different insights that are helpful for understanding how to build an employee experience that supports, connects, and engages these critical employees. Today's podcast episode is a replay of a conversation between Ben and three HR leaders at frontline employers:
* Michele Corkins of Hawaiian Bros Island Grill
* Gemma Elay of Hawksmoor
* Ana Ledesma of Just Salad
Listen in to hear what tools they use to support their people, what resources they think are more relevant to frontline staff, and more. Thanks to Harri for connecting us! Show Notes
* Check out the frontline research report with additional takeaways
* Thanks to Harri, one of the world's leading platforms for supporting frontline employers, for hosting the conversation with Michele, Gemma, and Ana!
* Check out our show archives and sign up for updates so you don't miss an episode
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Jul 6, 2023
Listening to the Needs of 1700 People at Once at Getty Images
"We have 1700 people at our company. That's 1700 different opinions, needs, journeys. So at Getty Images we create and we measure and we monitor engagement opportunities to strengthen a work culture where people belong and they can do their best work."
Marie Potter, Senior Director, Culture & Development, Getty Images
We're Only Human -- Episode 161
Defining the problem is a big step towards finding a solution. But what do you do when the problem or challenge is so broad and varied that it's hard to pinpoint what solution might work? That's the difficulty that arises daily for HR leaders looking at how to support the needs of every person in the workforce. In this episode of We're Only Human, Ben talks with Marie Potter from Getty Images about how she and her team are able to listen, identify, and support the needs of their workforce at scale. Show Notes
* Connect with Marie on LinkedIn
* Thanks to Quantum Workplace for the connection/introduction to Marie
* Learn more about HR Summer School and check out the 2023 replay free!
* Check out our show archives and sign up for updates so you don't miss an episode
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Jun 21, 2023
Case Study: How to Automate Hundreds of Hours of Onboarding Tasks
"I was deleting 24 Google Calendar placeholders one day and manually copy/pasting new hire email addresses into the 17 ones we were going to keep. It was at least 30 minutes of hundreds of just mindless clicks. And I said, wait a minute. I'm gonna figure out how to do this [better]. So I looked at our Google Calendar integration, saw that I could both delete calendar events and add participants to calendar events. It worked so well. I took hundreds of clicks down to two clicks to complete those two actions, which is huge for me. And then I said, what else can I automate? So I just kept going from there."
Ashley Priebe Brown, Onboarding Manager, Zapier
We're Only Human -- Episode 160
Onboarding is one of the most critical moments in the employee experience. The latest data from Lighthouse Research & Advisory shows that two out of three new hires know if they will stay at a company within the first week on the job. But that's not all. There are so many transactional, repetitive tasks that it's easy to get bogged down as an HR leader. In this episode of We're Only Human, Ashley Priebe Brown from Zapier talks about how she automated hundreds of hours of onboarding tasks, minimizing busy work and maximizing impact on their new hire cohorts. If you are looking for ideas on how to streamline your onboarding and make it more relevant and useful, this episode is for you. Show Notes
* Connect with Ashley on LinkedIn
* Check out our show archives and sign up for updates so you don't miss an episode
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Jun 12, 2023
Talent Intelligence is the Future of Hiring
"If I had to put a bet on the future, where we're headed is about understanding potential future performance and what drives and drains people. I think that's really where I see TA going longer term. We've seen success around using some of that psychometric data to really upskill folks into engineers that wouldn't not necessarily have been on technical paths. So business analysts, old school project managers, and those technical analyst folks... Finding the ones that are really well suited to engineering thought and then upskilling them on the actual technology themselves."
Travis Windling, Director Talent Acquisition Strategy & Insights, RBC
We're Only Human -- Episode 159
Hiring has changed tremendously in recent years, and one thing is for certain: things haven't settled down yet. As Travis Windling believes, there are going to be big shifts in how employers understand and predict performance for both external and internal candidates. A big part of hiring well is predictability and quality, and unfortunately resumes just don't get the job done there. In this episode Ben and Travis talk about data, analytics, hiring decisions, and more. Show Notes
* Connect with Travis on LinkedIn
* Check out our show archives and sign up for updates so you don't miss an episode
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May 23, 2023
Recruitment Process Outsourcing Research: Value and Impact
"And speaking of changing expectations and what's socially acceptable, this challenge of ghosting is going through the roof, and I've got bad news for you.
It's gonna get worse.
When we look at the data on ghosting, we see that it's actually age correlated. So someone who is 25 is more likely than someone who's 35, who's more likely someone who's 45, and so on. So the people who are 55 years old and older in the workplace are the least likely to ghost an employer.
And guess what? They're gonna steadily age out. And the ones who are doing it the most are gonna continue aging into the workforce."
Ben Eubanks, Chief Research Officer, Lighthouse Research & Advisory Excerpt from 2022 RPO Association Conference Keynote
We're Only Human -- Episode 158
In this rare solo episode, Ben shares a short portion of his 2022 keynote address at the Recruitment Process Outsourcing Association Annual Conference in Chicago, unveiling some brand new research on how employers value RPO relationships, what gaps exist, and more.
* To learn more about the conference: https://www.rpoassociation.org/event-5062642
* To see the full RPO research report: https://rpoassociation.org/2022-RPO-Research-Report/
* Learn more about the RPOA: https://rpoassociation.org/
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Apr 17, 2023
From Talent Transformation to L&D Fundamentals with Mike Trusty of Fannie Mae
"It's a big differentiator. And I think the organizations that figure it out--the organizations that get it right--are the ones that are gonna be able to attract people. And I think organizations that don't are gonna have more of a struggle because that becomes more important as we think about just making conscious choices: how do we wanna spend our days? How do we wanna spend our working lives and what do we want to accomplish?
Mike Trusty, VP of Talent and Learning, Fannie Mae
We're Only Human -- Episode 157
Digital transformation isn't a new concept, but it's always interesting to hear how different employers approach the process, the challenge, and most importantly, the people side of the equation. In this episode of We're Only Human, Ben Eubanks interviews Mike Trusty from Fannie Mae about his perspective on the organization's transformation journey and what lessons it holds for other leaders on similar paths. Spoiler alert: Mike's big recommendation: hold off on the flash and focus on the substance. The nuts and bolts. The key fundamentals. Without that foundation, most efforts will not succeed long-term. Want more? Dive into this episode and take notes!
Show Notes
* Connect with Mike on LinkedIn
* Check out HR Summer School, our biggest virtual livestream event of the year!
* Check out our show archives and sign up for updates so you don't miss an episode
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Mar 7, 2023
When Training Isn’t the Answer with Delta Dental’s Head of Learning
There's certainly the opportunity cost that comes with assigning someone from your learning team or frankly finding anybody to work on this if it's not gonna fix the problem. There's also the frustration that comes with that. I've experienced that personally and as a leader of learning professionals. It is really frustrating to spend your time and effort doing something that you think is not gonna work.
Ben Sieke, Director of Talent Development and Learning, Delta Dental
We're Only Human -- Episode 156
When training is the answer to a problem, it can improve performance, satisfaction, and results.
When it's not the answer, it just increases frustration, drives down motivation, and increases unnecessary costs.
In today's episode of We're Only Human, Ben talks with Ben Sieke from Delta Dental about when issues are training problems and when they aren't. More importantly, Sieke shares insights as a learning executive for how to adapt and respond to the situations in a positive, produ…
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Feb 17, 2023
How Coca Cola Europacific Exposes External Candidates to Internal Culture Champions
"So there's a massive amount of insights coming from this. We measure things like net promoter score -- we have an average NPS of around 73, which as we all know is pretty great. And a big one for me is that 41% of people we actually go on to hire actually have used the platform once or more than once. That's a really big figure to show this is actually supporting employees to apply with us and attracting them to us and being successful in getting a role with us."
Lisa Brignall, Head of Talent Acquisition GB at Coca Cola Europacific Partners
We're Only Human -- Episode 155
One of the things every company struggles with is sharing a realistic preview of the job with candidates. Job applicants expect recruiters and hiring managers to smooth over the rough edges, and it's tough to have a transparent and honest conversation. But Lisa Brignall and the team at Coca Cola Europacific Partners have found a way to solve for this. They actually give candidates access to employee Insiders that…
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Feb 4, 2023
Pay Transparency and Compensation Trends with Marriott’s VP of Global Compensation
"The joke is pilots get in the plane, they read their checklist, and they take off. They push the [autopilot] button and sit back and wait for the plane to land itself. But when something goes wrong, suddenly the pilot's got to take control. And then everybody's life's in that pilot's hands. I think autopilot turned off for compensation people 18 months ago."
Bryan Briscoe, VP Global Compensation at Marriott International
We're Only Human -- Episode 154
There's not a company in existence that hasn't needed to take a fresh look at compensation in the last year. The general consensus? "Wages are up."
But this conversation offers a deeper look for those that really want to dig into how compensation is changing. In today's episode, Ben chats with Bryan Briscoe of Marriott International about critical trends in compensation like pay transparency requirements, how crowdsourced pay data compares to traditional salary survey data, and the biggest lesson Bryan recommends that other HR and c…
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Jan 18, 2023
New Research on the Impact of Employee Belonging
We can talk about DEI and belonging in that space. We can talk about culture, but really those powerful impacts that can happen internally and externally are really dictated on the leadership. When I think of leadership, I believe leadership is an example of love, trust, and grace.
George Rogers, Chief Culture Officer, Lighthouse Research & Advisory
We're Only Human -- Episode 153
There's no shortage of conversations today about DEI and the newest addition to that set of perspectives--belonging. But one of the challenges talent and DEI leaders have is making belonging more than just a buzzword or an empty phrase. To get real investment, support, and focus on this critical topic, they need a business case.
In today's episode, you'll hear from George Rogers, a new addition to the team at Lighthouse. George is going to be focusing his research on DEI, culture, leadership, performance, and engagement. In this conversation with Ben, George highlights some of the new research on belongin…
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Dec 12, 2022
Chief People Officer Perspective: How Persado Uses Bryq to Debias Hiring Decisions
"Our main priorities right now are not unlike all people leaders. We're focused on hiring and we're focused on retention. On the hiring front, it's less about volume hiring. I think that everyone's slowing down just a little bit. With this economy we're focused on smart hiring and making sure that we're bringing in the right people for the right roles. Making sure not just to check a box or to make sure we're getting people in, but we want them to be happy in that role."
Allison Lee, Chief People Officer, Persado
We're Only Human -- Episode 152
When we select candidates, bias enters the process. There's no other way to say it. But increasingly companies are using tools to help them make selection decisions based on data. In Persado's case, the company uses Bryq to help create a clear picture of what each candidate brings to the table so hiring managers can select the best fit candidate for the role, not just one that makes them feel comfortable.
As we hear from Allison Lee, Chief P…
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Nov 28, 2022
How Southwest Airlines Promotes Internal Career Opportunities on We’re Only Human
"One of our ramp agents interacted with our CEO during one of his station visits and mentioned that he had taught himself how to code and that he was interested in technology. Our CEO was able to come back and connect him with recruiters and with our career mobility center [to] learn about a new program that we were just standing up. That employee actually moved from a ramp agent into this program, and our CEO was the one to call and make him an offer."
Kelby Tansey, Manager of Recruitment Marketing, Southwest Airlines
We're Only Human -- Episode 151
Most companies put at least some thought into how they promote their jobs to candidates outside the company. But what about promoting those jobs within the organization? Research shows that two out of three workers have quit a job because of a lack of growth, but 90% of them would have stayed if they had seen a path ahead!
In this episode, Ben talks with Kelby Tansey of Southwest Airlines about how the company makes positions and caree…
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Nov 2, 2022
Don’t Teach Managers About Engagement: Teach Them to Be Engaging
"One day he challenged me and he said, 'Listen, I want you to help our 477 store directors be great. But listen, I don't want you to go and teach them about engagement. They don't need like a history lesson. But I want you to teach them how to be engaging.' As I've navigated through various organizations, what I realized is that most organizations have the same challenges around manager performance."
Kamaria Scott, Manager Enablement Expert at Accenture
We're Only Human -- Episode 150
During a recent livestream event, when first-time managers was brought up as a conversation topic, multiple attendees quickly pointed out their own follies and challenges when it came to first time leadership roles.
Yet most companies still don't have a structured way to identify, select, and equip managers to be capable professionals.
In today's conversation with Kamaria Scott from Accenture, Ben and Kamaria talk about:
* Some of her favorite methods for helping to create more openness around man…
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Oct 13, 2022
This RPO Firm Hires Thousands of People a Year-Here’s How Hiring is Changing
"What I've seen over the last six to 12 months is that companies are literally craving this information to understand: are they still competitive? Because they've made so many moves, whether it was with pay or benefits, they want to understand where they stack as it relates to their competition."
Terry Terhark, Founder and CEO, NXTThing RPO
We're Only Human -- Episode 149
If you want to be an Olympian, you'd look at what Olympians do and learn from their approach. If you want to achieve that same world-class level of success in hiring, you should look at what world-class organizations are doing in hiring.
NXTThing RPO is a recruitment process outsourcing partner for innovative companies that desire support in their hiring operations. The leader of NXTThing is Terry Terhark, a veritable legend in the RPO industry and a wealth of information about what creates successful hiring outcomes.
In today's discussion, Ben talks with Terry about how hiring is evolving, what's next for the ec…
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Sep 19, 2022
Better Managers, Better Support, Better Results
And so we experimented and said, let's have a trial run at being a manager. We took about 25 people that wanted to be a manager as a cohort. We said, okay, for a period of six to nine months, we would give you a small team you'd be responsible to learn how to interview and make hiring decisions. Then you get to decide whether or not you want to continue the manager path or not.
Pat Wadors, Chief People Officer, UKG
We're Only Human -- Episode 148
Managers are an essential part of getting work done.
But many times managers and talent leaders end up butting heads, having mismatched expectations, or simply not getting along. In this episode, Chief People Officer Pat Wadors shares her experiences and advice for creating stronger manager relationships and outcomes that benefit not just HR and line managers, but their teams as well. Pat also dive into belonging and what it means in the modern workplace, giving each of us some ideas on how to make it a part of what we do every day.
Links…
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Aug 29, 2022
Positioning Culture as ”Business Success Insurance” on We’re Only Human
"I guarantee there is a direct correlation between a fantastic culture to business success. They are always together. I would say that the strong culture is the insurance policy of every business."
Ronni Zehavi, CEO, HiBob
We're Only Human -- Episode 147
What if we had a way to shield our businesses from unnecessary turnover, disinterested staff, and other similar challenges?
It turns out that we do. It's called culture. In some new research, we found that just 52% of HR leaders say their technology supports the employee-focused culture they desire. That's a big gap.
In today's interview with Ronni Zehavi of HiBob, Ben dives deep with Ronni into culture, why it matters, and how HR technology helps to support an employee-focused culture in practical ways. Ronni talks about transparency, teamwork, flexibility, and other tangible examples based on his experience as a business leader.
This episode is sponsored by Workplace from Meta.
Links and Show Notes
* Learn more about Workpl…
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Aug 19, 2022
How Mayo Clinic Selects Leaders: A Case Study
"When we select leaders, what we have found is leaders may have great, innovative ideas. They may be very driven to achieve. But if they're not inspiring people, if they're not demonstrating those interpersonal qualities that people see them as servant leaders, we've noticed that people are not willing to follow them. So we really emphasize that [serving] is exactly the quality that we want to see in leaders."
Ji-Yun Kang, Leadership Assessment and Selection, Mayo Clinic
We're Only Human -- Episode 146
All of the data indicate that a leader can make or break someone's experience at work. In this episode of We're Only Human, Ben talks with Ji Yun Kang, head of leadership assessment and selection at Mayo Clinic. Ji-Yun shares the key attributes the organization looks for in its leaders, including the things that push someone into the "no" pile when under consideration.
Ms. Kang also suggests how to evaluate if leaders are actually successful or not, offering examples that help to mak…
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Aug 11, 2022
Mentoring the 80% - Avoiding the Rock Stars and Duds
"The first thing is 100% look for difference [when mentoring]. If you are only looking for more of the same, you are hurting yourself. Cloning was bad in Star Wars, and cloning is bad in real life. The second one is related: get away from the rock stars and the duds when you are mentoring."
Lt. Col. Chaveso "Chevy" Cook, PhD, Executive Director, MilitaryMentors.org
We're Only Human -- Episode 145
Mentoring has been a bigger conversation in the last year as more companies are looking for ways to develop women leaders, move diverse professionals up the ranks, and support the workforce in a more tangible way. But employers often look at just the top 10% and bottom 10%, according to today's guest, missing the chance to connect with the 80% of employees who are typically excluded from mentoring opportunities.
In this conversation, Ben speaks with Lt. Col. Chevy Cook about key ideas in successful mentoring based on research and practice. They not only tie in the science of mentoring but…
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Aug 4, 2022
Making ”No Regrets” Changes as People and Business Leaders
"The more that we could be pushing that on the business side to say beyond revenue and profitability, what is the quality metric? What is the wellbeing metric? Obviously, employee engagement many companies measure. Are we measuring the investments in learning that we're putting out there for our people, even if they are people that end up leaving, if we're improving the future employability of a workforce, surely that's a good business and society metric."
Bhushan Sethi, People & Organization Joint Global Leader, PwC
We're Only Human -- Episode 144
In the last 24 months, HR and People leaders have been in the spotlight more than ever before, and this has given birth to opportunities to influence and change the workplace for the better. But how do you know which priorities to set, where to put your focus and effort, and what to do first?
In this episode, Ben talks with Bhushan Sethi, a global people leader from PwC, to understand how he makes these decisions. Using a blend of resear…
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Jul 11, 2022
The One Thing People Analytics Teams Often Get Wrong
"I think the danger that we tend to run as people analytics teams is that we're not willing to take slightly bolder stances and say, "Hey, we have a better collective picture of the labor market. We have a better collective picture of what enterprise trends and behaviors are like." We need to give strategic guidance and not just be turning over data products."
Zach Frank, Senior Manager of People Analytics, Freeman Company (formerly at Aramark)
We're Only Human -- Episode 143
When it comes to analytics and AI usage in the business, we don't always think about HR and people first. However, there are tremendous opportunities to create and deliver value using both of those tools, even for something as personal and human-centric as the work of HR.
Zach Frank believes that, and he's used those principles in his different roles to bring new value for the workforce, managers, and executive leadership through smarter people practices. In this episode, Zach shares with Ben some of the ways…
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Jun 10, 2022
How to Win in the Modern Hiring Environment on We’re Only Human
"Oftentimes they're looking for a quick fix. But what I will say is those that are doing [hiring] well and really moving the needle are those that are looking at this issue holistically. What is our employment brand in the market? Who are we competing with in our market? How does our total compensation package compete? Do we know how to sell to candidates?"
Pam Verhoff, President, Advanced RPO
We're Only Human -- Episode 142
Everyone's talking about hiring. And we all want an easy button.
In this episode, Pam Verhoff and Tim Oyer of Advanced RPO talk with Ben about their experiences helping clients hire thousands of candidates in recent years, including key practices that lead to success (plus what has and hasn't changed over time).
In our research, we see that 8 in 10 hiring leaders say that recruiting has become a business-level priority in the last year. During the discussion, Pam talks about how to elevate that conversation with concrete dialogue and numbers that drive attenti…
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May 19, 2022
Prioritizing Skills to Drive Talent Agility at H.B. Fuller
"How can you build things that are as small as they can be so that you can plug and play and you can pivot and change? The way that I think about manifesting that in talent programs is thinking about more of a skills culture. If we have the skill of adapting and coping, for example, and we know that's a critical element in a lot of areas of our organization. Let's go ahead and build programs around building that skill up, then we can quickly pivot and change as the organization's needs change."
Becky Layana, Global Talent Program Manager, H.B. Fuller
We're Only Human -- Episode 141
In today's dynamic workplace, employers need to think about how they can create high-impact talent programs that deliver results like engagement, performance, and retention. At H.B. Fuller, this is a top priority. In today's discussion, Ben and Becky Layana, Global Talent Program Manager at H.B. Fuller, examine how the company prioritizes talent, what that means from a culture and values perspective, and…
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Apr 26, 2022
The Data Behind Paid Leave and What Workers Really Want
"I think the the one stat that came out of this research, that nine out of 10 employees would be more likely to stay with their employer if they had this benefit, I was just kind of blown away."
Rob Whalen, CEO, PTOExchange
We're Only Human -- Episode 140
One of the most common employee benefits is paid leave. Employers offer a variety of options, from more standard accrued leave during every pay period to a newer option for "unlimited PTO." But how do people feel about these benefits?
Well, the data are in, and you might be surprised by what you learn.
In a new research study of 1,000 North American workers, we found that many of them have issues with the Paid Time Off (PTO) programs their companies offer. In this episode, Ben dives into the data with Rob Whalen to understand how workers feel, what they desire, and how employers can embrace flexibility in a powerful, tangible way.
Listen in to learn: how men and women see this differently, what this means for low-income workers,…
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Apr 12, 2022
How Montway Auto Transport Uses Stay Interviews and Employee-Centric Training
"Stay interviews are highly under-rated, but yet can provide , so much insight to your employees and so much data. It's almost like a secret weapon or secret tool that companies just don't take advantage of."
Amanda Turbeville, Global Head of Human Resources, Montway Auto Transport
We're Only Human -- Episode 139
In today's challenging hiring environment, employers need a way to connect with their people. Compensation? It's a start, but it doesn't motivate long-term. What about autonomy, training, and support? Those can create lasting connections with staff and drive retention in a powerful way.
But where do you start? In this conversation with Amanda Turbeville, Global Head of HR for Montway Auto Transport, you'll hear how the company leverages stay interviews not just to keep people, but to help define custom career paths to keep them engaged and connected with the organization. Amanda opens her play book and shares the questions they ask in these stay interviews as well as how t…
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Mar 31, 2022
Case Study: Kimberly Clark Revitalizes Employee Self Service
"In 2021, our employees asked about 27,000 questions from the chatbot and completed about 16,000 transactions. So this year our focus is really on reinforcing awareness and adoption while we're working to continue to improve our processes, our content, and our support structure."
Nicole Sloan, Employee Experience Leader, Kimberly Clark
We're Only Human -- Episode 138
For many workers at large companies, the only way to get help is with a phone number or a web portal. While there's nothing wrong with those actions, they can be disruptive to the daily flow of work and even difficult for those working in positions that don't lend themselves to office or desk work.
Kimberly Clark's Employee Experience team knew this and set out to change the fundamental interaction points for the firm's 46,000+ global workforce (including everything from desk workers to front line workers and everything in between).
The plan hinged on the implementation of KayCee, a chatbot that drove rapid, tailored…
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Mar 21, 2022
Psychological Safety, Resilience, and Work with Dr. Allessandria Polizzi
"We're talking ISO 45003 that I highly recommend people look at . Or you can talk to people like me who can break it down into regular language. Those three components of psychological health and safety, which are the structure, the environment and the expectations of behavior."
Dr. Allessandria Polizzi
We're Only Human -- Episode 137
In the workplace today, one of the common phrases that gets thrown around a lot is "psychological safety." But what is it, and how does it fit into the bigger conversation about resilience at work?
In this episode of We're Only Human, Ben talks with Allessandria Polizzi about this intersection, exploring practical ways to bring this from idea to reality. While it's easy to feel like these elements are "soft" or unimportant in the bigger scheme of things, they are emerging as critical leadership skills. Listen in to dive into concepts like self compassion, organizational dysfunction, and more.
If you enjoy this episode, you'll probably also like our t…
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Mar 9, 2022
The Business and Human Value of Organizational Transformation
If we want to transform and do things differently, we always have a big "why." We have a purpose we are going after. When I think about transformation, I say, how would you make a preferred way of working which will create delightful experiences for people at the center of that change?
Shalu Manan, HR Transformation Strategist
We're Only Human -- Episode 136
Change is inevitable, but there is a right and a wrong way we can present and represent change as HR leaders. In today's episode of We're Only Human, Ben talks with Shalu Manan, an HR Transformation Strategist working at Genpact. Shalu shares her personal stories of leading through change, identifying value points for the business, and driving positive experience for the workforce.
If you work for a business that is facing change on any scale (and we all do!), then this episode is going to give you the ideas, insights, and inspiration that you need to see it through.
Show Notes
Connect with Shalu on LinkedIn
See our show arc…
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Feb 23, 2022
The CHRO of Memphis on Getting to HR’s Purpose
The first advice I would say is be extremely clear about what your purpose is. When I came into this role, we were extremely clear about what not only my goal, but my purpose as a leader in what I was here to do. I think is important for all HR professionals to understand really the critical business needs for the organization that you're a part of, and what is your role in your purpose within that?
Alex Smith, CHRO of the City of Memphis
We're Only Human -- Episode 135
One of the things we're tasked with as HR leaders? Helping other people find their purpose in the business.
The data are clear: purpose is one of the key levers of engagement and connection with the business. But have we ever stopped to think about our own purpose? What it is? Why it matters? How it can serve as a guiding light for our efforts?
In this episode of We're Only Human, Ben talks with Alex Smith, head of HR for the City of Memphis, about her suggestions on how to create a more dynamic HR function through…
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Feb 15, 2022
New Data on Employee Mental Health, Business Impact, and Employee Perception
"According to their Director of DEI and Mental Health, they've reduced short-term disability claims related to mental health by 20%, and they've reduced relapse and recurrence by more than 50%."
Doug Berkowitz - SVP Operations - LifeSpeak
We're Only Human -- Episode 134
In the last few years, employee mental health has become a priority for more employers than ever before. And yet the data indicate that while employers are trying to make positive changes, they aren't really being felt by the workforce nearly as much as employers would like.
In this episode of We're Only Human, Ben talks with Doug Berkowitz from LifeSpeak about some new research that dives deep into what employees want from their companies, including specifics on types of mental health support, what aspects are most important, and how it will impact their performance and retention.
Bottom line: it's time to for employers to take the topic of mental health and wellbeing seriously if they want to attract and retain a…
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Feb 7, 2022
Mythbusting AI in Talent Acquisition on We’re Only Human
The days of a recruiter having to really remember or jot down different iterations, skills, synonyms, acronyms... Those days are gone. We are constantly learning based off of the resumes that we're parsing.
Terry Bustamante, DaXtra Technologies
We're Only Human -- Episode 133
Back in December, Ben and over 100 other business leaders and technology providers attended the HR Tech Connect Summit in Jacksonville, FL. At the event, one key session was called Mythbusting AI for HR, and it dove into the specific areas where myths abound because of misinformation or lack of insight into algorithm-based technologies.
Today's conversation with Terry from DaXtra, recorded live on site during the HR Tech Connect Summit, dives into mythbusting AI specifically around hiring, giving ideas about how AI can increase the number of candidates available for a role, drive diversity and limit bias, and so much more.
Links:
Interested in checking out what DaXtra is doing? Here is how they are supportin…
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Feb 2, 2022
Top Concerns for HR in 2022 on We’re Only Human
"Many employees these days may feel disconnected from their jobs or the company culture as a whole."
Ralf Hofmann, Managing Partner & Co-Founder, Drake Star
We're Only Human -- Episode 132
One of the things that makes us all better is hearing from people outside of our bubble. In this episode, Ben talks with Ralf Hofmann, an investor and business leader that helps with funding and business deals across the HR technology industry. They dive into some of the things that are top of mind for this business leader, such as the inclusion of artificial intelligence into HR operations, the need to consider virtual and remote employees when making decisions, and more.
But Ben also asks a hard question towards the end: should HR, talent, and learning professionals be looking at the company behind the technology, not just the software, when making a purchasing decision?
Check out this conversation to hear Ralf's answer and other trends his firm is watching for the coming year.
Show notes and…
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Jan 6, 2022
Creating a Vibrant Performance Process: Insights from Two Chief People Officers
"We all want to be seen, heard, and recognized."
Abby Hamilton, Chief People Officer, LiveIntent
We're Only Human -- Episode 131
When it comes to performance processes at most companies, the expected outcomes are compliance and completion. But in this episode, Ben talks with Shane Metcalf of 15Five and Abby Hamilton of LiveIntent to understand what it takes to create not just a process, but a true culture of performance within an organization.
Shane and Abby share ideas, insights, and suggestions that every employer can leverage to create a better and more equitable performance process.
Resources:
* Check out the HR Superstars podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hr-superstars/id1551858336
* Connect with Shane on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shane-metcalf-55620213/
* Connect with Abby on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/abbyhamilton/
* See the We're Only Human show archives and more: https://lhra.io/podcast
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Dec 6, 2021
Stop Avoiding AI and Embrace Human Experiences on We‘re Only Human
"We collect three to 4 billion talent signals in the platform. That number is so large that if you were to spread it out over each second, it's 30 years of data. It's a crazy large number, but machine learning can look at that and in a millisecond find the patterns that you're looking for and apply it to what you want in a heartbeat."
Cliff Jurkiewicz, VP Global Strategy at Phenom
We're Only Human -- Episode 130
Join Phenom's Industry-first AI Day at http://ai.phenom.com
Artificial intelligence is polarizing. It's either going to save us all or destroy life as we know it.
Okay, that's a bit tongue in cheek, but you know what I mean. The headlines paint one picture, but users (especially in HR and recruiting) are seeing incredible value. And that includes not just admins but employees and candidates as well. Put simply, AI can create amazing, personalized experiences .
In this episode, Ben speaks with Cliff Jurkiewicz, VP of Global Strategy at Phenom, about the use of AI technolog…
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Nov 8, 2021
Why Not Risk Hiring Someone Amazing? Featuring Peter Sursi of the FBI on We‘re Only Human
"And as I have these conversations with hiring managers and my peer executives, I often ask them things like, 'Who is the best person that works with you that comes from a non-traditional background--would you take more of them?'
And of course the answer is always yes. You can! You can do that. And why not risk the possibility of getting somebody amazing?"
Peter Sursi, Talent Executive, Federal Bureau of Investigation
We're Only Human -- Episode 129
In today's talent market, employers need to be willing to flex, change, and iterate. "The way we've always done it" was always a poor strategy, but today it could be crippling.
In this episode of the podcast, Ben talks with Peter Sursi, a talent executive with the FBI. Peter's belief is that employers should open up their hiring to nontraditional backgrounds. This not only supports diversity efforts, but it also helps to diversify talent pipelines and create a more rich and varied set of skills that your organization can tap into.
Lis…
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Oct 4, 2021
Leading Organizational Change at Siemens with Manuela Brede on We‘re Only Human
"No one likes leaving the comfort zone, but change forces you to leave your comfort zone, your known area. That is also an aspect of why it's important to start early because you also need to transport the vision for why you change, why you transform things, because if people don't understand why things are changing and what is the greater strategy, they will find it even harder to change themselves and their behavior."
Manuela Brede, Senior Consultant Transformation & Change Management at Siemens
We're Only Human -- Episode 128
Changing workplace technology, practices, or almost any factor in the employee experience is guaranteed to create friction. Why? Because humans are inherently drawn to stability. New data from Lighthouse Research & Advisory shows that while all employees don't want remote work, many of those that have it want to keep it.
Today's discussion with Manuela Brede of Siemens dives into change, change management, organizational transformation, and more. With a rob…
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Sep 28, 2021
Talent Intelligence and Compensation with Salary.com‘s CEO on We‘re Only Human
As we provide, billions and billions of data points of pay, job descriptions, skills, information about the organization, information about people... We have all this data and talent intelligence is an emerging super category.
Kent Plunkett, CEO, Salary.com
We're Only Human -- Episode 127
Today, more than ever, compensation is a priority for business leaders in fast-moving organizations. Not sure that's true? Try mentioning pay equity or competitive job offers and see what comes up.
In this episode, Ben interviews Kent Plunkett, CEO of Salary.com, about the company's priorities today. A key item on that agenda? The rise of Talent Intelligence as a category of AI-enabled talent technologies that drive better people and business outcomes.
Connect with the Salary.com team: http://salary.com/
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Sep 13, 2021
HR‘s Role in Driving Organizational Success with Julie Salomone on We‘re Only Human
"That's step one is you have to build that partnership. And hopefully now that the iron is hot, strike it. If you have been supporting your business and organization through this pandemic, how do you take advantage of that and make sure that now your voice is in the room. Make sure that now you're using your voice and you're saying some of these things. I think HR has a unique perspective to your point--we don't cause a lot of these issues, but we help solve a lot of these issues."
Julie Salomone, VP of Global Human Resources, Televerde
We're Only Human -- Episode 126
In all the factors that wrap into what a company does, the people are the key enablers, doers, and makers. And HR is the keeper of the people.
In this heartfelt episode, Julie Salomone of Televerde and host Ben Eubanks discuss how HR can step up and drive success for all initiatives, both talent-oriented and not. Julie talks about what inspires her as an HR leader and offers a clear call to action for today's talent p…
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Sep 7, 2021
Interviews as a Source of Rich, Actionable Data with BrightHire on We‘re Only Human
"The job of a talent acquisition leader is actually like five or six functions put together. You're a marketing leader doing outbound and branding. You're a sales leader, leading a team of individuals having conversations, converting candidates, or an operations leader by coordinating and scheduling and setting up interviews through the funnel. You're an analytics leader, trying to build dashboards and reporting."
Teddy Chestnut, BrightHire
We're Only Human -- Episode 125
In the hiring process, we collect a lot of data. We look at costs, timing, responsiveness, candidate qualities, and so much more. But the majority of companies don't capture much, if anything, around interviews. And when they do, that happens on a notepad or piece of paper, which is virtually impossible to analyze.
In this episode of We're Only Human, Teddy Chestnut from BrightHire talks about how his company is enabling powerful insights from interviews at a massive scale, allowing business leaders to use that da…
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Aug 25, 2021
20 Hiring Strategies, Ideas, and Tips for a Tight Talent Market on We‘re Only Human
Thousands of people have been our dataset this year that we've been talking to and analyzing and understanding what's happening. There's so much research and evidence here to help you. Transparently, I've never seen a market like we're in today. I hope this gives you some good insights and good ideas to solve for the current challenges and an extremely difficult hiring market.
Ben Eubanks Chief Research Officer, Lighthouse Research & Advisory Host, We're Only Human Host, HR Tech Talks Livestream Show
We're Only Human -- Episode 124
In the rare solo episode, Ben talks directly to talent and HR leaders who are struggling to find the right staff in the unprecedented job market employers are facing. This episode brings a ton of resources to bear:
* Ben's hands on experience in recruiting hard to find talent in the special operations aviation community
* Interviews with more than a dozen forward-thinking talent and HR leaders that are taking a proactive approach to the current situa…
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Aug 17, 2021
Openness to Failure as a Critical HR Skill on We're Only Human
"I think openness to failure is as important as openness to success, because if you're not open to failure, you're not open to trying new things. Full stop. You're going to keep rolling out the same trite things that maybe aren't the best things. So it's really as important to try new things, and where you give yourself the credibility is the fact that you are measuring and you are looking at whether or not this works objectively."
Caitlin Bigsby, Visier
We're Only Human -- Episode 123
Want to be more successful? Fail more often.
In a recent conversation with an executive that works with numerous high-performing organizations, he explained that the critical differentiator for the best firms is a willingness to iterate and experiment, knowing that some of those will inevitably fail.
In today's episode, Ben speaks with Caitlin Bigsby about the importance of analytics, measurement, and data when it comes to HR and talent practices. Caitlin shares how to identify problems that data ca…
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Aug 17, 2021
Digital, Secure Document Management for HR Teams on We’re Only Human
"An HR manager can do whatever they need to do. We do have a vision, and the vision is that all administrative tasks should be done in less than 15 seconds."
Leila Laidani, Aconso
We're Only Human -- Episode 122
In the last year, companies have shifted much of their work processes to a digital format. However, legacy files and workflows don't always transition so easily.
In this episode, Ben talks with the team from Aconso about how using secure, digital storage solutions can help HR leaders to not only protect and preserve sensitive information, but use their time more effectively than shuffling paper and documents.
Learn more:
Check out the Aconso website: https://www.aconso.com/
Check out the We're Only Human archives, subscribe, and more: https://lhra.io/podcast
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Aug 2, 2021
What's Your Culture of Health? Featuring Mobile Health on We're Only Human
"You need to have a competitive pay and benefits offering. When you go to do that, the employer ends up paying for a lot of things that go unused just because there's too much to communicate. What's just amazing about the time and space we're in now is you can really use personalization to surface opportunities from among and within those programs and benefits at the right time, in a way where it's really a health and benefits journey of one."
John Halloran, CEO at Mobile Health
We're Only Human -- Episode 121
Each of us is unique. Our day-to-day needs, our lifestyles, and even our stress levels vary greatly. But one thing is certain: wellbeing is applicable to every single one of us.
In this episode, Ben and John discuss the importance of creating customized health journeys for employees (for instance, targeting a personalized need for mental health, fertility, or nutritional suggestions).
Beyond that, the discussion brings in ideas for how HR leaders can drive the right engageme…
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Jul 27, 2021
SMB Employers, Complexity, and Compliance with Jordan Conley on We're Only Human
"I had a client that in February of last year had 72 employees, all in Boulder, Colorado. By September of last year, they eliminated their office and went remote. They went from having all their employees in one state to having those same 74 employees, but across 14 different states."
Jordan Conley, President, Obsidian HR
We're Only Human -- Episode 120
In the United States, approximately 98% of the employers that exist have fewer than 100 employees. It's easy to get caught up in the headlines that focus on enterprise companies, but a massive segment of the economy (and job market) are tied to small businesses.
In this episode, Ben talks with Jordan Conley, President of Obsidian HR, about the challenges facing small businesses today. The discussion covers topics like outsourcing for a greater focus on strategic HR, how remote work makes compliance and HR work more difficult, and more.
Connect with Jordan and Obsidian HR:
* https://www.obsidianhr.com/
* https://www.linkedin.co…
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Jul 8, 2021
Personalizing Talent Practices at an Individual Level with Juan Betancourt on We're Only Human
"Companies can now optimize things like rewards and training and development. HR and the way companies communicate with employees is going to be based on personalization."
Juan Betancourt, CEO, Humantelligence
We're Only Human -- Episode 119
The "one size fits all" approach is being replaced with the "one size fits one" approach at some of the most forward-thinking companies.
In your personal life, you expect personalization. Customized movie, dining, or clothing recommendations are becoming the norm. But at work, this hasn't been the case in the past.
Now, with intelligent technologies, we can personalize how we interact with everyone at work, creating deeper levels of understanding and collaboration. In this episode of We're Only Human, Ben talks with Juan Betancourt of Humantelligence about how the company is enabling these personalized experiences for the workforce and executive leaders. Use cases for personalization include everything from who to fits a job or company to how…
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Jun 28, 2021
How to Bring the HR Community Together with Bill Banham on We're Only Human
"It all has to link back to practical insights and practical takeaways about how best we can come through the current crisis together."
Bill Banham, Editor, HR Gazette
We're Only Human -- Episode 118
One of the fun parts of the last year has been connecting with new people, finding new resources, and building new communities. Someone at the heart of that is Bill Banham, editor and publisher at the HR Gazette. As someone who covers things happening in the HR industry, he brings a unique and balanced perspective on what HR leaders can learn about today's business environment.
In this episode, Ben and Bill talk about the learnings of the last year, what he sees as important for HR leaders to pursue in the coming months, and more.
Check out the HR Gazette where Bill spends most of his time: https://hr-gazette.com/
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Jun 10, 2021
Work Has Changed at DHL - Here's How The Company is Prioritizing Talent
"Listening without solving... Is really important, because the tendency for a lot of people is when somebody comes to you with an issue, the immediate response is to try and find a solution to the problem when in fact that may not be what you need."
Gordon Simpson, SVP Human Resources, DHL Global Forwarding
We're Only Human -- Episode 117
Work is changing. We all know it. We've seen it. Hiring is more difficult than ever, and predictions are that it will get harder. Retaining talent is critical. Development is essential.
It's easy to feel like it's a problem that nobody can solve, but in today's conversation, Ben talks with Gordon Simpson of DHL Global Forwarding about how the firm is serving its workforce by putting them first. From shifting to bring PPE into the country during COVID to health concerns with return to work, DHL is adapting to meet the challenges its people face and supporting them at the same time.
Connect with Gordon on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gordo…
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Jun 1, 2021
Don't Judge for Feelings, Judge for Actions - Featuring Faye Ekong on We're Only Human
"There's a lot of blame going around. Rumors, gossip, people are on their guard. So this kind of hidden anger and passive aggressiveness that I have seen, [what's] always an eye-opener with clients is how many people need to be CC'd on any given email. So the more people that are CC'd in anything gives you an indication: there's a bit of fear, and so that shows that there's generally low trust."
Faye Ekong, Managing Director, RavelWorks Africa
We're Only Human -- Episode 116
In the organizational context of change management, it's easy to become frustrated or flustered with people about how they feel about policies and decisions. But as Faye Ekong so clearly illustrates in this conversation on We're Only Human, we should hold them accountable for their actions, not how they feel.
In addition, Faye shares insights on organizational health (and a lack of it) with examples that will make you smile and nod along with her. Her work in Africa in may ways reflects the work of HR leaders a…
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May 14, 2021
Workplace Performance is 90 Percent Mental with Roger Kitchen on We're Only Human
"So the nerdy neuroscience about the brain is that your brain can't distinguish between a real-time event or if you visualized it. But when you when you walk yourself mentally, emotionally, visually through those things, and you just see yourself doing them and being successful, that's the really key piece."
Roger Kitchen, Mental Skills Coach
We're Only Human -- Episode 115
High-performing individuals in music, athletics, and even business use coaches to help them accomplish their goals, but have you ever thought about the importance of mental skills at work?
For knowledge workers (and HR leaders), the vast majority of performance isn't physical in nature, it's mental. And yet we let ourselves continue doing what we've always done, missing opportunities to create better performance and work habits.
In this fun interview with Roger Kitchen, a mental skills coach, Ben and Roger dive into the key aspects of creating good work habits, focusing mental performance, and driving better sa…
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May 6, 2021
Human Benefits for a Human Workforce with Maribeth Bearfield on We're Only Human
"What I see is that we're no longer working from home. We're living at work. And so how do we help employees work differently?"
Maribeth Bearfield, Chief Human Resources Officer, Bright Horizons
We're Only Human -- Episode 114
In the last year, employers have struggled with how to support workers in a rapidly changing environment. Even today as some things change, others stay the same. During this episode, Ben talks with Maribeth Bearfield about how she looks at the human side of benefits that her team offers the workforce.
Learn about the new Horizons program that allows employees to earn a free education, creating new opportunities for the firm's diverse workforce and an exciting legacy of impact on the communities in which it serves.
Did you know that of the various assets on a balance sheet, people don't show up? After all, they aren't property, equipment, or materials. However, they do show up in the skills and innovation that they bring to the table. Maribeth also talks abou…
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Apr 26, 2021
Stop Anonymizing Employee Feedback--Insights from Joyous on We're Only Human
"If this week a leader acknowledges [employee feedback], next week, the person is eight times more likely to participate again than if the leader said nothing the week before."
Ruby Kolesky, Co-CEO and Head of Product, Joyous
We're Only Human -- Episode 113
What's your stance on employee feedback and anonymity? In today's conversation with Mike and Ruby from Joyous, they share a bold proposal: stop making employee feedback anonymous, because you're telling them that it's something to be worried about. Instead, they advocate for open feedback that can help to identify issues, engage support, and drive the best outcomes.
In the discussion, the team talks about research they've done among employers asking for and acting upon feedback from their people, and they also talk about what it takes to create the environment where people can share their best ideas with the rest of the organization, making everyone's work (and workplace) better.
Connect with Mike and Ruby:
https://joyoushq.c…
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Apr 15, 2021
Introversion-The HR Super Power with Tim Gardner on We're Only Human
My preference in work was not towards optimizing machinery, but helping optimize work processes for people.
Tim Gardner, Former Organizational Development Consultant at Kimberly-Clark (retired)
We're Only Human -- Episode 112
If you're an introvert in HR, you're not alone. Recently I shared a piece on LinkedIn about introverts in HR and the value of introversion, and the piece received thousands of likes and comments. Apparently my own preference for introversion is in good company!
In today's podcast discussion, Tim Gardner, an admitted introvert and experienced organizational development leader, talks about designing work around people instead of forcing people to bend around the work. His background as an engineer (yes, really!) gives him a unique and powerful perspective on HR, process design, and business operations.
Towards the end of the discussion, I ask Tim to talk about legacy and impact, and it's a great set of ideas for all of us as we think about the lasting impressio…
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Mar 30, 2021
Hire Internal Employees to Drive Engagement and Career Ownership with Jerome Ternynck on We're Only Human
"The platform was up and running literally weeks after the pandemic hit. And through this platform they saved 2,000 jobs, so it's also about saving jobs by redeploying people effectively when the times are needed."
Jerome Ternynck, Founder and CEO, SmartRecruiters
We're Only Human -- Episode 111
In some brand new research, we found that internal hiring and talent mobility is a key priority for employers in the coming year, and they measure success through increased diversity, lower cost to hire, and better performance and retention. These factors all feed into today's conversation.
In this interview with Jerome Ternynck, Founder and CEO of SmartRecruiters (and one of the most passionate people about hiring on the planet), we dive into what virtual recruiting looked like in 2020, how employers are adopting internal talent marketplaces to support internal hiring and employee mobility, and what it takes to lead the business as a talent acquisition leader. We also look at SmartRecruite…
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Mar 18, 2021
Owning HR's Cybersecurity Responsibilities with Erika Lance on We're Only Human
"I think as HR leaders, one of the biggest things that we have to do is never lose sight of the people."
Erika Lance, SVP of People Operations at KnowBe4
We're Only Human -- Episode 110
According to research, organizations face an average cost of over $3 million for a cybersecurity breach.
Do we have your attention? In today's episode, Ben talks with Erika Lance of KnowBe4 about the importance of cybersecurity and how HR can play an active role in supporting this critical business issue. At the end of the day, cybersecurity is primarily a people issue more than anything else, and Erika will share tips and strategies for how to make this a priority in your organization. She will also share tips on building better stakeholder relationships with IT and information security teams, which strengthens HR's credibility with the business.
Learn more:
knowbe4.com
Connect with Erika on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/erikalance/
See our archives and subscribe: http://lhra.io/podcast
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Mar 8, 2021
Connecting Healthcare Operations and Recruiting at Mercy on We're Only Human
"It's about understanding that workforce isn't a recruiting job. It isn't a leadership job. It's everybody's job. If you have needs in the workforce, you must communicate them. And the vehicle to do that is our recruiting team."
Betty Jo Rocchio, Chief Nursing Officer, Mercy
We're Only Human -- Episode 109
One of the consistent priorities in our research over the last few years for recruiters is to align with the business and build deep, strategic partnerships. In today's episode, you'll get unique insights from Mercy about how the talent acquisition leadership interacts and engages with its nursing operations leaders.
Ben talks with Kayla Drady and Betty Jo Rocchio about their partnership, how they interact with and support each other (especially during COVID times), and what lessons they think other talent and business leaders could use to create deeper relationships. In this episode you'll learn how to create that lasting, impactful relationship with key stakeholders, including…
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Mar 2, 2021
Making Magic for Candidates with Paradox.ai on We're Only Human
"We are what we call a conversational AI platform, the main product being our AI assistant, which was built with a really simple kind of mission to create magical experiences for candidates."
Josh Zywein, Paradox.ai
We're Only Human -- Episode 108
Chatbots aren't new. Most of us have used them as consumers to get support when we visit a website for a cable or mobile phone provider. Plus, in our last report on chatbots in the recruiting technology space a few years ago, we found over 25 different companies offering bots and tools to help employers automate and streamline their hiring.
But not all of them are cut from the same cloth.
In this interview with Josh Zywein from Paradox.ai, we talk about how recruiting chatbots have evolved and how the company's bot (Olivia) has served customers like Nestle, McDonald's, CVS Health, and others.
We also talk about why chatbots aren't a "DIY" project and what you can get with a dedicated, purpose-built system.
Check out the show archives,…
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Feb 19, 2021
3 Keys to Creating and Becoming a Best Place to Work: Angie Redmon on We're Only Human
"What different actions can we take going forward? So whether it was an implementation to our benefits plan or whether it was rolling out a new piece to our onboarding process, let's do an analysis at the end... Is there anything that could've made this better? Just one little thing that we could tweak so that we can learn from this." Angie Redmon, striveHR
We're Only Human -- Episode 107
Today there's no shortage of employer award programs. Every magazine, business publication, website, and trade association has a version of these programs, and they all look at different elements of how employers support their people. In today's conversation, Ben talks with Angie Redmon of striveHR about how she works with employers to help them win these awards. As you'll hear in the discussion, this is about more than "teaching to the test." It's about fundamentally changing how you care for and support your people, and the journey towards that end goal is perhaps more important than the end goal…
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Feb 12, 2021
What is the Extended Workforce? Insights from Utmost on We're Only Human
"The way work is getting done is increasingly flexible and it gives the worker the power of choice. That choice serves both the worker and the end enterprise."
Dan Beck, COO of Utmost
We're Only Human -- Episode 106
Quick, your business needs to fill a talent gap you have, but you don't want to hire a new staff member. What do you do? Hire a consultant? Pick up a freelancer? Snag an independent contractor?
Historically, these activities have happened outside the realm of HR, partly due to compliance and partly due to the different approaches to bringing on that talent. In today's episode, Ben talks with Dan Beck, COO of Utmost, about how forward-thinking employers are hiring, tracking, and managing the extended workforce.
Think about it: companies today have increasing numbers of gig workers and flexible talent on the books, so why shouldn't we have insights into who they are, how we can manage them, and what that investment looks like at the highest levels of the company?
Learn…
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Feb 5, 2021
HR Analyst Day *Podcast Takeover* Featuring Engagedly on We're Only Human
"Be gentle with yourself. I think we can all afford a little compassion and we're often able to give that to others easier than we're able to give it to ourselves. Give yourself time for introspection to understand what truly motivates you and let that be your first step."
Kristin Richter, Engagedly
We're Only Human -- Episode 105
This is a special edition of We're Only Human! Last fall Ben cohosted HR Analyst Day with Jessica from Workology (who you'll hear on today's show). They talked with a wide variety of HR tech companies covering recruiting, benefits, learning, engagement, and more. This episode was one of the outcomes from that experience. In it, Jessica interviews Kristin Richter from Engagedly about the company's focus and how it helps to create a more human-centered workplace.
Want to know more about HR Analyst Day? Check it out: https://learn.workology.com/hr-analyst-day/
Learn more about Engagedly: https://engagedly.com/
Connect with Kristin: https://www.linkedin.com…
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Feb 2, 2021
Engaging a Field-Based Workforce-Lessons from Nussbaum Transportation on We're Only Human
"You can reconcile accounting, but you can't always reconcile people."
Jeremy Stickling, Chief Administrative Officer at Nussbaum Transportation
We're Only Human -- Episode 104
Turnover in some trucking and transportation companies runs nearly 100% a year, meaning they turn over virtually every employee over a 12 month period. But at Nussbaum, the turnover runs under 30% a year. What's the secret, and how can other employers with a field-based or remote workforce apply those principles to create better employment outcomes for their people? In this episode, Ben talks with Jeremy Stickling, Chief Administrative Officer at Nussbaum Transportation, about how the company has cracked this code. It's a great case study on caring for people and delivering a great experience, regardless of where employees are based.
Learn more about Nussbaum's purpose-driven culture: https://www.nussbaum.com/purposedriven/
Connect with Jeremy: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeremy-stickling-71a5b112/
Find ou…
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Jan 22, 2021
Empowering Your Internal Experts for Better Learning Outcomes on We're Only Human
I really do believe this is a moment for learning and training that could see a transformation that benefits learners.
Simon Greany, Elucidat
We're Only Human -- Episode 103
How many times have we in HR and learning been forced to create content in subjects we knew little to nothing about? In today's episode, Ben talks with Simon Greany from Elucidat about how the company supports employers through technology that enables subject matter experts to cocreate learning content.
At the end of the day, learning is about performance. It's not about making people happy (though that can be a byproduct). And having targeted training that meets the needs of the workforce is the best option for creating sustained performance over time.
Learn more about Elucidat: https://www.elucidat.com/
Learn about myHRfit: http://myhrfit.com
See where you can find the podcast: https://lhra.io/podcast
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Jan 15, 2021
Measuring Productivity in the Modern Workplace: Prodoscore on We're Only Human
"We can't forget about being human."
Tom Moran, Chief Strategy Officer, Prodoscore
We're Only Human -- Episode 102
When workers gathered to work on assembly lines, productivity was easy: you counted the widgets produced per hour. In the modern workplace, it's a much harder proposition. How do you know when knowledge workers are really accomplishing what they need to be?
In today's discussion, Ben dives into those questions and more with Tom Moran of Prodoscore. Prodoscore is a productivity intelligence tool designed to help companies understand how the workforce gets things done, who may need help, and where opportunities exist for smarter business practices.
Tom shares how Prodoscore helps customers measure individual worker productivity, how the data can serve as a performance coaching tool, and more.
See Prodoscore's ethical pledge: https://www.prodoscore.com/company/#pledge
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Jan 7, 2021
Mediocrity, Clarity, and Personal Brand with Carla Patton on We're Only Human
"We allow business leaders to dictate things based on who they like, who they golfed with the last weekend, and things like that when it should be: 'Who is doing the work and who is a benefit to our work environment and our culture?'" Carla Patton, HR Executive
We're Only Human -- Episode 101
One of the challenges in the last year is that the pandemic showed the cracks in the relationships created by poor leadership. In an office environment, there are enough opportunities to smooth over mediocrity from a leadership perspective, but when things are virtual, those kinds of behaviors like favoritism or simply being inept become magnified.
In this episode, Carla Patton encourages us to stop accepting mediocrity from our leaders and hold them to a higher standard. It's not just about business results--it's about the kind of environment they create for their team and whether that environment encourages performance or hinders it.
Links:
Ben on the Paychex HR Podcast: https://open.spotif…
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Dec 10, 2020
How Paypal Maps and Creates Employee Journeys on We're Only Human
"We map the employee journey and experiences that an employee has. We do things where we can really hear, learn, and better understand the employee sentiment, directly from employees. We have feedback mechanisms built in that allow us to continually evolve, and we really look at that feedback that we get on our experiences as a gift. We welcome it. We want to hear 'what did we do' and 'how did it land' and 'how can we make it better?'"
Adella Bell, PayPal
We're Only Human -- Episode 100
Today, one of the most challenging pieces of supporting employees is understanding their unique journeys, identifying their needs at each step, and designing experiences that meet those needs. At PayPal, there is a clear approach that leads to better outcomes, and it hinges on employee-focused design. From how feedback is gathered to how journeys are mapped and more, every piece of this is centered on the employees and what they need.
In today's discussion, Ben talks with Ramesh Murugan and Adella B…
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Nov 27, 2020
Ashley Furniture Saved ~$5 Million with Employee Retention: Featuring Humantelligence on We're Only Human
"So you're about to go into a meeting physically or remotely, you click on the team on the calendar invite and it'll pull up the culture of that meeting. Imagine EQ everywhere, and you're delivering emotional intelligence insights where every person can communicate, collaborate, and connect." Juan Betancourt, Humantelligence
We're Only Human -- Episode 99
One of the issues with the tools, the technology, and the processes we use in HR is that we sometimes get away from the human at the core of it all. This episode includes an incredible case study of how Ashley Furniture reduced turnover by approximately 30% and saved nearly $5 million in the process by focusing on the real drivers and values of each individual they hire onto their team.
In today's discussion, Ben and Juan dig into how we can use more emotional intelligence insights in everyday interactions, creating more human and people-focused workplaces. From hiring decisions to team alignment, there are many different types of…
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Nov 12, 2020
How to Drive Business Innovation from Within HR on We're Only Human
"Human resources is ripe for innovation right now. Innovation is definitely a place of great opportunity within human capital. We should be constantly looking out for how we can leverage what others have done in other areas and apply it to human resources functions." Karin Wagner, Senior Director of Talent Transformation at UnitedHealth Group
We're Only Human -- Episode 98
If you've ever wondered why HR seems to struggle with innovation, you're not alone.
* For some companies, HR expects innovation to come from other departments.
* For some companies, HR tries but fails to generate the innovation it needs.
* But in some firms, HR leads the charge with innovation, creating new opportunities to drive the business and demonstrate the value of HR within the organization.
In today's discussion with Karin Wagner, Senior Director of Talent Transformation at UnitedHealth Group, Ben and Karin talk about how this process works and Karin opens her playbook on how to build relationship c…
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Oct 22, 2020
How Do I Support a Remote Work Culture? A Q&A Episode on We're Only Human
"My company is going remote because of COVID. How do I transition our culture over?"
We're Only Human -- Episode 97
In today's episode, Ben takes three audience questions:
* How do we move to a remote work culture?
* What payroll technology works for a smaller organization?
* How do I leave a toxic workplace?
We are trying out this Q&A series and would love to hear your feedback! Let us know if you enjoy it or if you want to ask your own question. Just send it to questions@upstarthr.com or record a short voice question anonymously at http://upstarthr.com/question
Quote for today's episode by Kahlil Gibran:
Work is love made visible. And if you cannot work with love but only with distaste, it is better that you should leave your work and sit at the gate of the temple and take alms of those who work with joy. For if you bake bread with indifference, you bake a bitter bread that feeds but half man's hunger. And if you grudge the crushing of the grapes, your grudge distils a po…
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Oct 15, 2020
How Takeda Radically Transformed Its HR Operating Model on We're Only Human
"I think you can't make the mistake of designing an optimal, or academically perfect HR operating model in a vacuum. It really must be aligned with your fundamental business strategy and the overall operating model." Lauren Duprey, Takeda Pharmaceuticals
This is the first in a fascinating new series of episodes where we interview talent and HR leaders from a select set of IBM Talent and Transformation clients about their innovative practices and approaches.
We're Only Human -- Episode 96
What does it take to change the fundamental model for how HR operates in a business? In the case of Takeda, it took considerable time to settle on an approach that balanced global governance and accountability with localized, agile decision-making. The rollout of this HR transformation began in February of 2020.
Yes, right as COVID was beginning to hit.
Some would say that's the worst time, but in hindsight it might have also turned out to be the best. In the turmoil that followed globally, Takeda…
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Sep 30, 2020
Why Learning is the Superpower We All Need: The Upskilling Imperative on We're Only Human
"And to me, just hands down learning is the future of work. Let's just put a period on that. That's how I feel about this. We've entered this era of where there's continuous, rapid change. It just keeps coming for us. Every day we're faced with a new change. And the only way that we can sort of ride those changes or rise to them is through continuous learning." Shelley Osborne
We're Only Human - Episode 95
If that statement doesn't convey the sentiment of this episode, nothing will. In this discussion with Shelley Osborne, the conversation explores key points and ideas from The Upskilling Imperative, Shelley's new book.
Ben and Shelley dig into why we learn the way we do, what it takes to shake up corporate learning practices, and how to drive better outcomes with manager involvement, feedback, and so much more.
Want to get the book? Check it out here: https://amzn.to/3iG8o55
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Sep 23, 2020
Your Brain on Change Management-Google's Travis Hahler on We're Only Human
"One of the things that I find most fascinating about using neuroscience in the [change management] work that I do is that there's a lot of really common misconceptions about neuroscience." Travis Hahler, Google
We're Only Human - Episode 94
What is neuroscience and why should we be thinking about it as HR and business leaders? Neuroscience is the study of how the brain works, how we make decisions, and what drives our behaviors.
If we can understand some of the underlying evidence and contributing factors, we can change behaviors of the people we work with. It sounds easier than it is, but using neuroscience principles to guide these changes can lead to powerful outcomes. In today's discussion, Travis Hahler from Google talks with Ben about some of the elements of brain science that fit into change management and behavior modification.
This interview was recorded during the first ever virtual reality conference for HR leaders, the Global HR Summit, in September 2020.
Connect with…
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Sep 17, 2020
Groundbreaking Research on Organizational Agility with Oracle on We're Only Human
"What we're telling customers is that we can help make work more human. First is really putting empathy at the forefront of the employee experience. It's up to HR to work with leadership and create this human experience." Munjal Munshi, Oracle
We're Only Human - Episode 93
Organizational agility is a critical part of adapting to and overcoming change. What does this mean in the context of the work HR does?
Everything.
Our newest data at Lighthouse Research & Advisory show that 96% of employers that claim to be future-ready also say that their HR technology plays a critical role in enabling that agility at an organizational level. In today's discussion, Ben talks with Munjal Munshi of Oracle to discuss the concept of organizational agility, how HR technology plays a role in that, and the practical lessons and ideas for today's business leaders.
One critical part of the talk? How HR and IT can work more closely together to create better relationships and better outcomes.
Check out…
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Sep 10, 2020
Identifying the Skills of Enterprise Organizations with Starmind on We're Only Human
"At the beginning of my career, HR was looked at as a necessary evil. Now it's completely flipped to where HR is the driving force for how companies grow and expand." Eric Storm, Starmind
We're Only Human - Episode 92
Skills are the currency of business. Research shows that in the 1980s, 85%+ of organizational value was in tangible assets (property, facilities, equipment, etc.) Today, that has shrunk to just 15% or less, and the rest of value is in intangible assets (ideas, capabilities, intellectual property, etc.)
Skills are a key part of organizational value, but very few companies know the skills inside the business well enough to leverage their value. In this interview with Starmind, Ben digs in with Eric Storm to understand how the firm offers employers a way to identify, understand, and leverage the skills of the workforce.
To learn more about Starmind, visit http://starmind.ai
Also, check out episode 24, which Ben references during the show: https://upstarthr.com/the-secre…
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Sep 3, 2020
Blockchain, Skills, and the Future of Work with the Velocity Network Foundation on We're Only Human
"We as an industry are driving toward the cliff and the HCM [technology] vendors are competing over who offers better tire pressure." Dror Gurevich, Velocity Network Foundation
We're Only Human Podcast Episode 91
How are organizations gathering skill data inside the business? Our research shows that the most common method is also one of the most biased: manager observations. However, Velocity Network Foundation is a nonprofit organization that aims to solve the problem of unverified, unvalidated employee skills through the power of blockchain.
Dror and Ben explore what this means for the future of the business world, what it enables organizations to do from a talent perspective, and how trusted career records can change processes like hiring and training forever.
Learn more about Velocity Network Foundation: https://www.velocitynetwork.foundation/
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Aug 28, 2020
Virtual Open Enrollment and Benefits Communication Strategies on We're Only Human
"We need help communicating the benefits we pour our hearts and souls into and making them successful for our employees."
Jesse Albro, Flimp Communications
We're Only Human Episode 90
Heads up: open enrollment will happen this year. While this seems like the strangest year in, well, forever, it also has some predictable elements to it. That said, how do you plan for a virtual approach to open enrollment? How do you measure the impact of your communications/ How do you support your people as they think more carefully about health and wellness than ever before?
In today's conversation, Ben talks with Jesse Albro from Flimp about these topics and more. Jump in and learn how your company can plan and implement a more virtual and scalable approach to open enrollment.
Learn more about Flimp: http://flimp.net/
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Aug 18, 2020
Combining Learning, Technology, and Culture with Christopher Lind on We're Only Human
"For me it's always been about focusing on how we can use technology to transform the way we develop, grow, and care for our employees." Christopher Lind, learning technology leader at GE Healthcare and founder of Learning Sharks
We're Only Human episode 89
In today's discussion, host Ben Eubanks digs in with Christopher Lind on how to use technology as a piece of the bigger picture of supporting the workforce from a learning perspective. Discussion topics include knowing the business, what your learning culture looks like, and how to stay current on the technologies that enable better business performance.
Connect with Christopher on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christopherlind/
Learn about the Learning Health Check Assessment: http://learningsharks.com/
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Aug 6, 2020
Compassion and Connection: Keys to a Better 2020 on We're Only Human
"This year has really redefined what compassion means to me. The need to have compassion for others, whether it's wearing a mask for those at high risk when I'm going into a store or what role I can personally play in social injustice, it really is all just coming back to compassion."
Lesley Lyons, PeopleStrategy
We're Only Human - Episode 88
In this conversation Ben interviews Lesley Lyons, a marketing executive with PeopleStrategy, to talk about the themes of connection and compassion and how they play a part in helping each of us support each other during challenging times. Lesley also announces the new Antiracism Forum, a free event for business leaders to get expert insights on how to build antiracist cultures.
https://www.peoplestrategy.com/AntiracismForum
Connect with Lesley: lesley.lyons@peoplestrategy.com
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Jul 22, 2020
We're Only Human 87: This Company Screens Thousands of Candidates to Improve Inclusive Hiring Outcomes
"That hiring maanger still has a view of the candidate's abilities and skills without being exposed to their race, gender, or ethnicity." Scot Sessions, Talvista
Did you know that there are nearly 200 cognitive biases that affect our decisions every day? While a decision about where to eat or what to wear is unlikely to have negative consequences, making a biased choice in hiring can lead to negative outcomes for people of color, women, and other minorities.
In this conversation, Ben speaks with Scot Sessions and Elaine Orler from the Talvista team to understand how technology can help minimize hiring biases and lead to better, more equitable outcomes. They discuss resume blinding and how it works and other practical advice for employers looking to hire more inclusively.
Connect with the Talvista team: talvista.com
On Twitter: @scotsessions @elaineorler
To get the HR Summer School on demand replay with five separate sessions on inclusion and equity at work,visit https://www.humanr…
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Jul 15, 2020
We're Only Human 86: Working on the HR Tasks that Matter with Amit Parmar
"What really excites someone to join a company? Why do they stay at the company? Every person you talk to has a different story." Amit Pamar, HR executive at Unisys
This conversation happened at IAMPHENOM, one of the last live events prior to the COVID-19 shutdown.
In today's episode, Ben interviews Amit Parmar, an HR executive at Unisys, a technology firm with 20,000+ employees. Ben and Amit talk about talent, AI, analytics, digital transformation, and more. The discussion digs into why it doesn't matter if chatbots are AI or not, how personalization creates better experiences for the workforce, and how we can automate the "grunt work" of HR and focus on the strategic work we need to be doing.
To connect with Amit: https://www.linkedin.com/in/parmar79/
To get the HR Summer School replay:
Visit https://www.humanresourcesacademy.org/courses/hr-summer-school-on-demand and use promo code "onlyhuman" at checkout for 20% off for being a podcast listener
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Jul 8, 2020
WOH 85: Stop Apologizing for Being in HR
"We need to own what we do. We've been apologizing and apologetic for being in HR instead of owning what we do. Every other profession says, I'm a salesperson, I'm a finance person. I'm a marketer. We go, I'm sorry. I'm in HR." Steve Browne
In this conversation, a replay from the most popular session at HR Summer School 2020, Ben talks with Steve Browne, the most connected person in HR, about how to be an intentional connector, how to add value to relationships, and why HR is an essentially human profession.
If you enjoy the talk with Steve, his new book HR Rising is now available!
You can also see the full video replay in addition to the 50+ other speakers on HR Summer School On Demand at HumanResourcesAcademy.org here: https://www.humanresourcesacademy.org/courses/hr-summer-school-on-demand
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Jul 1, 2020
We're Only Human 84: Job Seeker Nation Report Shows Anxiety and Opportunity
"And then the other piece of it was just the fear of losing a job increased dramatically... So the top line headline was one of anxiety in the marketplace."
Jeff Rohrs, Jobvite
In recent months things have turned upside down not just for many employers but for job seekers as well. In this episode Ben talks with Jeff Rohrs of Jobvite to discuss the company's annual Job Seeker Nation study and the key findings that HR and talent leaders need to know, from how job seekers feel right now to what place internal hiring and mobility practices have in the recruiting process (hint: they are the #1 thing candidates are looking for).
Learn more at: https://www.jobvite.com/lp/2020-job-seeker-nation-report/
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Jun 19, 2020
WOH 83: Balancing Candidate Experience and Objective Hiring with AI
"The assessment traditionally has seemed a bit disconnected from the job role. This can come across as friction. You've worked hard to find a candidate and you want them to join--this can seem disjointed."
Jora Gill, SHL
Hiring is a balancing act. We want to drive candidates into the funnel, create positive experiences, and bring the best candidates into the organization, but we also need data to help make the right choice. While AI has been challenged for its impact on hiring, new evidence shows that it can help to minimize erroneous decisions. In this conversation, Ben talks with Jora Gill from SHL about how assessments can be blended into the hiring process for better, more objective decision-making without sacrificing candidate experience.
Learn more about SHL at http://shl.com
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Jun 10, 2020
WOH 82: Hiring for Neurodiversity - A Case Study
"We are wasting talent. We can't afford as a nation, as a society, to waste talent."
Brenda Weitzberg, Founder and Executive Director of Aspiritech
When we talk about diversity in the workplace, we often overlook the concept of neurodiversity, which encompasses the broad range of intellectual capabilities that individuals have. In today's episode, Ben interviews Brenda Weitzberg about her company, Aspiritech, and how it is able to hire individuals on the autism spectrum for specific tasks that suit the unique strengths of individuals with autism.
The capabilities of each person, regardless of the color of their skin, their gender, or their mental clarity, are unique. As Brenda says in the interview, "When you've seen one person with autism, you've just seen one person. You haven't seen them all." Let's learn more about how to open up opportunities for those that are neurodiverse.
Learn more at aspiritech.org
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Apr 21, 2020
81: Rethinking Work, Productivity, and Engagement in the Modern Workplace
"People don't want flexibility. they want complete control over their time."
Today, we keep hearing that flexible work is the way to go. People want it. They crave it.
Yet in today's episode of We're Only Human, Ben talks with Jody Thompson, creator of the ROWE movement. ROWE stands for "results only work environment," and it has been around for some time (the first book, Why Work Sucks, was published in 2008).
Today the workplace looks different than it did then, but according to Thompson, employers are still chasing the wrong things. We're looking at when work gets done and where work gets done, but we're not focusing enough on the what in terms of results.
That lack of focus on the right things sometimes forces our people to fight for control over their work. How? By looking for workarounds, playing the "I'm busy" game, arriving early or staying late, and more. Instead of looking at managers as controlling figures, we should look at them as performance coaches. Expect to explore…
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Apr 13, 2020
WOH 80: 11+ Ideas to Engage and Support Your Remote Teams
In recent weeks the podcast has covered critical topics like the Families First Coronavirus Response Act and how HR technology providers are supporting businesses during this time. Today, we're going to take a step toward engaging those workers that are working remotely, many of them doing so for the first time.
In this solo episode, Ben covers 11+ ways HR leaders and line managers can support and engage their workers, from simple concepts like one on one's to more complex ideas for how to run company all hands briefings. Working remotely may be a challenge right now, but for those workers that enjoy the experience and want to remain remote after the COVID-19 scare is over, managers will need new tools and ideas to help them support workers they can't see on a daily basis.
If you have your own ideas to add to the list, please send them to ben@upstarthr.com and we'll add them to the show notes here. Thanks!
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Apr 6, 2020
WOH 79: How Employers Are Responding to Shutdowns, Quarantines, and Coronavirus
"As the head of HR, I'm now suddenly expected to be a doctor, virologist, and epidemiologist."
That quote came from a discussion with an HR leader in the last few days, and it clearly outlines what many companies are going through right now. In today's conversation, Ben talks with Brett Meager of Paycor to learn how employers are responding to the dynamic situations happening across the country as well as how the company is supporting its small and mid-size clients in the middle of the chaos. Brett talks about how the firm is helping to keep people informed on legislation and other details as they arise (see the links in the show notes below for more on that).
The best thing we can all do right now is share positive, helpful resources and information with each other, so if you would be willing to share this episode with a friend or colleague as a way of making work better and safer, I would greatly appreciate it.
For pandemic preparedness plans, advice, resources, webinar and commun…
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Mar 30, 2020
WOH 78: Families First Coronavirus Response Act - What Employers Need to Know
"Here's my general advice for businesses--don't be afraid to get help."
In recent weeks a flurry of legislative activity has led to numerous laws to help employers and businesses dealing with the COVID-19 outbreak, and the Families First Coronavirus Response Act is a big part of the activity. What does this law mean for employers, and how does it benefit them? What other considerations should employers think through as they support their workforces during this pandemic?
In this episode, Ben talks with Eric Meyer, Partner at FisherBroyles, LLP, about how employers should be responding to the current environment and what the law means for them.
Connect with Eric: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emeyer/
Follow Eric's blog: https://www.theemployerhandbook.com/
List of HR Tech companies offering free software and/or support: https://lhra.io/blog/hrtech-companies-offering-free-resources-information-covid-19-crisis/
Ben's personal piece on how to respond to the crisis: https://upstarthr.com…
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Mar 12, 2020
WOH 77: Implementing the Agile Talent Acquisition Methodology at BBVA
Agile talent acquisition? What's that?
Many of the talent leaders we encounter have heard of agile as it pertains to the software development industry, but what lessons does this methodology have for today's talent leaders?
Agile, at its core, is about prioritizing (ruthlessly) on the things that need to get done. In agile talent acquisition, managers hold more power to set priorities. At the same time, recruiters and talent advisors get the benefit of clearer communication, a framework that sets them up for success, and a true partnership with their customers (the hiring managers in the organization).
In today's discussion, Ben talks with Trent Cotton, a key figure in the implementation of agile talent acquisition methods at BBVA, a global financial firm with more than 10,000 North American employees and a global workforce of over 100,000. Cotton explains how the process works, what benefits BBVA has seen from the approach, and offers specific advice for how to make it a reality in…
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Mar 4, 2020
WOH 76: What a Study of 1,000 SMB Companies Tells Us about HR
"HR is representing the people at your organization that deliver the results of whatever mission you have... There is no greater voice for the people than HR."
We hear so much about large employers and enterprise firms in the news. These organizations are a key part of the global economy, but did you know that over 99% of employers in the US have fewer than 1,000 employees? Yes, really! This market of smaller organizations employs more than half of the US workforce and creates incredible value not just globally but in millions of communities where these firms create jobs and opportunities in their respective areas.
In this episode, Ben interviews Tom Hammond from Paychex to talk about this critical SMB (small and mid-sized business) market and how these firms operate. Last year Lighthouse Research ran an analysis of 1,000 employers to understand how they buy technology, hire HR staff, and outsource HR activities. This study offers critical insights as Ben and Tom talk about how many…
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Feb 26, 2020
WOH 75: What if Your Employees Could Use PTO For Anything They Want
Employee paid leave is often overlooked because it has been around for what seems like forever. It's fairly standard, and the biggest advancement in recent history has been moving from a split vacation/sick model to a paid time off or "PTO" model, where employees can use the leave flexibly for illness, vacation, or other personal needs as they see fit.
The problem, though, is that people still don't use that time as they should. They carry heavy leave balances, which creates liability for their employers. They don't take the time off because they feel like they can't be away from the office. Whatever the case, it's not serving the purpose that it should. Research shows that people return from time away from work with better mental health and reduced anxiety (even when they have an overflowing inbox), so how can we solve this?
In today's discussion, Ben talks with Rob Whalen of PTO Exchange. Rob shares some sobering statistics on PTO usage by employees and how much is forfeited annual…
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Feb 12, 2020
WOH 74: Using Internal Podcasts to Communicate with Deskless Workers
Today, more workers than ever are in roles that do not provide them with an office, a desk, or even a computer or email address. Forbes says that more than 2 billion workers work in a deskless environment. So how can employers communicate with those staff, engage them with learning content, and keep them informed?
In today's episode, Ben interviews Jon Thurmond, an HR leader with Team Fishel, to explore this challenging issue. Thurmond has led the charge at Team Fishel to create an internal podcast to share content both for communications and training purposes, and it is already receiving positive support from the rest of the organization.
In the conversation, Jon explains how to get started, what it takes to build a business case, and a few ideas for the kinds of content he is targeting with the new communication channel.
Connect with Jon on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Jon_Thurmond
Check out Jon's podcast: https://hrsocialhourpodcast.podbean.com/
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Take the one-question Talen…
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Jan 23, 2020
WOH 73: What it Takes to Mentor Women (and Men)
In our study on Disruption and Reskilling, we found that one of the top ways employees want to learn new and different skill sets is through coaching and mentoring. However, mentoring is one of those concepts that is often oversimplified in the workplace. It's more than a casual conversation or one-way relationship. As today's guest on We're Only Human puts it, there's a level of "needed nervousness" to create positive tension and a supportive relationship. In other words, if you're always comfortable, you are overlooking growth opportunities and you're not developing at the rate you could be. In an intriguing conversation with Major Chaveso "Chevy" Cook, an active duty officer and expert on mentoring and human interaction, Ben works with Chevy to dig into what it takes to create powerful, positive mentoring relationships that drive impact and value for the participants.
Learn more about Military Mentors: MilitaryMentors.org
Connect with Chevy: chevy@militarymentors.org or visit him…
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Jan 13, 2020
WOH 72: How Intel Designs Intentional Candidate Experiences
Employers have been talking about candidate experience for years, but many of them still struggle to make it better in practical ways. Should they focus on technology? The interview? How the culture is communicated? Intel has taken a holistic approach to the challenge, intentionally designing specific experiences that attract and engage candidates throughout the hiring funnel and beyond. In this interview, Ben talks with Allyn Bailey about Intel's strategy for improving candidate experience and the philosophy behind it, as evidenced by one of Allyn's comments in the conversation: "Hiring is about taking people with dreams and aligning them to organizations that have hopes and dreams so they can accomplish something together." See how Intel treats candidates on their careers page: http://jobs.intel.com Connect with Allyn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/allynbailey & https://twitter.com/allynbailey
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Dec 16, 2019
WOH 71: How to Scale HR with a Growing Business
As a business grows we hire more people, but how do you manage the growth of the HR team? What roles do you hire for? How do you align with the business? In this conversation, Ben interviews Kellee Webb about the firm's growth from 80 to 500+ in the last 10 years, including key details about what HR Roles they hired, when they hired them, and how the HR team aligns closely with business strategy. To learn more about Kellee Webb or Cenikor please visit the following:
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kelleewebb
Twitter: @PurposefulHR
Email: kwebb@cenikor.org
Website: www.cenikor.org
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Dec 9, 2019
WOH 70: Hint: There's No Perfect HR Tech System for Everyone
Did you realize that there's no perfect system for every HR technology buyer? Also, did you know that applying HR technology to a broken process is a surefire way to make the wrong steps even more efficiently? These are some of the key insights gathered during a conversation with Wade Larson, Director of HR for Wagstaff, a manufacturing firm specializing in aluminum casting. Among other topics discussed during the interview, Ben asks Wade about what it's like working in a family-run business, what it takes to build a business case for HR software investments, and more. Check out https://www.wagstaff.com/Wagstaff/About.htm to learn more about Wagstaff.
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Dec 2, 2019
WOH 69: Pricing Skills Versus Jobs with Labor Market Intelligence
Today's workplace is more flexible and fluid than ever before. In some cases, jobs are too broad, vague, and slow-moving to account for the speed of business. That's why skills have become more important than ever before not just as a measurement of capability but as a source of data for hiring and compensation. In this interview with labor market intelligence expert Cary Sparrow, Ben and Cary talk about how skills are the new currency of the business and how to use this data as an employer to make better, more informed decisions. To learn more about Cary Sparrow please visit: www.greenwich.hr
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Nov 21, 2019
WOH 68: How to Approach HR Like a CFO
We hear all the time that HR needs to be more financially minded. It's too soft. The problem is when Ben asks audiences how many get into HR because they like ROI, numbers, and data, two hands go up. The rest got into it because of the people. In this interview, Ben speaks with Steve Watson who is a combination of CFO and CHRO, bringing a unique perspective to the conversation on how HR can be more business-oriented and bridge the gap for finance on how to support the people side of the business through better benefits administration and data analysis. To learn more about Steve Watson please visit TrendBreakers.com or connect with him on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/steve-watson-cpa .
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Nov 11, 2019
WOH 67: Filling Critical Skills Gaps for Today's College Graduates
Thousands of students are graduating every day with a lack of understanding of the basics of how to interact professionally at work. Everything from etiquette to basic resume preparation is missing from the educational curriculum, so how can we solve this problem? In this episode Ben speaks with John Nykolaiszyn, the Director of the Office of Business Career Management for Florida International University. John is working with the university to experiment with radical changes to the educational institution's approach to student preparation, and early results are positive. Listen in to learn more about how this approach is changing the lives of students and graduates for the better. To learn more about John Nykolaiszyn please e-mail: jnykolai@FIU.edu or connect with him on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jnykolai
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