HRchat Podcast

Latest Episodes:

Analytics and the People Impact Gap with Ian Cook, Visier Sep 08, 2022

Show notes

Bill Banham is joined in HRchat episode 481 by Ian Cook, Vice President, People Analytics at Visier, to talk all things people analytics.

Ian is an advocate for the crucial role that people play in helping companies thrive. His career has focused on enabling people, teams and companies to perform at their best. For the last 15 years, Ian has been helping leaders elevate their HR strategies and programs through the effective use of people analytics. At Visier, Ian led the development of their market-leading solution and is now focused on the overall strategy for the people analytics business.

Questions For Ian Include:

In your work you talk about a People Impact Gap. What is this gap and why do you think it is so important?
So if this gap exists and is crucial to business, what does it take to close the gap? - Do you have any examples?
You recently commented on research by Raj Chetty that identifies the impact of networks on people's ability to access better opportunities. Why does the ability to network with people in a higher economic bracket enable people to improve their own economic mobility?
What advice would you give an HR leader who is looking to start closing this gap or even improve how they are supporting their business?
"HR is evolving from being focused on its programs and activities to helping people managers make better decisions in the flow of work". Can you paint a picture of how People Analytics technologies have evolved over the past 10 years and the leaps forward in ways to better understand how employees behave and perform caused by/alongside the pandemic?

We do our best to ensure editorial objectivity. The views and ideas shared by our guests and sponsors are entirely independent of The HR Gazette, HRchat Podcast and Iceni Media Inc.

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Employee Benefits Trends with Don Williamson, OHB Sep 06, 2022

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In this HRchat episode, we investigate ways benefits consultants can work with HR departments to get more for their employees. Listen too, as we look ahead to the AGILITY REIMAGINED summit on Sept 14th in Toronto.

Our guest today is Don Williamson, Founder and President of Oak House Benefits.

Questions For Don Include:

Your company is focused on benefits. Why is that the case? How broad is that focus?
Are there any particular trends in benefits that you are talking about with your clients?
What are clients struggling with at the moment and how are you helping them?
What kind of expectations do most HR people have in dealing with a group benefits broker or consultant? What services and products do they expect to get?
How often do HR Directors evaluate their benefits program? If they wanted to – how might they do that to determine if it is as effective as it can be? Do you agree with this approach?
The term ROI is used a lot in terms of evaluating the benefits of a company’s group benefits plan. How do most people define this – do you define it differently?
Oak House is sponsoring the AGILITY REIMAGINED summit. Tell us why you decided to get involved.

About Don Williamson
Don has almost three decades of experience in employee benefits, sales and marketing, leadership, and business management. Before founding Oak House Benefits (OHB) in 2020, Don was President at The Williamson Group (TWG) for eight years before its acquisition in 2015.

With his background in leadership and sales, he has returned to his roots and created OHB: a consultancy, Don says, is built on a culture of caring.

Don has held roles on an Executive Board for a worldwide partnership of employee benefits consultants. Locally, Don is on the Board of Directors of the Brantford-Brant Chamber of Commerce and supports many charities. He has also been a respected member of numerous Advisor Councils, representing clients with Canada’s premier insurance carriers. Don is passionate about client satisfaction, thought leadership, and industry trends and developments.

Don graduated from Western University with a B.A. (Honours) in Psychology, is Life Licensed, and is a Certified Analyst of Predictive Index. He fosters a people-first philosophy and believes in the promising power of a simple hello.
We do our best to ensure editorial objectivity. The views and ideas shared by our guests and sponsors are entirely independent of The HR Gazette, HRchat Podcast and Iceni Media Inc.

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Employee Microlearning and Knowledge Reinforcement with Jason Mundy, Qstream Sep 02, 2022

Show notes

In this HRchat episode, Bill Banham is joined by Jason Mundy, VP of Marketing at Qstream, the leading enterprise microlearning and knowledge reinforcement solution proven by science and in practice to boost learner performance.

Questions Include:

What is microlearning?
Based on the findings from the 2022 Workplace Learning Report, how effective are current workplace learning programs? Where must more work be done to make them more effective and efficient?
How important are workplace learning programs in relation to fighting employee burnout and attracting/retaining talent?
Nearly half of those surveyed in the 2022 Workplace Learning Report say their organization needs a digital-led approach to training/learning opportunities so employees can learn on their own time. Why the resistance from leadership to go digital?
Follow up: How can organizations achieve a digital-led approach to training/learning? What are the benefits of employees training/learning on their own time?
According to Qstream’s study, compensation isn’t everything: nearly half of those surveyed think their employees would rather be offered more comprehensive and effective learning/training opportunities than be paid more. Why do you think that is?

About the 2022 Workplace Learning Report

In March and April 2022, Qstream commissioned independent research company ResearchScape to poll 534 U.S. business managers representing a variety of industries and company sizes to better understand the role that learning initiatives will play in combating the current workforce challenges. The survey also sought to uncover the perceived effectiveness of workplace learning programs today—and where more work must be done

About Qstream
Qstream is the leading enterprise microlearning and knowledge reinforcement solution proven by science and in practice to boost learner performance. Hundreds of organizations rely on Qstream to build high-performance teams by delivering a personalized and agile learning experience that delivers the highest levels of retention, engagement and efficiency along with analytics that provide precision insights and expose a real-time view of performance readiness.
We do our best to ensure editorial objectivity. The views and ideas shared by our guests and sponsors are entirely independent of The HR Gazette, HRchat Podcast and Iceni Media Inc.

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Making ESG a Part of Your Business Strategy with Scott Lane, Speeki Sep 01, 2022

Show notes

If you’re a business leader, you’re legally obliged to optimize your strategy and resources to maximize shareholder return. This may lead you to assume that it’s not your responsibility, or in your best interest, to care about the environment, social, and governance issues (ESG).

But, actually, making ESG a part of your business strategy can unlock growth opportunities, reduce costs, and future-proof your brand in the eyes of an increasingly conscious public. Listen to this HRchat episode to learn how!

Our returning guest is Scott Lane, Founder and CEO of Speeki, a group focused on transforming compliance hotlines and other compliance areas using Ai technologies.

Speeki is also a player in compliance certifications and compliance auditing and one of the few bodies accredited by ISO for certifications under the ISO 37001 Anti-Bribery Standard.

Questions Include:

There seems to be lots of dialogue right now about ESG and whether it is a fad or something that will stay around. What do you think?
Is this just for large global companies or is there a place for smaller companies to build ESG?
You recently presented a webinar called Combining a whistleblower program with social listening to generate data. The webinar's goal was to show how to generate real data for one's #ESG and compliance efforts by combining an active #whistleblowing program with a proactive social listening tool. Can you tell me more?
How do most Human Resources teams get involved in ESG?
Does the process typically start with HR or is there a ESG officer?
Where do you think this ESG area will go in the future?

Want to hear more about Speeki? Check out HRchat episode 357, released in late 2021.
We do our best to ensure editorial objectivity. The views and ideas shared by our guests and sponsors are entirely independent of The HR Gazette, HRchat Podcast and Iceni Media Inc.

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Analyzing Challenges Faced by HR Leaders with Andrew Johnson, Inside CHRO Aug 30, 2022

Show notes

Our guest today is Andrew Johnson, Editor of Inside CHRO magazine - the quarterly publication for Chief Human Resources Officers and HR leaders.
In his role as Editor, Andrew gets unique access to the experiences faced by leaders in Human Capital Management as they navigate an increasingly complex world of work.
The role of the CHRO has never been more critical and Andrew gets a front-row seat on the challenges these leaders face. Recent Inside CHRO interviews have included best-selling author Ken Blanchard, Xerox CHRO, Suzan Morno-Wade, and JPMorgan Chase’s Global Head of Neurodiversity, Bryan Gill.
Questions For Andrew Include:

Tell us about the professional community that Connex Partners has developed.
There’s a wealth of HR content out there; what inspired you to launch Inside CHRO, and how does the magazine add value to the community?
As Editor of Inside CHRO magazine, you get to speak to hundreds of leaders at the cutting edge of HR thought leadership and practice. How would you sum up the CHRO’s mindset, challenges, and priorities at the present moment?
Specifically on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion - how are the CHROs you’re talking with building the business case? What are the complicating factors and implications of developing an effective program?
We’re in the midst of an unprecedented shift in terms of the labor markets; making talent acquisition and retention both more critical and more complex than at any time in recent memory. What are you seeing organizations doing in response to try and gain an edge or create some stability?
One of the changes we’ve seen emerge from the changes over the past two years is the rise of the hybrid workforce – what is your take on the implications for HR leadership, particularly in terms of leadership, culture, and talent management?
Where are you seeing the most effective applications of HR Tech? Can you share any examples of where AI or Automation-based tools have been successfully implemented to support HR activities?
The US economy has shrunk for the second quarter in a row, a milestone that in many countries would be considered an economic recession. The contraction, at an annual rate of 0.9% in the three months to July, has drawn widespread attention as worries about the economy grow. How should the HR leaders prepare for a downturn?
How is this potential recession different from previous incarnations?

About Inside CHRO Magazine
Inside CHRO was created by Connex Partners, the leading executive network for HR leaders in the US. As well as editing the magazine, Andrew Johnson is Connex’s Executive Vice President and CFO. An ‘in-the-trenches’ executive with 25 years of experience, his foresight and strategic thinking has been essential to the growth of the Connex members community.
We do our best to ensure editorial objectivity. The views and ideas shared by our guests and sponsors are entirely independent of The HR Gazette, HRchat Podcast and Iceni Media Inc.

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Analytics and AI Leadership Coaches with David Creelman Aug 26, 2022

Show notes

In this episode, we ask: once we have all our basic analytics in place, how can we continue to improve decision-making? Listen too, as we preview the upcoming AGILITY REIMAGED Summit in beautiful downtown Toronto on Sept 14th

Joining guest host Pauline James on the show is David Creelman, CEO at Creelman Research. David provides training and consulting on how managers can use analytics (rather than “do” analytics) and is a recognized thought leader in people management and a Fellow of the Centre for Evidence-based Management.
Based in Toronto and Kuala Lumpur, David works with think tanks such as Talent Tech Labs in New York, Works Institute out of Tokyo, Workforce Institute in Boston, and CRF in London.
His most recent books are "The CMO of People: Manage Employees Like Customers" and "Management for Scientists and Engineers". He's currently investigating what it would take to create an AI coach that would have a meaningful impact on leadership.
Questions For David Include:

You and I worked together on a project for the European Union IPO division last year, which is responsible for intellectual property like trademarks. They needed to adapt to meet the opportunities AI technology. Can you tell the audience about that project and it matters?
You are joining me on a panel at the AGILITY REIMAGED Summit - produced by the HR Gazette and Anchor HR - in downtown Toronto on Sept 14th. The panel will discuss 'How do People and Culture divisions need to adapt their structure, approach, and services to ensure they are equipped to meet the changing needs of employees and the organization?' Tell our listeners about the panel and some of the hoped-for learning outcomes.
In a recent article on tlnt.com, you write: "It’s probably fair to say that people analytics has finished its hype cycle. Most analytics practitioners have their feet firmly on the ground and are busy improving data quality, dashboards, and the skillsets of HR professionals who use their data... so, the sort of question I’m often asked is "where does people analytics go from here? Or, once we have all our basic analytics in place, how can we continue to improve decision-making?" The answer is to shift from a focus on data to a focus on evidence and to shift from talking about analytics to talking about evidence-based management – or EBM." Can you tell our listeners more about this shift to EBM and why HR leaders should take note?
The Pandemic forced a move to remote work and required leaders to be much more focused on results rather than tasks. In your book “Lead the Work” you talk about the need to become more innovative around how organizations and leaders disperse work. How do you see this playing out?
You're currently investigating what it would take to create an AI coach that would have a meaningful impact on leadership. Tell me about your findings so far.

We do our best to ensure editorial objectivity. The views and ideas shared by our guests and sponsors are entirely independent of The HR Gazette, HRchat Podcast, and Iceni Media Inc.

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Why a Good Employee Experience is Vital with Lila Nazef, Neocase Aug 25, 2022

Show notes

In HRchat episode 475, we ask what did the Great Resignation do to place extra emphasis on the need to keep employees happy? Listen too as we consider some lessons businesses can take from good customer experience to improve the employee experience.
Our guest today is Lila Nazef, Vice President of Sales & Marketing (North America) at Neocase, a pioneering Saas platform for automating HR Service Delivery.

Questions For Lila Include:

What are some emerging trends within technology that you are seeing in the HR industry?
What do you think are some of the impacts and future implications that these trends will have?
What is Neocase doing to prepare and support organizations through these changes?
What is the latest product/projects that Neocase is focusing on?
You talk a lot about employee experience. Why is employee experience so important at the moment?
What did the Great Resignation do to place extra emphasis on the need to keep employees happy? Do you think things could change if we enter a recession?
What are some lessons businesses can take from a system that ensures a positive customer experience in order to improve the employee experience?

About Neocase
Neocase is the pioneering Saas platform for automating HR Service Delivery. Their clients use Neocase to achieve faster time to value through reduced implementation costs and make real productivity gains by reducing the time spent on administrative tasks through processes automation and workflow efficiencies. Their HR digital platform includes collaborative Case Management, Business Process Automation, Electronic Document Management, Personalized Knowledge Base, Self-Service Portal, Pre/Onboarding, Transitioning, and Off-boarding workflows and Analytics. Delivered in the cloud and leveraging the latest technological innovations, the Neocase® solutions integrate with core HR platforms including Workday (Certified Partner), SAP/SF, Oracle, Talentsoft and other third-party applications to achieve seamless user experience and automation.
Recognized by industry analysts and currently supporting over 6 million employees across 180 countries, Neocase is used daily by industry leaders including MGM Resorts, Bank of New York-Mellon, Smiths Group, Merck, Société Générale, Baker Hughes, World Bank, Thales Group, Renault, Air France, Canadian Tire, MAIF, Harrods, UCB, AXA, PSA Peugeot Citroën and many more. Learn more at neocasesoftware.com

We do our best to ensure editorial objectivity. The views and ideas shared by our guests and sponsors are entirely independent of The HR Gazette, HRchat Podcast, and Iceni Media Inc.

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What DEI in the Workplace Actually Looks Like and Strategies to Adopt with Dejannae Lang, Workzinga Aug 22, 2022

Show notes

In HRchat episode 474, we ask 'what does DEI look like within the workplace and what strategies should be in place?'
Our guest this time is Dejannae Lang Research Analyst, Doctoral Student, Associate Consultant, and Industrial and Organizational Psychologist at Workzinga.
Questions Include:

Why join the dedicated science team at Workzinga? What's the role? How does it help HR, Talent pros, and leaders?
You're new to the company, talk about the culture fit between you and Workzinga.
From your experience and perspective, what does DEI look like within the workplace? What strategies should be in place?
What would you say to the suggestion that employee resource groups work best in larger orgs?
DEI practitioners are voicing concerns of burnout and lack of resources, how can organizations address these problems?
Let's talk about headcount and combatting 'weak'/misleading DEI metrics: How do we avoid fake interviews to meet a diversity quota?
With the uncertainty of a recession, why is it important for DEI to not be part of budget cuts?

About Dejannae Lang
Dejannae has over 5 years of experience with identifying interpersonal skills to fit the proper work environment, diversity, equity, and inclusion issues and assisting organizations with leadership development, and servant leadership training. Her experiences and training in I/O psychology over time has sharpened her awareness to cultural relations, organizational processes, employee engagement, and employee development, and employee wellbeing. She is currently certified as a Predictive Index Practitioner.
Dejannae has consulted for colleges and universities since 2019. She has specialized in providing presentations and training on servant leadership in the education sector, as well as others. She continues to provide strategic diversity, equity, and inclusion training and leadership development consulting. She also works on the use of interpersonal skills within the workplace to impact productivity and communication within organizations. She speaks at several engagements throughout the year to draw attention to the principles of I/O psychology.
We do our best to ensure editorial objectivity. The views and ideas shared by our guests and sponsors are entirely independent of The HR Gazette, HRchat Podcast, and Iceni Media Inc.

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Are We Talking Ourselves into a Recession? With David Garrett, Joveo Aug 19, 2022

Show notes

The U.S. has witnessed unprecedented increases in job openings and, subsequently, a tight labor market. The economy saw a sharp post-Covid recovery last year, however, in recent months, high inflation and ensuing policy tightening has lowered growth forecasts and caused many to expect a fall in the creation of jobs.
Indeed, the economy contracted at an annual rate of 0.9% in the three months to July. Yet July also saw 528,000 new jobs as the unemployment rate fell to 3.5%!
So what's going on? Should we be worried or are things actually looking pretty good for the remainder of this year and 2023?
In this HRchat episode, we take a lens to the US economy and labor market and ask "are we talking ourselves into a recession?"
Our guest today is David Garrett, Customer Success Manager and Economic Researcher at Joveo. David is also one of the key architects of Joveo's new U.S. Labor Market Forecast: Economic Impact on Talent Demand Across Industries and Occupations.
Questions For David Include:

The US economy has shrunk for the second quarter in a row, a milestone that in many countries would be considered an economic recession. The contraction, at an annual rate of 0.9% in the three months to July, has drawn widespread attention as worries about the economy grow. Should we be worried?
What is a technical recession?
The July 2022 US Jobs report showed Payrolls actually increased by 528,000! How is this potential recession different from previous incarnations
Given there's nothing fundamentally 'wrong' with the US economy, are we 'talking ourselves into a recession'?
How are/should HR pros and leaders prepare for a downturn?
Will some jobs remain in demand even if a recession does hit? If so, which ones?
How is Joveo helping customers prepare for a potential recession?

About David Garrett
David holds a BA in Economics and Philosophy, and a Master’s Degree in Economics from the University of Texas at Austin.
His passion for labor economics and mechanism design led him to the programmatic advertising space, where he solves real-world problems for his clients through a combination of market analysis, and consultation. He also works closely with senior management, performing extensive investigations on macroeconomic trends in key markets to ensure that Joveo continues to meet the needs of an ever-changing global labor market.
If you enjoyed this conversation, you can check out other recent episodes featuring members of the Joveo team on the HRchat feed!
We do our best to ensure editorial objectivity. The views and ideas shared by our guests and sponsors are entirely independent of The HR Gazette, HRchat Podcast and Iceni Media Inc.

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Crossover Episode: Previewing People and Performance Podcast Season 5 with Chris Bjorling Aug 17, 2022

Show notes

In this special crossover episode Bill welcomes Chris Bjorling back to the HRchat podcast.
Chris is President at Fidello, co-host of the People and Performance Podcast, and Associate Editor at the HR Gazette.
Listen as Bill and Chris reflect on their recent experiences at #SHRM22 and preview what listeners can expect from the new season of the popular People and Performance Podcast.

Questions For Chris Include:

Can you take a few minutes and share some of the conversations you enjoyed at the SHRM annual conference, a few of the talks you attended, and your overall thoughts on the 2022 event?
Can you take some time, run through the upcoming People and Performance Podcast episodes, and offer a preview of what folks can expect this season?
In season 5 of the People and Performance Podcast, we introduced a new question. It's a second question we now ask of all of our guests. It is: Can you share one piece of advice or some direction you were given by a mentor, leader or colleague that inspired you to perform at a higher level in your career? So, Chris, we'd love to hear your answer to this question.
We're looking at a potential recession although that's not by any means certain. If it does happen it will be a unique kind of recession. How do you think the labor market in the US will fair over the next year and will we see budgets cut for hiring, onboarding and career development?
What else is going on at Fidello at the moment? Will you be attending any events you’d like to mention or can we expect any news from your team in the next few months?

We do our best to ensure editorial objectivity. The views and ideas shared by our guests and sponsors are entirely independent of The HR Gazette, HRchat Podcast and Iceni Media Inc.

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