HRchat Podcast

Latest Episodes:

New Normal HR Tech and Soft Skills w/ Ben Brooks Aug 26, 2021

Show notes

In this HRchat Bill Banham talks with Ben Brooks, Top 100 HRTech Influencer, Principal and Business Coach at B2 Professional Services Inc and Founder & CEO at PILOT Inc.
Listen to get Ben's answers to questions including:
* How are HR leaders and HR tech buyers successfully re-focusing and investing in areas like D&I?
* What are the 5 most in-demand soft skills right now?
* Why is mentorship so important for HR leaders?
About Ben
Influencer Ben Brooks is the founder of HR tech startup PILOT Inc., an enterprise employee coaching platform that won the 2019 Pitchfest award at the HR Technology Conference, a former SVP of HR and a speaker and coach.
About PILOT Inc
PILOT is a career management technology platform designed to support and enable both business leaders and employees to make work more satisfying and fulfilling. PILOT's structured coaching program works across industries and a diverse range of employee profiles and roles. Learn more: pilot.coach/
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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Rehiring at Scale with Brian Sommer Aug 24, 2021

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In this HRchat we look at the tech available to help businesses rehire at scale. Listen too as we discuss the moral and ethical implications of using tech to ensure candidates fit with the employer brand.
Bill's guest this time is Brian Sommer. For nearly four decades, Brian has been an award-winning writer, technology industry analyst and consultant to some of the largest firms in the world. He is considered one of the most respected business technologists in the industry, Brian’s counsel is especially sought after by top executives of Global 2000 firms.
Questions include:
* After the recession of 2008-09, employers were unprepared for the sheer volume of applicants that were seeking new employment. This time around they have had time to prepare - including instilling tech and processes to make hiring more equitable. What's different between the tsunami of applicants back then and what's happening now?
* How are AI and machine learning-based applications helping to process more video interviews, rank candidates in fairer ways than an ATS and look for people with new kinds of values?
* There's lots of talk about skills-based hiring over and above hiring based on past performance. In a world flipped upside down; one where many people want to pivot and take their skills into new industries, how can tech help ensure that those people lacking experience can get a fair shot?
* Which firms have done a good job at preparing their HR teams for the rigors of hiring and retaining talent?
* Regardless of if it will happen, should tech vendors continue on a journey to pry into the personal lives and views of employees? With all the talk about ensuring better affinity between the employer brand and the employee and being one's authentic self, is the 'spying tech' justified or should it be avoided?
More About Brian Sommer
Brian often leads IT negotiations, software selections, and technology strategy initiatives with clients globally. He's also a frequent speaker at many tech, HR and Accounting events.
Brian began his career with Accenture and quickly became a key player in their ERP, Finance and Human Resources practices. He continues to consult with clients globally and is frequently sought out as a keynote speaker at software, Wall Street, and other events. He also conducts guest lectures at many of the nation’s leading graduate business programs.
Brian also covers the big "E" enterprise software space (i.e., ERP, HR, Financial and other software) for technology sites ZDNet and Diginomica.com Brian writes long-form pieces that often include substantial amounts of industry research on topics that matter to CIOs, CFOs and CEOs.
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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Early Pay Access w/ Kayling Gaver, Tapcheck Aug 20, 2021

Show notes

In this HRchat episode, we hear from Kayling Gaver, Co-founder, and COO at Tapcheck, a tool that helps employers show up for their employees through on-demand pay and financial education resources.
Questions include:

How is it helpful for people to be able to access their earned wages ahead of the traditional two-week paycheck cycle?
Why wouldn't strapped-for-cash employees use a credit card to smooth out their income?
With the fallout from the pandemic exacerbating people’s financial challenges and contributing to labor shortages impacting various industries, how does Tapcheck help alleviate these problems?
What are the top 2 or 3 benefits employers see when prioritizing their employees' financial wellness?
Employers now expect HCMs to provide them with value beyond time and attendance and payroll; specifically in the area of employee engagement. Why is employee engagement top of mind for employers right now?
In addition to Tapcheck’s on-demand pay solution, you’ve also launched financial education tools in your app. Can you tell us more about what that offers and why you decided to create this resource?
What is your vision for where the earned-wage access space is heading in the next 5 years?

About Tapcheck
Tapcheck is a financial wellness benefit technology that enables workers to access their wages before payday, at no cost to employers. Learn more at tapcheck.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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The Psychology of Hiring and Tools to Remove Bias w/ Dr. Charles Handler Aug 19, 2021

Show notes

In this HRchat we'll delve into the psychology of hiring and the tools available to potentially remove bias from the recruitment and onboarding stages of the employee life cycle.
Bill's guest this time is Dr. Charles Handler, a thought leader, analyst, and practitioner in the talent assessment and human capital space. Throughout his career, Dr. Handler has specialized in developing effective, legally defensible employee selection systems.
Since 2001 Dr. Handler has served as the president and founder of Rocket-Hire, a vendor-neutral consultancy dedicated to creating and driving innovation in talent assessment. Dr. Handler has helped companies such as Intuit, Wells Fargo, KPMG, Scotia Bank, Hilton Worldwide, and Humana to design, implement, and measure impactful employee selection processes.
Through his podcast Science 4-Hire, his prolific writing for media outlets such as ERE.net, his work as a pre-hire assessment analyst for Bersin by Deloitte, and worldwide public speaking, Dr. Handler is a highly visible futurist and evangelist for the talent assessment space.
Throughout his career, Dr. Handler has been on the forefront of innovation in the talent assessment space, applying his sound foundation in psychometrics to helping drive innovation in assessments through the use of gaming, social media, big data, and other advanced technologies.
Questions include:
* What is the most common mistake when it comes to talent assessment?
* Doesn't talent assessment promote biased decision-making? Where does skills-based hiring fit in?
* Why are humans inherently flawed in evaluating candidate capabilities and is AI finally ready to step up and remove inherent biases?
* How has the global remote work experiment of 2020-21 influenced what companies think about how they can manage employees?
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 Data Privacy w/ Al Adamsen Aug 17, 2021

Show notes

In this HRchat, we talk about using people data for good. Listen as we discuss the responsibilities of companies and employees when it comes to sharing and storing information.
Bill's guest is Al Adamsen, founder and CEO of People Analytics & Future of Work, a San Francisco-based events planner and global network advocating the ethical use of people data.
He's a globally recognized thought leader, advisor, and educator in the areas of People Analytics, Talent Strategy, Workforce Planning, Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion, Employee Engagement & Well-being, Ethics, Organizational Change, Digital Transformation, and the Future of Work. He’s the Founder & CEO of the People Analytics & Future of Work (PAFOW) Community & Conference Series, a global network committed to promoting People Data for Good: the responsible and ethical use of people data, analytics, and artificial intelligence (AI) for the benefit of individuals, teams, groups, organizations, and society at large.
Questions Include
* What do you mean when you talk about the "ethical use of people data, analytics, and artificial intelligence; for the benefit of individuals, teams, groups, organizations, and society at large"?
* There's plenty of tech out there attempting to 'spy' on employees such as accessing their social media accounts and reporting back behaviors incongruous with an employer's brand. Do companies have a right to 'intrude' on an employee's social media accounts if it means they can potentially identify employees with extremist views and other outlooks not in keeping with a company's mission and values?
* What about remote monitoring of employee behavior? Where do you stand on the tech that allows companies to monitor employee work behaviors - used on the premise that it's to ensure people are not 'slacking off'? Surely the last 18 months has proven that productivity is more important than hours served?
* What happens to employee data when they leave a company? Can employers hold on to, for example, web browsing behavior on company-owned devices or should that information be deleted upon the termination of the employee's contract?
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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Encouraging Creativity at Work w/ Josh Linkner Aug 12, 2021

Show notes

In this HRchat episode, we focus on human creativity in its many forms and some ways of bringing that to life and in a corporate setting.
Bill's illustrious guest is 5-time tech entrepreneur, New York Times Bestselling Author, America’s Top Innovation Keynote Speaker, and world-renowned creativity expert, Josh Linkner.
Since 2007, Josh has delivered more than 1,000 keynotes, mostly on how to stimulate more creativity in organizations that will produce meaningful results, such as better problem-solving to overcome obstacles.
Josh recently released his latest book, Big Little Breakthroughs: How Small, Everyday Innovations Drive Oversized Results. Josh’s desire in writing Big Little Breakthroughs is to help everyday people become every day innovators. He spent over 1000 hours of research finding real-world stories of everyday innovators in all walks of life.
In his book, Josh builds a specific and practical system that helps develop one's “creativity muscles.”
Questions include:

The Great One, Wayne Gretzky, famously said “You miss 100 percent of the shots you never take.” You've suggested that fear, not a lack of natural talent, is the biggest blocker of creativity. How does fear hold us back?
Brainstorming is a "great exercise to yield mediocre ideas. Role-storming is a simple technique that completely removes the fear." Tell our listeners about the concept of role-storming and ways the character acting approach it takes can bring innovation to organizations.
How can leaders encourage their employees to be creative? What's involved in creating a culture of innovation?
You suggest that when people are "kicking around new ideas", they shouldn't actually call them 'ideas', because an idea itself, in theory, is ready for scrutiny. Instead, you explain, we should first think of them as a spark. What's the difference and why does it matter in the context of moving the need within an organization?
You believe everyone has "dormant creative capacity". What can leaders and HR teams do to better to identify and encourage a willingness in certain employees to share their ideas?
How can we encourage leaders and HR to champion creativity every day?

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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High Performance Organizations and Creating a Culture Renovation w/ Kevin Oakes Aug 10, 2021

Show notes

In HRchat 325, we consider ways leaders and HR can turn a company's culture into one based on agility, resilience, and innovation.
Bill's guest is Kevin Oakes, CEO and co-founder of the Institute for Corporate Productivity (i4cp), the leading authority on next practices in human capital. He is also the author of Culture Renovation™, the #1 new release in a dozen Amazon book categories. Drawing on data from one of the largest studies ever conducted on corporate culture, Culture Renovation™ details how high-performance organizations such as Microsoft, T-Mobile, 3M, AbbVie, Mastercard and many more have successfully changed organizational culture.
Questions include:

What are some of the signs that an organization is in need of a culture renovation? Has the pandemic exacerbated any of these problems?
You write that too often an organization’s leaders assume they know what their culture represents but too often, they are, in fact, wrong. Why are they so often wrong, and how do they get it right?
During a culture renovation, you stress the importance of identifying the influencers, energizers, and blockers. Can you briefly describe these types of people and why it’s important to identify them?
A common culture problem you mention in the book is collaboration overload. Further, you say Covid-19 demonstrated just how large the problem has become. What is collaboration overload and how can business leaders and employees alike overcome this issue?
You’ve been in the human capital field for more than 25 years, and you mention that increasingly, you’ve seen high-performance organizations showcase their CEO-CHRO relationship – something that was rarely done in the past. What makes this a critical partnership and how, if at all, has it changed during the pandemic?
To recap, what advice do you have for business leaders when it comes to communicating change with employees?

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's Actually Changed in Orgs Since George Floyd's Murder? w/ Erika Broadwater, NAAAHR Aug 06, 2021

Show notes

According to an HR Policy Association survey in the Spring of 2021, covering nearly 400 HR leaders representing 11 million employees found that 85% said their organizations expanded inclusion activities and increased C-suite involvement in DE&I since George Floyd’s murder. Seventy percent have started or expanded unconscious bias training, while more than half moved to disaggregate workforce data to provide a better picture of employee demographics. The survey also found DE&I was the main concern for HR leaders, ranking ahead of strategizing for a post-COVID culture.

In this HRchat, we take a pulse of the state of HR and leadership and look at what has actually changed within organizations since the murder of George Floyd.

Bill's guest this time is Erika Broadwater, President of the National Association of African Americans in Human Resources (NAAAHR) and EATA Manager/COE at Essity.

Erika has nearly three decades of experience in Human Resources as Head of Talent Acquisition, Recruiting Manager, and Diversity &Inclusion Champion. She is experienced in the global talent workforce, talent mobility, retention, data analytics, recruiting operations, and performance management; supporting all lines of business and client groups.

She is also the Employer Attractiveness & TalentAcquisition Leader/CoE at Essity.

In 2011, Erika was appointed the first Delaware State Chapter President of the National Association of African Americans in Human Resources. After 6 years of building the Delaware Chapter and demonstrating exemplary leadership in driving Diversity & Inclusion throughout the State, the National Board of Directors promoted Erika to the Senior Vice President of membership on the National Board.

Erika was listed on the 2021 Human Resource Executive® andHR Technology Conference® Top 100 HR Tech Influencers list, which recognizes individuals impacting the state and future direction of HR technology.
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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The Role of Background Checks When Sourcing Talent w/ Michael Boyce, Mintz Global Screening Aug 05, 2021

Show notes

Proper background checks for employment can help increase productivity, reduce costs, and preserve your corporate reputation.
Checks are, says today's guest, "an absolutely essential element in the hiring process in order to maintain a safe work environment". "Background screening", he says "empowers employers by providing them with the knowledge they need to make critical hiring decisions".
In HRchat 323, we consider the role of background checks when sourcing top talent. Listen too, as we explore how Covid and WFH placed new emphasis on the need to find ways to check candidates without access to traditional in-person screening methods.
Bill's guest this time is Michael Boyce, Director of Business Growth & Marketing at Mintz Global Screening.
Listen to get Michael's answers to such questions as:

Why does Mintz believe it's vital to the management of the corporate brand and what would you say to those that say it's a bit too 'big brother'?
Does referencing still matter, why can't HR managers just do a criminal check instead? Are references just full of positive statements from 'good references'?
Do you come across a lot of companies that have written off reference checks completely? What are their reasons?
What do you believe the consequences are of avoiding reference checks altogether?
What are the main market and economic influences that impact whether people conduct reference checks? How has Covid-19 impacted Mintz?
Do you believe the purpose of reference checking changed and/or have checks become more important due to new regulatory measures?
What does the market look like at the moment? How much more important is it right now to have a resume that stands out?

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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HCM and Time and Attendance Tech w/ Colin Leatherbarrow and Ben Lagden, GT Clocks Aug 03, 2021

Show notes

In this HRchat, we consider HCM and time and attendance solutions to solve some big issues faced by businesses when managing their workforce.
Bill's guests this time are Colin Leatherbarrow, Technical Director, and Ben Lagden, Head of Product at GT Clocks / Grosvenor Technology who've been a market-leading manufacturer of Human Capital Management Solutions for over 35 years.
Questions include:

Grosvenor Technology & GT Clocks claim to offer more than traditional time clocks. You speak a lot about data privacy and management, tell me more?
“Buddy-punching” is a term used to describe the process of one employee fraudulently clocking in for another employee. How does your tech combat this practice?
The word 'biometrics' is mentioned a lot in Time & Attendance these days, although there are some reservations about collecting people's data via face scans etc, I believe face recognition combats this by mapping the face as opposed to photographing it? Could you tell us more? And does fingerprint technology do the same thing?
How has the pandemic influenced the use of Biometric Technology in the industry?
Visitors, sickness, vacation, plus time and attendance are all administered through your tech to offer staff insight without the traditional admin hassles. How does it work?
How can companies manage multiple HCM terminals in different locations at the same time?

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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