HRchat Podcast

Latest Episodes:

Hours Logged Versus Real Productivity w/ Nick Goldberg, Ezra Jul 30, 2021

Show notes

In this HRchat episode, we look at the correlation between the number of hours logged and employee productivity.

Bill Banham's guest is Nick Goldberg, CEO at Ezra, a provider of digital coaching. Listen as Nick also reflects on a recent study that suggests Americans are clocking 1,864.8 work hours per year. The survey suggests, however, that the American work ethic differs drastically from one state to the next.
Listen as we consider which is the “hardest working” state in the US, reasons why the number of hours employees log doesn't always stack up against expected output and we ask what leaders can do to get more from their employees.

About Ezra
Founded in 2018, Ezra is the brainchild of Nick. Having spent years working in the HR and Talent Development space, Nick was frustrated by two things: 1) the knowledge that coaching was the most impactful means of people development, yet it was only available to those at the very top of an organization and 2) the gulf that existed between the beautiful simplicity of consumer applications, and the often ugly and unwieldy software many are forced to use in their workplaces.

With the support of Ranjit de Sousa, the Global CEO of LHH, Nick set about building a team that could deliver accessible coaching at scale whilst leveraging the convenience and ease of use that everyone expects from apps they use in their personal lives. Learn more at helloezra.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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Feature Your Brand on the HRchat Podcast
The HRchat show has had 100,000s of downloads and is frequently listed as one of the most popular global podcasts for HR pros, Talent execs and leaders. It is ranked in the top ten in the world based on traffic, social media followers, domain authority & freshness. The podcast is also ranked as the Best Canadian HR Podcast by FeedSpot and one of the top 10% most popular shows by Listen Score.
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Can Companies Force Employees to Get Vaccinated? w/ Ivan D. Smith Jul 29, 2021

Show notes

In this HRchat, we consider the legal requirements and implications for returning to work in vaccinated countries. Listen as we consider if businesses can legally mandate Covid vaccinations and how unions could respond.
Seemingly successful COVID-19 vaccination programs in the US, Canada, Israel, the UEA, Hungary, the UK, and elsewhere means that the coronavirus pandemic is finally on the backfoot in many places. Businesses are starting to return to 'normal operations'. As business leaders struggle with the prospect of mandating that employees receive their COVID-19 vaccine as a contingency of their employment, however, many individuals are getting concerned – with some advocating for a mandate and some strongly against it. As a consequence, many unions and labor organizations are seeing an opportunity to take advantage.
"With vaccination efforts in full swing, mask mandates are subsequently easing up, and the outcry for personal protective equipment (PPE) and other health and safety measures has subsided" say's today's guest expert. "Vaccination requirements are the new battleground for unions and employers. Mandating the vaccine among employees is legal – yet complicated. It is still likely to be fought over in the courts .. with unions using every angle to gain a negotiating edge."
Bill's guest this time is Ivan D. Smith, a business person and litigator. His practice focuses on labor and employment law, litigation and entertainment law.
Ivan has extensive experience in employment discrimination cases, mainly in class and multi-plaintiff cases of regional and national scope. He has handled numerous class action cases in matters of wage-hour compliance, disability, and web access, as well as cases concerning race, age, national origin, and gender discrimination.
Ivan also practices traditional labor law and represents clients across a variety of industries. He has experience in collective bargaining, contract and grievance arbitrations, litigation pertaining to unfair labor practices and matters before the National Labor Relations Board.

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Hiring Hourly Workers with Rich Crawford, TalentReef Jul 27, 2021

Show notes

In this HRchat episode, we talk about how to make attracting and retaining hourly workers easier and more effective. Bill's guest this time is Rich Crawford, President and Chief Executive Officer at TalentReef, the cloud provider to recruit and retain the Service Industry’s Hourly workforce.
Rich holds a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Management degree from Georgia Tech in Atlanta, Georgia. Prior to joining TalentReef, he has excelled in executive leadership roles at market-leading companies. Most recently, Crawford was the CEO at SambaSafety where he led the SaaS company from a small regional driver risk solution provider to the leading national supplier of driver risk management solutions to enterprise customers as well as trucking, transportation, and middle-market companies.
Questions For Rich Include:

Recruiting, hiring, and retaining hourly workers is very different from salaried employees. Can you paint a picture of why that's the case?
There's currently an hourly worker shortage. Can you share why you think that's happened and what businesses that employ hourly workers can do to increase applicant flow?
There are some new recruiting and hiring obstacles as we come back from the pandemic – namely, applicant flow. What talent management tools or features can best help franchises struggling to boost applicant flow?
How to handle the oncoming tsunami of applicants as states start to drop unemployment benefits: Talk about just how big the surge of employees returning to the hourly pay workforce will be and what are the opportunities for hiring managers and HR.
How does automated interview scheduling create a faster time-to-hire, and reduce no-shows?
When it comes to communications with candidates, why is two-way communication better than something like a bot that collects information and sends it to the hiring manager?

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 State of Canadian Recruiting w/ Jesse Ryan, High Road Human Capital Jul 23, 2021

Show notes

More than half of employees surveyed in North America plan to look for a new job this year, according to one report, while separate research shows that a quarter of workers plan to quit their jobs outright once the pandemic subsides and recruiting efforts ramp up (even more).
In HRchat episode 318, Bill Banham invites Jesse Ryan, Founder of High Road Human Capital, back on to the show to talk about what the latest labor market trends actually mean and how recruiters and hiring managers can stand above the crowd during the new and super-fierce war for talent.
Questions Include:

Paint a picture of the labor market as we come out of the worst of Covid
What is High Road seeing in the market from your clients and sales prospects?
What does the surge in hiring mean for recruiters? How can TA pros jump on this in profitable and sustainable ways?
Are those with more technical skills better placed to quickly re-enter the workplace?
What are the challenges for HR departments right now when it comes to attraction and onboarding?
Once 'enough' people feel comfortable that the economy is back up and running in a safe way, what will be the challenges for HR in three to six months?
Given the huge amounts of layoffs as a result of coronavirus, did we see many companies successfully adopting new automated alternatives to duties performed by humans, or did leaders get used to, and benefit from, reduced numbers of employees augmented by work from home technologies?

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Why Embracing People Where They're at is Key to Driving Progress w/ Astrid Jorgensen, Pub Choir Jul 22, 2021

Show notes

In HRchat episode 317, we get a world-famous music artist and community builder's take on why embracing people where they're at is key to driving progress, why high performance rests on a team of good players and how to bring diverse groups together to achieve inspiring performances
Bill's guest is Astrid Jorgensen, Founder and Director of Pub Choir. At each Pub Choir event, Astrid arranges a popular song and teaches it to a non-trained audience in three-part harmony. Each event concludes with a performance that is filmed and shared on social media.
Pub Choir gained international attention in November 2017 when their rendition of Zombie by The Cranberries went viral on the internet.
In March 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent cancellation of planned Pub Choir events, Astrid launched Couch Choir. She arranged and uploaded three vocal harmonies of the song (They Long To Be) Close To You by The Carpenters to social media, inviting anybody to learn a part, film themselves singing it, and send it back for inclusion in a final video. There were over 1000 submissions from 18 different countries, and the project was featured on Australian Story. The final video was also shared by Richard Carpenter!
Astrid has also worked as a producer for ABC Radio Brisbane and has performed as a keyboardist in Australian indie rock band The Grates.
Listen and get Astrid's answers to these questions:

You're a keynote at the intelliHR upcoming Performance Summit event. How do you draw high-performance out of such a diverse choir mix?
You've mentioned how ordinary people showing up and bringing their real selves can create world-class results. How do you think this translates to business environments?
What would you recommend to leaders seeking to create environments where people can bring their authentic selves to work?
With the Pub Choir shift to Couch Choir, you've certainly got some thoughts on diversity and accessibility. Can you share some of your learnings?
How, in your experience, has increased diversity contributed to high performance?

Astrid will be a keynote at the July 28th Performance Summit produced by intelliHR. Learn more and register here: https://intellihr.co/PerformanceSummit2021/

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Creating a Sense of Belonging w/ Nicole Fernandes and Mike Hoffmann, Blu Ivy Group Jul 20, 2021

Show notes

There was a time when compensation and benefits were all that mattered to employees. Today, however, they look for much more from their employers; not least of all, they seek an emotional connection and a sense of belonging.

In this HRchat episode, we talk about shaping and managing your company's culture. Listen as we delve into how to live your employer brand story and ways leaders can better connect with employees.

Bill's guests are Nicole Fernandes, Director of Culture and DEI, and Michael Hoffmann, Director of Growth and Innovation, at Blu Ivy Group, an employer branding agency & consultancy composed of awesome culture architects who unearth the stories of companies to help them attract, retain and blossom from within.

Questions Include:

The pandemic has shifted the way we think about work, tell us about your perspective on how employees are feeling right now.
What do you think is most important to employees in 2021 and beyond?
Why do you believe that isn’t DEI working?
Why do you believe belonging is important in the workplace?
With all of the DEI approaches in the market today, why is the focus on developing a sense of belonging different?

About Blu Ivy Group
An authentic and engaged workplace has better hiring metrics, an increase in talent retention, and improved employee experience. People love what they do because they love where they work. With a combination of HR, marketing, communications, recruitment, and corporate leadership, Blu Ivy finds a company’s unique DNA. Learn more at https://bluivygroup.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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Transformational HR w/ Perry Timms Jul 15, 2021

Show notes

In this HRchat we talk about hope for, and the hype around, an ever-changing world of work. The guest this time is Perry Timms, Founder at People and Transformational HR Limited. Perry is also the author of the book Transformational HR.
He has been listed as one of the most influential HR executives by world-renowned organizations and is passionate about changing the world of work.

Perry is also a global TEDx speaker and adviser on the future of work and HR.

Questions include:

In your book Transformational HR, you talk about the hope for, and hype of, our ever-changing world: what is hype and what is hope when it comes to HR in general?
As we go through this current surge in hiring, are there companies you would point to as getting it right in terms of talent attraction and acquisition? If so, who are they and what have they done differently over the past 18 months to ensure they can find and attract the best candidates in ways that are both equitable and in line with ensuring an authentic fit?
You have spoken a lot about HR being underskilled and underprepared to interpret and use the data available to them to find and retain top talent. Where are we now? What's the state of the 'HR Nation' when it comes to ensuring biases are removed from hiring and management processes?
Treating the employee journey more like the customer experience: It's hard to build all the data points HR needs to track all we need to know about candidates and employees. What can HR learn from the information that companies can gather from customers? How can we apply customer-centric data-powered attraction lessons to the world of work?
You wrote a beautiful article in April 2021 called #gratitude. In it, you open yourself up and show your own vulnerabilities. Tell our listeners about some of the lessons you share in that post and how, as we all try to overcome the stresses, anxieties, and despair of the past 18 months, employees can find ways to demonstrate compassion and caring for colleagues.
As so many folks return to the office (often with trepidation), how can HR play a role in developing a more compassionate and inclusive office environment and company culture?

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How to Attract Talent During a Tsunami of Labor Movement w/ Mervyn Dinnen Jul 13, 2021

Show notes

In this HRchat, we will consider adapting to the new norms of post-covid talent attraction and retention.
Bill's guest this time is Mervyn Dinnen a talent analyst, advising recruitment and HR technology businesses on the emerging trends impacting hiring, retention, and engagement. He is a writer and international speaker on recruitment and HR trends and an award-winning recruitment blogger. Prior to this, he spent 20 years as a recruitment and HR practitioner.
Mervyn is also a top HR influencer and the author of Exceptional Talent: How to Attract, Acquire and Retain the Very Best Employees and the upcoming book, Digital Talent.
Listen to get Mervyn's answers to questions such as:

How and why should talent be entering the onboarding process well before their first day; even as early as the first time they’re interviewed?
You say the (candidate) journey should never stop. What's changed since Q1 of 2020 when it comes to the wants/needs of employees and what employers need to deliver on an ongoing basis?
Let's talk about hiring based on skills rather than past performance. Why do you suggest firms should move away from hiring checklists and stop hiring people based on their historical performance and, instead, start looking at ways to identify candidate competencies and behaviors, and what they will be able to do within your organization.
The war for talent has perhaps never been as fierce as it has been since Spring 2021. How does skills-based hiring offer companies an opportunity to find 'diamonds in the rough'?
Many companies have used the pandemic as a wake-up call and an opportunity to future-proof against new and unforeseen crises that could again keep people from doing their jobs. This has involved augmenting (and often replacing) traditional roles performed by humans. Why do you teach that organizations need to better appreciate that people don’t all adapt at the same pace and acknowledge that implementing new technologies is an organizational change that may cause disaffection?

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Benefits Special: Getting Serious About Drug Costs and Patient Outcomes: Can We Have Both? Jul 10, 2021

Show notes

In this episode of the Benefits and Wellness Superhero podcast mini-series, we hear from Helen Stevenson, Founder and CEO at Reformulary Group.
On April 7th at the Benefits and Wellness Superhero Symposium, Helen and Minh-Tam Tran, Executive Director at APPSQ shared thoughts on where we are headed with drug costs and pharmacy services, how employers and employees can work towards the common goal of sustainability and patient results. Listen to this interview and get the lowdown.
This episode was first published in April 2021.

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Driving Results with Continuous Feedback w/ Alexander Schwall, Rhabit Analytics Jul 08, 2021

Show notes

In HRchat episode 313, we delve into ways to influence leadership behaviors in order to drive organizational outcomes with continuous feedback. Listen as we also consider how to better measure behaviors to create a corporate culture of feedback and accountability.

Bill Banham's guest this time is Alexander Schwall, Ph.D., Co-Founder and Chief Science Officer at Rhabit Analytics.

Alexander holds a PhD from Pennsylvania State University. Before founding Rhabit, he worked in HR consulting, where he gained a profound understanding of the needs and expectations of Talent Leaders. He also worked in Research & Development, developing products that are scientifically sound while delivering an excellent experience to employees and HR users alike. He now uses his expertise in Industrial/Organizational Psychology to ensure that Rhabit uses sound measurement and solidly rests on scientific principles. His motivation is to deliver meaningful and valid data.

Alexander also guides all product implementation with Rhabit’s clients and consults them on how to analyze, understand, and use their Rhabit data.

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