We're Only Human

In this episode of We're Only Human, host Ben Eubanks talks with Marjorie Williamson, the leader of Global Total Rewards and HR Operations at RTI International. They discuss the importance of connecting people strategy with business strategy, focusing on RTI's ambitious North Star goal to positively impact over 1 billion people by 2030. The conversation covers topics like the development of a holistic people strategy, creating a culture and organizational health dashboard, and using total reward surveys to inform compensation strategies. Marjorie also shares insights on leadership involvement, the importance of flexibility, and the challenges and progress in implementing these strategies at RTI. Connect with Marjorie Williamson  See the show archives and sign up for episode updates

In this episode of We're Only Human, Ben Eubanks hosts David Wentworth, talent platform evangelist at Schoox, to discuss the importance of developing frontline workers. They discuss the challenges frontline workers face, such as time constraints and lack of practice opportunities, and emphasize the value of mobile solutions for training and communication. David also shares examples of companies like Hooters of America and Sonesta Hotels that have successfully invested in their frontline employees, demonstrating the long-term benefits of supportive development practices. Check out the research report discussed on this episode See the show archives and sign up for episode updates

In this episode of We're Only Human, Ben Eubanks interviews Sarah from Enterprise Mobility's talent acquisition team to discuss strategies for emerging talent and improving candidate experiences. Sarah shares insights about Enterprise Mobility's internship program, onboarding processes, and an expedited hiring model to streamline the recruitment of IT talent. Sarah also emphasizes the importance of early engagement, robust training, and creating strong leadership connections for interns. The discussion also covers the benefits of quick hiring processes and methodologies for convincing stakeholders to adopt new recruiting practices. In addition, to open the episode, Ben speaks with Rocky Paap, CEO of Filtered and a partner that supports Enterprise Mobility's talent acquisition function with screened and vetted candidates.  Learn more about Filtered.ai Connect with Sarah Faupel See the show archives and sign up for episode updates

In different organizations, sometimes learning is a punishment. If people don't do the right thing or there's a safety issue or a compliance issue, we send people to training. The other end of that spectrum is it's a reward for people. So, your top performers, key talent. So how do we  find somewhere in the middle?  We're Only Human -- Episode 179In this episode of We're Only Human, host Ben Eubanks talks with learning executive and neuroscience enthusiast Hannah Conkey. The interview discusses the importance of redefining the role of learning in organizations, emphasizing the need to move away from a punitive training approach to a more holistic and motivational perspective. It touches on key concepts such as: the use of neuroscience in learning,  creating a safe learning environment, and  the significance of equipping individuals with tools for self-awareness and self-regulation. Connect with Hannah on LinkedIn See the show archives and sign up for episode updates

What's it going to take for them to be able to retire? They're going to need to number one: save.  Number two, have earnings on what they've saved. And number three, they're going to have to minimize the deductions coming out of their accounts. We call that the three key drivers. Chris Thixton, Principal, Pension Consultants, Inc.  We're Only Human -- Episode 178 In this episode of We're Only Human, host Ben Eubanks and retirement benefits strategist Chris Thixton discuss the importance of properly managing retirement plans and benefits, emphasizing the three key drivers. It stresses the need for HR leaders to set clear goals, establish measurable metrics, and prioritize transparency. A practical example is shared where a company enhanced its retirement plan outcomes through a strategic shift in focus and commitment. The conversation highlights the significance of caring for employees' financial security and the impact of proactive retirement planning on individuals' future well-being. Connect with Chris on

Recruiting is preparation for retention.  I think it's really top of mind that we should focus on that because a lot of people think that recruiting is just the top of funnel--just getting people in the door. But the experience that people have during the recruitment process... Data has supported that it flows into the retention of that individual throughout their life cycle.We're Only Human -- Episode 177Today's podcast episode is a replay of the Q4 2024  livestream research release keynote panel conversation between Travis Windling of RBC, Lisa Brignall of Coca Cola, and Camille Tate of Strava.  Listeners can expect to learn:   Insights on Diverse Hiring Strategies  Focus on Data-Driven Recruitment Decisions  Practical Tips for Recruitment Success See the show archives and sign up for episode updates

"So how do we ensure that our team is focused on the right things so that they're making an impact and seeing that reflected in the business success? As companies increasingly are focused on the bottom line, we just cannot afford to have employees working on things that are not moving the ball forward as it relates to our priorities."Michelle Pulido, Senior Vice President of People and Workplace, Rothy'sWe're Only Human -- Episode 176This episode of We're Only Human discusses how Rothy's, a sustainable company, prioritizes connecting with employees, aligning employee experience with business priorities, and providing choices and flexibility in recognition. Michelle Pullido, the Senior Vice President of People and Workplace at Rothy's, shares insights on strategies for creating a positive employee experience, including understanding employee motivations, aligning with leadership priorities, and utilizing platforms like Goody for employee recognition.Get your own free $20 Goody credit: https://www.ongoody.com/b

"We can make the case. Research is out there that prioritizing connection over productivity is the fastest way to get the productivity. When people have the sense of belongings and feel valued and be part of something, the productivity goes up."Junko Fukuma, AVP of Talent, HealthesystemsWe're Only Human -- Episode 175In this episode of "We're Only Human," Ben Eubanks interviews Junko Fukuma about the importance of creating connections and fostering belonging in the workplace. They discuss the concept of a "me manual" as a tool to facilitate understanding and communication between team members. Junko shares insights on how the me manual can improve team dynamics, enhance productivity, and create a sense of belonging. The conversation highlights the significance of personal connections, especially in a remote work setting, and emphasizes the impact of prioritizing human connections over productivity.Three takeaways:  Me Manual: A tool used for creating connections and fostering understanding in the workplace b

"I also enjoy the face to face with employees. And I think I really have chosen this field of benefits, this discipline, because I want to help employees maximize the benefits that are offered to them." Summer Martin, Human Resources Generalist, STRATA-G Solutions We're Only Human -- Episode 174 The episode features a conversation between Ben Eubanks and Summer Martin about Summer's journey in pursuing the Certified Employee Benefits Specialist (CEBS) certification. Summer shares her passion for educating employees on benefits and helping organizations enhance their benefits offerings. She discusses the importance of effective communication in benefits and the value of specialized certifications in HR. The conversation highlights the role of benefits in attracting and retaining talent, as well as the significance of tailoring benefits information to different audiences. Show Notes Connect with Summer on LinkedIn See the show archives and sign up for episode updates See the show archives and sign up for epis

"And someone says, 'I don't think management's for me.' Celebrate that! When somebody says that to you, you need to celebrate and say, 'Great decision!' As an individual contributor, you have joy in your job by being excellent, by being a subject matter expert."Cheryl Gochis, Chief Human Resources Officer, Baylor University We're Only Human - Episode 173 In this episode, Ben Eubanks interviews Cheryl Gochis, the chief human resources officer at Baylor University. They discuss the importance of enabling and selecting great leaders. Cheryl highlights the impact of a good manager on their team, the importance of truthful job descriptions for manager roles, and the need for HR professionals to understand and support the business they serve. The interview also highlights the value of sharing real stories and narratives to guide managers, rather than adopting a formulaic approach. Show Notes Connect with Cheryl on LinkedIn See the show archives and sign up for episode updates   See the show archives and sign up f

"My refrigerator broke one day and I didn't call a repair person. I didn't go to refrigerator repair school. I went to YouTube, found a person who had a similar problem, followed along, fixed the problem, moved on. And then we go to work and suddenly you can't do that anymore." JD Dillon, Chief Learning Officer, Axonify We're Only Human - Episode 172 In this episode, Ben talks with JD Dillon, a learning leader and advocate for frontline workers and the use of technology to support learning outcomes. In the conversation, they discuss the concept of the modern learning ecosystem, emphasizing the importance of enabling frontline workers and exploring the evolution of learning technology and its impact, particularly for frontline employees. The conversation focuses on the practical application of technology to improve work experiences, including personalized learning, language barriers, and the promise of AI. Three takeaways for listeners include: 1. The evolving role of learning technology in supporting frontlin

"I would be remiss to tell our employees 'you have the power to question your doctors' if I didn't tell HR people 'you have the power to question your consultants and brokers' the exact same way." Melissa Cassidy, Human Resources Leader, Valpak We're Only Human -- Episode 171 In this podcast episode, host Ben Eubanks engages in a conversation with Melissa Cassidy, focusing on the topics of benefits, HR, and employee wellness. They discuss Melissa's background and her experience in the field. Melissa shares the challenges she faced when implementing a new benefit plan and the importance of gathering employee feedback. Moreover, they dig into the strategies they used to educate and support employees in terms of benefits and financial literacy.  Key Takeaways: Gathering employee feedback is crucial: Melissa emphasizes the significance of listening to employees and their needs when it comes to benefits. Conducting surveys and actively seeking input from employees can help shape effective benefit strategies. Tai

"So when it comes to training and learning as a viable solution for helping people be the best that they can be in the roles that they serve, I believe that that's always been important.  We've just not always been able to illustrate impact in the past the way in which we're able to now. That is because of the different types of tools and resources and knowledge that we've gained about the science of measuring the impact of training and learning." Kevin M. Yates, The L&D Detective We're Only Human -- Episode 170   It's an age-old problem: We're training people, but how do we know if it's working? What's the impact? What's the result? What's the ROI?  In this interview with Kevin M. Yates, the learning detective and a daily practitioner with experience in learning analytics and measurement at organizations like Meta and McDonald's, you'll learn about how measuring and proving training value is closer than ever before.    Show Notes Check out Kevin's nonprofit: https://mealsinthemeantime.org/  Check out Kevin'

"So it's really designed to be a two-way street and to create that conversation from the very, very beginning points. So we're setting the expectations for what employment is going to be like, especially as a leader at our company." Nicole Hirsch, Sr Recruiting Manager, Lattice We're Only Human -- Episode 169   Teaching hiring managers how to interview... It sounds like a foregone conclusion, yet data from the 2023 Lighthouse Research & Advisory Modern Screening Practices Study of more than 500 employers shows that it's not happening as much as it should. Employers put their reputation on the line every time they let hiring managers speak with candidates, but they don't always do a good job of preparing them for what to say, how to say it, etc. In this conversation between Ben and Nicole Hirsch, a senior recruiting leader, you'll hear how to approach this with intentional focus in order to drive the best hiring results.    Show Notes Thanks to Brighthire for connecting us with Nicole! https://brighthire.com 

"Like a lot of people, it's something I fell into. I don't think there's anybody out there that woke up and said, "When I grow up, I want to be an HR tech/HRIS person. So I had a background in social work, counseling, and nonprofit, then got into it and then ended up working in an HRIS role implementing a learning management system. That was my first kind of true HRIS and I'd never worked with learning management before. I'd never worked in HR before. So it was a learning experience for me. But since then, I've grown in responsibility and different systems that I've worked with, and I've gotten a lot of experience doing data analytics, people analytics and system support. I just love that blending of technology and people." Tim Whitley, Director of HR Technology, Oklahoma State   We're Only Human -- Episode 168 Everyone knows the core elements of human resources: hiring, training, compliance, payroll... But what about HRIS? What does it take to excel in that type of role, and how do you get into that specifi

"Pay transparency is here (or coming) depending on where you're located and where you're hiring people. It's kind of like a snowball rolling down the hill getting bigger and bigger. It's something to really stop and think about and prepare for now, because it's not easy. I think the biggest thing around transparency is thinking about what your education plan is for your people." Megan Nail, Vice President, Total Rewards Practice at NFP We're Only Human -- Episode 167 In our research with employers, we find many of them believe that salary transparency puts more power into the hands of candidates and employees, but there's also a lot of value for employers, too. If your organization wants to stand out from the crowd, it's not as simple as bumping up pay and walking away.  In today's interview with Megan Nail, she tells some of the best strategies for evaluating your compensation competitiveness against internal and external measurements. Plus she gives her best advice on how to manage pay transparency in a hea

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 leade

" 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 NotesShow Notes Connect with Heidi Want to see our latest and ongoing research? We post

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

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 Se