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  See the show archives and sign up for episode updates

"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 engagement with the workforce by

"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.com/in/jordanconley/  Tha

"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 they learn best to wha

"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/ See the show archives and sign up for episode updates

"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/gordon-simpson-5731736/ 

"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 around the globe, and

"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 satisfaction and resilie

"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 about the value of intangib

"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.com/  Ben's favorite Joyou

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 impressions of our work and relat

"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 SmartRecruiters' intense commitmen

"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 See the show archives

"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 the role of skill data,

"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, subscribe, and more  

"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 itself. In the convers

"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 more: https://utmost.

"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/in/kristin-richt

"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 out how to align your

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  See the show archives and sign up for episode updates