In this episode, I sit down with Dr. Nita Chhinzer (University of Guelph) who challenged my perspective on recruitment. And as a bonus, what's happening in the market.It turns out, most of us are looking at the wrong things and asking the wrong questions. While technical skills get someone through the door, the evidence indicates that three "hidden" traits actually predict long-term performance: 1. Professional Maturity: Can they handle the sometimes unspoken realities of work?2. Attitude (The Useful Kind): Do they have genuine ownership, are they resilient, or are they just clocking in?3. Feedback Receptivity: Can they hear feedback without becoming defensive? Then will they actually use it to improve? Because if they can't take feedback, they won't grow as much.Ad despite what your client says they want, these three qualities are what they actually want according to the evidence and research. Once the basic skills pass a screening.So what soft skills do you include in your screening? Leave a comment. Has a "great on paper" hire ever failed because they lacked one of these three?

*Find Dr. Nita Chhinzer in the following places* LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nitachhinzer/https://nitachhinzer.com/https://www.uoguelph.ca/lang/people/nita-chhinzer*Find Andrea Adams in the following places*https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrea-adams1/https://thehrhub.ca/

In this episode, executive coach and author Dina Denham Smith breaks down why emotional labour feels like pushing a beach ball underwater and how to prevent it from leading to compassion fatigue. We explore the difference between emotional and cognitive empathy, the physical toll of suppressing true feelings, and practical ways to "metabolize" the stress of leadership.

Key takeaways include:

- The definition of a "toxin handler" and why this role is vital yet undervalued.

- The three components of an emotion: behavior, physiology, and mental interpretation.- How to use the "Three Rs" (Reflect, Reframe, Restore) to recover your energy.

- Why cognitive empathy is a protective strategy for those in high-conflict roles.

**Find Dina Denham-Smith**

Website: https://dinadenhamsmith.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dinadenhamsmith/

Book Titles or other links: Emotionally Charged: How to Lead in the New World of Work

**Find Andrea (me)**

Website: https://thehrhub.ca/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrea-adams1/

This episode breaks down the immediate steps you must take when an employee brings forward an alarming complaint to avoid legal issues and protect your organization.

You need to know which kinds of complaints come with legal obligations and which don't and then how to avoid making the situation worse.

Key Takeaways:

5️⃣ 5 steps during the initial complaint meeting.

🇨🇦 vs 🇺🇸: Key differences between Canada and the US around which complaints trigger your obligation to investigate

🤔 How to determine if you can handle an investigation internally or if you must hire an outside expert.

🙅🏻‍♀️ Common mistakes leaders make, including "gut-feeling" decisions and mediation traps.

00:00 Five steps for the initial meeting

01:25 Categorizing the three types of complaints

04:00 US vs. Canada: Legal trigger words

05:18 When you are obligated to investigate

08:40 Formal vs. informal complaint triggers

09:30 Internal vs. external investigator criteria

12:45 Advice for self-led investigations

13:40 Common mistakes to avoid

**Find Andrea (me)**

Email: andrea@thehrhub.ca

Website: https://thehrhub.ca/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrea-adams1/

In this conversation, Josh Block, President of Block Imaging and author of People Matter at Work, explains why caring is a legitimate business strategy that drives ownership and long term performance. So that our people FEEL that we care.

We discuss the "Three T’s" of leadership, the difference between viewing employees as resources to be extracted versus a garden to be nurtured, and the specific questions we can coach leaders to ask so they build real trust.

If you are looking to move beyond transactional management (where people are the gold mine) and create an environment where employees feel safe, seen, and successful, this episode provides practical advice for HR and leaders.

**Find Josh Block**

Website: https://www.peoplematteratwork.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshuablock/

Book: https://www.amazon.ca/People-Matter-Work-Fostering-Everyone/dp/B0FYX543SN

**Find Andrea (me)**

Website: https://thehrhub.ca/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrea-adams1/

With AI shifting the landscape daily, many are asking: What will the role of an L&D professional be in the future? What will the role of the function be??

I sat down with Josh Cardoz, Chief Creative & Learning Officer at Sponge Learning, to get a pulse on 2026. Josh is mostly excited - tempered with a warning for those wishing to go back to the old ways of doing things.

Key Takeaways from our Conversation:

- AI is a double-edged sword: Yes, AI will finally make hyper-personalization a reality. No more single course to solve a problem for 10,000 people.

- A loss of community: Josh warns of a "related loss of community." If everyone is on a perfectly curated, solo AI path, we risk losing the shared standards and human connection that make a culture strong.

- A shift in L&D language: L&D pros need to stop talking about "training" and "learning" and...

- A business mindset: we need to talk about business problems and keep the L&D to ourselves

Josh also shared some consulting tips that are gold for engaging with clients.

*Connect with Josh and Sponge*

https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshcardoz/Sponge Learning: https://www.spongelearning.com/

*Connect with Andrea*

Website: https://thehrhub.ca/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrea-adams1/

You’ve already done a lot: you spent thousands on recruitment, vetting, and interviewing. You will pay for them and their training. But without a solid onboarding process, there is a high chance that your investment will walk out the door.

Onboarding is quite possibly the easiest and most cost-effective retention activity you can do, yet so many businesses treat it as an afterthought. Or a tedious activity they avoid.

So watch the video and make sure you do it! Onboarding isn't just a "nice-to-have" - it's a key bottom-line retention strategy.

I'm an HR Consultant to SMBs. Find me at:

https://thehrhub.ca

https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrea-adams1/

In this episode, Ryan Jenkins (WSJ Bestselling Author of Connectable) explains why workplace loneliness is increasing and how HR leaders can build a culture of belonging to combat employee isolation.

Loneliness was a recurring theme on this channel throughout 2025. And Gallup has reinforced over and over that it's a critical piece of engagement. That question: "Do you have a best friend at work?" is important.

But what do you do? This episode has tips.

What You’ll Learn:-

• The Rise of Isolation: Why loneliness is increasing across all demographics in the modern workplace.
• The Science of Connection: How the brain reacts to exclusion and its impact on cognitive performance.
• Critical Stats: Why 8 out of 10 global workers feel disconnected at least once a month.
• HR Strategy: Practical ways to address loneliness

It came up throughout the year in conversations on burnout, engagement, remote and hybrid work, culture... it's something we need to pay attention to.

**Find Ryan Jenkins**

https://www.ryanjenkins.com/https://connectionvault.com/

His book is called: Connectable: How Leaders Can Move Teams from Isolated to All In

**Find Andrea Adams**

https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrea-adams1/

https://thehrhub.ca/

Dr. Rosina McAlpine is back to talk about what actually works when organizations want to support working parents—not with token gestures, but with programs that address the real challenges.

We discuss why working parents have the highest burnout and lowest mental health scores across the workforce, what family-friendly workplaces are doing differently, and how to measure whether any of it is making a difference.

We also get into the equity vs equality question. It's not one we think about in this context, but it does work. After all, what we need is a workplace where everyone is able to thrive.

* Dr. Rosina's 5-Point Guide*https://www.winwinparenting.com/closing-the-gap-in-parent-support-guide*Contact Dr. Rosina McAlpine*https://winwinparenting.com/https://drrosina.com/https://www.linkedin.com/in/drrosina/*Contact Andrea Adams*https://thehrhub.cahttps://www.linkedin.com/in/andrea-adams1/

If we look at the state of HR as a whole, we are facing a crisis. The research reveals staggering rates of depression, anxiety, and burnout across the profession. Perhaps the most shocking result? 42% of HR professionals are considering leaving the profession entirely.

Dr. Burrell was shocked by these results, and frankly, I am too. We need to shine a light on this because it’s impossible for us to deliver results for our organizations if we are struggling this much. We cannot tend to the wellness of employees and clients if we aren’t caring for our own first.

The 2026 HR Wellbeing Survey is underway now (as of late January). Whether you are thriving or just trying to survive, take a moment to help us see how the profession is doing in 2026.

 https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/TVY7HDS

**Find Dr. Jo Burrell**LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-jo-burrell-04901a96/Ultimate Resilience: https://www.ultimateresilience.co.uk/**Find Andrea Adams (me!)**LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrea-adams1/My company: https://thehrhub.ca/

Dina Denham Smith is an executive coach who works with senior leaders at companies like Adobe, Netflix, and Google. She's written over 60 articles for Harvard Business Review, and her book Emotionally Charged: How to Lead in the New World of Work (co-authored with Penn State psychology professor Alicia Grandey) digs into the science of emotions at work.We covered:🧠 The difference between emotional savvy and emotional intelligence (and why the distinction matters).🎭 The authenticity paradox: leaders are expected to be authentic but penalized for being too authentic.😢 Why crying at work is still risky. There's a few that are humanized by it but the rest of us are penalized/criticized.🔥 What to do when someone storms into your office in a heightened emotional stateAnd so much more. There was a LOT of usefulness in this episode. Frameworks. The importance of helping someone name their emotions. Viewing emotions as data and far more. ***About Dina***🔗 Website: https://dinadsmith.com🔗 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dina-denham-smith/📖 Book: Emotionally Charged: How to Lead in the New World of Work***About Andrea***🔗 Website: https://thehrhub.ca🔗 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrea-adams1/

Generational researcher Cam Marston is back to talk about what actually works when you're trying to build teams across four generations. We discussed the real differences (not the lazy stereotypes), why Gen X leaders might need to rethink their "figure it out" leadership style, and a suprising way to build teams that is effective! Regardless of any generational gaps.

Cam broke down what each generation brings to the table right now: boomers has wisdom, Gen X are mostly the leaders, millennials are taking over leadership - democratically, and Gen Z is still figuring out their place.

But when considering generational differences, the person who needs to change is probably you and me. Our own generational preferences is typically what gets in the way of team success, and Cam explains how to actually see it.

We covered:

• What "figure it out" leadership costs with younger employees and why
• Why millennial managers might need to stop asking for input (so much)
• How to honestly assess our own generational biases

There are lots of tips in here for organizations that are wrestling with big generation gaps and some related frustrations.

**Connect with Cam Marston**

Website: https:/CamMarston.com

Podcast: What's Working with Cam Marston

**Connect with Andrea Adams**

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrea-adams1/

Website: https://thehrhub.ca/

In this conversation, we dig into what disruption actually looks like for mid-level HR professionals who aren't always in the room where decisions get made. Jennifer shares how she went rogue to pilot new technology, why she was once told nobody wanted her in meetings, and what she learned about saying something other than "no."

We also talk about AI implementation, why companies aren't seeing the efficiency gains they expected, and how HR can lead the conversation before it becomes a cleanup job.

**Find Jennifer**https://jennifermcclure.net/https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennifermcclure/https://disrupthr.co/**Find Andrea**https://thehrhub.ca/https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrea-adams1/

It's the end of 2025 and Angela Nguyen from The Leader Within Podcast and I are compared notes. What themes kept showing up in our conversations this year that we think will endure?

We dug into systems thinking - HR has always been interconnected but we haven't always used that perspective to solve recurring problems.

Angela spoke about what she's seeing with AI adoption: organizations unclear on what they're actually solving for, fear around job loss, and the gap in change management practices.

Then we got into the entry-level pipeline problem. Companies are cutting entry-level and mid-layer positions, which creates a group of employees disconnected from leadership. That'll be a problem.

And workplace loneliness. This has come up in many interviews I did this year. Gallup has been saying for years that having a best friend at work is one of their top 12 engagement factors.

We also shared our biggest lessons from the year. Just so you know we aren't AI.

***Connect with Angela Nguyen***The Leader Within Podcast: https://www.angelanguyen.ca/podcastLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/angelanguyenkhaan/***Connect with Andrea Adams***LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrea-adams1/HR consulting inquiries: andrea@thehrhhub

In this episode, James Lord breaks down what HR professionals can do differently to actually learn something meaningful about candidates when they do reference checks.

James (of RefApp) shares insights from years working with reference checking companies, including the uncomfortable truth that 8% of references are fraudulent. We need to protect ourselves!

We explore practical strategies for determining who to actually call, whether or not you should call, and navigating problems.

We discuss:

• Why requiring supervisors from the last two roles (with corporate email addresses) reduces fraud
• The right questions to ask

• Why phone references without audit trails create legal risk
• The role of technology
• When in the hiring process to actually check references

James also explains how smaller organizations without an ATS can access reference checking technology. It's easy of course.

For HR professionals tired of going through the motions with references that don't provide real insight, this conversation offers evidence-based alternatives to traditional approaches!

**Connect with James Lord**LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jameswlord/Email: james@refapp.comRefApp: https://www.refapp.com/**Connect with Andrea Adams**LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrea-adams1/Email: andrea@thehrhub.caThe HR Hub: https://thehrhub.ca/

In this episode, I talk with Matt Alder, a talent acquisition futurist and host of the top-ranked Recruiting Future podcast, about how rapidly changing skill requirements are forcing us to rethink everything about hiring.

Matt breaks down the "half-life of skills" - why technical abilities are becoming outdated faster than ever, and which human capabilities will actually endure. We discuss hiring for a specific skill or focusing on someone's ability to learn and adapt.

It sounds a lot like hire for attitude and train for skill! Maybe that's here at last!?!?

In our discussion you'll hear:• How to figure out what skills you actually need (hint: stop trying to replace people like-for-like)• The messy reality of upskilling• Why assessment science is getting more accessible• How to predict future skill needs when everything is moving fast• The real role AI will play in jobs

This isn't about jargon or theory. Matt shares what's actually working for organizations right now, not just what's being talked about at conferences.

**Connect with Matt Alder:**Recruiting Future Podcast: https://recruitingfuture.com/Book: Digital Talent**Connect with me, Andrea Adams**The HR Hub - https://thehrhub.cahttps://www.linkedin.com/in/andrea-adams1/

And most of us in HR were never actually trained for this. We're just handed the task on top of everything else.

So I talked with Lee Rubin, co-founder of Confetti, about what makes virtual events work (and what makes them flop).

We talked about what events can't fix (e.g. bad management). And we discuss the humanizing effect of seeing your intimidating boss laugh during a murder mystery game — how it's harder to reduce someone to a caricature when you've actually had fun with them.

Lee also shares her hot take: participating in team building is part of a remote workers job, as long as it's during paid hours and you're given real permission to disconnect. Team-building is part of anyone's job if they are paid to do it - there's a reason leadership spends money on it.

This episode is sponsored by Confetti. They've got a special offer for HR Hub listeners here:

https://try.withconfetti.com/oyze1

Get $75 off your first booking using code TRY75B

*** Connect with Lee ***

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rubinl/

Check out Confetti: https://www.withconfetti.com/

*** Connect with Andrea ***

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrea-adams1/

Website: https://thehrhub.ca/

We cover what payroll actually does beyond "paying people," the critical information you need to provide for new hires and employee changes, and why payroll professionals can seem so inflexible. Steven explains the real compliance risks, the staggering financial responsibility payroll carries, and what can happen if things go wrong.

You'll learn why manual payroll runs are not ideal, the difference between payroll dates and processing deadlines, and how to build a partnership with payroll that benefits everyone. Whether you're responsible for payroll yourself or just need to understand how it works, this episode will help you avoid the mistakes that damage employee trust and put your organization at compliance risk.

Key topics:

• What payroll professionals actually do and why it matters
• Critical information needed for new hires, changes, and terminations
• Why payroll seems inflexible and how to work with those constraints
• The real financial and legal risks of payroll mistakes
• Best practices for HR-payroll collaboration
• 
  

Guest: Steven Van Alstine, VP of Professional Standards and Education, National Payroll Institute

Resources: National Payroll Institute at payroll.ca, Learning Payroll courses for HR professionals

And this episode was requested by a listener! Let me know what other HR topics you'd like covered.

Find me, Andrea Adams on Linkedin or my Website https://thehrhub.ca

Nadia heads people operations at Garner Health. It's a rapidly growing 400-person healthcare tech company with a Big Hairy Audacious Goal: transforming the US healthcare economy. No small task. But what's fascinating is how she's builds an HR infrastructure that enables that mission instead of just supporting it.

We dig into her planning hierarchy that connects everything from their mission down to what HR works on this Tuesday. She breaks down her concept of "run the machine vs improve the machine" which was a refreshing look at the day-to-day vs strategy. Running payroll? That's running the machine - non-negotiable. Redesigning your performance management process? That's improving the machine - and it needs to connect to business strategy.

The conversation was particularly interesting when we talked about managing our "customer service" mindset in HR. It has it's uses but is overdone when we jump at every request. Nadia's take: look at how every other function prioritizes. They don't drop everything because of one request. Why should we?

She also shared what she wishes Garner had prioritized earlier (employer branding) and walked through their actual quarterly planning cadence - who meets when, what gets discussed, and how HR initiatives actually get resourced.

For mid-level HR professionals trying to be more strategic and less reactive, this episode gives you some substance to work with.

Topics covered:

• The planning hierarchy from mission to quarterly deliverables
• Run the machine vs improve the machine framework
• Managing the customer service mindset in HR
• Quarterly planning process and meeting cadence
• Why employer branding matters earlier than you think
• How to tie HR initiatives to business pillars

About Nadia:Nadia Uberoi is Head of People at Garner Health, a healthcare technology company focused on helping people get the best care at the best price. She previously spent four years at Chewy.

About Andrea

I am an HR consultant to small and medium businesses in addition to running my Podcast & YouTube channel. My sweet spot is organizations with people-related crisis AND a commitment to learning.

**Find Dr. Nita Chhinzer in the following places**https://www.linkedin.com/in/nitachhinzer/https://nitachhinzer.com/https://www.uoguelph.ca/lang/people/nita-chhinzer**Find Andrea Adams in the following places**https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrea-adams1/https://thehrhub.ca

Josh Cardoz, Chief Creative and Learning Officer at Sponge, recently wrote a white paper called "Mobilising Generation Numb" that captures what's he believes is really going on in workplaces. And it resonates.

People are showing up but they're detached. They're going through the motions without bringing their best selves. And it's not just a few people - it's happening at scale.

We talk about the data showing that employees are cynical, exhausted, overwhelmed, and seeking community in ways we haven't seen before. Twenty percent of the workforce experiences daily loneliness. Forty-five percent of organizations report low trust cultures. During the pandemic, we saw five years of digital transformation happen in 30 days, and that pace never slowed down.

Josh explains what "enshittification" means and how it's affecting our work lives. He also offers practical advice for HR professionals who want to actually help their people instead of just checking compliance boxes.

This is about understanding what's really happening with your workforce and doing something useful about it.

**Connect with Josh and Sponge**White paper: https://www.spongelearning.com/en/meet-generation-numbConnect with Josh: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshcardoz/Sponge Learning: https://www.spongelearning.com/**Connect with Andrea**Website: https://thehrhub.ca/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrea-adams1/

In this episode, I talk with Dr. Rosina McAlpine about what's really happening with working parents and what might actually help.

Dr. Rosina is a work and family wellbeing expert who works with HR leaders to build family-friendly workplaces. She runs Win Win Parenting and has developed workplace programs that help organizations support their working parents.

We dig into why moms are more stressed than dads, why generic wellness programs don't work for parents, and what the statistics tell us about working parent burnout across the globe (!!). Rosina shares her five-step framework for HR leaders who want to create workplaces where parents can thrive, not just survive.

We also tackle the tough questions:

• Why should employers care when having kids is a choice?
• What about employees without children who feel resentful? And
• How can organizations support parents without breaking the bank?

If you're an HR professional trying to figure out how to support working parents, or if you're a working parent yourself looking for validation and solutions, this conversation has something for you.

Topics we cover:

• The mental load on moms
• The statistics on working parent burnout (they're not good)

• Rosina's five-step framework for family-friendly workplaces
• How to measure the impact of parenting programs
• Why supporting parents benefits all of society

** This is a link to Dr. McAlpine's 5-point Guide:

https://www.winwinparenting.com/closing-the-gap-in-parent-support-guide

**Find Dr. Rosina McAlpine**

Win Win Parenting: https://winwinparenting.com

For working parents: https://drrosina.com

**Find Andrea Adams**

https://thehrhub.ca

https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrea-adams1/

I have always wondered if this was mostly wrong. And... it is.

Generational researcher Cam Marston has spent decades studying how different age groups work together, and he joined me to bust some myths. In this conversation, we get into what's actually true about generational differences versus what's just convenient stereotyping.

The big revelation: most of what we label as "generational" is actually about *life stages*—and those life stages are happening five years later than, say, 30 years ago. A 25-year-old today is more like a 20-year-old from previous generations in terms of independence, career clarity, and adult responsibilities.

Cam explains why this matters for how our leaders lead, give feedback, and build teams. It matters a lot of HR when we hear the complaints about generations. Now you'll have some facts!!

- Org culture beats generational differences every time.

- When you have strong leadership and a good workplace environment, these supposed generational conflicts mostly disappear.

- It's FAR easier to blame "kids these days" than our leaders to examine their leadership

- Different age groups receive feedback differently and this is a LIFESTAGE.

If you've ever heard a leader complaining about a particular generation at work, this episode will give you better tools for understanding what's really going on and how to coach for different results!

Guest: Cam Marston - generational researcher, speaker, and author of five books on workplace generations

Topics:

• Why every generation gets called "entitled" when they're young
• How affluent societies keep people younger longer
• The five-year life stage gap changing workplace dynamics
• Why Gen Z might struggle with taking responsibility
• How to give feedback that actually works across age groups
• What makes some teams gel across generational lines
• 
  

**Connect with Cam Marston**Website: https:/CamMarston.comPodcast: What's Working with Cam Marston**Connect with Andrea Adams**LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrea-adams1/Website: https://thehrhub.ca/

Most HR professionals have never actually changed a hiring decision based on a reference check. So are we wasting our time, or are we doing wrong?

James Lord has spent 10 years in the reference checking industry and argues we're missing the point entirely. Instead of using references to confirm decisions we've already made, he explains how to turn them into a hiring tool that reveals information you can't get anywhere else.

In this episode:

• Why most reference checks feel pointless (and how timing could fix this)

• The "highlight reel" problem with resumes and interviews
• Why James calls references a "SWOT analysis of a candidate"
• The risks of doing unstructured references
• How technology can automate the process without losing valuable insights
• What to do when companies have "no reference" policies
• The difference between reference checking a CEO vs. a cashier

About James Lord:James works with RefApp and has been in the talent industry for over a decade, specifically focusing on reference checking companies.

Connect with James:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jameswlord/Email: james@refapp.comWebsite: refapp.com

Connect with Andrea:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrea-adams1/

Email: andrea@thehrhub.ca

Website https://thehrhub.ca

This episode is for Americans. I spoke with employment lawyer Leah Stiegler from Woods Rogers who outlined what drives severance decisions in America.

We cover the critical difference between what you're legally required to pay (often nothing) and what makes business sense when you're trying to avoid litigation which is likely to cost you a lot more than severance.

What you'll learn:

• Why severance is almost purely a business decision in the US
• The biggest mistake people teams make around severance
• The importance of employment contracts
• When you need a lawyer
• Factors that determine severance amounts: age, position level, and litigation risk

Leah is engaging and shared why paying severance without a legal release is like giving someone a bonus and then letting them sue you anyway. We also talked about disparagement clauses - how do you enforce them anyhow?

No matter why you are terminating, this episode gives you a framework for thinking through the risks and costs involved.

About Leah Stiegler Leah is a management-side employment lawyer and partner at Woods Rogers. She hosts the YouTube series "What's the Tea in L&E" and was recently interviewed by the New York Times for her workplace romance article (also a podcast episode!).

Find me at https://thehrhub.ca

Have you ever wondered why payroll seems so inflexible? Even annoying? Or why they seem to get upset over minor things? I certainly have.

Steven Van Alstine from the National Payroll Institute joined me to break down the typical relationship between HR and payroll departments. And, of course, give us advice.

In this episode:

• The hidden complexity behind what looks like "just pressing a button"
• Why payroll professionals are sooo risk-averse
• What keeps payroll people awake at night
• Simple fixes
• The strategic value payroll brings which is a missed opportunity for HR

There were insight behind the payroll scenes as well as tactical advice. Pay is at the heart of the customer experience and we, in HR, have an obligation to get this right.

About Steven Van Alstine:Steven is the Vice President of Professional Standards and Education at the National Payroll Institute. He's worked in payroll for decades and recently presented at the National Payroll Conference on HR-payroll collaboration.

Connect with me:This is The HR Hub - practical insights for mid-level HR professionals who want to advance their careers and do better work. Subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts for weekly episodes with HR experts.

Dr. Peter Cappelli, Director of Wharton's Centre for Human Resources, and workplace strategist Dr. Ranya Nehmeh joined me to discuss their new book "In Praise of the Office: The Limits to Hybrid and Remote Work."

This isn't about forcing everyone back to the office - it's about being honest about what's actually happening in most hybrid workplaces.

What we unpack:

• A lot of people coffee badge - show up, get coffee and leave
• Meeting overload in remote and hybrid work
• How proximity bias is skewing promotions (and what HR can do)

• The red flags that signal your hybrid setup is failing
• Why individual KPIs might be sabotaging teamwork
• Practical strategies for companies mandating return-to-office

The bottom line: Flexibility can work, but we cannot assume that hybrid or remote work manages itself. Whether you're defending remote work or pushing for office returns, this conversation will challenge your assumptions and give you practical tools for whatever arrangement you choose.

"In Praise of the Office" releases September 30th, 2025

Find me, Andrea, https://thehrhub.ca

If you've been wondering whether the hype is worth paying attention to - or if you're tired of vendors promising AI will solve all your hiring problems - listen up.

What we cover:

Matt explains

- where AI is genuinely useful today (interview scheduling, candidate communication, standardized job descriptions) versus where it's still mostly hype.

-why putting resumes into ChatGPT is a legal and privacy nightmare waiting to happen. Some dedicated companies are already being held accountable!

- interview intelligence - AI that records interviews and coaches interviewers.

We also discuss if AI can handle entire interviews. Well it can, but should it? Matt uses the airplane pilot analogy - autopilot can technically fly the whole flight, but passengers still want a human in the cockpit. The same principle applies to recruiting.

Find Matt on LinkedIn, his website or via his book.

Find me at https://thehrhub.ca

Dr. Reece Akhtar, organizational psychologist and CEO of Deeper Signals, cut through the hype to talk about what's actually happening in talent management. As someone who teaches at NYU and writes for Forbes and Harvard Business Review, Reece brings both academic rigor and practical experience.

In this episode, we talked how AI will impact virtually every stage of the employee journey - from recruitment to development to succession planning. But instead of the usual "AI will change everything" narrative we typically hear , Reece explained why he thinks it will be somewere in between and why soft skills are so important.

What we cover:

• Why AI adoption will follow two parallel paths one of which is replacing as many people as possible with AI
• The three lasting skills that will always matter in any workplace
• How to evaluate AI tools
• Why you should plan for AI
• Real examples of AI making talent insights more accessible for someone without a phD

Key takeaway: The future isn't about humans vs. machines - it's about humans WITH machines doing better work together.

Connect with Reece on LinkedIn or visit deepersignals.com

Find me andrea@thehrhub.ca or via LinkedIn

#TalentManagement #AIinHR #FutureOfWork #EmployeeEngagement #HRStrategy

Management-side attorney Leah Stiegler from Woods Rogers joined me to discuss the messiest workplace romance situations she's encountered (think: affairs, stalking, and executives caught on video with prostitutes). More importantly, we cover what HR should actually be doing about workplace relationships.

In this episode:

• Why prevention might be the wrong strategy
• The three policies that can save your sanity (including "love contracts")
• When awkwardness becomes harassment
• Real stories that'll make you cringe
• Practical advice for navigating romance drama at work

Guest: Leah Stiegler, Partner at Woods Rogers law firm and creator of "What's the Tea in L&E" video series

Do you have a workplace romance horror story? Please comment! Preferably keeping it safe for work - even if things happened at work! LOL

Turns out there's a big difference between working hard and being a workaholic - and workaholics could be costing organizations.

Dr. Catherine Connelly from McMaster University is shared more eye-opening research on an HR topics - this time workaholism and the connection to workplace ethics. We talked about why your most dedicated employees might actually be the ones cutting ethical corners.

In this episode:

• The real difference between being busy and being a workaholic
• Why workaholics are more likely to morally disengage at work
• The surprising connection between dedication and tunnel vision
• "Idiosyncrasy credits" - how high performers build up goodwill to get away with bad behavior later
• Red flags to watch for when hiring (and managing) potential workaholics
• Building systems that keep even your best employees ethically grounded

Catherine's research challenges what we think we know about workplace dedication. Sometimes the people most invested in "organizational success" are the ones who'll justify anything to achieve it.

This is a must-listen for any HR professional managing high performers or trying to build truly healthy cultures. Plus, Catherine's research is open source, so you can dive deeper after listening.

Connect with Dr. Catherine Connelly on LinkedIn or at : connellyresearch.com .

What's your experience with workaholism in your workplace? I'd love to hear your thoughts!

Paul Aemisegeo from Payroll Mart gave me the straight talk on what PEOs actually do versus what they promise to do. If you're a smaller organization dealing with expensive health insurance, multi-state compliance headaches, or just trying to offer competitive benefits without the enterprise budget, this one's for you.

The key insight? PEOs can solve your benefits and compliance backend, but don't expect them to handle your day-to-day HR tasks. That performance conversation? Still yours. That tricky leave situation? Also, still yours.

We dive into who should consider a PEO (spoiler: if you're in New York with under 100 employees, definitely listen), how to evaluate them, and why so many companies end up switching PEOs multiple times.

Plus Paul shares the real considerations if you're thinking about leaving a PEO - because apparently that's a whole thing too.

Perfect listen if you're evaluating HR vendors or wondering if there's a better way to handle benefits and compliance.

Find Paul on Linkedin at https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulaemisegeo/ or at Payroll Marthttps://payrollmart.com/As usual you can find me on Linkedin or through my website https://thehrhub.ca/

This week I spoke with Dr. Roger Gerard, who spent 23 years as Chief Learning Officer in healthcare and has a refreshingly simple perspective on how to keep people around.

Roger breaks it down to five promises that leaders need to make - and more importantly, keep. Those promises have to do with listening with respect, helping people grow, helping them be successful, competitive compensation, and having their back when things go wrong.

But we also talked about the tension within the promises. For example, we're not going have someone's back when they've done something deeply unethical.

We also dig into why so many organizations have created a loyalty problem. Employers expect it from employees but don't appear to it back.

If you're dealing with retention issues and tired of surface-level solutions, this conversation will give you some ideas.

Find Roger at rogergerard.com and check out his book "Lead with Purpose." Find me at thehrhub.ca

From employment contract liabilities to cultural red flags that derail deals, Lindsay explains what buyers really look at when they are making a decision. The information she shares can help position you as a strategic business partner in the process.

Key takeaways include the specific metrics buyers care about, why people are your only true competitive advantage, and how to navigate the complex post-merger integration process.

Find Lindsay at https://www.linkedin.com/in/lindsay-osmond-ba-bmgmt-cphr-a399064/Find Andrea at https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrea-adams1/ or https://thehrhub.ca/

HR consultant Debbie Pearmain has spent 25 years watching organizations struggle with this exact problem. In this episode, she reveals the uncomfortable truth: most coaching cultures fail because companies are only training half the relationship.

Debbie shares research showing that 82% of employees feel stuck "below the line of accountability" and explains how coaching becomes the vehicle for moving people above that line. But here's the kicker - it only works when both managers AND employees understand their role in the coaching partnership.

What you'll learn:• Why the accountability crisis is costing your organization more than you think• The performance equation that determines when to coach vs. when to train vs. when to mentor• How to build the trust and psychological safety that makes coaching actually stick• The strategic implementation approach that gets buy-in from everyone• Why your high performers might be getting the wrong type of support

If you've ever wondered why some managers excel at coaching while others struggle, this conversation will give you perspective

Guest: Debbie Pearmain - HR Consultant with 25+ years experience in leadership development and employee engagement. Find her at onestophr.ca

Host: Andrea Adams - Follow the HR Hub on LinkedIn and subscribe for more episodes that tackle the real challenges facing HR professionals today.

Ross brings his wealth of experience from roles at Meta and Nike to shed light on how AI will transform the workplace—not by eliminating jobs wholesale, but by fundamentally changing how work gets done. Contrary to alarming headlines, Ross reveals that most CEOs aren't planning mass layoffs but instead are looking to redirect human talent toward higher-value work.

Find out why HR must take the lead in preparing organizations for this shift through strategic job redesign, skills forecasting, and change management. Learn how AI can actually help HR professionals assess which tasks are prime for automation and how entry-level positions will evolve as tactical work becomes automated.

This is something that keeps me up at night. All HR should be thinking about this!

#HR #AIinHR #WorkforcePlanning #FutureofWork #HRtechnology

Find Ross' new book on Amazon! Strategic Workforce Planning: Developing optimized talent strategies for future growthYou can find Ross on LinkedIn   / ross-sparkman  You can find me https://thehrhub.ca/or on Linkedin   / andrea-adams1  

Companies are being told to cancel DEI programs, wipe them from websites, and pretend structural barriers don't exist. But what if you believe these initiatives are important for your hiring market and your values?

Dr. Catherine Connelly, HR professor and researcher, joins me to discuss the real-world pressures HR professionals are facing around DEI - especially when your head office says "stop" but you know it's the right thing to do.

We dig into what's actually happening legally vs. politically, what the research says about which DEI practices actually work (spoiler: mandatory training isn't the magic bullet), and practical strategies for continuing this work even when you can't call it "DEI" anymore.

This isn't about politics - it's about smart HR practices that help you attract and retain the best talent while protecting your organization legally.

In this episode, we cover:

• What's really driving the shift away from DEI in North America and why Canadian companies are reacting proactively
• The crucial difference between political pressure and actual legal requirements
• Why "don't obey in advance" is essential advice for HR professionals right now
• Which DEI practices research shows actually work - and the surprising truth about mandatory training
• How to continue meaningful inclusion work without using the DEI label
• Legal risks Canadian organizations face if they abandon diversity initiatives
• The business case for fair processes and procedural justice
• Practical advice for HR consultants still writing DEI policies during uncertain times
• Building community and inclusion when everything feels unsettled

About Dr. Catherine Connelly:HR professor and researcher focused on workplace behavior, employee well-being, and diversity. Find her research at connellyresearch.com or connect at connell@mcmaster.ca

Resources mentioned:Timothy Snyder's "On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century" | McMaster Center for Research on Employment and Work (Mcrew)

Find Andrea at https://thehrhub.ca/

If you've ever wondered why your recognition programs aren't working, why throwing money at retention problems doesn't stick, or how to actually engage your team without gimmicky incentives, this episode is for you.

In this conversation, we explore:

• Why it's NOT a leader's job to motivate people (and what their real job is)
• The difference between intrinsic and extrinsic motivation - and why it matters
• How compensation works as a "message of value" rather than a motivator
• Why most salary surveys are useless by the time you implement them
• The real relationship between money and engagement (hint: it's not what you think)
• How to build the deep relationships that actually drive performance
• Why top-down goal setting creates cynics and disengagement
• A fascinating case study of co-creating organizational vision with 5,000 employees
• When and how to set boundaries with chronic complainers
• Why most incentive programs are "downright dumb" and create manipulation instead of motivation

Key Quote: "I don't get up on Monday morning waiting for somebody to motivate me. I know what I want to do with my day, with my time, with my life. Nobody has to motivate me for any of that. I motivate myself, and I believe that's true of most professionals. What leaders do is we mess it up."

This episode will challenge how you think about motivation, compensation, and employee engagement. Roger's insights are based on decades of real-world experience and research, not just theory.

About Dr. Roger Gerard:Roger Gerard is a speaker, author, and executive coach who spent 23 years as Chief Learning Officer at a healthcare organization in Wisconsin. He's the author of "Lead with Purpose" and "Owning the Room" and has worked with thousands of employees across multiple industries to cultivate authentic engagement.

Resources mentioned:

• "Lead with Purpose" by Roger Gerard
• "Owning the Room" by Roger Gerard
• Herzberg's Two-Factor Theory (hygiene factors vs. motivators)
• Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs in workplace context

Connect with Dr. Roger Gerard:Website: rogergerard.com

Perfect for: HR professionals, people managers, executives, and anyone who wants to understand what actually drives human performance at work.

Subscribe to HR Hub for weekly conversations with HR experts who share practical, evidence-based insights you can use immediately.

Have a question about motivation, engagement, or consulting? Email me at andrea@thehrhub.ca or connect with me on LinkedIn.

In this episode, I sit down with professional facilitator Robin Parsons of Parsons to demystify what makes group discussions actually work. Robin shares how she spends 1-2 hours preparing for EVERY hour of facilitation—proving that great facilitation isn't magic, it's methodical.

We dig into the powerful ORID model (Objective, Reflective, Interpretive, Decisional) that transforms how you structure any discussion. Robin explains why addressing emotions is essential (and how to do it without making everyone uncomfortable), plus practical strategies for handling those tricky participants we all dread.

If you're leading strategic planning sessions or guiding important decisions, this gives you tangible tools to make a difference in your facilitation game. It sure did for me. So don't wing it—learn some real strategies!

Robin referred to ICA Associates for training. Find them here: https://ica-associates.ca/Find Robin herself at https://www.parsonsdialogue.com/And, as ever, find me at https://thehrhub.ca

From the hard truth about why HR programs get cut to the business development skills you actually need for consulting, these aren't your typical HR platitudes. I'm talking about real, practical wisdom that can change how you approach your career and daily work.

You'll discover why psychological safety isn't just a buzzword (and how it drives real business results), the uncomfortable reality about receiving feedback that nobody talks about, and why DEI initiatives deserve the same grace we give other business programs.

Whether you're looking to advance in your HR career, considering consulting, or just want to be more effective in your current role, these seven lessons will give you a fresh perspective on what it really takes to succeed in HR.

What You'll Learn:

• The #1 question that determines if your HR program survives budget cuts
• Why preparation and speed create an impossible tension
• The leadership courage required to stand up for what's right
• How psychological safety drives innovation and business outcomes
• The surprising skill that makes or breaks HR consultants
• Why we're training people wrong about feedback
• A powerful story about bias that will change how you think about inclusion

Connect with Andrea:

• Subscribe to the HR Hub on YouTube and Spotify
• Follow on LinkedIn: Andrea Adams
• Share your biggest HR lesson in the comments

Discover why your managers have an 80% impact on engagement success, why third-party surveys show dramatically different results than internal ones, and the science behind what employees really need (hint: it starts with fair compensation, not pizza parties).

If you're fear investing in engagement initiatives that don't deliver results, this episode provides the honest, practical framework you need. Learn how to connect with employees at both the head AND heart level to drive impressive business outcomes: 21% higher profitability, 87% better retention, and 92% higher

Connect with Debbie at https://onestophr.ca/or find her on LinkedIn!Find me (Andrea) https://thehrhub.cacustomer satisfaction.

Also: did you know 70% of people feel uncomfortable receiving feedback, and 37% avoid it altogether? If you've ever felt that pit in your stomach when someone says "Can I give you some feedback?" you know what I am talking about. This episode got personal because I am definitely in the 70%.

Pam Schmidt and Organizational Development expert and owner of Pam Schimdt Consulting breaks down why feedback often feels threatening, how power dynamics silence honest input as leaders rise in organizations, and practical strategies for receiving criticism without becoming defensive. You'll learn:

• Why traditional feedback models fall short
• How to prepare yourself emotionally for feedback conversations
• When to trust feedback (and when to discard it)
• The powerful "2% rule" for finding value in even the most questionable feedback

If you can master this, you will transform feedback from something to dread into a valuable tool for professional development!

Find Pam on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/pamschmidt1/

And me: andrea@thehrhub.ca

Resilience expert Beverly Beuermann-King breaks down her SOS framework (Situation, Ourselves, Support) and shares 10 key traits that help you bounce back from setbacks. Learn to identify your specific stress triggers, quiet your racing "monkey mind," and spot warning signs before burnout hits.

Beverly offers no-nonsense advice on maintaining control during uncertainty and explains when it's time to seek additional support. Perfect for mid-level HR pros who need to maintain their own well-being while supporting others through organizational change.

Walk away with actionable tools to not just survive workplace chaos, but actually flourish both professionally and personally.

We dive into how to respond when employees bring outside salary data to you, where to find reliable compensation surveys, and how to build credibility in your benchmarking process. Carolyn shares practical wisdom from her years at Mercer and as owner of Cadence Compensation to help you navigate these challenging conversations.

Key topics we cover:

• Building a solid compensation philosophy as your foundation
• Why data quality matters (and which surveys to trust)
• Handling employee challenges to your compensation structure
• The difference between inflation and salary increase budgets
• When and how to "age" older salary data

Perfect for HR professionals looking to strengthen their compensation strategy and confidently handle those tricky "but everyone else pays more" conversations.

Find Carolyn at https://www.cadencecompensation.ca/ or on LinkedInFind me as always: https://thehrhub.ca

Lori reveals how borrowing tactics from marketing can transform training effectiveness and explains her practical "duct tape approach" for organizations without perfect data systems. We explore everything from using digital body language to predict learning needs to her bold prediction about AI coaches replacing traditional courses.

Whether you're struggling to measure learning impact or looking to modernize your training approach, this conversation delivers actionable insights for mid-career HR professionals ready to elevate their L&D strategy.

Guest: Lori Niles-Hofmann, EdTech & AI Transformation Strategist and author of the upcoming "The Eight Levers of EdTech Transformation"

Topics covered:• Why intuition alone fails in learning design• Essential data points every L&D team should track• Overcoming common barriers to data-driven approaches• How A/B testing can revolutionize your training effectiveness• The future of personalized AI-powered learning

This episode is also sponsored by iSpring - an all-in-one e-learning solution that makes creating training easier.

Also check out: 👉 Lori's new book "The Eight Levers of EdTech Transformation" coming this spring👉 Lori's course on LinkedIn Learning about Data-Driven Learning Design https://www.linkedin.com/learning/data-driven-learning-design👉 My website for consulting to SMBs - https://thehrhub.caALSO this episode is sponsored by iSpring - an all-in-one e-learning solution that makes creating training easier. Check out my demo: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e8q-zhHHvkUhttps://www.ispringsolutions.com/They have offered discount codes (good until the end of 2025) as follows: 'ANDREA-SUITE' - For purchasing iSpring Suite with a 10% discount.'ANDREA -SUITE-MAX' - For purchasing iSpring Suite Max with a 10% discount.

Connect on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrea-adams1/ or find me at https://thehrhub.ca for consulting to SMBs.

I have had a growing interest in workforce planning with the rise of AI. I don't want to be doing miserable HR - like mass layoffs when you didn't plan for the shift in 30% of tasks to AI.

My guest this week, Ross Sparkman, has literally wrote the book on strategic workforce planning. When you google 'workforce planning books' his book, 'Strategic Workforce Planning: Developing optimized talent strategies for future growth' comes up and the 2nd edition came out last week! He is currently the Sr. Director of Workforce Planning at Walmart and held similar roles at Nike and Meta.

It's complicated, but we need to plan for the future:

- What roles and skills do we need now? In the future? When in the future?

- What risks impact our plans? And how will we mitigate?

- Do we have the right mix of full-time, part-time and contingent workers?

- Are we hiring in the right places?

And so many more. Workforce planning is the pinnacle of big picture HR. Ross tells us how to do it in the short-term and then how to scale up to the bigger picture.

Check it out! And read the book - I can hardly think of another topic where reading the book would be more important.

Find Ross' new book on Amazon! It was just published last week: Strategic Workforce Planning: Developing optimized talent strategies for future growthYou can find Ross on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/ross-sparkman/You can find me https://thehrhub.ca/or on Linkedin https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrea-adams1/

The latter 20% explain why compliance is such a big thing in HR.

Anyone who follows my show closely knows I am interested in understanding the impact of power. I spoke with Dr. Catherine Connelly who is an expert in HR and in Canada's temporary foreign worker (TFW) program. The TFW program, arguably, represents one of the greatest power imbalances in any Canadian workplace.

So what can HR learn from this power imbalance? Unsurprisngly, a lot:

😇 The TFW program demonstrates why compliance exists. Most of us are fine, but some are not and it's for the latter that compliance rules exist.

👺 It would be naive of HR not to be alert to rogue managers.

😥 When an employee with low organizational power complains, it may have taken a lot of bravery for them to come forward. If you dismiss them, they may never speak up again - and you will have missed an opportunity to learn.

😱 Some senior leaders are shocked to find out what is happening on the front lines. Organizations need good people processes to ensure this doesn't happen.

The temporary foreign worker program is not tied directly to many of us in HR. But it provides inside into what can happen when there are unchecked power imbalances.

It's a sober learning opportunity - check it out!

Find Dr. Connelly's Book Enduring Work: Experiences with Canada's Temporary Foreign Worker Program

Find Dr. Connelly in any of the following places

LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/catherine-connelly-57b70762/

https://connellyresearch.com/

https://experts.mcmaster.ca/display/connell

Find me, as always on LinkedIn or at https://thehrhub.ca

You never need fear that guy who slouches in his seat with his arms crossed ever again.

My guest for this was Robin Parsons. Robin owns a facilitation company called Parsons Dialogue. She has been doing this work for 10 years and even teaches facilitation through ICA Associates. After talking with her I can see how I would have benefited from facilitation training. Things like:

- It is important to start with ground rules.

- Humans are emotional creatures. There are stages a group goes through and you can't skip the step in which they talk about their emotions.

- If your client wants you to get the group to 'come up with the right answer themselves' beware. This is as much manipulation as facilitation.

- Robin has many HR people in her classes because we know we need the skill but didn't learn it in university.

This honestly was such a useful episode. I have some upcoming facilitation and will refer back to it. Check it out!

https://ica-associates.ca/

https://www.parsonsdialogue.com/

https://thehrhub.ca

Maybe not. There are things you can do to build resilience in the workplace.

This whole conversation with Beverly Beuermann-King about building resilience in the workplace was a revelation. Beverly talks about resilience a lot at conferences as well as presenting workshops and participating in panels. Her company, Work Smart Live Smart is a resiliency and corporate culture focused company helping people deal with reactions to stress and live better lives.

A few things I noted:

- A lot of what she talks about aligns with what we know of engagement - but not all.

- The most intriguing part for me was about hope. Why don't we talk about hope at work more often? It makes total sense.

- We need employee creativity and ideas. So working them to burnout is not the answer.

Beverly has thought about this a lot and the message was so welcome. Check out the full discussion.

Find Beverly at Work Smart Live Smart

https://worksmartlivesmart.com/

And of course find me at https://thehrhub.ca/

There are so many great NFPs out there, but I am on the board of Trinity Place Foundation of Alberta. They provide housing for people who are hard to house and those with limited income. Given current housing conditions and the personal struggles of some people, this is so so important!

I was happy to interview Jennie Deneka, the dynamic and passionate CEO of TPFA. Jennie has a background in healthcare and has been at the helm of TPFA for 4 years. She is currently guiding the organization through a transformation and was happy to talk about what NFPs TRULY need from HR. LIke:

- Be a generalist. Many NFPs are smaller so you will have to do a lot of things.

- You have to be realistic. NFPs often have small budgets and you have to make do.

- Maybe you can also be really creative and get some great things done

- The mission of the organization will fuel you. It's not the only thing that matters, but it helps a lot.

It was a pleasure to do this and highlight the great work of so many charities and not-for-profits in all of our communities filling gaps and helping critical causes in our communities.

Consider donating to a charity in your community or to TPFA. You can reach TPFA at

info@tpfa.ca

I was delighted to have this conversation with Anthony Ariganello, CEO of CPHR Canada and President of the World Federation of People Management. AND he is a member of the Order of Canada!

Anthony shared is big picture perspective on the future of HR. Somethings will be advanced and only get better from where they are today and there may be big shifts - like the one in the video below.

🧠 We need to continue focusing on mental health. We have made great strides but the work is not done.

😵‍💫 Employee engagement will continue to be critical - we need to lead around effective remote work and things like quiet quitting.

🙂 Immigrants will be important to meeting our labour needs when we are not having enough kids. HR creativity may be warranted.

🤝 We may be moving away from the hyper focus on collaboration. I'm not sure how because I think it is the reality of how work gets done, but we need to monitor.

♾️ HR is part of a system involving the HR associations and government to effect the change that our organizations need.

It was a wonderful big picture conversation with a global leader in HR. Check it out!

Check out CPHR at https://cphr.ca/

Find me at https://thehrhub.ca/

Psychological safety has been proven to have so many business benefits. Think about it. How well do YOU perform when you feel like you have to bite your tongue? When co-workers are in cliques and you're not welcome? When you are micromanaged?

My guest this week is an emerging thought leader IMO. Israel Peck had a journey through finance doing massive cost cutting including 'reducing head count' which is a nicer way of saying mass terminations. In the process, he discovered how important culture is to rescuing an organization's financial performance. And, in turn, the importance of psychological safety.

So he did something about it. He created cratic.ai which, through a slightly odd way of creating successively deeper conversations, helps teams create psychological safety and better cultures.

He takes a financial view on HR:

- HR needs a standard measure and he argues for eNPS. Really nothing is going to be perfect, so why not eNPS?

- eNPS is the collective answer to the question: On a scale of1-10, how likely are you to recommend your place of work to a friend or colleague?

- The point is: if you can move eNPS a quartile up, you will add between $10 and $25,000 EBITDA PER EMPLOYEE!

- Psychological safety plays a huge role in eNPS and he has a methodology for driving it.

- The key is better conversations not magic.

It's genuinely one of the most exciting things I have seen while hosting my show. There really ARE better ways and Israel knows of one.

Do yourself a favour and tune in!

Find Israel at https://cratic.ai/ or on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/ipeck/Find me at https://thehrhub.ca/

I love a good guiding philosophy so was happy to have this discussion with Carolyn Kildare. Carolyn is the owner of Cadence Compensation Consulting. She worked for Mercer for 12 years and is the President of the Calgary Total Rewards Network.

These are just a few tips from our discussion:

💰 Compensation is a high stakes topic. Get your ducks in a row (reasonably) before something inevitably happens.

💰 Your compensation philosophy tells you who, what, when, how and how much.

💰 A theme from my show generally was reinforced: stop paying new recruits as much or more than your loyal employees.

💰 Are you getting FOMO so you pay more? It's like buying a house. It looks SO amazing so you pay the premium. And then you find out about the leaky roof and plumbing issues.

💰 A comp philosophy helps you put your money where your mouth is e.g. if you want a performance culture then your compensation should support it.

Compensation philosophy is important. It's high stakes but it doesn't have to be hugely difficult. Most employees will accept what is fair.

Find Carolyn at https://www.cadencecompensation.ca/or on LinkedInFind me as always: https://thehrhub.ca

You might see that things are not right and see that people aren't being held accountable for awful behaviour. Perhaps you feel a bit trapped in your job and can't switch and yet you don't have the power to really do anything about the problem.

At this point, it's probably a long game and my guest has so much great advice. So much.

Dr. Kevin Sansberry started in HR as an HR Advisor. Then he worked his way up to being Assistant Vice Chancellor of HR. Then he went off and did his own thing including a TedX presentation, consulting, executive coaching and the Toxic Leadership Podcast. I was delighted by the insight he had into tough HR issues - such as toxicity. You can tell that he has deep experience in HR. This is a fraction of the insight he shared:

- As we discussed in a separate video, toxicity is an easy label, but rarely describes actual behaviour.

- You are not without power even as an HR advisor.

- You can change things, but need to think strategically.

- Toxicity has its roots in culture. Focusing on anything else will be a bandaid fix.

It was a fantastic discussion. One of the best if you are in HR.

Find Kevin on LinkedIn at  / kevindsansberry  Find his podcast athttps://www.kevraconsulting.comFind Andrea for consulting supporthttps://thehrhub.ca

I spoke with Sara Taylor who has been a DEI expert for a long time. She started her company, deepSEE Consulting in 2002. She has authored two books including, recently, 'Thinking at the Speed of Bias'. She has been a Chief Diversity Officer. She was on my panel discussion around DEI and it was wonderful to talk to her about this because I am a lot more clear now.

😳 Microaggressions are unintentional.

😔 We often apologize for hurting people unintentionally. Why not also apologize for a thoughtless assumption?

🧑🏽 Microaggressions are based on someone's identity (race, ethnicity, religion, gender, etc)

😇 Microaggressions are not about bad people doing mean things.

👿 If someone is deliberately mean based on any of those areas, it's bullying and harassment.

I'm so much clearer now and it makes sense. There was so much to learn about from Sara's perspective and if you've been wondering, you won't after this discussion. Or at least you will wonder less.

Find Sara Taylor at https://www.deepseeconsulting.com/ or on LinkedIn. You can find her books wherever you buy them starting with the most recent: Thinking at the Speed of Bias: How to Shift our Unconscious Filters Filter Shift: How Effective People See the World Find me, Andrea Adams, for small and medium business consulting and HR project management at https:/thehrhub.ca

I participated in wellness programs - pilates and a free gym. But I was already so active, that the impact was meagre at best. It would be hard to say I was more well after that. What about you?

That was the subject this week in my discussion with Tim Borys - fitness enthusiast, coach, wellness expert, author, and keynote speaker. We discuss whether or not corporate wellness programs are making a difference to our wellbeing. And, more importantly, how organizations can create more wellbeing.

💪 Wellness programs tend to be surface level - yoga and gyms. Not meaningless but also not that powerful.

🗯️ As the video says below, wellness programs will be totally pointless if your boss is an a*h*.

⚕️We're aiming for wellbeing and that concept extends to all the systems and people in the workplace.

🕺🏻If Tim had $100,000 to invest in creating wellbeing at work, I suspect he would 90% on leadership development.

🔬Leadership development programs are often too tactical to cover topics related to well-being.

What are the goals of your leadership development program? Are you doing an adequate job of training leaders on concepts related to well-being?

This was a thought-provoking chat around wellness - what works and what doesn't. Check it out!

Find Tim at https://timborys.com/

or on LinkedIn Find Andrea (me) at https://thehrhub.ca

You have to know what skills you are trying to build!

I had THE best person for this discussion IMO. My guest was Lori Niles-Hofman. Lori hosts an upskilling course on LinkedIn Learning. She describes herself as an EdTech and AI Transformation Strategist. She is an author having written The Eight Levers of EdTech Transformation which will be published this spring. She has also been an L&D leader for big organizations. Her command of the big picture and the details was impressive.

This discussion was full of new ways of thinking:

- A skills based organization moves away from discussions about job titles to discussions around particular skills.

- People might be paid based on skills rather than job title.

- Upskilling and reskilling become a lot easier when we focus on individual skills as opposed to a large set of skills as is common on an L&D program

- Her clients focus on a limited number of skills as they move towards a skills-based organization

- You might start with ONE skill.

Her insight was so precise - it was amazing. And it was different, Lori is not afraid to consider new ways of doing things!

Check out the sponsor for this episode! iSpring Solutions! https://www.ispringsolutions.com/ They have offered discount codes (good until the end of 2025) as follows: 'ANDREA-SUITE' - For purchasing iSpring Suite with a 10% discount. 'ANDREA -SUITE-MAX' - For purchasing iSpring Suite Max with a 10% discount. I also had fun demo'ing their product: https://youtu.be/e8q-zhHHvkU Find Lori at any one of the following places: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lorinileshofmann/ https://www.linkedin.com/learning/upskilling-and-reskilling-your-workforce https://www.theeightlevers.com/ https://www.loriniles.com/ You can find me at https://thehrhub.ca

We often think it's because they don't care. Sometimes that's the case, but other times they just don't care about the impact they're having on others.

I spoke to Mitch Warner, Managing Partner of the Arbinger Institute. Things got a little uncomfortable for me - but I guess that's when the learning happens right?

He talks about an aspect of accountability that we don't think about often. That is, the accountability to others so they get their work done. The impact on others is frequently overlooked.

This episode will make you think - every once in a while I have a guest who turns a topic on their head and this was one of them and I was there for it!

💪 Accountability is about getting your job done - but not at the expense of the effectiveness of others!

☠️ This is sometimes described as toxicity, but this is kinder and more productive.

💡 He has specific tips for leaders on how they can get their employees to consider their impact.

🥱 For people who don't care... maybe they need a new job.

This was inspiring - I love a new way to think about things! Check it out!

Find Mitch and the Arbinger Institute at https://arbinger.com/ You can find their books (The Outward Mindset and Leadership and Self-Deception) anywhere you buy your books but also via their website: https://arbinger.com/store/ Find me, Andrea Adams at https://thehrhub.ca/ or connect with me on LinkedIn!

Also it's 2025. What HR debates are we still working through in our hunt for truth?

This was the focus of my discussion with Dr. Catherine Connelly. Catherine is a leading HR researcher with a passion for research. When I asked Chat GPT for a 'future of HR' expert, her name was one of the top three. She is a Professor and Business Research Chair in Organizational Behaviour, in the Human Resources and Management department of the DeGroote School of Business at McMaster University plus many other qualifications.

We talked about:

- Hybrid & remote work. I was hoping to settle the debate once and for all, but it's much more nuanced. Are you surprised?

- AI - it continues to be biased because it trains on our data. Which has bias baked in. We'll have to audit but even if we could get totally unbiased AI, we still have biased people in our organizations (see the video below).

- Employee Experience - We need to focus on the basics.

- A theme running through our discussion was the much maligned middle manager. They are critical to success in a lot of this.

I hope to try another of these episodes because I believe the pursuit of truth is a fundamental. It's like happiness: we'll work at it, but never quite get there. Still, it's a worthwhile and critical journey.

We had an insightful conversation... check it out!

Also, find Catherine here

https://www.linkedin.com/in/catherine-connelly-57b70762/

https://connellyresearch.com/

https://experts.mcmaster.ca/display/connell

As always, find me at https://www.thehrhub.ca

So project mistake are you guilty of maybe: Not revisiting the job description? Forgetting to ask the client if they'll be on vacation (I've done this one)? Not pushing back when client says the want the talent but don't want to pay?

Mostly we just need to treat recruitment like a project. Meet with the client, set the goals, check in when goals aren't being bet etc etc.

My guest this week, Wendy Sellers aka The HR Lady dropped more truth bombs about what it really takes to attract top talent in 2024. She's hilariously outspoken so it's unlikely you'll misunderstand anything she says.

Wendy is an author, podcast host, and plain spoken HR expert. She has been featured in USA Today and even has radio show. Completely 'on brand' she wrote a book for HR called "Suck It Up, Buttercup". Really! And in this discussion she brought her practical, no-fluff approach to talent attraction.

Some other insights

🎯 Recruitment is 50% marketing and 50% HR. This is probably why another guest though recruitment should be part of marketing.

💰 If you want a less expensive employee, you'll probably have to train them. You'll have to pay anyhow.

💰 If you want top talent... you'll have to pay.

📋 You need to look at the job description.

🎯 Sometimes you need a bum in a seat. Even so, there are strategies.

It was full of the basics of getting the job done right. Which too often aren't done right. Check out the full conversation!

Find Wendy on her podcast or YouTube channel The HR Lady!

That's what this episode on culture change felt like.

My guest was Israel Peck - head of Cratic Ai. He used to be a consultant on massive cost-cutting projects and discovered that culture has a huge financial impact. So he started Cratic Ai to help companies successfully shape their cultures. As you might think, given cost-cutting, he has a finance background not HR.

So the conversation was overflowing with fresh perspectives and insights. Like:

- HR needs one metric. All the other departments have them. He suggests that employee net promoter score (eNPS) could be that number (see the video below).

- It's been shown that EBITDA will increase by $10-25,000 PER EMPLOYEE for every quartile shift in eNPS.

- He know how to move the needle on eNPS and you could use his software, but you don't have to.

- We often implement programs to change culture. His methods change it from the inside out.

- The secret is: conversation. Not so secret right? He has a weird way of encouraging it.

- In my opinion, you have to be brave to reap the rewards on this.

I have had other guests who reinforced the power of great conversation in helping to create better teams. Having done a lot of this work and accidentally did some of what he talks about, I believe he is on to something. I believe we will see more of Israel and his ideas! Check it out!

Find Israel on Linkedin or https://cratic.ai/ Find me for HR consulting at https://thehrhub.ca

Dimple Dhabalia, a lawyer, humanitarian and this week's guest, has a powerful story about what she learned after years of humanitarian service around the world. She burned out, but instead of doing what the rest of us would do, she wrote a book. Her book is called "Tell Me My Story: Challenging the Narrative of Service Before Self." For anyone working in service of people, there is a lot to learn from this thought-provoking conversation about unique consideration of doing HR in NFPs.

For example:

❣️ "Being human is messy. And serving humanity is even messier."

❣️ Systems and culture drive employees to put the organization and their humanitarian service ahead of themselves.

❣️ It isn't all on the organization. Change starts with individuals.

❣️ Ultimately, individuals and organizations have to change together.

❣️ We (and especially women) are taught to give, give, give and that will only take us so far.

Find Dimple through her book: Tell Me My Story: Challenging the Narrative of Service Before Self Or one of her podcasts: Service without Sacrifice: Conversations about Hope & Healing What Would Ted Lasso Do? Her website https://www.rootsintheclouds.com/ Find me, Andrea, https://thehrhub.ca/

It is a skill and what happens when things go wrong?

I interviewed Tiffany Castagno, an HR consultant and leader, and I sensed had a gift for building relationships with clients. Because she was building a relationship with me so quickly! I could see she has a unique and effective way of balancing professionalism with authenticity. I concluded that we have a lot to learn from her.

Some thoughts and questions:

- What are your intentions about your clients? She signs emails saying "In your corner." A person can only do this if they mean it and she does.

- Showing your human side strengthens relationships and vulnerability is a piece of that. How do you show your human side?

- You will have to have difficult conversations with good intentions - so considerable courage is required.

- Onboarding a new client is important!

There was a lot to learn from Tiffany and you'll smile with her. As I said at the end, she has some magic and I'm glad she shared!

Find Tiffany at https://www.cephrconsulting.com/  

Linkedin: / tiffanycastagno-people-culture-consultant   Find Andrea at https://thehrhub.ca

LinkedIn:  / andrea-adams1  

You want your EVP to help you attract the RIGHT people.

EVP was the focus of a fantastic conversation with Bryan Adams of Happy Dance. Not Bryan Adams the singer of course. Our Bryan recently left the role of CEO of Ph.Creative which is an Employer Brand agency. He has written a few books - the most relevant of which is 'Give and Get: Repel the Many and Compel the Few'. He has consulted to the likes of Apple and many others so he knows what he is talking about. We had a fantastic conversation during which I was actually surprised (the video below). And delighted.

These are some of the insights that delighted me and hopefully will delight you:

‼️ EVPs should be authentic - AND aspirational??

🥪 The EVP is the meat in the Employer Brand sandwich. Watch the video to see which parts are the bread.

➡️ A quote which should go on walls: "You could achieve any number of tactical steps, but if it doesn't strategically add up to what the business needs... then you're set to fail."

😭 One creative metric for the success of his results is how many people cry.

So fantastic. Check out the full discussion!

Find Bryan on LinkedIn at   / bryanadams1   HappyDance: https://www.happydance.love/ Ph-Creative: https://www.ph-creative.com/ And don't forget to look up his book 'Give and Get: Repel the Many and Compel the Few with Impact, Purpose and Belonging' on Amazon Find me, Andrea Adams, for consulting support http://thehrhub.ca

You can find Sergio at https://sergiolaw.com or sergio@sergiolaw.com You can find me on LinkedIn or my website https://thehrhub.ca

This is certainly the case for "toxicity". It's really easy to label someone or a workplace as toxic and not have to think constructively about them anymore. It's easy say a leader is creating a toxic work environment when someone objects (maybe strongly) to something they're doing.

This muddiness has been on my mind a while so I reached out to Dr. Kevin Sansberry. He is a behavioural scientist, host of the Toxic Leadership Podcast, executive coach and deeply thoughtful and articulate human. Especially when it comes to organization leadership and toxic workplaces. We don't get muddy thinking from him.

There were many insights in this conversation about toxic workplaces and far more:

🕺🏻 Label behaviour not people. And be careful about the labels themselves. They may be a means to minimize a whole person.

😖 Performance management is not toxicity although someone who is being performance managed may feel deeply uncomfortable and unwelcome.

⤵️ Toxicity is destructive to relationships and connection and thus business outcomes.

☣️ Toxicity can spread reducing psychological safety and all the related positive outcomes.

🏃‍♂️‍➡️ Someone who is prone to action may come across as toxic if they're in a slow culture.

🔥 Don't gaslight yourself into thinking you're the problem. AND don't avoid considering your role. It’s a fine balance.

This conversation was wonderful. As I said at the beginning and the end, I felt lighter for it.

And if you're wondering what HR's role in managing toxicity is, that will be coming in towards the end of October.

I spoke with Dimple Dhabalia about what she learned about trauma. She started out as a lawyer and then worked with refugees around the world. I think we can all appreciate how hard it might be to hear those horrifying and heart-breaking stories over and over. Unsurprisingly, she burned out.

However, instead of getting therapy and going on leave like the rest of us might do, Dimple wrote a book: "Tell Me My Story: Challenging the Narrative of Service before Self" In it she shares her insights on recognizing and addressing trauma at work.

The experience of our employees might not be as remarkable as Dimple's but we also don't know what people have experienced. How can we be mindful of that?

Dimple explained:

- the difference between "big T" and "little t" traumas, emphasizing how seemingly minor stressors can accumulate and impact an employee's ability to function effectively

• How recognizing the humanity in employees can lead to better decision-making and a more supportive work environment.

• Exploring practical methods for managing stress responses and improving emotional intelligence in the workplace.

• Creating a psychologically safe workplace: Gain insights on fostering an environment where employees feel comfortable expressing themselves without fear of retaliation.

After this discussion, I may have more questions than answers. HR has a job to do that sometimes can cause or trigger trauma. How do we get the job done with sensitivity? It's a big question - and this episode will get you thinking.

Find Dimple at Roots in the Clouds: https://www.rootsintheclouds.com/ Her book, Tell Me My Story: https://www.amazon.ca/Tell-Me-Story-Challenging-Narrative/dp/B0CN3TYYP7 Find Andrea at https://thehrhub.ca/

I love it when this happens! After well over 200 episodes, it's thrilling to be unexpectedly challenged!

Sara Taylor has been a DEI expert for a long time. She started her company, deepSEE Consulting in 2002. She has authored two books including, recently, 'Thinking at the Speed of Bias'. She has been a Chief Diversity Officer. She was on my panel discussion around DEI. So, in light of these facts, you might think she would blindly advocate for any DEI perspective, but you would be wrong!

We all have biases. Every single one of us. Whether we're white, black, asian, gay, straight... etc. We all know it's true, it's just that some people with biases have power. Sara also said:

2️⃣ Most of the incivility that HR is dragged into have to do with people in the second stage of culture competence.

🤝 With cultural competence we are not talking about ethnicities or geographies, we're talking about our ability to interact effectively with people who are different.

👯 Everyone is different. It's a rather obvious statement, but this includes the people you think are in your tribe almost as much as the people you think are NOT in your tribe.

Don't get too smug: When we think we are so great because we're getting along and ignoring the differences, remember, we are NOT fully developed. Back to the previous point: all people are different.

So fantastic! You should watch it or listen and join me in feeling delighted by the new ideas! Links are in the comments!

Find Sara Taylor at https://www.deepseeconsulting.com/ or on LinkedIn.

You can find her books wherever you buy them starting with the most recent:

Thinking at the Speed of Bias: How to Shift our Unconscious Filters

Filter Shift: How Effective People See the World

Find me, Andrea Adams, for small and medium business consulting and HR project management at https:/thehrhub.ca

It's a saying in the neurodiverse space. Neurodiversity recognizes that all brains work differently, including those with conditions like ADHD, dyslexia and autism spectrum disorder. In this illuminating conversation, Curtis Braun addressed assumptions about neurodivergent individuals and shared how we can create truly inclusive workplaces.

Curtis Braun is an HR instructor, consultant and coach who brings first-hand experience as the father of a neurodivergent son. He has recently started a coaching business focused on men with neurodivergent children so they have the mindset and support they need to help their kids. He discusses:

• Not that we will become diagnosticians, but there are 5 dimensions for assessing neurodivergence: language, perception, sensory skills, motor skills and executive functioning.

• 5 dimensions is a lot of a variety - putting people in boxes is not helpful.

• Common misconceptions include ideas like we need to lower our expectations and they do poorly with change. Not necessarily!

• Fostering psychological safety allows neurodivergent talent to thrive.

Curtis made the case that neurodiversity is a societal reality - and a competitive advantage for inclusive organizations willing to "unlearn" biases.

Find Curtis on Linkedin https://www.linkedin.com/in/curtiswbraun Check out his company at https://advc8.ca/ Find Andrea https://thehrhub.ca

You need to answer the question of 'what do you mean by career growth'. And the answer could be ANYTHING. Time with family. Travelling. Money. Praise. Promotions. Prestige. Specialization. Really it could be anything and an honest, personal answer will help you achieve it.

This was the focus of my conversation with Adam Pekarsky. He's had career growth, but not really of the traditional kind. He started out as a lawyer and now he is a leader and majority shareholder at Humanis Advisory - an executive search firm. He reflects on career growth in his new book (out this month) called "The Ampersand Chronicles Vol 1: Stories of a Small but Mighty Business in a Rough and Tumble Town". He writes the most amazing blog you've read and has organized his best into a book!

So his insights on career growth from his own perspective but also that of the people he helps:

- All motivation is valid, but you have to know what yours are.

- Maybe you want to climb the ladder, but maybe you want something else as well. There may be trade-offs.

- He resists the idea of work life balance because it's limiting, a zero-sum game. For him it's 'work-life integration' and it enables more possibilities.

- Passion is important. Think about what Tiger Woods said in his prime "I'm not the best golfer in the world because I have the most talent. I'm the best golfer in the world because I practice the most." It would be hard to 'practice the most' without passion.

It was wonderful conversation full of good stories and good advice

Find Adam on LinkedIn or at https://humanisadvisory.com/ To get a copy of the book, please contact Kiara Tyler at kiara@humaniscalgary.com and they will add you to the list! Find Andrea for consulting support: andrea@thehrhub.ca

You can find me andrea@thehrhub.ca

Here are just a few insights: ♾️ Indeed has been using AI for a long time but now they are incorporating generative AI. It will help with personalized job recommendations, skills extractions out of resumes, and recommendations to employers. 📈 There are already signs of success. They can do deeper analysis of resumes and help employers and candidates make better matches. 🎓AI can lessen the use of proxies in hiring decisions e.g. we use education as a proxy for assessing intelligence, ambition, perseverance, and industry knowledge. There might be other clues elsewhere in the resume of these same qualities that are harder to spot. ❌ They won't be using AI to make final decisions. That would go against their set of AI principles. 🛠️ TOIL. It's my new favourite word. And AI will help reduce it. Woohoo! How have you been using proxies? Do you have AI principles? How have your older systems been using AI? Are you tired of toil? There were a remarkable number of insights in this discussion that extend well beyond Indeed.

Find out more about Indeed's Approach - AI Principles: https://www.indeed.com/esg/responsible-ai Hiring Lab: https://www.hiringlab.org/ AI Articles: https://www.indeed.com/lead/artificial-intelligence SmartSourcing - Just Google it. Find me for HR consulting https://thehrhub.ca

Too often, company culture gets reduced to these superficial perks. Or perks like this become the symbols of culture everyone points to. But true culture runs much deeper - it's about your core values and how those get lived out through behavior, communication, leadership and more.

I spoke with HR consultant Tiffany Castagno of CEPHR consulting about culture. She helps her clients with it all the time and breaks down the key dimensions of workplace culture that you need to be intentional about shaping. She says:

📝 Assess your current culture through surveys, conversations, audits - but make sure to take action on the findings.

🏆 Leaders play a crucial role in modeling the values and norms you want to reinforce.

🔍 Look at metrics like engagement, belonging, growth opportunities to measure if you're living your desired culture.

⚠️ Common culture mistakes: Lack of consistency, not listening to employees, and having the wrong hires misaligned with your values.

0️⃣ And none of what we talked about has to do with perks. Although those are nice and we like them!

So want to build a magnetic culture that attracts and retains top talent? Check out this episode!

Find me, Andrea Adams, at https://thehrhub.ca/

Building trust within teams is critical for high performance, but it's often an overlooked aspect of team dynamics. It came up recently for me in relation to consulting so I sat down with trust expert Ila Edgar to dive deep into the key behaviours and mindsets needed to foster trust on teams.

Ila is a coach, former recruiter, and co-host of the "Trust on Purpose" podcast. We did a couple episodes year before this one and they were some of the episodes I refer to most often at work. She shares her invaluable wisdom on:

💥 Why distrust can actually be a good thing and how to manage it productively

💥 The 4 key domains of trust (competence, sincerity, reliability, care) and how to cultivate each on your team

💥 The vital role leaders play in modeling trust-building behaviors

💥 Dangerous trust-breaking behaviors to avoid at all costs

Whether you lead a team or are part of one, this episode is packed with practical insights to create an environment of psychological safety where people can do their best work. Don't miss Ila's perspectives on this crucial but often overlooked team dynamic.

Find Ila at https://www.bigchangeinc.com/

This is her podcast: https://trustonpurpose.buzzsprout.com/

Andrea is an HR consultant in Western Canada. Find her at https://thehrhub.ca

So, for executive search, you are almost exclusively looking for leaders who are in good jobs that they probably like. So how do you entice them away?

If you think about it, this has many implications to the talent acquisition process.

I had a great conversation with Adam Pekarsky of Humanis Advisory. Adam started out as a lawyer, but has been in executive search for 20+ years. He has one of the best newsletters that I have ever read (the Ampersand) and his own podcast. He has an inspiring way of connecting the details to the big picture and to his values and ethics. It's apparent in everything he says.

For instance:

🫨 Ethics are critical. In addition to personal values, there is no ethical wiggle room especially in smaller communities. Word will get out.

🤔 He defines sourcing differently. I thought it was reaching out directly to potential candidates. He defines it as asking people who might know the candidates.

🎙️ Authentic, honest, story-telling is important: the story of the organization and the story of the candidate.

🌟 The role of the client who wants to fill a job is critical. In executive search they must SELL the job.

... And shouldn't ask "So why do you want the job?"

Adam approaches his work and role with such respect and insight. Watch it. You will learn a lot on many levels!

Find Adam Pekarsky on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adampekarsky/ Humanis Advisory: https://humanisadvisory.com/ The Ampersand Blog (highly recommended): https://humanisadvisory.com/blog/ Find Andrea for HR Consulting https://thehrhub.ca

You can find Tish at https://candor-consulting.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/tishsquillaro/ Find Andrea for consulting andrea@thehrhub.ca or https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrea-adams1/

Are YOU driving THEM crazy??

This was just one part of the conversation I had with Wendy Sellers, The HR Lady. Wendy has authored books, has a podcast, is on the radio and has even been on USA Today. She is wonderfully outspoken. For example one of her books is called "Suck it Up, Buttercup." It was awesome.

Wendy shared the following:

😈 Most employees don't wake up in the morning and say "How can I be irritating today?"

❺ There are five primary ways employees are irritating.

📺 I won't tell you all 5 (you have to watch the episode), but one is that employees are entitled.

🪞Spoiler: In all cases she suggests we get a little introspective. What have we done to drive the behaviour?

🤗 Caring would help managers and HR. Caring has been a theme on my channel coming up in a number of ways.

This was a frank and pretty amusing take on some really basic issues in organizations.

Find Wendy the following ways: https://thehrlady.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/wendythehrlady/ Find her book, 'Suck it Up, Buttercup' on Amazon. Find Andrea for consulting at https://thehrhub.ca/

I had a fantastic conversation with Bryan Adams, founder and former CEO of ph-creative and founder and CEO of HappyDance - a platform that means business when it comes to candidate experience. He has consulted to brands such as Apple and Nike and knows what he's talking about.

It would be difficult to consolidate what I learned but here's a few things:

$ You can do it on a budget. If you're autthentic and compelling you've won with respect to your employer brand.

😣 The most important and interesting part is uncovering what might DISSUADE someone from working there.

💡 Something beautiful or slick is a nice-to-have, you have to get coherence, clarity and alignment first.

🪞The most common mistake it to make it look beautiful and shiny, but brush over the harsh realities.

I was privileged to participate in this conversation. Bryan was able to articulate what we are striving for in many elements of our life - authenticity AND effectiveness. Take a listen! Links are in the comments.

Find Bryan on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/bryanadams1/ HappyDance: https://www.happydance.love/ Ph-Creative: https://www.ph-creative.com/ And don't forget to look up his book 'Give and Get: Repel the Many and Compel the Few with Impact, Purpose and Belonging' on Amazon Find me, Andrea Adams, for consulting support http://thehrhub.ca

In this episode, I tackled the fairly common yet tricky issue of attendance or absenteeism management. This is part of the series I am doing for small and medium businesses and NFPs on HR. However it has a lot of relevance for anyone involved in this aspect of HR.

It's Canadian content - especially towards the end. In it, I discuss how to on how to effectively manage attendance and the impact that poor attendance has on productivity, morale, the customer experience and the overall work environment.

Also:

🗂️ The types of absences that fall under attendance management and how to address them, from chronic lateness to unscheduled absences.

📋 The importance of having clear policies and procedures for attendance, creating objectivity and fairness in the workplace.

📈 The role of data and documentation in managing attendance, and the tools that can assist in tracking absences effectively.

🗣️ How to have a constructive conversation with an employee about their attendance, respecting their privacy and focusing on solutions.

Managing attendance is not about blaming or punishing, but about getting work done while recognizing things happen. Please tune in!

As I said, I'm an HR Consultant. Reach out at andrea@thehrhub.ca.

One of my first jobs ever was as an immigration officer so maybe it was just me, but I loved this demystification of rules for hiring foreign talent. This is American content though - I'll find someone Canadian soon.

I spoke with an immigration attorney, Sergio Athanasso, of Sergio Law. He specializes in helping organizations with their foreign recruitment and gave us a bunch of tips on how to navigate international hiring. Key highlights include:

1. 🌎 Understand the various visa categories and their qualifications: TN, L1, E2, O1, H1B.

2. ⏱️ You need to plan ahead with foreign recruitment, but sometimes maybe not as long as you thought.

3. 📚 For anything other than hiring a Canadian, you may want to secure an immigration lawyer. And maybe even with hiring Canadians.

So if you are American HR - or someone going to work in the States, check this out! It might not be as bad as you thought!

Find Sergio Athanasso at sergio@sergiolaw.com or https://sergiolaw.com/ You can find me, Andrea Adams, for consulting https://thehrhub.ca/

Find Dr. Nanette Minor on LinkedIn or at https://www.trainingdr.com/

Find Andrea https://thehrhub.ca/

This week we were talking about scaling organizations. It's always a hot topic in HR consulting. Tish Squillaro, a dynamic consultant with over 20 years of experience working with clients like Salesforce and IBM, was my guest. She understands complicated things and shared some of her knowledge with us.

Her particular expertise is helping venture-backed companies scale effectively. She emphasizes five priorities for helping an organization scale and says HR plays the most important role. The first of which is having the right people in the right seats.

So we talk about:

👥 The importance of 'right people, right seats' in scaling an organization

🎯 The role of focus in achieving organizational goals

💼 How leadership style impacts decision-making and overall organizational success

🧪 The significance of team chemistry in fostering a positive work environment.

Tish's insights are not only fascinating but also insightful. You can find her via the following:

https://candor-consulting.com/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/tishsquillaro/

And you can find me at https://thehrhub.ca

In this case we were mostly talking about cultural diversity - as in from different countries. This used to be something we talked about a lot and then we stopped. It's still relevant though. Some peoples have different priorities or beliefs that come into our workplaces or we're part of a multinational firm.

So, with some personal trepidation that we might veer off into negative stereotypes, I spoke with with Sue Ingram. She's has a keen interest in what makes a great workplace and dealt with the topic beautifully.

In this episode, Sue brings her unique insights into multicultural workplaces and discusses:

🌍 The importance of understanding and respecting different cultures in the workplace. Food is a great icebreaker!

🤝 The role of trust and understanding in fostering a healthy work environment. Trust is related to predictability which, with different cultures can be harder.

🗣️ The subtle nuances of communication across different cultures - Sue gave examples.

👥 The impact of cultural differences on workplace dynamics and how to navigate them.

There are some great resources out there and this episode is a treasure trove of knowledge for HR professionals who have a culturally diverse workforce. It's packed with practical tips and insightful anecdotes that will help you navigate this with more joy and confidence. Really - we need to celebrate!

Find Sue on LinkedIn at   / sueingram1   Her email: Sue@conversewell.com Her book: https://www.amazon.ca/Fire-Well-Staff... Find me (Andrea) for consulting support andrea@thehrhub.ca

On one hand, many employees love remote work while, on the other, many companies want employees in person. Where do you sit on the subject? The debate rages in my household. I'll state the obvious: it's hard for any of us to be objective.

I spoke with Kaleem Clarkson, COO of BlendMe, a consultancy focused on supporting remote and hybrid workplaces. Recently, he was listed as one of the top 50 experts around enabling remote work. He shared his insights on why employers resist remote work, the pros and cons of remote work, and how to build a successful remote work culture.

🥇Top tip: plan around building social connection.

🌍 The advantages of remote work are considerable. If they weren't, there would be no debate.

💻 The main challenge of remote work is how to build social connection. He says this rests mostly on the employer.

👥 A social connection strategy and calendar will help you foster connections among remote teams.

👨‍💼 He doesn't try to persuade skeptical leaders. He'll help if they are genuinely exploring the issues.

🔍 You need to think about asynchronous communication and documentation in a remote work setting.

Find Kaleem on LinkedIn at linkedin.com/in/kaleemclarkson/ Blend Me Inc: blendmeinc.com Kaleem's YouTube Channel: youtube.com/c/KaleemClarkson Find Andrea for consulting at andrea@thehrhub.ca

Our expert guest for this episode was the exceptional James Aird, an L&D specialist with a Master's of Education from Harvard. James has a unique perspective, having honed his skills in conflict areas like Iraq and the Congo. He is down-to-earth with a lot of practical tips to help SMBs figure out their L&D.

In this episode, James shares:

🎯 Why SMBs should invest in L&D.

💡 Common challenges faced by SMBs in implementing L&D programs and how to address them. Some is money, but some is attention and expertise.

📚 Surprisingly affordable options for SMBs to access comprehensive learning and development resources.

🏢 The role of leaders in driving L&D and aligning it with business objectives.

🔑 The ideal time for an organization to invest in a Learning Management System (LMS).

If you're leading a small or medium business or NFP or you're in HR there, check out this episode - and the whole series!

Resources: The Assoc'n for Talent Development https://www.td.org eLearning Industry https://www.elearningindustry.com James' website: https://edupivot.io/ Reach out to Andrea for consulting andrea@thehrhub.ca

My guest, Michelle Ellis, brings a wealth of knowledge to the table. With her background in from Disney, a PhD in training and performance improvement, and her current role at Intellum, a learning management software company, she shares approaches to building learning culture. We talked about:

📚 The definition of a learning culture and its importance in modern organizations. Note the pace of change.

📈 The benefits of fostering a learning culture, including increased innovation, retention and employee satisfaction. Many things promise this, but I think learning can deliver.

🎯 The role of a learning culture in upskilling and reskilling employees.

💼 The difference between talent management and talent planning. This was so interesting - see the video!

🧠 The importance of competency-based learning and the distinction between skills and competencies.

🔧 The role of technology in building a learning culture.

This episode offers valuable insights for HR professionals looking to cultivate a learning culture within their organizations. It's a case for those who aren't building a learning organization to reconsider. Hiring is expensive! It's time to equip your team with the skills and knowledge they need to thrive in a rapidly changing work environment.

Find Michelle on LinkedIn at / michelle-ellis-phd-cxac-cert-3357833 See Intellum here: https://www.intellum.com/ I am an HR consultant to small and medium businesses and not-for-profits. Reach out to me here: andrea@thehrhub.ca

In this episode of The HR Hub, I dove into full cycle recruitment: all the steps in the recruitment process. I offered insights and strategies to help you attract great people even against larger and more well-known employers.

This is another episode I (Andrea Adams) did myself. I'm an HR consultant to small and medium businesses and distilled some of the questions I get into a quick overview. I broke down the full-cycle recruitment process and highlighted why you need to care about each step if you want to make great hires.

In this episode, you'll discover:

📚The difference between a job ad and a job description, and why it matters.

🎯How to source candidates effectively whether you target individuals or get individuals to target you.

🚀 Strategies to speed up the screening and selection process and avoid bias.

💰 Getting the most out of your budget.

⏰ The importance of timing in recruitment and how to plan for it effectively.

👥 How to assess a candidate's fit for your organization without compromising diversity.

Find me at https://www.thehrhub.ca/ andrea@thehrhub.ca https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrea-adams1/

Find Jo Ayoubi and her company at https://tracksurveys.com/ She would also chat with you on LinkedIn:   / joayoubi   Find me for consulting in Western Canada https://www.thehrhub.ca/

Find Corina at shiftpd.com. She has a lot of free resources too! Find Andrea for small and medium sized business consulting in Western Canada.

In this episode of The HR Hub, we dive into the world of older workers, their potential, and the myths surrounding them. I spoke with Laura Tamblyn Watts, CEO of CanAge, Canada's national seniors advocacy organization. She is a researcher, teacher, speaker... and well qualified to participate.

We covered the gamut and I asked tough questions like: don't they cost more? Laura shared her insights on this and the good and bad news about the labour market and how we can prepare for looming labour shortages.

We discussed:

🧓 How older workers can be a solution to Canada's significant labour shortage

💼 The importance of good retention strategies and avoiding ageist practices

👩‍💻 Why the myth that older workers can't use technology is just that - a myth

🎓 Everyone wants learning and development - including older workers

💡 How companies can actively attract, retain, and support older workers

At the very least, include age in your DEI statement.

She is super knowledgeable! Check it out!

Find Laura at / laura-tamblyn-watts-a8ab61 CanAge https://www.canage.ca/ Living, Learning and Earning Longer: https://www.aarpinternational.org/ini... Find Andrea for HR Consulting andrea@thehrhub.ca

If you might be affected by pay transparency laws, watch this discussion with Sally Loftis. Sally is the Managing Director of Loftis Partners. She specializes in pay equity, transparency, DEI and OD. This episode will help any HR professional seeking to understand the often murky water of pay transparency and equity.

In this episode, you will learn:

🔍 The reasons why some employers are hesitant to share pay data and the repercussions of such reluctance.

💡 Some employees don't want pay transparency either - it's crucial to communicate internally before implementing changes.

👥 There's a balance between complete pay transparency and protecting employee privacy.

⚖️ Pay transparency doesn't replace pay equity, but they work together.

🚀 There are ways to 'do' pay transparency in a way that builds trust across the organization.

Follow Sally on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/sallyloftisloftis/ Her site https://www.loftispartners.com/ Find the Pay Equity Collective at https://pay-equity-collective.mn.co/share/GTCEIh6yArceY6cY?utm_source=manual This is a link to her guide on conducting a pay equity assessment Find Andrea for SME consulting in Western Canada at thehrhub.ca

A link to Dr. Cappelli's book https://www.amazon.com/Our-Least-Important-Asset-Relentless/dp/0197629806 Find Andrea on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrea-adams1/ or at andrea@thehrhub.ca

I promise it's unfortunately real and relevant. We even spent a couple minutes talking about how analytics might enable discrimination on factors that seem to have no bearing on performance like whether you love cats vs dogs. This kind of data is part of the trend towards creepy analytics.

I spoke with Dr. Salvatore Falletta who just wrote a book entitled 'Creepy Analytics'. He helped me draw the line between AI and analytics which are related but not exactly the same thing. Whether analytics or AI, HR needs to be monitoring this or legislation will eventually do it for us.

Some unfortunately real questions we discussed:

👂Should your employer be able to listen in on conversations?

🚽Should your boss know if your are in the bathroom?

💸If you dump company stock, should your boss know?

🤔Should your employer be able to scrape sentiment from your emails?

🙀Is your love of cats (vs dogs) relevant and, even if it is, should a prospective employer make decisions on this?

We need transparent data collection and analytics and white box AI. These were just a few of the insights in this somewhat dystopian but also funny episode.

Sal’s LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/salvatore-falletta/ Sal’s Book: Creepy Analytics: Avoid Crossing the Line and Establish Ethical HR Analytics for Smarter Workforce Decisions Find Andrea https://www.thehrhub.ca/

Many companies still do them though so I was curious and reached out to Sue Ingram of Converse Well to talk about it. She is certainly a wonderful person to talk to! I'd recommend her anytime for a conversation.

She also knows a lot about HR including performance appraisals. Some of the tidbits from our conversation:

🔍 You have to train for HONEST conversations between managers and employees.

💰 Some organizations don't expressly link compensation to the performance appraisal, but since both the appraisal and compensation require judgment... Sue says they're linked regardless.

🎯 You have to measure the right things

.

💡 Training. Training. Training.

Find Sue on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/sueingram1 Her email: Sue@conversewell.com Her book: https://www.amazon.ca/Fire-Well-Staff-They-Thank/dp/1781331464 Find me (Andrea) for consulting support andrea@thehrhub.ca

This is the third in my series for small and medium business owners and NFP execs. I'm an HR consultant and helping you navigate these murky and frustrating waters!

In this episode, I review:

🔍 The importance of approaching any problem with an open mind - don't demonize or ignore your employee, but also don't wait for the issue to resolve itself.

📚 Three categories for employee problems: misconduct, health-related issues, and poor performance. Understanding these categories can help you know which tools to use in handling the situation.

🗣️ The value of conversations and coaching in managing poor performance.

📝 An HR cliché: take notes!

Let me know if you found this helpful or if there is some other question at:

https://www.thehrhub.ca/

andrea@thehrhub.ca

I would also love to connect via LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrea-adams1/

In this episode of The HR Hub, I explored how to use storytelling in presentations. My guest, Jilliane Yawney, is a speaking coach who turns scientists and engineers (and HR) into confident speakers and storytellers. Jilliane is not just a speaking coach. She's also the founder of the Calgary Story Slam, one of the biggest in Canada. Using her expertise, she helps professionals weave useful stories into their presentations, ensuring the key messages are understood and remembered.

Here's a sneak peek into our conversation:

🔬 How storytelling humanizes data and makes it more relatable. So you need both!

🎭 The power of storytelling in conveying emotions and influencing decisions, while avoiding blatant manipulation.

📊 Balancing storytelling and data: Can you overuse stories? Yes, but...

🎯 The importance of understanding the purpose of your story. Clear purpose is important in many aspects of HR.

📚 The essential elements of a good story: Conflict and structure. Think Harry Potter.

This episode is a treasure trove of insights for anyone looking to enhance their presentation skills and make a bigger impact at work. Whether you're an HR professional or just someone who wants to communicate more effectively, this episode is a must-listen!

Find Jilliane at https://www.jillianeyawney.com/ Find Andrea at andrea@thehrhub.ca

This is the second in the series for SMBs aiming to help small and medium business owners and NFPs navigate people issues and avoid some of the major pitfalls.

In this episode, I discuss:

📚 The concept of compliance and why being ethical isn't enough. Skirting the edges of what's legal and ethical can lead to costly court cases and damaged relationships.

🚧 The importance of compliance and its impact on small and medium-sized businesses including the risks.

📑 The top five areas of HR compliance that I frequently encounters as an HR consultant. From provincial employment standards to privacy laws, I provide an overview of each.

🔍 Other areas of compliance such as labour relations, payroll, benefits, and taxation rules, equity legislation, accessibility rules, and pensions and benefits rules.

🛠️ Finally, I discuss how to avoid compliance problems.

Find me at andrea@thehrhub.ca The links I referred to: Compliance Works: https://complianceworks.ca/ WCB Episode https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lPrgga7uuYk&t=2s Labour Relations: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sl_xlEa5zi4&t=19s

Michelle Ellis was my partner in this exploration. She's an expert in L&D - currently a director for Intellum, which is an learning management software company. She was also a L&D leader at Disney! Before that, she was a school teacher and has her PhD. She knows some things.

In this episode, you'll gain valuable insights on:

🎓 The concept of learning transfer and its importance for our investment in training.

📈 How to be intentional about your own learning journey so that you bring what you learn back to work..

💡 The role of leaders in ensuring learning transfer into the workplace, and how they can help their employees get the most out of training sessions.

📊 The importance and challenge of measuring learning transfer. Michelle shared some strategies around quantitative and qualitative data.

🖥️ How learning management software can facilitate learning transfer, with features like social chat and gamification.

Find Michelle on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/michelle-ellis-phd-cxac-cert-3357833/ See Intellum here: https://www.intellum.com/ I am an HR consultant to small and medium businesses and not-for-profits. Reach out to me here: andrea@thehrhub.ca

In this episode I am talking to anyone involved in HR for an SMB, but especially leaders who may not have in-house HR. I delve into how to starting your HR function. When you start HR is a passing thought. As you grow, you'll discover the importance of HR in managing your team more efficiently, and I'll shed light on how to strike the right balance between in-house HR and third-party partnerships.

Here's a sneak peek of what to expect:

🔍 When to add HR: There's a sweet spot for when to bring in HR support. Wait too long and you might find yourself in hot water. I'll share some insights on when to make that crucial decision.

🚀 How HR supports growth: HR isn't just about compliance and risk management. Discover how HR can help you hire the right people, develop their skills, and even design your organization to support smooth and effective growth.

🎯 Mission, Vision, and Values: These aren't just fancy words on a plaque. They're the foundation of your company culture and can guide your employees in their decision-making. Learn how HR can facilitate these crucial discussions.

You can find me to ask a question or provide feedback at andrea@thehrhub.ca.

You can also reach out to me on LinkedIn! I'm always happy to hear from you https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrea-adams1/

Centre for Evidence Based Management cebma.org Evidence-Based Managment by Eric Barends and Denise Rousseau Corporate Research Forum crforum.co.uk Conference Board conference-board.org

Sal’s LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/salvatore-falletta/ Sal’s Book will be published this Friday - Feb 24! Creepy Analytics: Avoid Crossing the Line and Establish Ethical HR Analytics for Smarter Workforce Decisions

Reach me (Andrea) for consulting andrea@thehrhub.ca

Are you thinking something like "but it's time for those boomers to get out the way so I have a chance!"? Well, I asked Laura Tamblyn Watts, the CEO of CanAge about that. CanAge is Canada's Seniors Advocacy organization and, she says while a few older workers have a ton of privilege, many are shockingly disadvantaged. With 25 years of experience, Laura brings a wealth of knowledge about ageism and its impact in the workplace and to aging people. We discussed:

👵 The shocking statistics on ageism and why it's the most prevalent form of discrimination globally.

🔍 How ageism manifests in the workplace - from overt policies to hidden biases.

📈 The benefits of multi-generational workforces - from increased productivity to reduced churn.

🛠 Practical steps to make your workplace more age-inclusive starting with your DEI policy. And

⚖️The risks of doing nothing.

This episode was eye-opening and will broaden your understanding of ageism and equip you with practical tools to foster a more inclusive work environment. Links are in the comments!

Find Laura at https://www.linkedin.com/in/laura-tamblyn-watts-a8ab61/ CanAge https://www.canage.ca/ Living, Learning and Earning Longer: https://www.aarpinternational.org/initiatives/future-of-work/living-learning-and-earning-longer/living-learning-and-earning-longer Find Andrea for consulting in Western Canada andrea@thehrhub.ca

But we rarely stop to understand the difference between them and the impact those differences have on strategy. I never did anyhow except at a surface level.

I spoke with James Aird about this. James is an L&D consultant with a Master of Education from Harvard. Interestingly, he learned the trade in conflict areas like Iraq and the DR Congo.

James took us on a journey through the distinct aspects of training/learning vs development in an organization, and how they cater to different organizational needs. For example:

🎓 Learning, and training are, more or less, the same thing and directly meet organization requirements.

🌫️ Development if fuzzier - with a ton of strategic implications related to skills gaps, recruitment and retention.

🆉 Gen Z has a lot of hopes and expectations for great development. A strength IMO.

💻 An Learning Management System (LMS) will help you deliver and track it. James recommends one for any organization with 20-30 employees or more.

This episode is has a lot of information for HR professionals who want to improve their understanding of L&D and how L&D can impact so many modern organizational problems. It's not just about upskilling - it's about creating a culture of learning.

I sat down with Jo Ayubi, the CEO of Track 360 Feedback. Jo's expertise in feedback consultancy and their software platform made her the perfect guide for 360 feedback. It's a powerful tool.

Here's a sneak peek into our conversation:

🔎 These days we are concerned about HOW people get the job done, not just what they get done. Otherwise toxic behaviour will proliferate.

👥 Aim for at least 6-10 people providing feedback.

❌You can't let the ratee pick their raters. At least not entirely.

✅ It's a great development tool.

⁉️ For some reason, 360 feedback is about the only topic I remember from university.

Jo knows her stuff - for the first time I tried a firing line (peppering my guest with quick questions) and she did great! Check it out at the links in the comment section!

Follow Sally on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/sallyloftisloftis/ Her site https://www.loftispartners.com/ Find the Pay Equity Collective at https://pay-equity-collective.mn.co/share/GTCEIh6yArceY6cY?utm_source=manual This is a link to her guide on conducting a pay equity assessment Find Andrea for SME consulting in Western Canada at thehrhub.ca

Find Corina at shiftpd.com

I (Andrea) do small and medium sized HR consulting in Western Canada.

This was what I spoke with Britni Eisenman, the founding principal of Stoke Fire about. Britni brings a unique perspective to the table, having transitioned from social work to advising CEOs on business strategy and organization development.

We explored how organizational alignment can and should significantly impact our HR practices and overall business success. Back  to the three questions above: do you decide what to do *and* what not to do based on your mission, vision and values? 

Britni shared her insights on the importance of aligning your organization's values, mission, and actions:

🚦 When you’re making decisions aligned with your MVV she says you have ‘structural integrity’.

🔍 You wlll weather difficult storms if you have organizational alignment

🌉 Your organization is a bridge to your mission and how to handle the challenges that come your way.

🚀 We get tired of wordsmithing.  The words matter, however she has a different way of testing them.  

⚖️ HR is often the canary in the coal mine in recognizing when an organization is misaligned

Find Britni at LinkedIn or on Stokefire.com Find Andrea for HR consulting in Western Canada at thehrhub.ca

Kate is the head of Interaction Management Associates, specializing in mediation. She has an impressive career portfolio, having worked in South Africa, served as the Director of Mediation for the Iowa Peace Institute and the Arizona Attorney General, and currently holds the position of Director of Mediation for the City of Phoenix.

In this episode, Kate shares her insights on:

🔍 Understanding when conflict is healthy and when it is harmful. Hint: it's harmful when it festers.

💡 Techniques to engage in conflict with confidence and compassion. Pretend you're watching it from a balcony!

🧘‍♀️ The role of patience and understanding in managing conflict. Patience can be hard when emotions are running high.

📚 Resources to help.

This episode is a goldmine for HR professionals seeking to foster a culture of healthy conflict resolution at their workplaces. Check out the link in the comments to watch the full episode!

Here are some links Kate has offered: IMA courses: imamediation.com/courses - save 30% on any course or bundle with promo code HRHUB Free downloadable tools: Listening skills checklist: https://bit.ly/listentool Checklist for becoming a mediator: https://bit.ly/newmediatorchecklist Open-ended questions workbook: https://bit.ly/open-ended-q How to Respectfully Disagree Like a Pro - workbook: https://bit.ly/IMAworkbook Find me at thehrhub.ca

It’s not alarmist to think that AI will enable HR to discriminate more and in new ways! After all, Amazon had to scrap their recruitment and selection AI because it was biased against women.

This week I, again, spoke with Megan Marie Butler about AI in HR. She speaks plainly and is quite practical in her assessment of AI in HR. She is doing her PhD in the space, but is so frank and easy to understand!

Her insights:

🎉 Most AI is legal!

👮‍♀️ It is all legal because there is so little regulation.

😩 Since it is unregulated, we can unknowingly cause significant social harm if we are not careful. Causing social harm could land us in legal hot water.

🤦🏾‍♂️ Megan provided a few examples of how AI is creating new classes of people to discriminate against.

😬 Regulation is coming. Even so, we are going to learn the hard way. Don’t be the cautionary tale.

Find Megan on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/meganmariebutler/ or at ⁠bnmmb@leeds.ac.uk⁠ Find Andrea for consulting in Western Canada at thehrhub.ca

The guest for this episode was Brittany Eisenman, the founding principal of Stokefire. With her unique career path from social work to advising CEOs, Brittany brought a fresh perspective to this! Some of that perspective includes:

🥵 Being busy busy busy will not get you involved in the strategy. See the video.

🎯 She thinks strategy when someone says 'tactics'

🔎 Watch for being too deep in the weeds! Sometimes you need to poke your head above the surface and look around.

💡 Use whatever data you have even if its limited!

🔄 Think about alignment. Deep alignment.

SO SO good! Check it out at the links in the comments!

Find Britni and stokefire.com or on LinkedIn

Find Andrea for consulting in Western Canada at thehrhub.ca

Len Nanjad, however, was up to the task! He thinks deeply about HR strategy including how to deliver an HR strategy that balances the complexity of people with business strategy. He is also the guest on one of my most popular episodes!

• He says developing our strategy is similar to other parts of the business: First understand the business strategy.
• He gives us some guidance about how to think the product-market fit of HR - see the video below.
• We talk about how to consider all the things that employees think we should be doing and sometimes we want to do.
• We're not doing HR to do HR well. Not usually anyhow.

If you read this far, I'm also looking for someone who's willing to teach HR about communications. It's not exactly our thing if we're in larger companies. But in smaller companies we are all they've got. If you know of someone willing to have this convo with me, let me know!

This week's guest was Pam Schmidt. Pam, a leadership and organization development consultant, shared her experiences and insights on a common challenge in HR and offered some practical advice (and a little bit of spine!)

Pam discussed:

2️⃣ Two ways leaders may approach HR that may be misguided: role clarity and team function.

🚩Why she sees these as 'red flags' and what could be going wrong underneath.

🫱 Her approach to supporting leaders

🤔 Why she thinks HR sometimes steps in anyhow.

Ultimately it works best if leaders take responsibility for their team's dynamics.

By tuning into this episode, you will learn about:

🔹The importance of leaders in handling challenging situations and setting clear expectations.

🔹The role of HR professionals in supporting leaders while maintaining their own boundaries.

🔹The significance of role clarity and team function in an organization.

🔹How to approach conflict and feedback in a leadership role.

Find Pam on LinkedIn. Find Andrea at thehrhub.ca

Mediation skills are made of skills we already have. The thing that gets in our way is usually fear or discomfort around conflict. So you need to practice. Unfortunately.

I actually went looking for someone to talk to about alternative dispute resolution. Mediation is one element but I'll have to cover other aspects of ADR later. However I found Kate Otting in the process. She is CEO of Interaction Management Associates and has led mediation groups all over. Currently she is the Director of Mediation for the City of Phoenix. She says:

😆Mediation may one of the few fields where mediocrity is the goal. See the video.

♾️The more we engage with conflict (notice I didn't say 'in'), the more adept we become at managing it.

💸Conflict is expensive x 10. I can only imagine how much time I've spent on conflict nevermind the entire econonmy.

⁉️ When is the last time an employee came in your office to vent?

Here are some links Kate has offered: IMA courses: imamediation.com/courses - save 30% on any course or bundle with promo code HRHUB
Free downloadable tools:
Listening skills checklist: https://bit.ly/listentool
Checklist for becoming a mediator: https://bit.ly/newmediatorchecklist
Open-ended questions workbook: https://bit.ly/open-ended-q
How to Respectfully Disagree Like a Pro - workbook: https://bit.ly/IMAworkbook Find me at thehrhub.ca

I found a fantastic guest to talk to about AI for HR! Megan Marie Butler is doing her PhD on the topic and, since she is not affiliated with any software company, we get a fairly unfiltered point of view! And Megan is pretty funny as speaks her mind on the potential and perils of AI. Like:

☁️ The AI sky might fall on HR!

☀️ Or it might not, but we have to be cautious. If a vendor says they can't tell you what's going on underneath: beware.

😫 We will, at least partly, learn the hard way.

‼ There are surprising and exciting use cases for it beyond ChatGPT.

🤔AI is hard to define and ChatGPT is just one form. Albeit a very exciting form.

This was an outstanding episode if I do say so myself. If you haven't delved into it yet, try this episode. Megan speaks plainly and informatively.

Find Megan on LinkedIn

https://www.linkedin.com/in/meganmariebutler/ or at bnmmb@leeds.ac.uk

Find Andrea for consulting in Western Canada at thehrhub.ca

In this episode with Len Nanjad, we talk about the impact of business strategy on HR. Len is a guy who thinks deeply about HR, is the guest in one of my most popular videos, and doesn't accept the easy explanations that many of us have come to accept as truth.

Some of his insights about business strategy:

4️⃣ Business strategy has 4 pieces.

＝ HR strategy could also focus on the same 4 pieces. We need to think about them in context of HR and the business.

😫 We will often help the stressed out leader in the most simple way possible rather than think about the strategy and if our effort would be better spent in other ways.

↻ We often hold individuals accountable for poor performance. But it is quite possibly the system not them.

Find Len on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/lennanjad/ or https://www.mnp.ca/en/personnel/len-n... Find me (Andrea) at www.thehrhub.ca. I'm an HR consultant and provide a wide range of consulting support in Western Canada. Mostly.

"I did no such thing. She's lying!" 😡 It's 'he said she said'. Who do you believe???? While it would be tempting to stop there, that's the wrong thing to do. You need to do a CREDIBILITY ASSESSMENT. Credibility assessments were the subject of my conversation with Bob Stenhouse in response to a question from someone who watched an earlier video. Bob leads Veritas Solutions and they do many investigations every year. Bob is an interesting guy (he used to be an undercover officer) and is an expert in doing credibility assessments. He talks about: 😩DARVO - Deny, Attack, Reverse Victim Offender (see the video below) 🤷🏻‍♀️When someone's truth is not the actual truth. 👀Body language. This is not an effective way of judging credibility. 🗣️Honesty and reliability. These are key pieces of credibility. This was very fascinating stuff and increases the integrity of how we do our work in HR.

Find Bob at Veritas Solutions veritassolutions.net or follow him on LinkedIn because he writes great posts! Find Andrea for generalist HR consulting in Western Canada at thehrhub.ca

Dr. Lunsford's Book: The Mentor's Guide: Five Steps to Build a Successful Mentor Program I (Andrea) am available for HR consulting in Western Canada. Email me at andrea@thehrhub.ca

Find Carla through LinkedIn or her organization, Mineral: trustmineral.com Find me for consulting in Western Canada at thehrhub.ca

Dr. Lunsford's Book: The Mentor's Guide: Five Steps to Build a Successful Mentor Program Other resources: The International Mentoring Association https://www.mentoringassociation.org/ The European Mentoring & Coaching Council https://www.emccglobal.org/ Brad Johnson: Athena Rising The Center for Mentoring Excellence https://www.centerformentoring.com/ I (Andrea) am available for HR consulting in Western Canada. Email me at andrea@thehrhub.ca

Find Laura at lauraterrell.com Find me (Andrea) at thehrhub.ca for HR support in Western Canada

Find Evelyn at Nucleus Research https://nucleusresearch.com/ She mentioned an ROI Tool (free!): nucleusresearch.com/research/single/nucleus-research-standard-roi-calculator/ She mentioned ROI University: https://nucleusresearch.com/roi-university/ Ian Campbell (her boss) published a book on called the Value Sale. Find it on Amazon. You can also reach out to me for HR consulting in Western Canada! www.thehrhub.ca

Find Elissa at elissa@hrwest.ca or at Spacemakers Canada https://www.spacemakersgroup.ca/ Reach out to Andrea for HR consulting at andrea@thehrhub.ca

Find Emily at emily@hrwest.ca for HR consulting!

Find Brenden at his youtube channel MasterTalk. He offers free workshops at rockstarcommunicator.com. Find Andrea at thehrhub.ca for HR consulting in Western Canada.

This is why I went looking for someone to talk to about turnover and retention and found Cara Silletto, Chief Retention Officer at Magnet Culture. She is a retention expert and speaker, and wrote a book on it. She says:

🥱"People join organizations and quit their bosses." The tired cliche (or at least it's 'tired' in my mind) is at least partly true. What might be more accurate, is that managers can do a whole lot to drive down turnover.

🧑🏽 Managers play the biggest role in retention so anything we can do to support their skills and capacity is likely to have retention benefits.

📈 What constitutes high turnover depends on the role. However, on average, tenure is decreasing regardless of the role.

🙏 Once again... recognition. It comes up again and again across so many of my interviews.

Find Cara at https://www.magnetculture.com/

Find Andrea for HR consulting in Western Canada at www.thehrhub.ca

Find Prem at Cooleaf www.cooleaf.com Find Andrea for HR consulting at www.thehrhub.ca

Find Cara at https://www.magnetculture.com/ Find Andrea for HR consulting in Western Canada at www.thehrhub.ca

This was the focus of my conversation with Stephan Weidner, CEO of Noomi and Zarango. With his team, they have developed a way of measuring it and then helping leaders develop it. I discovered I have an image in mind when it comes to executive presence and it's someone who is tall, white, and male. So I appreciated having my horizons expanded:

3️⃣ Executive presence is based on three characteristics and anyone can possess them

🥼Most leaders rely on their expertise to lead but that is limiting

💪You need to flex your various 'muscles' that help you have executive presence depending on the situation.

💉We talk about attractiveness, but you don't need botox.

Find Stephan on LinkedIn or at Zarango https://www.linkedin.com/in/swiedner/ zarango.com Find Andrea for HR consulting at www.thehrhub.ca

Find Elissa at elissa@hrwest.ca or at Spacemakers Canada https://www.spacemakersgroup.ca/ Reach out to Andrea for HR consulting at andrea@thehrhub.ca

So I reached out to Gillian Hynes who works for Rise, an indigenous-owned consulting group advancing reconciliation and indigenous inclusion. Here are a few highlights:

- Decolonization is about inclusion and truth through reconciliation and relationships.

- It starts with the individual.

- There are many colonial practices in HR. For example, many benefits are based on Western medicine, and our definition of "family" for bereavement leave is often narrow.

- A lot of the changes will benefit all employees - especially as we get more diverse overall.

- HR has the power to make a difference by helping decide what the problem is and what the solution might be.

It's fascinating and challenging stuff. But I didn't find it overwhelming - hopefully you don't either.

Find Gillian at http://www.riseconsultingltd.ca/ Find Andrea at http://www.thehrhub.ca

Find John at john@fortlog.co or www.fortlog.co Find Andrea at www.thehrhub.ca for HR consulting in Western Canada

Find Ila at https://www.bigchangeinc.com/ This is her podcast: https://trustonpurpose.buzzsprout.com/ Andrea is an HR consultant in Western Canada. Find her at www.thehrhub.ca

Terminating someone's employment is not easy. It's clearly not easy for the employee, but it's not easy for HR or the Manager either. (If it is, find a new job.) If you are like most people and it makes you anxious, this video shows you how to can accomplish this difficult task with empathy and respect.

This was the focus of this discussion with Kim Spurgeon. She has worked with LHH Knightsbridge in a variety of roles and, as a career transition specialist, has been present for many terminations. She shared her considerable insight:

3️⃣ In addition to the employee, there should be 2-3 people present during the termination meeting: the direct manager, the HR representative, and, possibly, the career transition specialist

3️⃣ It's the manager's role to advise the employee that their employment is being terminated. The manager's statement should be brief and to the point, taking no more than 2-3 minutes.

🗣️ The HR representative will go through the details of the termination, including any severance pay or benefits the employee may be entitled to.

🙏 Remember to thank the departing employee for their contributions!!

Check out the video if you have to do one to ensure that this often difficult meeting is as smooth and respectful as possible.

Find LHH Knightsbridge and Kim at www.lhh.com I (Andrea) am an HR Consultant in Western Canada. Find me at www.thehrhub.ca

The video with Dr. Helen Turnbull CSP highlights that diversity positively impacts the bottom line - but only when everyone feels included and valued. She's been working in the field a long time and did a TEDx in 2013. She says:

😬 It's not enough to simply hire a diverse group of people and pat yourself on the back. You need a culture where everyone feels included and can contribute their unique perspectives and ideas.

🙄 When diversity training elicits an eyeroll... you have an uphill battle. The leader is telegraphing their thoughts and unlikely to foster an inclusive environment.

🥱 But inclusivity does not mean that people should be allowed to monopolize meetings ad nauseum. If they're not adding value... why are they there?

Find Dr. Turnbull at www.humanfacets.com (954) 553 2828

Find Andrea, HR Consultant, at www.thehrhub.ca

I reached out to ILa Edgar who is co-Host of a show called Trust on Purpose with Charles Feltman. She is also a coach and was a recruiter for years, so she has insight into HR:

1) The first thing is we need to care. About the client and the business.

🗣️ Trust building is a skill and one you can discuss directly with clients

👍 Even when there are limitations on us that our client might not appreciate, there are things we can do to maintain trust.

🗣️ When clients talk about HR instead of to HR, there's some mistrust. We can deal with that head on too.

Find Ila at https://www.bigchangeinc.com/ This is her podcast: https://trustonpurpose.buzzsprout.com/ Andrea is an HR consultant in Western Canada. Find her at www.thehrhub.ca

This was the focus of my conversation with Dylan Snowdon. Dylan is an  Employment Lawyer and Instructor in the Faculty of Law at the University  of Calgary. This is something he is asked about a lot and here are some  of his insights:  ✅ You have to accommodate, but can consider those accommodations that  have the least impact on the employer.   🧐 Accommodations can take many forms, and it doesn't always have to be a  big or complicated solution.   😢 The difficult accommodations are when there are a lot of unknowns or  the employer is not accepting.  Mental health often falls in this  category.  📢 Whenever someone requests accommodation, the duty has been triggered.    Remember, the duty to accommodate is an important part of creating an  inclusive workplace. By making reasonable efforts to accommodate the  needs of employees, employers can create a workplace that is welcoming  and supportive of all employees.

Find Dylan at https://carbertwaite.com/calgary-lawy...

Andrea is an HR Consultant and can be found at www.thehrhub.ca

This week's guest, Kim Spurgeon, is Sr VP Canada, Transition and  Mobility with LHH Knightsbridge.  LHH Knightsbridge is one of the  leaders in helping employers navigate career transitions.  She has been  in that business much of her career and has an impressive depth of  knowledge and experience.  She shares:  ☺️ Terminations can be done with empathy.  ⚡️ Elon Musk and Twitter are a master class on what NOT to do.  ⚖️ Career transitions can also help mitigate the risk of being sued by  employees - see the video below.  🏆 Career transition services can also help you manage your brand as an  employer.   `🪃Also, with the jobs market the way it is, career transition can keep the  door open for boomerangs.  These are the employees who leave you, but  come back again with valuable skills and knowledge!

Find LHH Knightsbridge and Kim at www.lhh.com  

I (Andrea) am an HR  Consultant in Western Canada.  Find me at www.thehrhub.ca

Find Helen at https://drhelenturnbull.com/ Andrea is an HR consultant in Western Canada and you can find her at https://www.thehrhub.ca/

I spoke with Reena Vokoun (again).  She's the owner of Passion Fit which  works with employers to build meaningful wellness programs.  She also  wrote The Wellness Empowered Woman. 

Here are a few of Reena's tips to  keep in mind as you develop your program:  💰 Make sure you have the money and support before you start.  👯‍♀️ Consider how to offer individualized content: Not all employees  have the same needs when it comes to wellness. Consider offering  one-on-one in addition fitness classes, nutrition coaching, and mental  health resources.     🥵 Wellness programs don't replace healthy workplaces like reasonable  workloads and supportive management.  🎓 Recognize the social determinants of health and do what you can:  Health is impacted by factors beyond individual behaviors, such as  access to healthy food, education, and healthcare among others.  🧑‍🚒 Involve employees in developing their programs: They are the  experts on their own wellness needs.

Reena can be found through her company, Passion Fit, at https://passionfit.com/ 

Andrea is an HR consultant and can be found through www.thehrhub.com

I think I am getting the hint.  Notifications, emails and messages  aren't making me more productive and they greatly reduce my ability to  be thoughtful.  This is true for many of the people in our organizations  too.     

Daniel Sih is an author and productivity guy.  I reached out because of  his Spacemakers book, but I was curious about productivity and he  delivered!    

🥃 He's a physiotherapist and accidentally became a productivity  consultant over a glass of whiskey.    ❌ Now he is going to TedX and his 'idea worth sharing' is that we need  to put down our phones to be more productive and have better  relationships.  📧 He used to think productivity was about getting better at email and  prioritization.  That is helpful, but, to truly be productive, you need  to think about who you are and what is important to you. Then be  productive at THOSE things.  🧑🏽‍🏫 Notwithstanding the importance of knowing our priorities, we can  teach employees to manage email, set priorities, and maintain good  habits.  Organizations have a better chance of getting a lot more of the  right work done.

Spacemakers: How to Unplug, Unwind, and Think Clearly in the Digital Age  

You can find more about Daniel and Spacemakers on https://spacemakers.com.au/   

You can find Elissa Lok for Spacemaker or Email Ninja training in North America at elissa@spacemakers.com.au   

And finally, I am an HR consultant as well.  Reach out to me through my website www.thehrhub.ca

Employment Lawyer: How are you accommodating them?  

PiCo: Uhhhh, but they can't come to work.  

Employment Lawyer: 😐  

Most of us know the standard is high, but sometimes it can be hard to  explain it to a frustrated leader who is struggling to be effective.   So watch this video with Dylan Snowdon, Employment Lawyer and Instructor  in the Faculty of Law at the University of Calgary. There's lots of  tipsI

 ❌You can't terminate someone just because they are on LTD with no  expected return-to-work date.  ⏱️Maintain periodic, reasonable, contact. Go for coffee or lunch with  the employee.  Be positive and supportive.  ☺️The leaders who 'get' it are those who have experience with disability  in some way.  💸Those that proceed with termination too soon and without full  exploration may lose *$$$*  

This is technical topic!  And a CANADIAN one  because it is based in Canadian law.  

This was the focus of my chat with Reena Vokoun.  She's the owner of  Passion Fit which works with employers to build meaningful wellness  programs.  She also wrote The Wellness Empowered Woman.    

Some of her key points:  ⏱️ Timeless but Flexible: A wellness program should be designed to stand  the test of time, but still be flexible enough to accommodate the  changing needs and interests of employees. Broader societal changes will  impact the health of employees and what you might want to include.  🏹 Aligned with Corporate Values and Culture: A wellness program should  align with the company's values and culture so it reinforces your  direction.   🏹 Aligned with Employee Needs: You must have input from employees  themselves to ensure the program fits them. Involve employees in the  program's design, implementation, and maintenance.  📈 Measuring Success: Like many parts of HR, measuring success can be  challenging because it's people.  However there are several, relevant  metrics like participation rates, satisfaction, attendance, and health  plan usage.  It will take time to see the impact.

Reena can be found through her company, Passion Fit, at https://passionfit.com/  

Andrea is an HR consultant and can be found through www.thehrhub.com

I intended to talk to Erica Blain about the new CPHR competencies. We  talked about that and then everything else related to becoming a CPHR.    Erica is the Director of Professional Standards and Registrar at CPHRAB.  We reviewed the revised competencies that were published a year ago  AND: 

 - What's changed in the NKE  

- What it means to the experience validation assessment (EVA)  

- Maintaining your CPHR status once you have it  

- What qualifies as 'certified professional development'  

- CPD credits  - Getting your SHRM too!

Check out your provincial association for more information!  Find me at www.thehrhub.ca.

Connecting with people is overwhelmingly shown to create happiness. That  doesn't really happen when we are spending more and more time online.  Digital wellness in the workplace is becoming an increasingly important  aspect of wellness. As we spend more and more time on our devices, it's  helping drive burn out, stress, and anxiety. Obviously this will have a  negative impact on the well-being and productivity of workplaces.  

The first of my guests, Daniel Sih and author of Spacemaker, has been  invited to speak at TedX and his 'idea worth sharing' is that we need to  manage our use of tech.  He laughs, a little amazed, because most of us  remember a life before this level of tech and yet we have become so  dependent so fast. And now it's an idea worth sharing.  Elissa Lok, my  second guest and HR Consultant, helped Daniel develop a Spacemaker  course and reflects on the impact in organizations.  

Some other ideas:  🥱Boredom is not bad even if we do anything to avoid it. In fact, a lot  of creativity happens when we are bored. When we give ourselves time to  be unplugged and disconnected from technology, we allow ourselves to  have new ideas, and think more critically.  It's hard to underestimate  how valuable that is.   💉Our tech is powerful and useful - and addictive.  Addiction can be  defined as the repeated use of something even though it causes  substantial harm. Of course the irony of this topic and how I am  delivering it is obvious.  📱Steve Jobs didn't let his kids use ipads or iphones.   ↘️ The relationship between tech and productivity is an inverted U  curve.  

If employers are interested in employee productivity and wellbeing, they  should investigate digital wellbeing. It's the right thing to do do,  but there is also tremendous benefit to the workplace, to ourselves and  our humanity.

Spacemakers: How to Unplug, Unwind, and Think Clearly in the Digital Age  You can find more about Daniel and Spacemakers on https://spacemakers.com.au/  

You can find Elissa Lok for Spacemaker or Email Ninja training in North America at elissa@spacemakers.com.au   

And finally, I am an HR consultant as well.  Reach out to me through my website www.thehrhub.ca .

This was my second chat with Irina Ketkin and it was as good as the  last.  She's a prof on Udemy and has her own YouTube channel  @TheLnDAcademy.  She's truly a learning and development expert. She  discusses some of the following:  🚗 One acronym that can help you in your course development journey is  ADDIE: Analysis, Design, Development, Implementation, and Evaluation.  🥵 But it's important to note that course development takes time and  effort. On average, it takes about 12 hours of preparation to deliver 1  hour of content. This includes researching and organizing material,  designing interactive activities, and considering the best delivery  methods.  

So if you're planning on creating a course, don't underestimate the  amount of work that goes into it. Check out the video to get some tips  about the structured process and approach that will help you create an  amazing course that engages and educates your learners.

Find Andrea for HR Consulting support in Western Canada at https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrea-adams1/

I conducted this follow-up interview with David Simmonds for HCM Metrics  to discuss data, metrics and reporting.  He helped develop the ISO  standards for HR reporting an said the following:   🪑 It's essential that we become proficient in reporting and metrics if  we want to earn or maintain our seat at the table. But it's not just  about impressing higher-ups - effective HR reporting can benefit the  entire organization.  ⁉️One important aspect to consider is that our reporting should be  focused on answering organizational questions, rather than our own. This  means that  asking ourselves what the business needs to know, and how  we can use data to provide those answers.  🏥 One metric that is often overlooked but can be incredibly valuable is  leadership trust. Trust is a crucial component of a healthy and  productive work environment, and measuring it can provide valuable  insights into the effectiveness of our leadership team.

Find David at https://www.hcmmetrics.co.uk/  

Find Andrea for HR Consulting in Western Canada at https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrea-adams1/

Organizations create expensive rewards programs meant to recognize  employees. But, let's be clear, long service awards don't do a lot to  motivate great employee performance.    So how do we do it better?  

That was the subject of this week's  interview with Sarah McVanel - recognition expert!  Well, of course she  has thoughts:  😾 Everyone does something well.  Don't avoid recognizing someone  because there's an aspect of their personality you dislike.  😩 Along the same lines, you'll find something positive to recognize  even in persistent complainers.   🤩 When the same people do the recognition and the same people get  recognized all the time... your program is failing.   🟢 It's everyone's job to participate in recognition not just the  leader.

Find Sarah at greatnessmagnified.com  

Find Andrea just to connect or for HR Consulting support (Western  Canada) via LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrea-adams1/

And it's relevant to HR beyond contracts.  Have you ever seen the  necessity of an approach or project but your clients hadn't bought in?   We often have little formal power in HR to mandate projects so  negotiation skills can be very helpful! 

When I discovered that Susie  Tomenchok had written a book about it, of course I had to talk to her  about it.   And I learned a lot.  Some of it made me a bit uncomfortable and will  challenge me.  Other parts come easier.  It'll be the same from you.  Susie says: don't avoid it until you need it!   

Did you know:  🌤 Any emotion will cloud your thinking, but you can make emotions  contingency plans!    🤔 Most of your effort in negotiation will be spent trying to see the  issue from their perspective.  🚫 No is a starting point.  🙊 We need to get comfortable with silence.

Intrapreneurial Leadership and a link to the course:  https://www.cablecenter.org/intrapreneurship-academy-ia/intrapreneurial-leadership  

Susie's Book:  The Art of Everyday Negotiation without Manipulation  

Andrea provides consulting support. Find her at at https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrea-adams1/

Irina Ketkin is an L&D professional who teaches Udemy courses on the  subject and has a YouTube channel as well - the L&D Academy.    This video covers a more accurate view of L&D with some tips you ,  the keys to L&D success and, my favourite, some of the adult  learning principles.  I will be applying her tips in the the future and  some are sure to resonate with you:  

- Only 10% of learning occurs in training (this is not an adult learning  principle, but still useful!)  

- Adults are focused on achieving goals when they attend training  

- Adults use their life experiences to help them learn and remember  

- Adults are more self-directed in their learning  

- Adults like to have choice in how they learn  These few tips will help me improve future training.  They'll probably  help you too!

The thing is, metrics measure the past. We track these things to make  sure we are efficient and accountable.  They rarely tell us about the  strategic things we should be doing.    

This is what I spoke with David Simmonds about.  He is the Chairman of  HCM Metrics and an early supporter of the HR ISO standard.  I didn't  even know there was an ISO standard for HR!    

∞ With a decent HRIS you could measure a million things.  How do you  pick?   🤔 The ISO standards will provide insight on what you should measure.    🥱 While I am a bit tired of the expression 'a seat at the table', it  still had meaning and HR data plays a big role in getting and staying  there.  We have a wealth of data.  Are we using it to track the past or  provide useful insight into business problems and solutions?   🗣 We need to speak their language. See it from the perspective of  business problems.  

Find David on LinkedIn or at https://www.hcmmetrics.co.uk/  

Find Andrea for consulting support in Canada at https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrea-adams1/

The work environment has a huge impact on wellbeing - particularly  asking too much of people.  

Linda Duxbury is Canada's leading expert on employee wellbeing. She's  done national studies involving tens of thousands of people. She has a  lot to say on the subject and it does not include telling employees to  get more sleep.  As the video below says, she refuses employers who want  her to talk to employees.  She wants to talk to the EMPLOYER.    

And she cleared up some things for me:  ❌ Unequivocally, time at work or in front of a computer is a terrible  measure of productivity.  ⤵ Productivity rises, plateaus and falls.  The point at which it starts  to fall depends on the person and the demands on their time.    🧐 To truly improve wellbeing, employers need to consider the demand  they put on their employees.  📣 We need to stop paying so much attention remote workers who want to  stay remote or hybrid.  We need to pay attention to all the the people  who have to show up in person.  Their morale post pandemic is terrible.     This should be required content.  The amount of insight... 😯

As she said during the interview, Linda doesn't really do social media but you can find her by googling!    

Find Andrea for HR consulting or just a connection at https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrea-adams1/

I spoke with Ioana Giurca who is the CEO of CPHR Alberta.  Even if you  don't live in Alberta... check out what your own association has to  offer students!  After all, you are the future of the profession and  we've all been in your shoes trying to get that first job.  Chances are  that support is offered - look for some of the following:  

🙋‍♀️ Mentorship.  Is there a professional who would guide you and act  as a sounding board?   

☕️ One-on-on meetings.  If mentorship is too much or you can't find one,  someone would be willing to have coffee with you.   

✍️ Resume writing.  There is no where better than your HR Association to  get help writing resumes.  After all, we are the experts.   

👋 Networking opportunities.  The thought of networking always  intimidated me, but if you can be brave enough  and hone your own  approach, it WILL pay dividends.    

👏 Volunteer.  It's also a clue to an employer about your intentions and  commitment.    

Not all associations will offer free memberships (although Alberta  does).  Whatever your association offers, makes use of it!    

CPHR Alberta: https://www.cphrab.ca/  

Student Links: 

https://www.cphrab.ca/student-toolkit 

https://www.cphrab.ca/become-member/student-member 

https://www.cphrab.ca/walk-and-talk-program 

https://www.cphrab.ca/mentorship-program    

Find Andrea at https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrea-adams1/

The concept adds a lot of value to our careers in HR as well as the work  we do! Focusing on the right power skills can help us create more  effective organizations through skills development, identify the right  high potential employees and create meaningful training programs.   

Susie Tomenchok teaches a course on power skills with the  Intrapreneurship Academy. I have seen other iterations of 'power skills'  but I think Susie is onto something with the ones she includes in her  course.  They are:   

1. Lead with your strengths. 

2. Take the time to clarify your purpose, vision, and values. 

3. Take control of how you are perceived. 

4. Corporate politics isn’t about manipulation. 

5. Don’t be afraid of feedback, both giving and receiving. 

6. Self-advocacy is essential to achieving goals. 

7. Building a strong network makes you a valuable resource.  

Few of us are good at most or all of these... imagine what would happen  if you were!

Dianna Dempsey is an expert in career pathing/ladders/lattices.  She  gives us advice on how to do it although, truthfully, many times... it  depends.  We also talked about how to make use of the phrase in HR and  development.  Some tips:  

👆We need to stop talking about 'moving UP the ladder' and reinforcing  the idea that only up is moving forward.  Lateral moves may still be a  progression.  

❌Some of us are not cut out to be leaders at least not in the  conventional sense.    

⚙️ Of course that is true... so we talk about how to approach the  conversation for people in a technical stream.    

⚖️ Realistically we cannot do career pathing for everyone. We have to  strike a balance between career pathing for organizations and those for  individuals.

Find Dianna at https://www.linkedin.com/in/diannadempsey/  

Find Andrea at https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrea-adams1/

🤬 Structure and rules are four-letter words.  (Chaos)  

🙊 People in one department don't talk to people in another. (Silos) 

 🤷🏻‍♀️ "Work on what you think is important." (Permissive Leadership)  

These are all forms of dysfunction at work and usually aren't helpful to  organization success. Often they start at the top with senior  leadership!  Which makes it that much harder to address.    Anne Dranitsaris and Heather Dranitsaris-Hilliard from Caliber  Leadership Systems like helping organizations with their dysfunctions  and have tips and strategies on what to do about it.     

➡️ You don't have to start with senior leadership.   

➡️ HR has little position authority.  You need to influence people to  help them get them unstuck.  

➡️ Start with systems not behaviour.  Changing behaviour can be  overwhelming.    

➡️ Meet leaders where they are at not where you think they should be.   

➡️ Dysfunction is addressed in stages.  You don't flip a switch.   Anne and Heather are remarkably insightful and provide useful advice!

Dismantling Dysfunction Podcast: www.dismantlingdysfunction.com 

Website: www.dranitsaris-hilliard.com / www.caliberleadership.com 

YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/DranitsarisHilliard  

Find Andrea on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrea-adams1/

I spoke with Phil Strazzulla of Select Software Reviews which  specializes in HR tech.  I don't usually plug my guests too much, but  his site gives us free advice on how to navigate the process of buying  HR tech!  The quality of advice is so good too!  Like:  

💸 You can and should negotiate.  Prices are almost always negotiable. 

 🔠 Make sure the vendors know you are looking at a variety of systems.   That will help with negotiations.  

📆 It's true! The time of year (or month) matters!  

🪄A gut check is a valid method of making a decision although you should  understand and articulate it for others.  

🛞 Contrary to popular thought, people practices aren't going to create  success... successful organizations have something that people want.  It's more like great HR practices 'grease the wheels'.  

There was so much valuable insight in this episode.  And some of the  tips apply to buying many things!  

Find Phil at https://www.selectsoftwarereviews.com/  

Find Andrea at https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrea-adams1/

For example, change ' 20% of employees are planning on leaving within 6  months' to '1 out of 5 employees want to leave by Easter'.  It's even  better if, after that, you draw the line between the fact and the  business impacts.   

Presenting people analytics was the subject of this week's episode with  Kevin Campbell.  Kevin is an Employee Experience Scientist with  Qualtrics and has also worked for Deloitte and Culture Amp.  Some other insights: 

🗣 Tell stories!  They are engaging.  

💧Software is making people analytics much easier.  

😘 You want to generate an emotional connection to the data. 

 🏁 As another guest said (so it must be true): Just give it a try!  Start!  

#️⃣ Focus more on outcomes than output when you can.    

Effective presentation of data including stories may be as important as  generating it.  

Find Kevin on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevingeorgecampbell/  

Kevin talked about the XM Institute.  Find that here: https://www.xminstitute.com/  

Find Andrea on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrea-adams1/

But stop.  Yes you can and should hear the complaint and there likely is  something on.  But before you make the determination, get all the facts.   And don't get drawn in personally!

I loved this conversation with Heather Dranitsaris-Hilliard and Dr. Anne  Dranitsaris of Caliber Leadership Systems because I've fielded many  employee complaints. Every single time, it feels like I am walking a  knife's edge. I fear making the employee more angry (and at me) or that I  am throwing my client under the bus. Or just that I should have been  able to make the employee feel better, but I didn't.

Anne and Heather have a few areas of expertise and one of them is  definitely handling complaints! And their advice is pragmatic... they're  not fully buying into to the utopian messages you see in social media:

🤷🏻‍♀️ The employee will tell a story that works in their favour.   It could be 100% true, but let's be honest:  Do you tell the whole  objective truth when you complain?

📖 Most often there's far more history and context.

😢 Don't apologize!

🛟 When you sense this happening, pull back.  Don't fall in and rescue.  I felt better after this.  Maybe you will too!

Find Heather and Anne at https://caliberleadership.com/ or on LinkedIn

Find Andrea on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrea-adams1/

Phil Strazzulla helps advance HR by sharing information about HR tech on  his site, Select Software, and he gives all his advice to us for free!!  And it's pretty darn good advice.  Frankly, it applies to a lot more  than just HRIS implementation.  

🤬 Just about everyone uses the HRIS, so everyone is likely to have an  opinion about what they like and hate.    

🙉 Related to the above point: don't just talk to people in HR.  

⁉️ Phil thinks a gut check is a decent measure. Just back it up with  some facts.   

📈 Measure the financial impact - but some of the softer things too!   And, don't measure too many things.  

🥳 Throughout the process... blow your own horn.  Tell them how hard you  worked and all the ways you considered their input.  This will impact  adoption and approval rates.  See the video below.  

You can get support material for just about all of this on his website.   It's pretty great.  Take a listen and you'll understand why I think so.

Find Phil at https://www.selectsoftwarereviews.com/

Find Andrea at https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrea-adams1/

Well they're subtle so, yah, it might not be easy to be certain.   Honestly I struggle to identify what is a microaggression and what is  truly an innocent comment.  This week's guest, Emily Williams, suggests that if  someone accuses you of microaggressions, you need to do some  self-reflection.  She specializes in supporting women of color and organizations address microaggressions and create psychological safety.

Other things she share:   

3️⃣ There are three types of microaggressions  

⁉️ She answers the question "Is it a microaggression or just a comment?"  

🤷🏻‍♀️Recognizing a microaggression is sometimes the hardest part.  

⛑Microaggressions have a long-term health impact.  

🔨 Your support doesn't have to be a bludgeon. For example, when someone  is spoken over, you can say "I want to hear what Maria has to say."

Emily spoke about training - email her for more information at emily@forwardeverglobal.com  She also mentioned an e-book, Women of Color: Powerfully Standup to Microaggressions, and this is the link: https://awesome-water-840.myflodesk.com  

Find me (Andrea) at https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrea-adams1/ Reach out to me for consulting in Western Canada or just to connect!

It can be tempting to think that your effort is pointless, after all  it's an OCEAN of postings and they look the same.  So it's even more  important that your posting appeals to the ideal candidate.  

This episode with Shelley Billinghurst of the Recruitment Flex Podcast  has very high utility:  

🖊 There are websites to help all those awkward writers out there!   

💡Write for the ideal candidate - not the hiring manager.  

🙄 Don't make the process awkward unless you're happy with a 'C'  candidate.   

🛳 Post the salary.  That ship has sailed.    

👫 Did you know that writing is gendered?  I didn't until this, but it  makes unfortunate sense.   

Check it out.  You'll be better for it!

Find Shelley at https://www.linkedin.com/in/shelley-billinghurst-91ab71/  

The Recruitment Flex Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/the-recruitment-flex-with-serge-and-shelley/id1515309906?i=1000580744189  

Find Andrea at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrea-adams1/

This episode talks about the steps to organization design. Before drawing  lines and boxes you want to understand the organization's strategy and  operating model.  Strategy, in this context, includes: goals, the value  proposition, core activities, product markets, etc.  It's pretty clear  that if you design with those things in mind then you can create a  structure that drives achievement.  

Len Nanjad is a consultant for MNP with a career focused on org design.   He has a course on Udemy and shares his tips for creating an effective  organization.

Find Len at https://www.linkedin.com/in/lennanjad/  

Len's course on Udemy: https://www.udemy.com/share/103172/  

Find me at https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrea-adams1/

Steve Rothberg answered all my questions and the ones I didn't know I  had! He's founder of College Recruiter and host of the High Volume  Hiring Podcast.    

🔢 First he clarified job boards: job boards have jobs from multiple  employers.   

📑 There's thousands of job boards because they are so easy to create.   Word Press even has a job board template.   

🤔 If you want to figure out which job boards you should post on: Google  it.    

1️⃣ Recruiters tend to use too few job boards.  

5️⃣ The optimal number of job to apply to?  5.  Just FIVE.  

Probably the most important advice was that job seekers hide behind  their screens and use too many job boards. He says you shouldn't do  that.  Find those few jobs and companies you want to work for and then  network and learn as much as you can.  So much good stuff in this!

Psychometric testing may be one of the most valid and reliable tools to  assess employees potential.  The only down side is you need a  psychologist to do it.   I spoke with Marina Kolesnikova of Stefan, Fraser and Associates about  how to make the best use of psychometric testing.  She has a PhD in  psychology and has worked in the field a long time.

This interview was as fascinating as the last one a few weeks ago.  Some  of the revelations:   🗣 They are used as expert witnesses at arbitration.   👺You are not going to identify dark side personalities in an interview.  😬 Psychometric testing can help someone strategically understand where  they need to develop and selectively go outside their comfort zone  (rather than going outside your comfort zone in areas that won't be that  useful).  

Getting the right person is so important. Psychometrics isn't perfect  but it is makes science out of what might otherwise be an art.

Find Marina at https://stefanfraser.com/  

Find Andrea at https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrea-adams1/

I spoke with Jordan Ludwig of Stack'd Consulting which specializes in  transformational change.  He has led many of these projects and said 

💪Transformational change needs conviction and courage  

😕If a client is using phrases like "we just need..." they're probably  not ready for transformational change.  

🏄‍♀️Don't try to control all the details... it's more like surfing.  

💪Leaders will pour in effort for a sustained period before they see the  change.  

🥱It's a good sign when people lose interest.    

If you're thinking about doing something dramatic, listen to this.  You  might just feel a little better about it.

Find Jordan at https://stackdconsulting.com/  

Find Andrea at https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrea-adams1/

So what does it take to succeed in HR in Canada? While we talk about  Canada this would apply to other countries as well!  This episode is for immigrants.  Bina Kamath is an immigrant and founder of Orion's Reach and has  established a successful HR career - she also started out in accounting  so that is a double-feat!  

Find Bina at https://www.orionsreach.com  

Find Andrea at https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrea-adams1/

***

Job evaluation: bored yet?    

We in HR have to get over our fear of the monotony because it's that important and foundational to paying people equitably. On the bright  side this was definitely the LEAST boring take on grading jobs I can imagine.    

Robert Mosley is an HR thought leader and could do stand-up HR comedy.  That probably sounds like an oxymoron but it's true.  You'll have to  wait 'till a little later in the episode to see this in action.  In the meantime, I daresay you'll learn a shocking amount from this  episode.

There were so many facts in this interview with Marina Kolesnikova of  Stefan, Fraser and Associates.  It provided a lot of insight into which  recruitment and selection tools are likely to get you a good candidate  and which are not.   It also dispelled many myths of the recruitment process and other things  you just weren't sure about.

Find Marina at https://stefanfraser.com/  

Find Andrea at https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrea-adams1/

Allies take action and this was a key point in this interview with Emily  Williams of Forward Ever Global. Emily is a DEI expert and coach to  women of colour so they might address microaggressions and other common  workplace challenges.    

Acts of allyship might make you uncomfortable like when you call out  bias. Or maybe you name a microaggression in a high stakes setting. Or  maybe you reduce your own opportunity in favour of someone who  overlooked because of their identity.  These are the actions, however,  of a true ally.    

There is so much overlooked talent because someone doesn't come in the  desired package.  True allies are going to help by giving that talent a  chance to be seen for their strength and perform. It's also the right  thing to do and HR can play a role through individual action and DEI  programs.

Find Emily at emily@forwardeverglobal.com or https://forwardeverglobal.com/  

Find Andrea on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrea-adams1/

Compensation is possibly the most important thing HR has to get right.   Underpay people and they'll be unhappy or leave.  It's also wrong.   Overpay people and EVERYONE is going to want a raise to match and your  compensation costs are going to rise.   

Job evaluation is how we make sure employees are paid fairly and  equitably based on some rational means of comparing.  It's not about how  the wind is blowing today.  And it's foundational to HR.  

Robert Mosley, worked for Hay (the leading job evaluation methodology)  and walks us through how we size a job.  Here's a sample of what you'll  learn in this episode:  

🟰 Job evaluation and sizing are the same thing.   

#️⃣ 'Sizing' is assigning points to jobs and 'grading' is lumping ranges  of points together for an manageable compensation system.  

4️⃣  There's four common job sizing methodologies.  Pick one and use it.   It might seem expensive up front, but it manages the risk of getting  comp wrong.

Find Robert at robert@lemon-pip.com  

Find Andrea at https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrea-adams1/

Frequent re-orgs or designing for a person may or may not be a good idea. It depends on whether or not it’s aligned with good organization design principles. These basic questions and principles of organization design was the subject of this episode.

This amazing episode with Len Nanjad was *full* of interesting insights. I know – you might not think so but honestly:

🔺 Hierarchy is natural

➕ ➕ ➕ Bureaucracy is hierarchy plus many rules

🤔The levels in an organization will be determined by complexity

😡 Too many levels might result in micromanaging

🥵 There is a limit on the number of positions a person can meaningfully supervise

⛑ Good organization design can save lives! And on and on.

Find Len on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/lennanjad/ or https://www.mnp.ca/en/personnel/len-nanjad  

Find Andrea at https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrea-adams1/

I was also curious about the origins of resilience. Is it something we  develop in childhood or is it something we can learn as adults?  And,  for HR, how can we help our workforces become more resilient so, that  when individuals or teams fail, they learn and keep going?  This is what  this episode was about.

Roxanne Derhodge is a psychotherapist, mental health and wellness expert, keynote speaker, podcast host and more. Find her at https://roxannederhodge.com/  

Find me (Andrea) for HR consulting support in western Canada at https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrea-adams1/

So what are personality assessments at work good for?  And not good for?   That's the basic question of this episode plus how to pick a test that will work for you.  

I was a little skeptical, but Heather Johnson provides practical and  useful advice on how to have conversations with your clients about  personality assessments.  She is certified in the application of  Personality Dimensions, but has insight into the pros and cons of  others.  No matter which one you choose, they are a tool!  As with all  tools they are only useful if you use them.

These surveys may also help with merger and acquisition communications.  Do you know what employees are concerned about?  Not really? Survey  them.

Adam: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamzuckermanphd/

"My leader is an a**hole... RIGHT?"  

You: "Look at my nice presentation about [policy]."    Employee: "We don't want to talk about that, let me tell you about  🧨!" 

"My compensation is so unfair compared to..."   

As HR we need to deal with the issue, but we also need to arm ourselves  to deal with the situation professionally and bring back some calm.  As  Roxanne Derhodge points out when people are emotionally worked up, they  stop using the reasoning brain.  EVERYONE knows what I'm talking about  because it happens to all of us.    

Roxanne is registered psychotherapist, corporate consultant, keynote  speaker, trainer and author.  She has her own podcast called Authentic  Living with Roxanne.

https://roxannederhodge.com

https://roxannederhodge.com/quiz/

https://roxannederhodge.com/chat/

So how do you go about building relationships and a rapport with your  clients?  And what may be required at different phases of your career?  Well it may be a relief to know that you don't have to know it all.  But you do need to curious (not judgmental) about your clients'  perspectives and have their back. Even when someone messes up - save the learning opportunities for the debrief!   

Vered Levant VIMY HR: https://www.vimyhr.com

There have been some alarming stats coming out about the prevalence of  burnout and the contribution of COVID and work-from-home to this.  HR  has been doing a lot during the pandemic and we need to take care of  ourselves too.  

I spoke with Michael Levitt who speaks about burnout and wrote a book  about it.  He has been through it himself and shares the things he  knows.

https://www.breakfastleadership.com/

Adam Zuckerman is an expert in employee surveys.  He speaks plainly  about their value in this video with loads of tips on running employee  surveys.    

Follow Adam on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamzuckermanphd/

I spoke with Dr. Melanie Peacock - HR professor, keynote speaker, and consultant.  She was also recently made an HR fellow and, after this interview, I clearly appreciate why.  

Find Melanie at http://www.doublemconsulting.net/

The HR Professional's Guide to Change Management: https://www.businessexpertpress.com/books/booksthe-human-resource-professionals-guide-to-change-management-practical-tools-and-techniques-to-enact-meaningful-and-lasting-organizational-change/

Outsourced HR (or fractional HR) provides HR support in small  organizations who don't have enough HR work to warrant someone  full-time.  Or their HR people are so busy that they need some help.   The outsourced HR can fill many HR gaps - because, often, the resource  is pretty experienced across a variety of HR areas.  The relationship  will start with a needs assessment (or discovery) and go from there.   

Vered Levant is an HR consultant and Lead Executive Officer for VIMY HR who does outsourced HR and she provides some of her insight in this  episode.

Mike Horne has written a book on the topic. He shares his understanding  of these topics, how they are related and other insights for HR.   These  include how to work towards organizations that support both  authenticity and integrity and how HR will be different if WE practice  it!

Mike Horne www.mike-horne.com

Find Melanie on LinkedIn or at http://www.doublemconsulting.net/

This whole episode was really interesting because,  even if you are not in benefits, it gives you insight into changing  employee expectations. I spoke with Meghan Vallis, the author of the GAB (the Group Advisor  Blog).  She's also a VP, Group Sales, Western Canada for Equitable Life.   So she knows a thing or two about benefits.

The G.A.B. https://www.thegroupadvisorblog.com/

I spoke with Gillian Hynes of Rise Consulting which is an  Indigenous-owned management consulting company.  She has a strong HR  background and knows about many of the points in the workforce lifecycle  where we might step in to positively affect the inclusion of Indigenous  Peoples in our workplaces.  But she doesn't recommend we start with  hiring.  Instead, start with leaders.   By creating more DEI practices in an organization to support Indigenous  employees, we are creating a more inclusive work environment for all.   Check it out.

Building Inclusion for Indigenous Peoples in Canadian Workplaces  www.catalyst.org/  

Rise Consulting: http://www.riseconsultingltd.ca/

HR is exposed to a lot of conflict between employees and between  employees and the organization. We are in a place to make recommendations on how situations could be handled and mediation is one of the possible tools.  And it might be a better tool that you think. It can prevent the costs of external solutions and of all the lost time internally. I spoke with Treena Reilkoff about this who is a mediator and board member for  Alternate Dispute Resolution, Ontario.

There seem to be quite a few opinions around recruitment so I ask two  experts.  Kim Wilkinson is an external recruiter with her own company,  Verve Recruitment Group and Pascal Theriault has, so far, worked as an  internal recruiter.   These are all the things we talk about in this episode and more.  It's  also the first episode with more than one guest! Admittedly it was more  fun. I might have to do it again.

Kim Wilkinson: https://www.ververecruitmentgroup.com/ 

Find Pascal Theriault on LinkedIn!

Sarah McVanel is a recognition expert, author, keynote speaker and more.   

Connect with Sarah on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahmcvanel/  

Her website: https://greatnessmagnified.com/ 

Cool, free stuff:  https://greatnessmagnified.com/cool-stuff/ 

Sarah's Courses including 'Retain Top Talent: How to Build a Recognition Program That Makes People Stay': https://greatness-magnified.newzenler.com/courses

These are some of the questions I asked Gillian Hynes who works with an  indigenous-owned, national management consulting company, Rise  Consulting.  We started by talking about land acknowledgements and she  explains the importance of them in Reconciliation.     

As she points out and as identified by the Truth and Reconciliation  Commission, organizations also play a role in Reconciliation as does HR.   Each of us and our organizations need to 'do something'.

National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation: https://nctr.ca/  

Rise Consulting: http://www.riseconsultingltd.ca/ 

Books & Videos: 

     Truth and Reconciliation: Calls to Action 

     Indigenomics, Carol Anne Hilton 

     21 Things You Might Not Know about the Indian Act, Bob Joseph 

     A Mother's Voice, Holly Fortier https://youtu.be/Ip3yGEKGCX4

I spoke with Rob Catalano of WorkTango.  It's a platform to help you  listen to employees better and create more engagement. So he has learned  a thing or two about engagement.

www.worktango.com

Ryan Rex has been an HR Director and is doing a doctorate in leadership.   He says we all have characteristics that aren't ideal in every  leadership situation - it's important to be self-aware.  Are you aware  of your own leadership drivers?  While also mindful of the well-being  and effectiveness of the people on your team?  Do you know what your  leadership philosophy is?  This was such an informative conversation for  those considering leadership roles - or already in one.

https://www.cros.ca/

Getting dedicated support for people analytics is one of the first steps  in developing your people analytics capacity.  It isn't something you  can really do off the side of your desk.    

Of course you might need to do a business case, address data quality and  governance... check out all the insight Allen Hornung has to share on  the topic!

Don't get me wrong, 'thank you' is a part of recognition, but there is  more. Good recognition is personal, specific and timely.  It's also a  cheap way to improve your culture, build positive relationships, retain  employees... learn more here and then do it!    

Sarah McVanel is the founder of Greatness Magnified.  She's a  'recognition expert, professional speaker, coach, author, recovering  perfectionist, and movement maker of F.R.O.G. (Forever Recognize Others’  Greatness)'.

Connect with Sarah on LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahmcvanel/  

Her website: https://greatnessmagnified.com/ 

Cool, free stuff:  https://greatnessmagnified.com/cool-stuff/ 

Sarah's Courses including 'Retain Top Talent: How to Build a Recognition  Program That Makes People Stay':  https://greatness-magnified.newzenler.com/courses

Organizations implement elaborate OH&S policies to avoid injuries  and then, when someone is injured we do things to respond.  But we should also be PREPARED for workplace injuries so that we can act  quickly to mitigate the financial impact to the organization.    

What does preparation involve?  Well, things like having reporting  processes in place, a plan to support employees, and modified work  ready.  This episode was particularly interesting for the compelling  insight into WHY you should do all of this.  @Kessie Stevens is a WCB  and safety expert.  

Kessie Stevens, Artis Solutions https://www.artissolutions.ca/

In this video we talk about transformational leadership theory, which is (as I learned) the most common leadership  theory.  Knowing more about leadership in your organization can help you  become a leader, but it can also change how you deliver HR service and  support.  

Ryan Rex has been an HR leader and director.  He is currently in the midst of his doctorate studying transformational leadership and makes sense of it for us.

Ryan's organization: https://www.cros.ca/

We talk about the challenges of this process.  I've come from pretty  traditional HR roots and had so many questions and 'what ifs'! Which Ben  responded to with "So much fear!"  It IS hard to grasp how we would do  such a basic thing differently - but I learned a lot and was challenged  in how I think about job design.  You might be too.

Ben mentioned this book: The 9 Lies about Work by Marcus Buckingham and Ashley Goodall  

Ben's Company, Live for Yourself Consulting: https://www.liveforyourselfconsulting.com/

There is so much great insight in this episode around the similarities  and differences between being a Manager versus a business partner.  It  also gives insight into some of the challenges of that transition and  how to approach them.     

Todd Bassett is a VP of HR and and has transitioned through the various  positions.  He has ideas on how you can approach it and what to expect.

Gayle Wadden speaks to us about this.  She is the cofounder of  Compliance Works which is software helping employers stay up-to-date on  their compliance obligations.  One key area is privacy.

Gayle Wadden and Compliance Works https://complianceworks.ca/

This is a concept that our American neighbours might be more familiar with; however Canadians are not immune.  Furthermore, we practice and  are prepared for the possibility of a fire, why not violence as well?    

There are a number of steps and training involved in conducting threat assessments.  One of the first is to establish a team and process so  that subjective judgments like "Oh I know that person.  They wouldn't do that"  do not drive your response.  Do you really know what someone  would do under extreme stress?  

I talk with Denise Koster of Koster Consulting and Associates about  this.  She has been trained to do threat assessments and shares some of  her knowledge with us.  Here of some of the resources she shares as well:

• Koster Consulting & Associates: kosterconsultingassociates.com/home 
• MOSAIC: mosaicmethod.com 
• Canadian Association of Threat Assessment Professionals: catap.ca 
• Association of Threat Assessment Professionals: atapworldwide.org 
• Advanced Threat Assessment Academy: training.gdba.com

And HR is often afraid of using lawyers because of the cost.  But consider: 

a) The VALUE.  Will it save you money and headache in the end? 

b) How to spend less for the same advice.  You might not need a porsche  when a honda will do.

I talk to Stuart Rudner of Rudner Law about these topics.  He is an employment lawyer near Toronto, Ontario and has his own podcast called Fire Away.  https://www.rudnerlaw.ca/

But of course it's not easy: where do you find the relevant legislation  (and regulations) and then make sure you have seen all the parts that  matter to you?  

Gayle Wadden is a lawyer and the Chief Compliance Officer for Compliance  Works. We talked in general about compliance in Canada because we have a  lot to concern ourselves with:    OH&S,    Labour Relations,    Privacy,    Human Rights,    Employment Standards,    Pay Equity,   and  Accessibility.  She explains how to find what you might need and what it would really  take to stay on top of it all.

Alicia Bjarnason studied a concept called 'gendered space'.  She got curious when, during her STEM  career, she looked around and wondered where all the women went. So we talk about her expertise, what makes work 'space' inviting or excluding, and how we need to approach change.  

When a supervisor would rather leave a worked at home than bring them back to modified work... watch this.  It's soooo expensive not to manage  your claims.   Kessie Stevens is a WCB expert and partner in Artis Inc.

Kessie Stevens & Artis https://artissolutions.ca/

I spoke with Rob Catalano who started and runs WorkTango which is a tool  to help their customers understand the perspective of their employees.   Employee voice can be used to understand the sentiment of employees in  general but also in response to particular initiatives or changes.  For  example, it could help measure the effectiveness of diversity, equity  and inclusion programs.  And, if shared with leaders, can help them  respond quickly to the feedback of their own employees.

worktango.com

Maysa Hawwash is the CEO of ScaleX which is a fractional HR company  devoted to helping organizations grow.  Although sometimes they shrink  too because growth is not linear.

Scale X: http://www.scalex.ca/

Dennis Hill, Ph.D, an HR and information management specialist, talks about a lot of ideas here.  You'll learn about cybersecurity for HR but  ALSO a little about ransomeware, 5g, and blockchain and how these apply to the security of employee data.  Sometimes it's not employee data  either - what about the data in applicant tracking systems?   Especially as more and more people are working from home, this is something HR needs to tackle.

Dennis Hill: http://www.sagacity-llc.com/  

International Association for Human Resource Information Management: https://www.ihrim.org/  

DeHR: https://www.dehr.network/  

Lighthouse Labs: https://www.lighthouselabs.ca/

I looked at my 4-year old HR textbook and people analytics was not  mentioned anywhere (nor was 'workforce analytics' or just 'analytics').  My guest, Allen Hornung, thinks this is because it is a quickly emerging  element of HR.   

This episode goes into the basics of people analytics - what it is and  how it differs from the activities we are more accustomed to.  There is  so much power for insights and decision-making in this work! Check it  out!

Allen mentioned these resources:  

Excellence in Analytics by David Green and Jonathan Ferrar: https://www.amazon.ca/Excellence-People-Analytics-Workforce-Business/dp/1789661188  

Coursera: https://www.coursera.org/ 

Udemy: www.udemy.com

Jody Fraser has negotiated many collective agreements and sits on the  Alberta Labour Relations Board.  She shares some of her experience with us.

Shannon Hughes is a benefits broker and helps her clients get complete  benefits packages that meet their needs.   Find Shannon at https://www.captivatebenefits.com/

Stuart Rudner is a lawyer specializing in employment law.  He talks  about all of this.  Links to his business, his book and a recent Ontario  Human Rights statement on the issue are included below.

Rudner Law: https://www.rudnerlaw.ca/  

Stuart's YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCiKZA1c1VFl4C1hSUd45iRA  

You're Fired! Just Cause for Dismissal in Canada (Stuart's book):  https://store.thomsonreuters.ca/en-ca/products/youre-fired-just-cause-for-dismissal-in-canada-30843045  

The statement from the Ontario Human Rights Tribunal: http://www.ohrc.on.ca/en/news_centre/ohrc-policy-statement-covid-19-vaccine-mandates-and-proof-vaccine-certificates

And benefits are COSTLY so it is to the employer's advantage to make  sure that employees know what's covered, are using the services, and  appreciate the value.  

Typically HR is the leader in this so we need to  understand it first.  This video explains the typical aspects of benefits packages that are often offered to employees in Canada.  Shannon Hughes is a benefits broker and and helps her clients get complete benefits packages that meet their needs.

Find Shannon at https://www.captivatebenefits.com/

A bully is not someone who is miserable.  A bully is someone who is nice  to some people but picks on an individual or group with the intent of  undermining their dignity at work.  A more complete definition is in the  episode.  

Denise Koster has been working in this area most of her career as a  member of the union, management, and now her own consulting business.   She wrote a book about bullying and harassment - the link is below.

Denise Koster, CEO Koster Consulting & Associates http://www.kosterconsultingassociates.com/  

Denise's Book: Refusing to Accept the Unacceptable https://www.amazon.ca/Refusing-Accept-Unacceptable-Tribulations-Harassment/dp/1777079500/ref=sr_1_2?dchild=1&keywords=bullying+and+harassment+koster&qid=1630356945&sr=8-2

You could go straight to the insurers to get benefits for your employees, but do you really want to do all that work?  And will you get a quote  from each of them?  You might not if you are in a small company.    

Ly Siu is an HRBP, benefits broker, and benefits consultant.  She helps  her clients secure benefits packages and she consults on difficult cases  or when there are questions.    

Full disclosure: I didn't realize there was a difference between a  benefits BROKER and a benefits CONSULTANT at the start so I used those  titles interchangeably. Ly clarifies the difference around 8:10.

This video explores the phases of project management and where you are  most likely to be tripped up.  HR isn't leading billion dollar projects -  so what do we need?  Really, it is a lot of the same things - just a  scaled back version.  

Steve Lemmex is a project management professional who has had a long  career in project management.  He is familiar with bosses who think you  should be able to do it for free in 2 weeks.  And what your job as  project manager really is and what steps are likely to trip you up.  He  teaches courses to HR professionals and others and shares some of his  knowledge.

Lemmex Williams Training https://www.lemmexwilliams.com/  

Sébastien Savard started out doing  this for Cirque du Soleil and has since formed a company with a sourcing  specialty.  He knows the details and the art of sourcing and shares so  much of it in this episode.

Sébastien's Organization, Sourcinc: https://sourcinc.ca/en

Blogs:

     SourceCon - https://www.sourcecon.com/

     Glen Cathey - Boolean Black Belt - http://booleanblackbelt.com/

Sourcing Summit: https://sourcingsummit.net/

I speak with Jody Fraser who is a Director of Labour Relations and has  negotiated many agreements.  She describes two main types of bargaining:  traditional and interest-based bargaining.  She also talks about  generational bargaining and implementation.  This episode is packed with  information!

There are definitely incentive compensation challenges to avoid too,  which we also discuss like favouritism and allowing the incentive to,  psychologically, become base pay in the minds of employees.  David Pan  is a Director of Global Compensation and Analytics and has so much to  share!

I talk to Gil Cohen about these big questions and how and why to focus  on the employee experience. We don't know of anyone who can measure the  excitement or dread that someone feels on a Sunday night but that's part  of it!

The Employee Experience Advantage: How to Win the War for Talent by  Giving Employees the Workspaces they Want, the Tools they Need, and a  Culture They Can Celebrate by Jacob Morgan and Marshall Goldsmith https://www.amazon.ca/Employee-Experience-Advantage-Employees-Workspaces/dp/111932162X/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=the+employee+experience+advantage&qid=1625289944&s=books&sr=1-1  The 

Employee Experience - How to Attract Talent, Retain Top Performers, and Drive Results by Tracey Maylett and Matthew Wride  https://www.amazon.ca/Employee-Experience-Attract-Performers-Results/dp/1119294185

Steve Lemmex is a project management professional who has had a long  career in project management.  He is familiar with bosses who think you  should be able to do it for free in 2 weeks.  Or those organizations  that overdo project management - as well as those that underdo it.  He  teaches courses to HR professionals and others and shares some of his  knowledge.

Lemmex Williams Training https://www.lemmexwilliams.com/  

Project Management Institute https://www.pmi.org

The Power of Purpose by Richard J. Leider  

https://www.amazon.ca/Power-Purpose-Meaning-Longer-Better/dp/1626566364  

Discover Your True North by Bill George  

https://www.amazon.ca/Discover-Your-True-North-George/dp/1119082943/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=True+North&qid=1624332341&s=books&sr=1-1

http://www.employeeexperience.ca/

Prosci: https://www.prosci.com/ 

Kotter: https://www.kotterinc.com/8-steps-process-for-leading-change/

This episode is packed with insight as I talk with David Pan who  understands the nuances of compensation and also some of the  practicalities - like what works better and some things to avoid.

In this episode I talk to Cyndi Manuel - a prosci-certified, change  management director.  We talk about what change management is and how it  differs from project management.  We talk about where change management  sits in an organization - it's rarely HR, but there still skills  overlap.  We talk about the models of change management- and there are  many.  Prosci, Kotter's and Kubler-Ross to name a few.

Prosci: https://www.prosci.com/ 

Kotter: https://www.kotterinc.com/8-steps-process-for-leading-change/

I spoke with Lorne Rubis, culture expert, about changing the culture - who has the role, what aspects of culture to focus on, when and why it might be urgent.  

Books:  

Corporate Rebels: Make Work More Fun (Joost Minnaar) 

The Culture Code: The Secrets of Highly Successful Groups (Daniel Coyle)  

https://lornerubis.com/ 

https://belongify.com/

In this episode we talk about how to break out of bad recruitment habits  e.g. put out inaccurate and out of date job postings, use job boards  (only) hoping for the best, conduct inefficient and pointless reference  checks.   

Someone suggested I talk to Serge Boudreau about what he does.  Serge  doesn't describe his approach as 'creative' but his approach is not  typical.  He does what he needs to do to get the best possible talent  for his employers.

Find Serge on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/serge-boudreau-861b267/

The Recruitment Flex:  https://www.therecruitmentflex.com/podcast 

Serge's Book Recommendation was Who: The A Method of Hiring https://whothebook.com/

This is what I talk to Vered Levant about in this episode. She is a  small business HR consultant and it's an important concept in helping  her address the talent needs of her clients. Authenticity is key -  otherwise it's just words on paper.

https://www.vimyhr.com

You should be intentional about your culture and put some thought and  resources into ensuring it helps your organization achieve its goals.   But how?  Lorne has some specific advice for that too i.e. where to  start in achieving a thriving culture!    

HR also controls many of the levers that help us create a thriving culture or  prevent one from developing.  Listen here!

https://lornerubis.com/ 

https://belongify.com/ 

The ten elements listed (and the course):  https://lornerubis.com/course

Canadian Equality Consulting: https://canadianequality.ca/ 

(Ex)clusion Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/ex-clusion/id1468598869

Culture is critical to safety success so Paula Bernat and I talk about  this quite a bit.  We also discuss roles, joint occupational health and  safety committees and barriers to safety success. While HR professionals  are sometimes intimidated by safety, we can and should play a role.

https://www.vimyhr.com/

Find Serge on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/serge-boudreau-861b267/ 

The Recruitment Flex:  https://www.therecruitmentflex.com/podcast

Bev Somers, Principal Consultant, SMART Human Resource Solutions Inc. http://www.smarthrsolutions.ca/

HR tends to be put junior people in recruitment who don't like it and leave as soon as possible.  So recruiters aren't developing the skillsets they really need to be effective recruiters.  Their most  important role is to connect with potential candidates and work with  hiring managers to understand the organization.  

Too often HR doesn't provide the budget that good recruitment needs.   AND, as Serge Boudreau says, good recruiters should act more like sales  and marketing people than your typical HR person.  

There's a lot to learn from Serge's perspective on recruitment  that challenges our preconceived notions of recruitment's place in  organizations.  Many HR departments can certainly do better.

Find Serge on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/serge-boudreau-861b267/ 

The Recruitment Flex:  https://www.therecruitmentflex.com/podcast

Most importantly what are we striving for in an onboarding process?  Bev  looks for opportunities to WOW new employees and make sure they feel   like moving to the organization was the right thing to do.

Bev Somers, Principal Consultant, SMART Human Resource Solutions Inc. http://www.smarthrsolutions.ca/

Pensions are so important to our employees (even if they don't know it  yet) and a valuable part of the total rewards package.  In Canada, there is a lot of regulation and governance associated with pension plans.   So what if you, an HR generalist, are asked questions about your pension plan? And how do pensions factor into the employee value proposition?    This video will provide some insight into pensions from Brent Perdue who  has managed pensions for a number of large companies.

Michelle's website: https://workplacefairnesswest.ca/

Dr. Laura has her own podcast called 'Where Work Meets Life' which you can find at https://drlaura.live

Susan discusses the International Coaching Federation: https://coachingfederation.org/

I talk to Dr. Laura Hambley-Lovett  who has been studying remote/hybrid work for over 15 years! She has a lot to share including some of the following sources of better information:

Dr. Hambley-Lovett's podcast 'Where Work Meets Life': https://drlaura.live/ 

Humance: https://humance.ca/ 

Work EvOHlution:  https://www.workevohlution.com/ 

Global Workplace Analytics: https://globalworkplaceanalytics.com/ 

SIOP https://www.siop.org/Research-Publications/SIOP-White-Papers 

Dr. Tom O'Neill https://psyc.ucalgary.ca/itplab/

This is primarily Canadian content, but the ideas behind an HR designation apply no matter where you are.