I Hate It Here

S8 E1: Neutral Policies My Ass: The Fairness Farce with Zach Nunn

Apr 21, 2025

01:00:11

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Quick takeaways

Fair workplaces require organizations to prioritize equity and justice by understanding employee needs and fostering a valued environment.

Data-driven strategies are essential for attracting top talent, enabling leaders to assess engagement and performance trends proactively.

Biases in performance management systems negatively impact marginalized employees, necessitating a critical evaluation of evaluation processes for fairness.

Deep dives

The Importance of Fair Workplaces

Fair workplaces are essential for employee satisfaction and retention, emphasizing the need for organizations to prioritize equity and justice in their environments. This is crucial as the modern workforce becomes increasingly disengaged from traditional corporate structures, often seeking alternative employment or opting out of work altogether. Achieving fairness necessitates understanding the unique needs of employees and providing the necessary resources to help them succeed. This means fostering an environment where every employee feels heard and valued, regardless of their background.

Intro

3min

The Trials and Triumphs of Potty Training

1min

Challenging Corporate Misconceptions

21min

Navigating Economic Hardships and Fair Workplaces

3min

Creating Fair Workplaces: Beyond Performative DEI

10min

Navigating Fairness in the Workplace

17min

Building Fair Workplaces: Insights and Personal Reflections

2min

Advocating for Better Workplace Cultures

2min

Let’s talk about fairness—or, more accurately, let’s talk about how your company is probably failing at it!

You know the drill: the ‘neutral’ policies that somehow always disadvantage the same people, the DEI initiatives that start and end with a Slack emoji, the performance reviews that feel more like a lottery than actual feedback.

This week, Zach Nunn (founder of Living Corporate and certified corporate truth-teller) joins me to rip apart the illusion of fairness at work!

We’re talking remote work double standards, the sneaky policies that keep marginalized employees stuck, and why ‘transparency’ is often just corporate code for ‘we’ll tell you the rules but not how to win.’

If most workplaces were actually fair, we wouldn’t need this episode!

But since that’s not our reality yet… press play and let’s get figure it out together.

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0:03:43 - One Truth About Work Zach Wishes More Leaders Understood

0:11:30 - What is Living Corporate and What Inspired Zach to Start It?

0:17:02 - What Most Companies Get Wrong About Fairness at Work

0:25:42 - Defining a Fair Workplace and How It Feels to Employees

0:38:52 - Policies That Seem Neutral, But Actually End up Being Unfair

0:52:54 - One Thing HR Should Stop Doing Immediately to Build Fairer Workplaces

0:53:50 - What Gives Zach Hope?

0:56:32 - Get in Touch With Zach

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Follow Zach:

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

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