
The Workspan Podcast
The Workspan Podcast takes on the day’s most pressing workplace issues with a healthy mix of insight, wit and irreverence. Produced and hosted by Tom Alexander and WorldatWork columnist Charles Epstein.
Latest episodes

Oct 2, 2023 • 33min
Episode 59: Interviewology, the New Science of Interviewing,
Anna Papalia, author of Interviewology, the New Science of Interviewing, discusses why conventional interviewing advice doesn't work and describes the four main styles people exhibit in an interview: a Charmer, a Challenger, an Examiner, or a Harmonizer.

Sep 21, 2023 • 32min
Episode 58: A Deep Data Dive on EAP Outcomes with Dr. Mark Attridge
Dr. Mark Attridge is President of Attridge Consulting, Inc., which focuses on workplace mental health and employee assistance programs. He joins us to discuss four studies he led that measured EAP outcomes based on over 50,000 users of EAP over five years. The studies focused on: EAP-driven clinical and work outcomes; EAP and coaching; EAP and its impact on anxiety; EAP outcomes when an employee is referred by their manager. We also touched on major trends in the industry and peered into what's ahead. The evidence-based studies were sponsored by CuraLinc; Mark’s co-authors were the company’s President Sean Fogarty, MBA, and COO David Pawlowski, MA.

Sep 14, 2023 • 33min
Episode 57: Highlights from WorldatWork's 2023-2024 Salary Budget Survey
Guests Liz Supinski, Director of Research & Insights at WorldatWork, and Michaela Leo, Head of Compensation & Benefits for Ipsen, discuss key findings from WorldatWork's salary budget survey, including the increase in salary budgets to a 20-year high of 4.4%. They also talk about the importance of understanding the market and business outlook, building partnerships with finance and business leaders, and critically evaluating data to align the budget with business goals.

11 snips
Sep 5, 2023 • 25min
Episode 56: Payscale's In-House Employment Counsel Weighs in on Pay Transparency
Lulu Seikaly, in-house employment counsel for Payscale, discusses pay transparency laws across states, the benefits to employers, unintended consequences, generational differences, and proposed legislation in Pennsylvania.

Aug 30, 2023 • 35min
Episode 55: Tactical, Practical Sabbaticals: how companies can benefit from well-tailored employee sabbatical policies.
Rich Fuerstenberg, a Senior Partner with Mercer, works with clients on their healthcare and group benefit programs, connecting dots for employers and employees helping them reduce cost and risk while improving the benefits experience. The focus of our conversation is employer-sponsored sabbaticals – the different types, why they’re offered, ways they can be structured, how to prod employees with “tenure” to take them when they’re reluctant to do so, and best practices to ensure productive (paid and unpaid) sabbaticals.

Aug 15, 2023 • 34min
Episode 54: The Challenges of Executive Retiree Incentive Compensation: with Zayla Partners
We’re joined by the two co-founders of Zayla Partners, an executive compensation and corporate governance consulting company: CEO Chris Crawford and Managing Partner Ian Keas. Our conversation focuses on solving the challenge of executive retiree incentive compensation: why more older employees are working past age 65 than the prior generation, the importance of succession planning and a “good leaver policy,” planning for a ”principled outcome,” and other timely issues.

4 snips
Aug 9, 2023 • 33min
Episode 53: Total Rewards Optimization: a Conversation with uFlexReward President Steven Brink
Steven Brink is President and Chief Revenue Officer of uFlexReward, providers of a digital total reward platform to improve the employee experience and enhance the organization’s global understanding of the total reward spend. He joins us to discuss total rewards optimization: the challenges/benefits of consolidating the various benefits silos, how to tailor rewards for the "new shape of work," and the ways it improves decision-making.

Jul 28, 2023 • 27min
Episode 52: Making Compensation Management a Strategic Advantage
Sunil Vatave is the U.S. product advisor to DarwinBox, an HCM platform that helps build better workplaces. He brings a broad perspective to the topic of compensation, having been an employment lawyer, Vice President of HR, and HR technology provider. He joins us to discuss how to make compensation management a strategic advantage.

Jul 20, 2023 • 48min
Episode 51: A Podcast of Supreme Importance with Employment/Labor Attorney Jon Hyman
Jon Hyman is a nationally recognized employment and labor attorney, author, speaker, blogger, and most importantly, a friend of the Workspan pod. He joins us to discuss the three landmark decisions recently handed down by the Supreme Court on religious accommodations, affirmative action, and LGBTQ rights. He is just the guy to tell us what it means, doesn’t mean, and could mean for employers now and in the near future.

Jul 17, 2023 • 44min
Episode 50: A Total Rewards World Tour with Mario Ceron
Mario Ceron, Managing Partner & CEO, Zereon Associates, gives us a global perspective on total rewards, workforce mobility, digital transformation, leadership and team development, and executive compensation. He also discusses emerging compensation trends, the impact of AI on total rewards, and how leadership must evolve to meet the challenges in the changing world of work.
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