According to recent guest, Shane Kovalsky, Co-Founder and CEO of Glue, meaningful relationships are the lynchpin for authentic employee engagement. In this episode of Transform Your Workplace, we take a closer look at the challenges of connecting with others when it comes to the “distributed” workplace. Learn how to gain insight into employee sentiment and make data-informed decisions regarding connection.    TAKEAWAYS If you’re not intentional about fostering a sense of belonging — if you leave it to chance — it won’t happen. Employee surveys have significant limitations as employees’ sentiments change quickly and the surveys offer only a glimpse at one “point in time.” The big difference between using observability and input data versus survey data is it allows leaders to see early indicators of disengagement and be proactive about solutions. Making meaningful connection is about converting similarity into familiarity.   A QUICK GLIMPSE INTO OUR PODCAST 🔊 Podcast: Transform Your Workplace, sponsored by Xenium HR 🎙️ Host: Brandon Laws 📋 In his own words: “The Transform Your Workplace podcast is your go-to source for the latest workplace trends, big ideas, and time-tested methods straight from the mouths of industry experts and respected thought-leaders.”

Sit down with Hareta McMullin, founder of Third Space People, and dive into a discussion on the misconceptions and challenges facing HR and what it takes to transform the employee experience. It’s time to reject outdated approaches to HR and take real steps toward building trust with the people you lead.   TAKEAWAYS Employees often see HR professionals as rule-loving and unapproachable people who are disconnected from the workforce. By managing the perception gap and addressing employee needs, HR professionals can create an environment where people willingly share concerns, enabling them to address challenges and retain valuable talent. Policies and procedures are important, but if we're leading the employee experience with that, we're telling our people that we don't trust them from the outset. We need to take a serious look at how HR policies and procedures are embedded in and support the culture. When we trust, involve, and empower leaders, changes can be rolled out successfully. To understand your priorities, you need to speak with your people.   A QUICK GLIMPSE INTO OUR PODCAST 🔊 Podcast: Transform Your Workplace, sponsored by Xenium HR 🎙️ Host: Brandon Laws 📋 In his own words: “The Transform Your Workplace podcast is your go-to source for the latest workplace trends, big ideas, and time-tested methods straight from the mouths of industry experts and respected thought-leaders.”

This week's podcast guest host Lacey Partipilo sits down with Xenium employee Annie Oxenfeld to discuss the topic of workplace flexibility and its importance in retaining employees. They touch on workplace flexibility, from shift schedules to fully remote work or a four-day workweek. This episode also addresses common concerns and misconceptions employers may have about implementing flexible work arrangements, such as productivity, logistics, availability, and fairness. They agree the key ingredient to workplace flexibility is building a culture of trust.    A QUICK GLIMPSE INTO OUR PODCAST 🔊 Podcast: Transform Your Workplace, sponsored by Xenium HR 🎙️ Host: Brandon Laws 📋 In his own words: “The Transform Your Workplace podcast is your go-to source for the latest workplace trends, big ideas, and time-tested methods straight from the mouths of industry experts and respected thought-leaders.”

In this episode, renowned performance psychologist Jim Loehr delves into the crucial topic of decision-making, a unique capability of our species that allows us to shape the direction of our lives. His book, Wise Decisions, offers a research-based approach to intentional decision-making, empowering readers to enhance their own abilities and teach others. Tune in to gain valuable insights and strategies for making wise decisions that can positively impact your future.   TAKEAWAYS Decision-making is a unique feature of our species, as humans have the ability to pause between stimulus and response and consciously choose the direction of their lives.  Most of our daily decisions are made without any intentional thought. Oftentimes, small decisions often become the greatest levers for the big decisions that will change the trajectory of our lives. Your inner voice, not your public voice, reflects your true perspective and approach on all decisions. The pause between the stimulus and response is the most sacred space we have as human beings.   A QUICK GLIMPSE INTO OUR PODCAST 🔊 Podcast: Transform Your Workplace, sponsored by Xenium HR 🎙️ Host: Brandon Laws 📋 In his own words: “The Transform Your Workplace podcast is your go-to source for the latest workplace trends, big ideas, and time-tested methods straight from the mouths of industry experts and respected thought-leaders.”  

In this episode, Nicole Blevins and Brandon Laws of Xenium HR dive into ChatGPT and AI and their potential impact on the HR profession. Together, they discuss various applications of the technology in HR, how to optimize its usage through prompt engineering and address potential problems, such as plagiarism, inaccuracies, bias, and non-critical thinking. In this episode, they cover: Exploring ChatGPT's use in HR tasks: Crafting job descriptions Composing and updating employee handbooks and policy manuals Drafting e-mails and offer letters to job candidates Checking HR laws and regulations Summarizing research and reports Generating employee surveys and sentiment analyses Streamlining administrative tasks (e.g. event and holiday reminders)

In this episode, host Brandon Laws sits down with Randeep Purewal, CEO and Founder of Divercial, an all-in-one B2B SaaS solution for building an inclusive workplace culture. Randeep believes that, unlike the subjective human perspective, technology can help remove bias and gather reliable data, with the ultimate goal of engaging employees and boosting productivity. Listen in and learn how to prioritize cognitive diversity and position your employees for success.   TAKEAWAYS Divercial is a B2B SaaS platform that specializes in building inclusive workplaces by placing a more diverse group of decision-makers in every aspect and dimension of business. Technology is less biased than humans and could be used to make more objective business decisions. Using a third-party company for collecting employee feedback protects anonymity as data collected is scrubbed and provided in aggregate form. Unlike traditional consulting work where recommendations are given and not always implemented, Divercial provides recommendations based on collected data, prioritizing issues for the greatest impact. To put employees in positions of success, it’s important to have a better understanding of their strengths, interests, and approaches to work. An inclusive workplace increases employee engagement and productivity, which positively impacts the company's bottom line.   A QUICK GLIMPSE INTO OUR PODCAST 🔊 Podcast: Transform Your Workplace, sponsored by Xenium HR 🎙️ Host: Brandon Laws 📋 In his own words: “The Transform Your Workplace podcast is your go-to source for the latest workplace trends, big ideas, and time-tested methods straight from the mouths of industry experts and respected thought-leaders.”

It’s time to change the game when it comes to providing effective feedback in the workplace. In this podcast episode, Brandon Laws sits down with an executive coach, speaker, and author Jen Ostrich to discuss the importance of focusing on strengths, growth, and allyship when giving feedback to employees. It’s about moving beyond simply pointing out ineffective behaviors and painting a picture of what true growth and progress look like. TAKEAWAYS Effective feedback should focus on strengths, growth, and allyship. Research shows that strength-based feedback improves well-being and engagement by making employees feel appreciated and seen. Be clear about desired behaviors instead of only focusing on the negative. Focusing solely on someone's weaknesses without providing guidance on how to improve is insufficient for change. Delivering feedback on what more effective behavior would look like provides specific guidance for improvement, which is less likely to trigger defensiveness. When leaders show vulnerability by sharing personal stories about tough feedback moments, they build psychological safety among their teams. Links: Get Feedback Reimagined www.growcollective.us   A QUICK GLIMPSE INTO OUR PODCAST 🔊 Podcast: Transform Your Workplace, sponsored by Xenium HR 🎙️ Host: Brandon Laws 📋 In his own words: “The Transform Your Workplace podcast is your go-to source for the latest workplace trends, big ideas, and time-tested methods straight from the mouths of industry experts and respected thought-leaders.”

SHOW NOTES In our latest episode, HR expert Keri Ohlrich discusses the misconceptions surrounding the HR profession. Despite popular perception, Keri talks about the significant impact that a skilled HR team can have on staff and business development. People are complex, so the HR field isn’t for the faint of heart. It’s about finding a balance between fighting for employees and meeting the needs of the business, all while prioritizing healthy company culture.    TAKEAWAYS HR is often seen as a necessary evil for compliance purposes and not as a valuable department that can accelerate business growth.  The HR profession is complex because people aren’t like machines, as arising personal and professional circumstances are impossible to predict. Pursuing a career in HR solely out of love for people can cause HR professionals to become jaded due to the excessive time spent with the “rule-breakers.”  There are so many things that HR professionals can do to fight for employees while, at the same time, balancing the needs of the business. A skilled HR team can provide valuable insight into understanding and articulating a company's culture, both of which are crucial for attracting and retaining talent.   A QUICK GLIMPSE INTO OUR PODCAST 🔊 Podcast: Transform Your Workplace, sponsored by Xenium HR 🎙️ Host: Brandon Laws 📋 In his own words: “The Transform Your Workplace podcast is your go-to source for the latest workplace trends, big ideas, and time-tested methods straight from the mouths of industry experts and respected thought-leaders.”

In this special 400th episode of the transform your workplace podcast, host Brandon Laws and guest Angela Perkins, VP of Sales and Marketing at Xenium HR, reflect on key moments throughout the last 400 episodes of the podcast. The two discuss past predictions about the future of work, leading with vulnerability, and more! Don't miss this milestone episode! A QUICK GLIMPSE INTO OUR PODCAST 🔊 Podcast: Transform Your Workplace, sponsored by Xenium HR 🎙️ Host: Brandon Laws 📋 In his own words: “The Transform Your Workplace podcast is your go-to source for the latest workplace trends, big ideas, and time-tested methods straight from the mouths of industry experts and respected thought-leaders.”   Episodes mentioned in this podcast: HR Trends to Watch for Meeting with Purpose What it's so crazy at work Why We Need 'Psychological Safety' to Do Our Best Work Getting Comfortable with Being Uncomfortable   Watch the video version of this podcast 

In this episode of Transform Your Workplace, host Brandon Laws sits down with workplace culture strategist Jessica Kriegel. The two discuss tech burnout, the downside of employee engagement initiatives, and the struggle to create authentic culture. Listen in and discover how to align on purpose and foster employee fulfillment in the world of remote work.   TAKEAWAYS “Collaboration overload” was the first instinct of most organizations that were moving into a remote environment in the early pandemic.”  Leaders’ attempts to “intentionally create culture” led to overwhelming tech burnout and increased levels of stress, both of which contributed in part to the Great Resignation. The Anti-Work Movement isn’t made up of people who don't want to work but rather people who want to work with intention and purpose. Replace the idea of employee engagement with employee fulfillment, which is the extent to which your character and abilities are being fully developed at work.  Every leader needs to be the Chief Reminding Officer, starting every meeting by stating the company’s purpose. A culture shift is a co-created, co-owned process, but leaders need to pave the way.   A QUICK GLIMPSE INTO OUR PODCAST 🔊 Podcast: Transform Your Workplace, sponsored by Xenium HR 🎙️ Host: Brandon Laws 📋 In his own words: “The Transform Your Workplace podcast is your go-to source for the latest workplace trends, big ideas, and time-tested methods straight from the mouths of industry experts and respected thought-leaders.”