Transform Your Workplace

At Xenium, it’s always been about the people. We can’t support you and your people without taking care of our own. Which is why we’re so proud to announce the Portland Business Journal has awarded us with second place in their Oregon’s Healthiest Employer program. In this bonus episode, Brandon Laws sits down with the President of Xenium, Anne Donovan, to discuss some of Xenium's wellness program initiatives. 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.” Contact Brandon and Xenium HR:  Email Brandon.Laws@xeniumhr.com or connect on LinkedIn, Twitter, or Instagram. Learn more about Xenium HR at xeniumhr.com Follow Xenium on Twitter, Instagram, or LinkedIn.

A waymaker is an active leader who opens doors, removes barriers, and ushers people through to greater levels of contribution. In this episode, Brandon Laws sits down with Tara Jaye Frank, author of The Waymakers, to discuss the inspiration behind her new book, a roadmap for fostering workplace equity. Listen in and learn how to recognize and seize opportunities to interrupt systems and processes that hinder equity in the workplace.   TAKEAWAYS Inequity is rooted in power dynamics which exist in almost every system in which we work. When we determine who to hire, who to promote, or who to invite into a certain room where information is being disseminated, we are witnessing power dynamics at work.  Power is usually concentrated within a select group of people, and whether that power is or is not shared dictates the degree to which other people can succeed. Equitable outcomes are tied to equitable opportunities, and not everyone gets access to those opportunities. If we don't train ourselves to interrupt some of these processes and ask better questions, then they don't ever change. We can take responsibility for our role in facilitating change by asking better questions and pushing back against bias.   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.” Contact Brandon and Xenium HR:  Email Brandon.Laws@xeniumhr.com or connect on LinkedIn, Twitter, or Instagram. Learn more about Xenium HR at xeniumhr.com Follow Xenium on Twitter, Instagram, or LinkedIn.

In this episode of Transform Your Workplace, Brandon Laws sits down with guest Leo Macleod — thought leader, consultant, and author of From the Ground Up. Listen in as the two discuss stories from Leo’s new book about those who have gone from contributor to leader despite the challenges of climbing the corporate ladder.   TAKEAWAYS At the start of the typical career, we are taught to own a task completely and to work independently, The challenge arises when we move into a position of managing other people because we tend to hold on to the project, which is not a good recipe for empowering others. Start by designing your ‘mountain’ —both personally and professionally — and that will inform what skills you need to develop to move forward in your career. Aligning yourself on a team with your mentor puts you in a position of learning the skills and getting the experience to progress in the workplace. Be mindful of how you're spending not so much your time but your energy.    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.” Contact Brandon and Xenium HR:  Email Brandon.Laws@xeniumhr.com or connect on LinkedIn, Twitter, or Instagram. Learn more about Xenium HR at xeniumhr.com Follow Xenium on Twitter, Instagram, or LinkedIn.

Burnout has always been an issue, but with the rise of the COVID-19 pandemic, chronic stress has stepped into the forefront of the conversation about mental and physical wellness. In this episode, guest Jennifer Moss, author of The Burnout Epidemic, talks about the importance of recognizing and destigmatizing the chronic stress — worsened by the pandemic — so that we can find peace and productivity in the workplace.   TAKEAWAYS The World Health Organization has identified “burnout” as “institutional stress left unmanaged.” Employees who are experiencing burnout often feel stigmatized, so they don't speak up. During the pandemic, employees were still supposed to hit pre-COVID goals while also working toward stretch goals — this combination was a massive, unidentified chronic stressor. A Microsoft Trends report found that much of the global workforce was resigning due to workload and lack of empathy from their employers. Leaders must look at budget allocations and bifurcate between wellness and burnout prevention.   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.” Contact Brandon and Xenium HR:  Email Brandon.Laws@xeniumhr.com or connect on LinkedIn, Twitter, or Instagram. Learn more about Xenium HR at xeniumhr.com Follow Xenium on Twitter, Instagram, or LinkedIn.

In this episode of Transform Your Workplace, Tiago Forte, author of A Building a Second Brain: A Proven Method to Organize Your Digital Life and Unlock Your Creative Potential, talks about his innovative, time-tested method for the organization of ideas. What he calls “building a second brain” is a process of organizing, storing, and reflecting on ideas — all to make an “external impact” in your personal life or career. Sit down with host Brandon Laws as he talks with Tiago about his new book and about how his “second brain” has revolutionized his education and career.    TAKEAWAYS The “second brain” is a system that allows you to preserve and store all of your most important information. Users reflect on, process, analyze, and understand this information to create an external impact. A common pitfall is becoming an information collector without any particular purpose in mind.  We improve communication by having better inputs: research, examples, metaphors, data points, stories — the supporting evidence that then becomes part of your communication. When you keep a collection of very succinct notes all in one place, you start to notice connections or associations that you hadn’t recognized before.   Sign up for Xenium’s annual What People Want from Work survey   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.” Contact Brandon and Xenium HR:  Email Brandon.Laws@xeniumhr.com or connect on LinkedIn, Twitter, or Instagram. Learn more about Xenium HR at xeniumhr.com Follow Xenium on Twitter, Instagram, or LinkedIn.  

Host Brandon Laws is joined by Xenium employee and HR expert Nicole Blevins! The two discuss Malcolm Gladwell's recent polarizing comments regarding remote work.  Sign up for Xenium’s annual What People Want from Work survey   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.” Contact Brandon and Xenium HR:  Email Brandon.Laws@xeniumhr.com or connect on LinkedIn, Twitter, or Instagram. Learn more about Xenium HR at xeniumhr.com Follow Xenium on Twitter, Instagram, or LinkedIn.

According to guest Donna Cutting, culture consultant and Founder/CEO of Red-Carpet Learning Worldwide, when businesses focus too heavily on the customer experience, they can lose sight of the “heart” of the organization: their employees. In this episode, Donna shares insights and best practices from her new book, Employees First, to help leaders inspire and engage their people with positive culture.   TAKEAWAYS The pandemic revealed a need to transition from a “fix approach” to a deeper focus on appropriate relationships in the workplace. As companies focus largely on customers, they can easily forget to focus on the employee experience, resulting in lower engagement and higher attrition. When it comes to companies with great culture and great customer service, it often starts with a leader focused on purpose over profit. The more people feel involved in a vision bigger than themselves, the more likely they are to buy in and make it their own. Fair compensation goes hand-in-hand with a positive culture that values employees.   Sign up for Xenium’s annual What People Want from Work survey   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.” Contact Brandon and Xenium HR:  Email Brandon.Laws@xeniumhr.com or connect on LinkedIn, Twitter, or Instagram. Learn more about Xenium HR at xeniumhr.com Follow Xenium on Twitter, Instagram, or LinkedIn. 

In this episode of Transform Your Workplace, Brandon Laws sits down with Wendy Ellin, decluttering and organization expert, to learn how disorganization is a massive contributor to both personal and workplace stress. Wendy talks about her 3P Academy and best practices for helping employees find grea ter productivity, performance, and peace of mind.   TAKEAWAYS Employees are suffering in silence when it comes to disorganization, and most businesses don’t realize that the problem exists. 3P Academy contains targeted strategies for virtually any organizational issue, all aimed at increasing productivity, performance, and peace of mind. Many don’t attempt to get organized because they feel that if they can’t reach perfection that their efforts are futile. Perfection is impossible; instead, the learner should aim for 80%, an attainable organization goal. To get started and stick with it, you must want it and have a specific end goal in mind.   Sign up for Xenium’s annual What People Want from Work survey   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.” Contact Brandon and Xenium HR:  Email Brandon.Laws@xeniumhr.com or connect on LinkedIn, Twitter, or Instagram. Learn more about Xenium HR at xeniumhr.com Follow Xenium on Twitter, Instagram, or LinkedIn. 

Host Brandon Laws is joined by Xenium employee and frequent favorite pod guest Lacey Partipilo! The two discuss various topics, from AI in the workplace to innovations in HR to favorite social media personalities.  Sign up for Xenium’s annual What People Want from Work survey 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.” Contact Brandon and Xenium HR:  Email Brandon.Laws@xeniumhr.com or connect on LinkedIn, Twitter, or Instagram. Learn more about Xenium HR at xeniumhr.com Follow Xenium on Twitter, Instagram, or LinkedIn.

It’s time to address a growing issue in the workplace: recently-graduated employees who are struggling under the burden of student loan debt. Is repayment solely the responsibility of the borrower? The government? The employer? According to guest Naveed Iqbal, co-founder and CEO of Dolr, education benefits everyone, so we all should share the burden of paying for it.  TAKEAWAYS The burden of student loan repayment hinders young people from starting families earlier, buying homes, and saving for emergencies or retirement. Employers could be part of the solution by providing innovative benefits for those with educational debt. Despite Gen Z’s tendency toward fiscal responsibility, they are given little information or knowledge about how to optimize their finances. The student loan crisis is centered around borrowers not having an understanding of what it means to make payments versus defer payments.  Dolr believes that education benefits everyone, so everyone should play some role in paying for it. Sign up for Xenium’s annual What People Want from Work survey 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.” Contact Brandon and Xenium HR:  Email Brandon.Laws@xeniumhr.com or connect on LinkedIn, Twitter, or Instagram. Learn more about Xenium HR at xeniumhr.com Follow Xenium on Twitter, Instagram, or LinkedIn.