HR Happy Hour Network

HR Happy Hour 282 - HR, Organizations, and Employee Student Loan Debt Host: Steve Boese Guest: Jen Bailey, Director Business Development, Tuition.IO This week on the HR Happy Hour Show recorded live at the Health & Benefits Leadership Conference, Steve Boese is joined by Jen Bailey from Tuition.IO, the leading employer funded student loan contribution platform to talk about employee student loan debt, and the opportunity for HR and organizations to offer student loan repayment contributions as an employee benefit. In the US, student loans are at record levels, and more and more employees are entering the workforce with stunning debt levels that they have to pay down. Some progressive employers have turned to student loan repayment contributions to help employees better manage their debts, while also serving as a powerful talent retention and attraction tool. A recent study reported that 86% of employees would remain at an employer for 5 years if student loan repayment contributions were offered as a benefit. Jen talked about how the platform works, how an employer evaluates their options in setting up a student loan repayment contribution, and the ROI that employers are seeing from implementing these student loan repayment benefit programs. This was a super interesting discussion about a very important topic for HR and Benefits leaders, as well as society overall. Learn more about Tuition.IO here. Thanks to our show sponsor Virgin Pulse - check them out at www.virginpulse.com

HR Happy Hour 281 - Live at Oracle HCM World 2017 Host: Steve Boese Guests: Chris Kiessling, Royal Farms; Yamini Namasivayam, SRI International Recorded at Oracle HCM World 2017, Boston, MA This week on a special episode of the HR Happy Hour Show, host Steve Boese reports from Oracle HCM World 2017 in Boston, and interviews two Oracle customers about their HR and HR tech transformations. First, Chris Kiessling from Royal Farms, a midsize chain of convenience stores in the Mid-Atlantic region talked about the challenges and opportunities that come with modernizing HR systems and processes to support their high-volume, high-turnover business, and set up the company for future growth. Then, Steve was joined by Yamini Namasivayam of SRI International, a high-tech firm that operates in a number of specialty domains. SRI too was faced with modernizing an aging set of HR tools - with the fundamental goal of turning HR technology into strategic and business advantage and driving revenue growth. Both these stories were interesting as they help show how HR and HRIT leaders in the real world are generating value from investments in HR technology.  Thanks to Chris and Yamini for joining the show and thanks to Oracle for having the HR Happy Hour Show at HCM World. And thanks to the HR Happy Hour Sponsor Virgin Pulse - learn more at www.virginpulse.com. Subscribe to the HR Happy Hour on iTunes or wherever you listen to your podcasts - just search for 'HR Happy Hour' to subscribe and never miss a show.

HR Happy Hour 280 - Dave Ulrich, Victory Through Organization Hosts: Steve Boese, Trish McFarlane Guest: Dave Ulrich, University of Michigan, RBL Group This week on the HR Happy Hour Show, Steve and Trish welcome Dave Ulrich, author of the recent Victory Through Organization, over 30 other books, Professor at the University of Michigan, one of the foremost experts on Human Resources, and known as the "Father of modern Human Resources" back to the Happy Hour to talk Human Resources, creating organizational capability, and how Human Resources can continue to evolve to support the organization. Dave talked about the new book, the key can be summed up in the very first sentences of the book - "HR is not about HR. HR begins and ends with the business." From that launch point, we talked about Dave's research (with data from over 30,000 respondents), the importance of HR as the enabler and driver of organizational capability, why the famous McKinsey "War for Talent" is only partially relevant to HR leaders, and some of the ways HR leaders need to adapt and grow in order to support the creation of org capability. We also talked about NBA basketball, the Oscars, and the Spice Girls, (yes, and every one of those topics tied back to the overall theme of the show, that organizational factors have a far greater impact on business performance than do individual factors).  This was one of the most interesting, informative, and fun shows we have done. Thanks Dave for joining us!

HR MarketWatch 6: Mentors and Deals Host: George LaRocque Guest: Heidi Holmes, CEO & Founder, Mentorloop HR Market Watch puts a special lens on new and innovative HR technology from emerging and established technology companies. Join host George LaRocque, Principal Analyst and Founder of the #HRWINS, as in this episode he is joined by CEO and Founder Heidi Holmes  of Mentorloop, a new HR tech firm helping companies identify internal employee/mentor connections, and enabling those relationships to thrive. George and Heidi talk about how employers around the world are using mentor programs in new, innovative ways, like in support of inclusion and diversity initiatives. Also, George extends the MarketMinute to share his take on many of the new HR tech investments and interesting product announcements that happened in calendar Q1 of 2017. Don't miss it! Slack, Microsoft, Facebook, Google, WayUp, SAP, PurpleSquirrel, and BeeKeeper are just SOME of the companies he covers in this episode! Remember to subscribe to HR Market Watch and all the HR Happy Hour Podcast Network shows on iTunes, Stitcher Radio, and all the podcast apps. Just search for 'HR Happy Hour' to subscribe and never miss a show.

HR Happy Hour 279 - Artificial Intelligence for HR  Host: Steve Boese Guest Co-host: Madeline Laurano Guests: Cecile Alper-Leroux, Armen Berjikly, Ultimate Software This week on the HR Happy Hour Show, Steve Boese and special guest co-host Madeline Laurano recored a special Happy Hour Show live from Ultimate Connections 2017 in Las Vegas. They were joined by Ultimate Software's Cecile Alper-Leroux and Armen Berjikly to talk about the need to listen to the  'Voice of the Employee', the importance of technology to help HR leaders understand data, (especially unstructured data), and how modern technology solutions can help HR leaders move from just listening, to understanding, and finally, to taking actions, (and recommending actions). The theme for the Ultimate Connections Conference was 'Elevate' - and the key idea to how HR and business leaders can elevate the employee experience by listening to their needs more closely, applying new technologies that can help analyze data from employee surveys and other disparate sources for things like sentiment and tone, and finally using those insights to take actions that can improve the organization and the individual employee experience. Additionally, Steve re-visited Schoolhouse Rock, his old fashioned method of accessing data from a database, the happiest countries in the world, and Cecile cemented her position as all-time leading HR Happy Hour guest. This was a fun and interesting show - thanks to Madeline, and to Cecile and Armen and everyone at Ultimate for hosting the show. Subscribe to the show on iTunes, Stitcher Radio, and all the podcast apps by searching for 'HR Happy Hour'.

HR Happy Hour 278 - The ACA in 2017: What HR and Benefits Leaders Need to Know Host: Steve Boese Guests: Shan Fowler, Benefitfocus, Chris Condeluci, CC Law & Policy This week on the HR Happy Hour Show, recorded live at Benefitfocus One Place 2017 Conference, Steve Boese is joined by Shan Fowler of  Benefitfocus and Chris Condeluci of CC Law & Policy to talk repeal, replace, reconciliation, and all things ACA in 2017. Any HR and Benefits leader who is following the news surrounding the potential repeal and replacement of the ACA is no doubt facing questions and concerns about what is really happening in Washington, what these potential changes mean for employers, and how best to keep informed and prepared for the future of the ACA and whatever may come next. Chris and Shan talked about what is most likely to happen with the current legislation under consideration, a timeline of what seems likely to occur in the next several weeks, and what might happen in the balance of 2017. This is an important, fast-moving, complex, and fascinating topic, and one that all HR and Benefits leaders need to have top of mind as events unfold. Listen to the show to learn more about what is happening, and how you can stay ready for what might be coming soon. And Steve gives a solid 'Schoolhouse Rock' reset along the way.Thanks to Shan and Chris as well as everyone on the Benefitfocus team for hosting this special episode of the HR Happy Hour Show. Learn more at www.benefitfocus.com. Remember to subscribe to the HR Happy Hour Show on iTunes, Stitcher Radio, or wherever you get your podcasts. Just search for 'HR Happy Hour' to subscribe and never miss a show.

HR Market Watch 6 - Getting Real About Employee Engagement Host: George LaRocque Guest: David Bator, TemboStatus This time on HR MarketWatch join host George LaRocque as he applies some context to all of the hype surrounding employee engagement. Learn about the ideal employee engagement toolkit and three major trends that helped define it. Also, meet David Bator the General Manager of TemboStatus, an emerging new employee engagement tech platform. Remember to subscribe to HR Market Watch and all the HR Happy Hour Network podcasts on iTunes, Stitcher Radio, or wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts. Just search for 'HR Happy Hour' to subscribe and never miss a show.

HR Happy Hour 277 - The 2017 Deloitte Global Human Capital Trends Report Host: Steve Boese Guest: Josh Bersin, Bersin by Deloitte This week on the HR Happy Hour Show, we are joined by Josh Bersin, of Bersin by Deloitte, a leading consulting, research and advisory company to talk about some of the key findings and insights from the Deloitte 2017 Human Capital Trends Report. This annual report, now in its fifth year, looks at the key challenges, trends, and opportunities for HR and business leaders and serves as an educational resource and guide for HR leaders to help them think about their human capital challenges and how they might respond to these challenges. This year's report shared 10 Key Human Capital Trends and on the show, Josh talked about three of them in more detail - The Organization of the Future, The Employee Experience, and Diversity and Inclusion - all major themes of the report and ones that many organizations are tackling in 2017. Josh shared some insights from the research, (over 10,000 respondents), as well as from case studies, inteviews and additional research in these areas. Finally, Josh shared his recommendations for HR leaders on how to best utilize the information in the Global Human Capital Trends Report and how it can help guide conversations, prioritization, and HR strategy. This was a fun and interesting show, thanks to Josh for taking the time to join us. Get the Deloitte 2017 Global Human Capital Trends Report here. Remember to subscribe to the HR Happy Hour Show on iTunes, Stitcher Radio and all the podcast apps - just search for 'HR Happy Hour' to subscribe and never miss a show.

HR Happy Hour 276 - The HR Happy Hour Oscars 2017 Preview Show Hosts: Steve Boese, Trish McFarlane This week on the HR Happy Hour Show, in what has become a beloved and annual HR Happy Hour Show tradition, hosts Steve Boese and Trish McFarlane break down the major categories for the upcoming Oscars 2017 awards show, share their choices for the big categories, and generally have fun talking about the movies, the themes, and the big ideas in movies in 2017. There was definitely some disagreements and interesting discussions along the way as movies, like any art form, are really personal and impact everyone in a unique way. This show is essential prep to get you ready for Oscars 2017, and if you have not yet seen some of the big movies that are up for awards, Steve and Trish offer some ideas as to the 'must sees' of the year. This is probably our favorite show we do each year, we hope you enjoy it too!

HR Happy Hour 275 - Employer Branding on a Global Scale at GE Hosts: Steve Boese, Trish McFarlane Guest: Shaunda Zilich, Global Employer Brand Leader, GE This week on the HR Happy Hour Show, hosts Steve Boese and Trish McFarlane are joined by Shaunda Zilich, Global Employment Brand Leader for GE to talk about employer branding, recruitment marketing, and working with employees and the marketing staff to achieve employer branding goals.  Shaunda shared some key insights about GE's approach to employer branding, how to engage employees, hiring managers, and business leaders to help spread important employer brand messages, and to best position GE as well as communicate, support and align with business strategy. She also shares some ideas about how to get employer branding and recruitment marketing programs off and running, even with limited, (or maybe even no) budget, staff, or resources. You can learn more about GE at www.ge.com/careers where you can learn about GE's new initiative to place 20,000 women in technical roles. We also chatted about bourbon, snowstorms, and Trish and Shaunda both shared some incredibly important news of their respective company's recent announcements with the NBA. This is HUGE news (definitely to Steve anyway). This was a fun and interesting show, thanks so much to Shaunda for joining us! Remember to subscribe to the HR Happy Hour Show on iTunes, Stitcher Radio, and all the podcast apps - just search for 'HR Happy Hour' to subscribe and never miss a show.