The HR Hub

Has a wellness program ever had a positive effect on your well-being? To what degree? I participated in wellness programs - pilates and a free gym. But I was already so active, that the impact was meagre at best. It would be hard to say I was more well after that. What about you? That was the subject this week in my discussion with Tim Borys - fitness enthusiast, coach, wellness expert, author, and keynote speaker. We discuss whether or not corporate wellness programs are making a difference to our wellbeing. And, more importantly, how organizations can create more wellbeing. 💪 Wellness programs tend to be surface level - yoga and gyms. Not meaningless but also not that powerful. 🗯️ As the video says below, wellness programs will be totally pointless if your boss is an a*h*. ⚕️We're aiming for wellbeing and that concept extends to all the systems and people in the workplace. 🕺🏻If Tim had $100,000 to invest in creating wellbeing at work, I suspect he would 90% on leadership development. 🔬Leadership development programs are often too tactical to cover topics related to well-being. What are the goals of your leadership development program? Are you doing an adequate job of training leaders on concepts related to well-being? This was a thought-provoking chat around wellness - what works and what doesn't. Check it out! Find Tim at https://timborys.com/ or on LinkedIn Find Andrea (me) at https://thehrhub.ca

This episode was supposed to be about upskilling and reskilling exclusively... but we quickly talked about the skills-based organization because that is where upskilling and reskilling start. You have to know what skills you are trying to build! I had THE best person for this discussion IMO. My guest was Lori Niles-Hofman. Lori hosts an upskilling course on LinkedIn Learning. She describes herself as an EdTech and AI Transformation Strategist. She is an author having written The Eight Levers of EdTech Transformation which will be published this spring. She has also been an L&D leader for big organizations. Her command of the big picture and the details was impressive. This discussion was full of new ways of thinking: - A skills based organization moves away from discussions about job titles to discussions around particular skills. - People might be paid based on skills rather than job title. - Upskilling and reskilling become a lot easier when we focus on individual skills as opposed to a large set of skills as is common on an L&D program - Her clients focus on a limited number of skills as they move towards a skills-based organization - You might start with ONE skill. Her insight was so precise - it was amazing. And it was different, Lori is not afraid to consider new ways of doing things! Check out the sponsor for this episode! iSpring Solutions! https://www.ispringsolutions.com/ They have offered discount codes (good until the end of 2025) as follows: 'ANDREA-SUITE' - For purchasing iSpring Suite with a 10% discount. 'ANDREA -SUITE-MAX' - For purchasing iSpring Suite Max with a 10% discount. I also had fun demo'ing their product: https://youtu.be/e8q-zhHHvkU Find Lori at any one of the following places: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lorinileshofmann/ https://www.linkedin.com/learning/upskilling-and-reskilling-your-workforce https://www.theeightlevers.com/ https://www.loriniles.com/ You can find me at https://thehrhub.ca

HR is often asked to help increase accountability in the workplace. Because people just aren't doing their jobs they way they are supposed to! We often think it's because they don't care. Sometimes that's the case, but other times they just don't care about the impact they're having on others. I spoke to Mitch Warner, Managing Partner of the Arbinger Institute. Things got a little uncomfortable for me - but I guess that's when the learning happens right? He talks about an aspect of accountability that we don't think about often. That is, the accountability to others so they get their work done. The impact on others is frequently overlooked. This episode will make you think - every once in a while I have a guest who turns a topic on their head and this was one of them and I was there for it! 💪 Accountability is about getting your job done - but not at the expense of the effectiveness of others! ☠️ This is sometimes described as toxicity, but this is kinder and more productive. 💡 He has specific tips for leaders on how they can get their employees to consider their impact. 🥱 For people who don't care... maybe they need a new job. This was inspiring - I love a new way to think about things! Check it out! Find Mitch and the Arbinger Institute at https://arbinger.com/ You can find their books (The Outward Mindset and Leadership and Self-Deception) anywhere you buy your books but also via their website: https://arbinger.com/store/ Find me, Andrea Adams at https://thehrhub.ca/ or connect with me on LinkedIn!

I figure we are mostly looking for the truth. And while 'truth' is hard to find, some things bring us closer. Like research. Also it's 2025. What HR debates are we still working through in our hunt for truth? This was the focus of my discussion with Dr. Catherine Connelly. Catherine is a leading HR researcher with a passion for research. When I asked Chat GPT for a 'future of HR' expert, her name was one of the top three. She is a Professor and Business Research Chair in Organizational Behaviour, in the Human Resources and Management department of the DeGroote School of Business at McMaster University plus many other qualifications. We talked about: - Hybrid & remote work. I was hoping to settle the debate once and for all, but it's much more nuanced. Are you surprised? - AI - it continues to be biased because it trains on our data. Which has bias baked in. We'll have to audit but even if we could get totally unbiased AI, we still have biased people in our organizations (see the video below). - Employee Experience - We need to focus on the basics. - A theme running through our discussion was the much maligned middle manager. They are critical to success in a lot of this. I hope to try another of these episodes because I believe the pursuit of truth is a fundamental. It's like happiness: we'll work at it, but never quite get there. Still, it's a worthwhile and critical journey. We had an insightful conversation... check it out! Also, find Catherine here https://www.linkedin.com/in/catherine-connelly-57b70762/ https://connellyresearch.com/ https://experts.mcmaster.ca/display/connell As always, find me at https://www.thehrhub.ca

Happy end of 2024! I learn so much from the guests on my show. And so does Angela Nguyen of the Leadership Within Podcast. So we joined forces to discuss what we learned this year! We reflected on the challenges and things we learned including: - How hard it is to create content week after week - Qualities we both appreciate more: curiosity and perseverance - Thoughts on DEI as I continue to reflect on the panel discussion I hosted and Angela's reflections as a racialized woman And much more. Some relevant links: Angela's show: https://www.youtube.com/@UC4Ekg-0WangewQYVJCZixmA https://www.linkedin.com/in/angelanguyenkhaan/ Some of the episodes we referred to: Culture: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OpJoYnS5nEk Toxicity: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TC1gewuzKvU&t=127s DEI Panel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cZqbxXyLPkQ&t=3344s Civility: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MOvSS2topjM&t=24s Bias in Technology: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g_tz56BoHr4 Check some of it out!

The #1 reason hiring fails? Not treating recruitment like the project it really is. So project mistake are you guilty of maybe: Not revisiting the job description? Forgetting to ask the client if they'll be on vacation (I've done this one)? Not pushing back when client says the want the talent but don't want to pay? Mostly we just need to treat recruitment like a project. Meet with the client, set the goals, check in when goals aren't being bet etc etc. My guest this week, Wendy Sellers aka The HR Lady dropped more truth bombs about what it really takes to attract top talent in 2024. She's hilariously outspoken so it's unlikely you'll misunderstand anything she says. Wendy is an author, podcast host, and plain spoken HR expert. She has been featured in USA Today and even has radio show. Completely 'on brand' she wrote a book for HR called "Suck It Up, Buttercup". Really! And in this discussion she brought her practical, no-fluff approach to talent attraction. Some other insights 🎯 Recruitment is 50% marketing and 50% HR. This is probably why another guest though recruitment should be part of marketing. 💰 If you want a less expensive employee, you'll probably have to train them. You'll have to pay anyhow. 💰 If you want top talent... you'll have to pay. 📋 You need to look at the job description. 🎯 Sometimes you need a bum in a seat. Even so, there are strategies. It was full of the basics of getting the job done right. Which too often aren't done right. Check out the full conversation! Find Wendy on her podcast or YouTube channel The HR Lady!

Sometimes it takes fresh eyes to see solutions for problems you've been struggling with forever. That's what this episode on culture change felt like. My guest was Israel Peck - head of Cratic Ai. He used to be a consultant on massive cost-cutting projects and discovered that culture has a huge financial impact. So he started Cratic Ai to help companies successfully shape their cultures. As you might think, given cost-cutting, he has a finance background not HR. So the conversation was overflowing with fresh perspectives and insights. Like: - HR needs one metric. All the other departments have them. He suggests that employee net promoter score (eNPS) could be that number (see the video below). - It's been shown that EBITDA will increase by $10-25,000 PER EMPLOYEE for every quartile shift in eNPS. - He know how to move the needle on eNPS and you could use his software, but you don't have to. - We often implement programs to change culture. His methods change it from the inside out. - The secret is: conversation. Not so secret right? He has a weird way of encouraging it. - In my opinion, you have to be brave to reap the rewards on this. I have had other guests who reinforced the power of great conversation in helping to create better teams. Having done a lot of this work and accidentally did some of what he talks about, I believe he is on to something. I believe we will see more of Israel and his ideas! Check it out! Find Israel on Linkedin or https://cratic.ai/ Find me for HR consulting at https://thehrhub.ca

Not for profit organizations have different HR considerations. In part, their employee tend to be incredibly passionate about the organization's purpose. They'll often sacrifice their own well-being in service of it. And in many cases, they're expected to do it. Dimple Dhabalia, a lawyer, humanitarian and this week's guest, has a powerful story about what she learned after years of humanitarian service around the world. She burned out, but instead of doing what the rest of us would do, she wrote a book. Her book is called "Tell Me My Story: Challenging the Narrative of Service Before Self." For anyone working in service of people, there is a lot to learn from this thought-provoking conversation about unique consideration of doing HR in NFPs. For example: ❣️ "Being human is messy. And serving humanity is even messier." ❣️ Systems and culture drive employees to put the organization and their humanitarian service ahead of themselves. ❣️ It isn't all on the organization. Change starts with individuals. ❣️ Ultimately, individuals and organizations have to change together. ❣️ We (and especially women) are taught to give, give, give and that will only take us so far. Find Dimple through her book: Tell Me My Story: Challenging the Narrative of Service Before Self Or one of her podcasts: Service without Sacrifice: Conversations about Hope & Healing What Would Ted Lasso Do? Her website https://www.rootsintheclouds.com/ Find me, Andrea, https://thehrhub.ca/

Michelle Chambers, an expert in Organization Development at York University's Schulich Executive Education, shares her insights on how OD aligns with organizational strategy. She emphasizes that OD is diverse, covering coaching, team dynamics, and leadership development. Michelle discusses the collaborative nature of OD work, where experts act as partners rather than providers of answers. The conversation also touches on navigating change through systems thinking and the evolving challenges in OD since COVID, stressing the importance of agility and continuous learning in today's workplaces.

All of us in HR have to build relationships with clients. So how? It is a skill and what happens when things go wrong? I interviewed Tiffany Castagno, an HR consultant and leader, and I sensed had a gift for building relationships with clients. Because she was building a relationship with me so quickly! I could see she has a unique and effective way of balancing professionalism with authenticity. I concluded that we have a lot to learn from her. Some thoughts and questions: - What are your intentions about your clients? She signs emails saying "In your corner." A person can only do this if they mean it and she does. - Showing your human side strengthens relationships and vulnerability is a piece of that. How do you show your human side? - You will have to have difficult conversations with good intentions - so considerable courage is required. - Onboarding a new client is important! There was a lot to learn from Tiffany and you'll smile with her. As I said at the end, she has some magic and I'm glad she shared! Find Tiffany at https://www.cephrconsulting.com/   Linkedin: / tiffanycastagno-people-culture-consultant   Find Andrea at https://thehrhub.ca LinkedIn:  / andrea-adams1