I Hate It Here

This should come as no surprise anymore, but your employees aren’t just asking for certainty these days, they’re BEGGING for it!  And yet, most workplaces still operate like a Magic 8 Ball: "Ask again later," "Outlook not so good," and my personal favorite, "Cannot predict now." Cool, cool.  So why do we keep acting shocked when people quit over unclear expectations, bad leadership, and the soul-crushing weight of "figure it out yourself" culture? Joining me today is Kat Kibben, recruiting expert and professional truth-teller, to drag the leadership myths we’re all tired of and drop some real talk on how to actually make work WORK for people!  We’re breaking down why humans would rather deal with a known disaster than unknown chaos, how bad managers create generational trauma in the workplace, and the one thing leaders always get wrong about certainty. Lots of gems in here, so buckle up! Fortunately, you don’t have to choose between investing in people programs and consolidating your tech stack. With Lattice, you can have both. Visit ⁠⁠⁠lattice.com⁠⁠⁠ to learn more. Multi-state compliance is a nightmare—but SixFifty makes it easy. Get instant answers to employment law questions, generate a compliant multi-state handbook in minutes, and stay ahead of changing laws with automated updates. Visit ⁠⁠⁠SixFifty.com⁠⁠⁠ to learn more! 0:03:51 - One Truth About Work Kat Wishes More Leaders Understood 0:05:05 - Why Do Humans Crave Certainty So Much? 0:08:25 - How Leaders Can Make Employees Feel Safe 0:19:43 - Why Not Every Good Employee Needs to Be a Manager 0:24:38 - What Does Creativing Clarity Actually Look Like? 0:31:58 - How Good or Bad Communication Shapes Teams Over Time 0:38:34 - Bouncing Back From a Toxic Boss/Environment 0:46:13 - One Thing Leaders Often Get Wrong About Providing Certainty 0:49:33 - One Message Leaders Should Repeat to Their Teams During Uncertain Times And if you love I Hate It Here, sign up to Hebba’s newsletter! It’s for jaded, overworked, and emotionally burnt-out HR/People Operations professionals needing a little inspiration. https://workweek.com/discover-newsletters/i-hate-it-here-newsletter/   And if you love the podcast, be sure to check out  https://www.youtube.com/@ihateit-here for even more exclusive insider content! Follow Kat: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katrinakibben/ Follow Hebba:  YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ihateit-here/videos LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/hebba-youssef Twitter: https://twitter.com/hebbamyoussef

Let’s talk about the elephant in the room: MONEY. 💸 And who better to talk about money with than compensation guru Matt McFarlane? In this episode, we’re ripping apart everything you think you know about fair pay.  Why do employees feel stiffed? Are pay gaps accidental or systemic? And why the hell is talking about salary still taboo? We’ll also be discussing why fair pay is still a myth at most companies, how to handle founders who treat compensation like a dark art, and what actual pay transparency looks like (hint: it’s not just publishing salaries). Choosing the wrong HR platform is rife with regrets: losing a top performer, promoting the wrong person, or failing to engage your team when the business needs it most. Fortunately, you don’t have to choose between investing in people programs and consolidating your tech stack. With Lattice, you can have both. Visit ⁠⁠lattice.com⁠⁠ to learn more. Multi-state compliance is a nightmare—but SixFifty makes it easy. Get instant answers to employment law questions, generate a compliant multi-state handbook in minutes, and stay ahead of changing laws with automated updates. Visit ⁠⁠SixFifty.com⁠⁠ to learn more! 0:01:57 - One Truth About Work Matt Wishes More People Understood 0:03:20 - What Being Paid Right Actually Means, and Why Companies Get it Wrong 0:06:58 - What “I Don’t Feel Like I’m Being Paid Fairly” Really Means 0:08:50 -  Why is Talking About Pay Such a Taboo Topic at Work? 0:11:49 - Should Employees Know What Their Coworkers Make? 0:14:36 - Are Pay Gaps Intentional, or a Result of a Broken System? 0:19:56 - If Matt Could Change One Thing About Compensation, What Would It Be? 0:22:36 - Dealing With Founders Who Don’t Want to Define Anything Compensation-related 0:27:50 - What Role Should Managers Play in Pay Equity? 0:34:03 - What Does a Truly Fair, Inclusive, and Modern Compensation Philosophy Look Like? 0:39:47 - One Thing Matt Nerds Out About When It Comes to Compensation 0:41:25 - How Matt Would Rewrite the Unwritten Rules About Money at Work 0:47:45 - A Conversation About Money That Matt Wishes He Had Earlier in His Career 0:52:00 - What Workplace Money Utopia Could Look Like in the Future And if you love I Hate It Here, sign up to Hebba’s newsletter! It’s for jaded, overworked, and emotionally burnt-out HR/People Operations professionals needing a little inspiration. https://workweek.com/discover-newsletters/i-hate-it-here-newsletter/   And if you love the podcast, be sure to check out  https://www.youtube.com/@ihateit-here for even more exclusive insider content! Follow Matt: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthewmcfarlane/ Follow Hebba:  YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ihateit-here/videos LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/hebba-youssef Twitter: https://twitter.com/hebbamyoussef

Cierra Gross, Founder and CEO of Worklution, champions workplace equity as she exposes corporate hypocrisy and the superficiality of DEI initiatives. The conversation dives into why 'accountability' often means little in practice, highlighting how Gen Z is demanding real change. Cierra discusses the invisible barriers preventing equity and shares insights on her app, Wrk Receipts, designed to empower employees. This candid discussion illuminates the urgent need for genuine accountability in today's workplaces.

Jessica DeVlieger, CEO of Encompass Labs, dives into the outdated nature of traditional performance reviews and why employees are craving timely feedback. She reveals that teams often know who's underperforming before managers do and discusses the barriers leaders face in providing tough feedback. Jessica emphasizes the need for a feedback-driven culture and advocates for rethinking performance management by integrating technology while keeping a human touch. Ultimately, she highlights that employees just want clarity on their performance!

Let’s talk about fairness—or, more accurately, let’s talk about how your company is probably failing at it!You know the drill: the ‘neutral’ policies that somehow always disadvantage the same people, the DEI initiatives that start and end with a Slack emoji, the performance reviews that feel more like a lottery than actual feedback. This week, Zach Nunn (founder of Living Corporate and certified corporate truth-teller) joins me to rip apart the illusion of fairness at work! We’re talking remote work double standards, the sneaky policies that keep marginalized employees stuck, and why ‘transparency’ is often just corporate code for ‘we’ll tell you the rules but not how to win.’ If most workplaces were actually fair, we wouldn’t need this episode! But since that’s not our reality yet… press play and let’s get figure it out together.Choosing the wrong HR platform is rife with regrets: losing a top performer, promoting the wrong person, or failing to engage your team when the business needs it most.Fortunately, you don’t have to choose between investing in people programs and consolidating your tech stack. With Lattice, you can have both. Visit lattice.com to learn more.Multi-state compliance is a nightmare—but SixFifty makes it easy. Get instant answers to employment law questions, generate a compliant multi-state handbook in minutes, and stay ahead of changing laws with automated updates. Visit SixFifty.com to learn more!0:03:43 - One Truth About Work Zach Wishes More Leaders Understood0:11:30 - What is Living Corporate and What Inspired Zach to Start It?0:17:02 - What Most Companies Get Wrong About Fairness at Work0:25:42 - Defining a Fair Workplace and How It Feels to Employees0:38:52 - Policies That Seem Neutral, But Actually End up Being Unfair0:52:54 - One Thing HR Should Stop Doing Immediately to Build Fairer Workplaces0:53:50 - What Gives Zach Hope?0:56:32 - Get in Touch With ZachAnd if you love I Hate It Here, sign up to Hebba’s newsletter! It’s for jaded, overworked, and emotionally burnt-out HR/People Operations professionals needing a little inspiration.https://workweek.com/discover-newsletters/i-hate-it-here-newsletter/ And if you love the podcast, be sure to check out  https://www.youtube.com/@ihateit-here for even more exclusive insider content!Follow Zach:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zacharynunnphr/Follow Hebba: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ihateit-here/videosLinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/hebba-youssefTwitter: https://twitter.com/hebbamyoussef

I’m back in your ears with another banger of an episode, and this one’s the season finale!I couldn’t think of a better way to wrap things up than by geeking out with my incredibly impressive friend Jeet Mukerji, co-founder and CEO of Kinfolk.Whether you’re an AI skeptic or a full-on tech enthusiast, there is a lot of food for thought to digest.Are you ready to unlock the full potential of your workforce? PI empowers organizations to align talent with business strategy, helping you drive results and build a culture where your people truly thrive. Transform how you hire, engage, and lead—visit predictiveindex.com to learn how you can create meaningful change in your organization today!00:02:25 - A Topic Jeet Has Been Interested in Lately00:03:57 - What Inspired Jeet to Build Kinfolk?00:06:00 - The Biggest Challenges HR Teams Face With Employee Requests00:11:01 - Why AI Complements the Human Piece of HR, Not Replaces00:16:09 - The Biggest Misconceptions About AI in HR00:21:10 - Using Data to Show Why AI Will Improve Efficiency in HR00:28:58 - Can AI Handle the Nuances of Emotion in Text?00:36:03 - Can AI be Used to Make a More Equitable, Inclusive Workplace?00:42:00 - A Bold, Groundbreaking Thing Jeet Would Love to See in HR00:44:49 - The Biggest Hurdle in HR Teams Adopting AI ToolsAnd if you love I Hate It Here, sign up to Hebba’s newsletter! It’s for jaded, overworked, and emotionally burnt-out HR/People Operations professionals needing a little inspiration.https://workweek.com/discover-newsletters/i-hate-it-here-newsletter/ And if you love the podcast, be sure to check out  https://www.youtube.com/@ihateit-here for even more exclusive insider content!Follow Jeet:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeetmukerji/Follow Hebba: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ihateit-here/videosLinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/hebba-youssefTwitter: https://twitter.com/hebbamyoussef

I’ve been on a mission this season to learn something new in every episode, and today? Buckle up, because we’re diving into the world of investing and retirement planning—and I promise, it’s way more interesting than it sounds!It’s also an incredibly important topic that not enough people in our roles are talking about at length.Unfortunately, financial stress is the #1 stressor for most people, and HR leaders are no exception. But here’s the thing: investing doesn’t have to be a jargon-filled nightmare!So in this episode, Breene Murphy and I are breaking down what HR leaders need to know about investing—no fluff, no confusing terms, just practical insights to help you build a retirement plan that works for your company and your people!Are you ready to unlock the full potential of your workforce? PI empowers organizations to align talent with business strategy, helping you drive results and build a culture where your people truly thrive. Transform how you hire, engage, and lead—visit predictiveindex.com to learn how you can create meaningful change in your organization today!00:03:16 - A Topic Breene Has Been Interested in Lately00:05:46 - One Thing Every HR Leader Should Know About Investing00:09:52 - Why It’s so Important for HR Leaders to Understand Investing00:13:17 - The Best Ways to Evaluate Your 401k Providers00:25:46 - Why Newer Generations Contribute Less to Their Retirement Funds00:42:12 - The Biggest Mistakes HR Leaders Make When it Comes to Offering Benefits00:51:32 - What Breene Would Change About How Companies Approach Investing00:53:17 - Tools and Resources to Learn About InvestingAnd if you love I Hate It Here, sign up to Hebba’s newsletter! It’s for jaded, overworked, and emotionally burnt-out HR/People Operations professionals needing a little inspiration.https://workweek.com/discover-newsletters/i-hate-it-here-newsletter/ And if you love the podcast, be sure to check out  https://www.youtube.com/@ihateit-here for even more exclusive insider content!Follow Breene:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/breene-murphy-climate-friendly-401k/Follow Hebba: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ihateit-here/videosLinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/hebba-youssefTwitter: https://twitter.com/hebbamyoussef

Recruiting is rough right now.Job seekers are frustrated, recruiters are overwhelmed, and everyone’s wondering, “Is it just me, or is this whole system broken?” In this episode, I sit down with Kiersten Greggs, founder of Trap Recruiter and a 24-year recruiting veteran, to unpack the chaos. Kiersten pulls back the curtain on what’s really happening in today’s job market, why recruiters are the unsung heroes of HR, and how both candidates and hiring teams can navigate this mess.Are you ready to unlock the full potential of your workforce? PI empowers organizations to align talent with business strategy, helping you drive results and build a culture where your people truly thrive. Transform how you hire, engage, and lead—visit predictiveindex.com to learn how you can create meaningful change in your organization today!00:02:19 - A Topic Keirsten Has Been Interested in Lately00:05:03 - What is Happening in Today’s Market?00:10:01 - How Will the Job Market Look in the Next Year?00:14:06 - How to Stand Out During a Hiring Process00:23:04 - Why Does Everybody Think You Need to Beat the ATS?00:29:14 - Using AI for Resumes or Job Searching00:36:39 - The Biggest Inefficiencies in the TA Process Right Now00:44:16 - How Long Should the Overall Interview Process be?00:51:46 - What is the Most Important Part of the Candidate Experience? 00:57:03 - The One Tip Kiersten Would Give RecriutersAnd if you love I Hate It Here, sign up to Hebba’s newsletter! It’s for jaded, overworked, and emotionally burnt-out HR/People Operations professionals needing a little inspiration.https://workweek.com/discover-newsletters/i-hate-it-here-newsletter/ And if you love the podcast, be sure to check out https://www.youtube.com/@ihateit-here for even more exclusive insider content!Follow Keirsten:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/traprecruiter/Follow Hebba: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ihateit-here/videosLinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/hebba-youssefTwitter: https://twitter.com/hebbamyoussef

Work is changing FAST. Between global pandemics, remote work, and the Great Reshuffle, it’s no wonder we’re all feeling a little unhinged!Nothing like building a deep work connection to help you adjust to it all, eh?That’s why this week’s episode is a fun (slightly wild) ride with Chris Hagood, CEO of AstutEdge and all-around HR powerhouse. We’re covering everything from the role of work friendships to whether you’d take $10,000 to return to the office (spoiler: Chris has thoughts). Plus, we’re throwing in some HR raps courtesy of ChatGPT because why not?!Whether you’re here for the laughs, the insights, or just to feel less alone in your corner of chaos, this episode has it all. Are you ready to unlock the full potential of your workforce? PI empowers organizations to align talent with business strategy, helping you drive results and build a culture where your people truly thrive. Transform how you hire, engage, and lead—visit predictiveindex.com to learn how you can create meaningful change in your organization today!00:03:00 - A Topic Chris Has Been Interested in Lately00:08:04 - What the F&*%$ is Going on in the World?00:11:34 - Does Christ Have a Best Friend in Life That he Met at Work?00:13:52 - Should HR Play an Active Role in Fostering Friendships at Work?00:17:19 - Would You Take $10,000 to Return to the Office?00:23:00 - Professional Myths or Facts00:33:35 - Yes or No?00:37:08 - HR Raps From ChatGPT00:42:12 - 3 Things HR Definitely Shouldn’t Say And if you love I Hate It Here, sign up to Hebba’s newsletter! It’s for jaded, overworked, and emotionally burnt-out HR/People Operations professionals needing a little inspiration.https://workweek.com/discover-newsletters/i-hate-it-here-newsletter/ And if you love the podcast, be sure to check out https://www.youtube.com/@ihateit-here for even more exclusive insider content!Follow Chris:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrisrhagood/Follow Hebba: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ihateit-here/videosLinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/hebba-youssefTwitter: https://twitter.com/hebbamyoussefHostile Government Takeover Song Gallup Best Friend at Work survey

There’s more to people than what you see when they show up for work. Stories matter because we are in the age of radical authenticity and transparency.Exciting? Yes! Challenging? Also yes.Torrin Ellis, a powerhouse in recruitment, talent development, and operationalizing diversity and inclusion is here to break it all down! We’ll unpack Torrin’s latest report, Reducing Bias in HR Using AI, and explore building trust, vulnerability, and doing things differently to push humanity further and deeper into your respective organization.Plus, we’ll tackle the scary stuff—like how to do the right thing even when it’s hard and why re-skilling is non-negotiable in the age of AI.Don’t worry, we’ll also squeeze in some hot takes on the Super Bowl performance because, well, priorities.Tune in, take notes, and let’s make work better, one uncomfortable conversation at a time.Are you ready to unlock the full potential of your workforce? PI empowers organizations to align talent with business strategy, helping you drive results and build a culture where your people truly thrive. Transform how you hire, engage, and lead—visit predictiveindex.com to learn how you can create meaningful change in your organization today!00:05:01 - How Hebba and Torin Met00:10:26 - Breakdown of the Superbowl Performance00:18:42 - Understanding Bias and Prejudice 00:30:22 - What Inspired Torin’s Report about Reducing Bias in HR using AI00:38:56 - The Pros and Cons of Capitalism00:44:35 - Doing the Right Thing, Even When It’s Scary00:51:09 - Torin’s ONE Takeaway You Should Have From This Episode00:53:37 - Get in Touch With TorinAnd if you love I Hate It Here, sign up to Hebba’s newsletter! It’s for jaded, overworked, and emotionally burnt-out HR/People Operations professionals needing a little inspiration.https://workweek.com/discover-newsletters/i-hate-it-here-newsletter/ And if you love the podcast, be sure to check out https://www.youtube.com/@ihateit-here for even more exclusive insider content!Follow Torin:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/torinellis/Follow Hebba: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ihateit-here/videosLinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/hebba-youssefTwitter: https://twitter.com/hebbamyoussef