We're Only Human

"There's a lot of blame going around. Rumors, gossip, people are on their guard.  So this kind of hidden anger and passive aggressiveness that I have seen, [what's] always an eye-opener with clients is how many people need to be CC'd on any given email. So the more people that are CC'd in anything gives you an indication: there's a bit of fear, and so that shows that there's generally low trust." Faye Ekong, Managing Director, RavelWorks Africa We're Only Human -- Episode 116 In the organizational context of change management, it's easy to become frustrated or flustered with people about how they feel about policies and decisions. But as Faye Ekong so clearly illustrates in this conversation on We're Only Human, we should hold them accountable for their actions, not how they feel. In addition, Faye shares insights on organizational health (and a lack of it) with examples that will make you smile and nod along with her. Her work in Africa in may ways reflects the work of HR leaders around the globe, and her advice is helpful for driving better change and HR outcomes.  Connect with Faye and RavelWorks: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ravelworks/?originalSubdomain=kehttps://www.linkedin.com/in/faye-ekong/?originalSubdomain=ke Learn more about We're Only Human, check out past episodes, and more: http://lhra.io/podcast See the show archives and sign up for episode updates

"So the nerdy neuroscience about the brain is that your brain can't distinguish between a real-time event or if you visualized it.  But when you when you walk yourself mentally, emotionally, visually through those things, and you just see yourself doing them and being successful, that's the really key piece."Roger Kitchen, Mental Skills Coach We're Only Human -- Episode 115 High-performing individuals in music, athletics, and even business use coaches to help them accomplish their goals, but have you ever thought about the importance of mental skills at work? For knowledge workers (and HR leaders), the vast majority of performance isn't physical in nature, it's mental. And yet we let ourselves continue doing what we've always done, missing opportunities to create better performance and work habits. In this fun interview with Roger Kitchen, a mental skills coach, Ben and Roger dive into the key aspects of creating good work habits, focusing mental performance, and driving better satisfaction and resilience. Connect with Roger on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rogerkitchenjr/ Learn more about We're Only Human, see previous episodes, and subscribe: http://lhra.io/podcast See the show archives and sign up for episode updates

"What I see is that we're no longer working from home. We're living at work. And so how do we help employees work differently?"Maribeth Bearfield, Chief Human Resources Officer, Bright Horizons We're Only Human -- Episode 114 In the last year, employers have struggled with how to support workers in a rapidly changing environment. Even today as some things change, others stay the same. During this episode, Ben talks with Maribeth Bearfield about how she looks at the human side of benefits that her team offers the workforce. Learn about the new Horizons program that allows employees to earn a free education, creating new opportunities for the firm's diverse workforce and an exciting legacy of impact on the communities in which it serves. Did you know that of the various assets on a balance sheet, people don't show up? After all, they aren't property, equipment, or materials. However, they do show up in the skills and innovation that they bring to the table. Maribeth also talks about the value of intangibles, which is where the value of your people really shine.  Connect with Maribeth: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maribeth-nash-bearfield-9002822/ Connect with Bright Horizons: https://www.brighthorizons.com/ See the show archives and sign up for episode updates

"If this week a leader acknowledges [employee feedback], next week, the person is eight times more likely to participate again than if the leader said nothing the week before." Ruby Kolesky, Co-CEO and Head of Product, JoyousWe're Only Human -- Episode 113 What's your stance on employee feedback and anonymity? In today's conversation with Mike and Ruby from Joyous, they share a bold proposal: stop making employee feedback anonymous, because you're telling them that it's something to be worried about. Instead, they advocate for open feedback that can help to identify issues, engage support, and drive the best outcomes. In the discussion, the team talks about research they've done among employers asking for and acting upon feedback from their people, and they also talk about what it takes to create the environment where people can share their best ideas with the rest of the organization, making everyone's work (and workplace) better. Connect with Mike and Ruby: https://joyoushq.com/ Ben's favorite Joyous case study: https://joyoushq.com/blog/post/launching-lockdown-genesis  See the We're Only Human archives, subscribe, and learn more about the show: https://lhra.io/podcast See the show archives and sign up for episode updates

My preference in work was not towards optimizing machinery, but helping optimize work processes for people.Tim Gardner, Former Organizational Development Consultant at Kimberly-Clark (retired) We're Only Human -- Episode 112 If you're an introvert in HR, you're not alone. Recently I shared a piece on LinkedIn about introverts in HR and the value of introversion, and the piece received thousands of likes and comments. Apparently my own preference for introversion is in good company!In today's podcast discussion, Tim Gardner, an admitted introvert and experienced organizational development leader, talks about designing work around people instead of forcing people to bend around the work. His background as an engineer (yes, really!) gives him a unique and powerful perspective on HR, process design, and business operations. Towards the end of the discussion, I ask Tim to talk about legacy and impact, and it's a great set of ideas for all of us as we think about the lasting impressions of our work and relationships on the world.  Connect with Tim: https://www.linkedin.com/in/timjgardner/ Learn more about We're Only Human and see show archives: https://lhra.io/were-only-human-podcast/ See the show archives and sign up for episode updates

"The platform was up and running literally weeks after the pandemic hit. And through this platform they saved 2,000 jobs, so it's also about saving jobs by redeploying people effectively when the times are needed."Jerome Ternynck, Founder and CEO, SmartRecruiters We're Only Human -- Episode 111 In some brand new research, we found that internal hiring and talent mobility is a key priority for employers in the coming year, and they measure success through increased diversity, lower cost to hire, and better performance and retention. These factors all feed into today's conversation. In this interview with Jerome Ternynck, Founder and CEO of SmartRecruiters (and one of the  most passionate people about hiring on the planet), we dive into what virtual recruiting looked like in 2020, how employers are adopting internal talent marketplaces to support internal hiring and employee mobility, and what it takes to lead the business as a talent acquisition leader. We also look at SmartRecruiters' intense commitment to equitable hiring and share the playbook SmartRecruiters uses to support these practices internally.  Resources:See the DEI hiring playbook: hiringsuccess.comCheck out new research on priorities for 2021/2022 in talent acquisition: https://lhra.io/blog/new-research-virtual-hiring-recruiter-skills-and-internal-mobility/ See the show archives and sign up for episode updates

"I think as HR leaders, one of the biggest things that we have to do is never lose sight of the people."Erika Lance, SVP of People Operations at KnowBe4 We're Only Human -- Episode 110 According to research, organizations face an average cost of over $3 million for a cybersecurity breach. Do we have your attention? In today's episode, Ben talks with Erika Lance of KnowBe4 about the importance of cybersecurity and how HR can play an active role in supporting this critical business issue. At the end of the day, cybersecurity is primarily a people issue more than anything else, and Erika will share tips and strategies for how to make this a priority in your organization. She will also share tips on building better stakeholder relationships with IT and information security teams, which strengthens HR's credibility with the business.  Learn more: knowbe4.comConnect with Erika on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/erikalance/ See our archives and subscribe: http://lhra.io/podcastSee the show archives and sign up for episode updates

"It's about understanding that workforce isn't a recruiting job. It isn't a leadership job. It's everybody's job. If you have needs in the workforce, you must communicate them. And the vehicle to do that is our recruiting team."Betty Jo Rocchio, Chief Nursing Officer, Mercy We're Only Human -- Episode 109 One of the consistent priorities in our research over the last few years for recruiters is to align with the business and build deep, strategic partnerships. In today's episode, you'll get unique insights from Mercy about how the talent acquisition leadership interacts and engages with its nursing operations leaders. Ben talks with Kayla Drady and Betty Jo Rocchio about their partnership, how they interact with and support each other (especially during COVID times), and what lessons they think other talent and business leaders could use to create deeper relationships. In this episode you'll learn how to create that lasting, impactful relationship with key stakeholders, including the role of skill data, analytics tools, and more.  Learn about Mercy's recruiting activities and openings here: careers.mercy.netLearn about Mercy's mission: mercy.net/about/ Thanks to Phenom for introducing us to Mercy! See our episode archives for We're Only Human and subscribe: http://lhra.io/podcast   See the show archives and sign up for episode updates

"We are what we call a conversational AI platform, the main product being our AI assistant, which was built with a really simple kind of mission to create magical experiences for candidates." Josh Zywein, Paradox.ai We're Only Human -- Episode 108 Chatbots aren't new. Most of us have used them as consumers to get support when we visit a website for a cable or mobile phone provider. Plus, in our last report on chatbots in the recruiting technology space a few years ago, we found over 25 different companies offering bots and tools to help employers automate and streamline their hiring.But not all of them are cut from the same cloth. In this interview with Josh Zywein from Paradox.ai, we talk about how recruiting chatbots have evolved and how the company's bot (Olivia) has served customers like Nestle, McDonald's, CVS Health, and others. We also talk about why chatbots aren't a "DIY" project and what you can get with a dedicated, purpose-built system.  Check out the show archives, subscribe, and more Connect with Josh, Olivia or the Paradox team: http://paradox.ai (you can even chat w/Olivia on the website!)Email: josh@paradox.ai See the show archives and sign up for episode updates

"What different actions can we take going forward? So whether it was an implementation to our benefits plan or whether it was rolling out a new piece to our onboarding process, let's do an analysis at the end... Is there anything that could've made this better? Just one little thing that we could tweak so that we can learn from this." Angie Redmon, striveHR We're Only Human -- Episode 107 Today there's no shortage of employer award programs. Every magazine, business publication, website, and trade association has a version of these programs, and they all look at different elements of how employers support their people. In today's conversation, Ben talks with Angie Redmon of striveHR about how she works with employers to help them win these awards. As you'll hear in the discussion, this is about more than "teaching to the test." It's about fundamentally changing how you care for and support your people, and the journey towards that end goal is perhaps more important than the end goal itself. In the conversation you'll learn the three critical components that lead to a winning strategy over time. Learn more about Angie and connect with her: https://www.linkedin.com/in/angieredmonbestworkplaceadvisor  Find our episode archive, subscribe options on Spotify, Google, Amazon, and more, and learn more about We're Only Human: http://lhra.io/podcast See the show archives and sign up for episode updates