HR Unplugged

Does your organization have a plan for succession? When high performers are looking for their next challenge, they have a choice. They find it elsewhere in another company and role or they move to the next stage of their career journey in your organization. But without a solid plan for succession from your leaders, it’s often the former option that people take.In this episode, recorded live at a recent event, Anita and Vanessa sit down with Jessica Zwaan, the Chief Operating Officer at Talentful and author of the brilliant book, ‘Built for People: Transform Your Employee Experience Using Product Management Principles.’Jessica shares her unique perspective on transforming employee experiences using product management principles. We dive deep into the differences between succession planning and growth planning, and Jessica offers valuable advice for HR leaders, especially those in small teams. She highlights the importance of understanding the business' economic outlook and how HR can directly contribute to making or saving money. Jessica explains that when leaders help to develop their own successors, this is a far better investment than bringing new people in to replace those who leave. She explains how this ties into the Employee Customer Acquisition Cost (ECAC) and how factors like tenure and performance can be powerful levers in improving this metric.Key moments: Jessica explains the topics in her bookAdvice on succession planning for teams of one The differences between succession and growth planning Why business leaders and HR need to know the business fundamentals How we can incentivize leaders to grow their successors Why succession planning is a better investment than acquiring new talent Succession when tied to tenure and performance Building a strategy around succession planning How employees can learn and develop Focusing on the bigger picture when asking for a tech solution Why succession planning needs to happen from day one if you’re a growing companyKey links: Subscribe to HR Unplugged Series: https://www.bamboohr.com/resources/podcasts/hr-unplugged/Join HR Heroes Slack Community: https://join.slack.com/t/hrheroesworkspace/shared_invite/zt-21ad3f1r8-dkWC2EdmyhxUAHw9cGLdQwBamboo HR Homepage: https://www.bamboohr.com/Connect with Jessica on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessicamayzwaan/Learn more about Jessica and her book: https://www.jessicamayzwaan.com/

The big question in this episode of HR Unplugged is how do you define your business values? Anita and Vanessa dive into the importance of not only defining, but also implementing business values, covering topics such as the pivotal role of company values in shaping organizational culture, using mission and vision statements as the foundation for defining these values, and the process of helping team members live those values daily. They also discuss practical steps for startups and established organizations alike to identify and refine their values through team feedback and leadership guidance. The episode is packed with real-life examples from Bamboo's own journey, highlighting values such as 'Assume the Best,' 'Be Open,' and 'Do the Right Thing,' and offers insightful tips on how to incorporate these principles into the employee experience and recruitment process.Key moments: The importance of defining business valuesIdentifying and defining company valuesReal-life examples and practical applicationsConnecting values to your mission and visionImpact of company values on businessImplementing and living company valuesKey links: Subscribe to HR Unplugged Series: https://www.bamboohr.com/resources/podcasts/hr-unplugged/Join HR Heroes Slack Community: https://join.slack.com/t/hrheroesworkspace/shared_invite/zt-21ad3f1r8-dkWC2EdmyhxUAHw9cGLdQwBamboo HR Homepage: https://www.bamboohr.com/

How do you align new hires with company values? On this episode of HR Unplugged, host Anita Grantham welcomes Megan Galloway, founder of Everleader, as a special guest to discuss this in detail and provide practical tips.Megan shares insights from her collaboration with BambooHR in evolving their onboarding process. One of the key challenges discussed is the lack of time managers have to properly onboard new employees while under pressure to meet productivity goals. The conversation delves into the importance of leadership buy-in and the critical role managers play in the onboarding process – which should not solely be an HR responsibility!They discuss the ways onboarding presents a valuable opportunity to instil company values and create a common language within an organization. Through practical examples, Megan illustrates how experiential learning can significantly enhance retention and integration of company values. They also cover the need for onboarding programs to go beyond orientation by making the learning process interactive and relevant to new employees' day-to-day roles. Plus, Megan gives her suggestions for metrics to gauge onboarding effectiveness, such as time to productivity and employee satisfaction. Key moments: Challenges in onboarding programsThe importance of company values in onboardingMarking onboarding experiential Remote onboarding strategiesMeasuring successCommon mistakes in onboardingImmersive onboarding processesImmediate tools for new hiresDefining and living company valuesBalancing work and personal lifeKey links: Subscribe to HR Unplugged Series: https://www.bamboohr.com/resources/podcasts/hr-unplugged/Join HR Heroes Slack Community: https://join.slack.com/t/hrheroesworkspace/shared_invite/zt-21ad3f1r8-dkWC2EdmyhxUAHw9cGLdQwBamboo HR Homepage: https://www.bamboohr.com/

Delivering feedback can be a daunting process (on both sides) but coming to it with a commitment to improvement will help you take the best steps forward. In this episode of HR Unplugged, Head of HR Anita Grantham sits down with Rebecca Port, the Chief People Officer at 10x Genomics. Together, they swap tips on the best approaches for delivering feedback – both positive and negative. They explore the benefits of continuous feedback, how role-playing can help you tackle difficult discussions, and why all feedback should be delivered with kindness, care, and compassion.  Rebecca also breaks down the SCARF framework (status, certainty, autonomy, relatedness, fairness) to help you structure feedback sessions effectively and the research-backed benefits of positive feedback and recognition. Key moments: How to help managers deliver constructive feedback The benefits of continuous feedback How the SCARF method can help you deliver feedback How to make managers comfortable with giving constructive criticism Why managers need to be committed to an employee’s success Why the intention of the feedback needs to be clear How positive feedback impacts performance  Key links: Subscribe to HR Unplugged Series: https://www.bamboohr.com/resources/podcasts/hr-unplugged/Join HR Heroes Slack Community: https://join.slack.com/t/hrheroesworkspace/shared_invite/zt-21ad3f1r8-dkWC2EdmyhxUAHw9cGLdQwBamboo HR Homepage: https://www.bamboohr.com/Connect with Rebecca on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rebeccaport/

John Baldino, President of Humareso and an HR expert with over 30 years of experience, discusses vital aspects of a clear compensation philosophy. He highlights the importance of accurate job descriptions over inflated titles to ensure employee satisfaction. Baldino also delves into using data analytics to promote pay equity and address salary outliers. He emphasizes the need for transparency in compensation discussions during the hiring process, advocating for open communication to align hiring practices with organizational needs.

HR may not always swim in the same waters as finance, but there are plenty of benefits to building a good working relationship between the two teams. In this episode of HR Unplugged, we welcomed BambooHR’s Chief Financial Officer, Justin Judd, to share the perspective of a finance team leader working closely with HR. Justin is a big believer that HR and finance teaming up pays dividends to the wider business and individual team members. Hear him explain the benefits, how a team partnership can help to minimize conflict and solve problems faster, and what to do if your teams aren’t aligned on the same goals. Key moments:Tips for building a relationship between finance and HRHow to prioritize it and what to do if some team leaders don’t want toThe benefits of HR and finance working together Why communication between teams should be constantHow to deal with conflict between teamsHow operations can get in alignment with HR and financeKey links:Subscribe to HR Unplugged Series: https://www.bamboohr.com/resources/podcasts/hr-unplugged/Join HR Heroes Slack Community: https://join.slack.com/t/hrheroesworkspace/shared_invite/zt-21ad3f1r8-dkWC2EdmyhxUAHw9cGLdQwBamboo HR Homepage: https://www.bamboohr.com/Connect with Justin on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/justin-judd-48b0a08/

Modern tech tools can make managing HR more efficient and solve common pain points for HR teams. But how do you decide what tech you really need? Each HR team has different needs and priorities, but building an efficient tech stack is a game-changer for modern HR teams. With the right tools, you can save time and energy, leaving your team free to focus on the things you’re best at – building and maintaining relationships for the good of the wider business.If you’re new to building a tech stack, you might be wondering where to start. Or, if you already have one in place but it’s not working as well as you’d hope, how to streamline things.In this episode, BambooHR’s Head of HR, Anita Grantham sits down with Lauren Nathanson, VP of People Operations at Axios, to talk about what really needs to be in your tech stack. We discuss how you can get started, which tool types to prioritize, how to make decisions based on company goals and pain points, and how to refine an existing tech stack.Key moments:The biggest challenges to building a tech stackThe first step for building a tech stackHow to prioritize what problems to solve firstAligning your tech stack to business strategiesConsolidating your existing tech stackWhat every HR team needsMetrics to measure with tech toolsHow to get the timing rightHow to manage your tech stack as a large vs. small HR teamKey links:Subscribe to HR Unplugged Series: https://www.bamboohr.com/resources/podcasts/hr-unplugged/Join HR Heroes Slack Community: https://join.slack.com/t/hrheroesworkspace/shared_invite/zt-21ad3f1r8-dkWC2EdmyhxUAHw9cGLdQw/Bamboo HR Homepage: https://www.bamboohr.com/

Is it time to scale your HR team? Deciding when and how to scale the HR department can be a delicate task. Who do you hire? What role should your second HR person play? How do you scale in a small or large company? If these questions are on your mind, then this episode is for you. BambooHR’s Head of HR, Anita Grantham, and HR Business Partner, Vanessa Brulotte, sit down to explore the best practices for making your next HR hire.They explain why you should always start with a solid strategy that reflects the company’s mission and values, how to decide what type of role to hire for next, and the best ways to scale your team effectively.Key moments:Why you need a solid strategy to scale your HR teamHow to decide what type of role to hire for nextWhy you should consider retention and employee experience in your strategyWhy scaling your HR team is good for the overall companyHow teams should scale Advice for small companies looking to grow their HR teams Key links:Subscribe to HR Unplugged Series: https://www.bamboohr.com/resources/podcasts/hr-unplugged/Join HR Heroes Slack Community: https://join.slack.com/t/hrheroesworkspace/shared_invite/zt-21ad3f1r8-dkWC2EdmyhxUAHw9cGLdQw/Bamboo HR Homepage: https://www.bamboohr.com/

When CEOs team up with their HR leaders, it can only mean good things for the wider business. It means a more strategic recruitment drive, better performance management, and more alignment on company goals.In this episode of HR Unplugged, Vanessa Brulotte and Anita Grantham sat down with Sam Devyver, the CEO of EasyLlama, live from Vegas at the Transform 2024 event to talk about how to make that all-important relationship happen.Sam shares his take as a CEO who works closely with HR professionals on how to build that relationship, mistakes to avoid, and the benefits of integrating HR into other business functions.Key moments:Why a close working relationship between HR and CEOs is importantThe benefits of HR being aligned on business initiativesSam explains his experience as a CEO working closely with HRAdvice for CEOs and HR leaders to build that relationshipWhy trust is keySam’s advice on bringing HR into different areas of the businessKey links:Subscribe to HR Unplugged Series: https://www.bamboohr.com/resources/podcasts/hr-unplugged/Join HR Heroes Slack Community: https://join.slack.com/t/hrheroesworkspace/shared_invite/zt-21ad3f1r8-dkWC2EdmyhxUAHw9cGLdQw/Bamboo HR Homepage: https://www.bamboohr.com/Connect with Sam on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samueldevyver/

Anita Grantham, Head of HR, and Vanessa Brulotte, HR Business Partner, share insights on managing firings and layoffs with compassion. They discuss best practices, dos and don'ts, breaking the news, tying processes to company mission, crisis management, and reassuring remaining employees. Key focus on termination meetings, handling references, and navigating core competencies for former employees.