HR Unplugged

Company culture sits at the heart of every organization, whether it’s been carefully defined or otherwise. But how can managers ensure they’re building a culture of collaboration, compassion and strong communication? To foster a positive company culture, you must connect it to your mission, vision and values, establish clear goals and respond positively to employee feedback. Get the culture right and passionate employees, satisfied customers and improved business performance will follow. On this episode, our Head of HR, Anita Grantham, and HR Business Partner, Vanessa Brulotte, explore how you can take your company culture from good to great. They discuss how to identify if your culture is working, develop culture in a fully remote team and promote teamwork and collaboration. Key moments: How to establish clear goals in your culture strategy Making space for compassionate conversations The best ways to improve your communication How to connect your culture to your mission, vision and values Identifying how to foster collaboration and teamwork The best ways to measure employee feedback and adjust your culture strategy How to communicate how you want your teams to focus on collaboration and culture Key links: Culture Checklist: 12 Ways to Improve Your Company Culture: https://www.bamboohr.com/resources/whitepapers/culture-checklist?formSubmit=success  The Definitive Guide to Company Culture [eBook]: https://www.bamboohr.com/resources/ebooks/definitive-guide-company-culture?formSubmit=success  Your Guide to Creating Company Values [eBook]: https://www.bamboohr.com/resources/ebooks/guide-company-values?formSubmit=success Subscribe to HR Unplugged Series: https://www.bamboohr.com/resources/podcasts/hr-unplugged/ Join HR Heros Slack Community: https://join.slack.com/t/hrheroesworkspace/shared_invite/zt-21ad3f1r8-dkWC2EdmyhxUAHw9cGLdQw

As HR leaders, we’re in the business of people – and if your people aren’t happy, it can cause major roadblocks for a business, drive top talent away, and affect company culture. We invited Jennifer Decker, Director of HR and Senior Client Services Manager at Donaldson Capital Management, to join HR Unplugged and share her insights into what HR can do to boost employee happiness, wellbeing, and engagement. Jennifer and BambooHR’s Anita Grantham and Vanessa Brulotte explore the actions HR leaders can take, why employee happiness is decreasing across industries and the best practices for improving morale.  For more, don’t forget to subscribe to HR Unplugged Series: https://www.bamboohr.com/resources/podcasts/hr-unplugged/     Join the conversation with our HR Heros Slack Community: https://join.slack.com/t/hrheroesworkspace/shared_invite/zt-21ad3f1r8-dkWC2EdmyhxUAHw9cGLdQw  Key Moments: Why employee happiness is decreasing  How the economy is affecting employee satisfaction Why HR leaders should focus on increasing employee engagement Best practices for improving employee morale Pro tips for boosting engagement Actions HR leaders can take to enhance employee wellness Key Links: Connect with Jennifer: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jmdecker/  

With employee retention remaining one of the biggest challenges for companies, it’s more important than ever that you build a great benefits package that keeps top talent on board. Building a comprehensive benefits package for employees can go a long way in helping them feel supported and valued – and it can do wonders for employee retention. To build a total rewards package, you need to think beyond base pay. In fact, in a competitive talent market, competing on compensation alone is no longer enough. To help attract and retain top talent, companies need to go further and offer benefits that employees truly want and need.  In this episode, we welcomed Alex Bertin, Head of Total Rewards at BambooHR, to share his thoughts and advice on building a total rewards package that makes employees feel valued and happy in their roles.  Key Moments: What is the employee value proposition? Why you should connect rewards to your company mission Defining total rewards strategy Why you may need to “re-recruit” employees How to decide which benefits to offer How to make data-driven decisions about benefits How we approach benefits at BambooHR For more insights into becoming a great HR leader, subscribe to the HR Unplugged series or join our HR Heroes Slack community. 

Competition for talent is at an all time high, and this trend extends to the HR industry as well. To optimize recruitment efforts, processes need to be rigorous. So what are the most effective best practices for identifying ideal candidates?  On this episode of HR Unplugged, Anita Grantham, Head of HR, and Vanessa Brulotte, Human Resources Business Partner, are joined by Mason Calaiaro, Leadership Talent Acquisition Manager at Greenhouse Software. Mason shares expert tips on choosing the right hires, eliminating bias and implementing quiet hiring the right way. Plus, she provides advice on building a positive candidate experience and tells us why scorecards form the perfect foundation for a structured hiring process. Key Links: Connect with Mason on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mason-calaiaro-10267634/  Subscribe to the HR Unplugged Series: https://www.bamboohr.com/resources/podcasts/hr-unplugged/ Join the HR Heros Slack Community: https://join.slack.com/t/hrheroesworkspace/shared_invite/zt-21ad3f1r8-dkWC2EdmyhxUAHw9cGLdQw 

It doesn’t matter what industry you’re in, leaders are absolutely crucial to the future of your business.  $366 million is spent globally on leadership development per year and around half of that is in the US alone. There’s also proof that this figure will grow, so what should businesses and HR teams be thinking about when it comes to fostering the next generation of leaders? In this HR Unplugged episode, BambooHR’s Human Resources Business Partner, Vanessa Brulotte, joins Head of HR, Anita Grantham, to discuss how to best equip the next generation of leaders. Plus, they explore how leadership is changing, the power of mentorship and why leadership strategy should be directly linked to company strategy. Key Moments: The importance of building tomorrow’s leaders Why leadership development spend will continue to rise How leaders can align with business strategies What leaders should consider for their leadership development programs Applying ‘radical candor’ to your system The skills required of tomorrow’s leaders Navigating the next generation of leaders through rapid change Managing multi-generational teams Should leadership development programs be led by founders of HR staff? Key Links: Subscribe to the HR Unplugged Series: https://www.bamboohr.com/resources/podcasts/hr-unplugged/ Join the HR Heros Slack Community: https://join.slack.com/t/hrheroesworkspace/shared_invite/zt-21ad3f1r8-dkWC2EdmyhxUAHw9cGLdQw 

The use of AI tools is growing in just about every industry right now, and HR is no exception. In fact, many HR leaders are using it as part of their day-to-day processes and are seeing great results.  However, AI is not a replacement for HR professionals, and it’s important to be aware of the shortcomings as well as the benefits. To get a well-rounded picture of the state of AI in HR, we welcomed the Head of AI at BambooHR, Alan Whitaker, to the podcast. Alan explores the pros and cons of using AI, as well as some important elements to be aware of, such as security, bias, and compliance issues. He also explains a little about how we’re using AI at BambooHR and our plans for the future. Key Moments: Why we use AI at BambooHR What AI tools are useful for in the workplace The shortfalls of AI  The state of AI in HR today Different use cases for AI in HR How AI can benefit HR leaders How to protect data while using AI tools AI problems that we need to overcome in HR  BambooHR’s AI plans in the future Key Links: Connect with Alan on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/digiduke/ 

Many companies have a small HR department, maybe even a couple of people, to handle HR for the entire business. It can be tricky to manage as a small team, but we’ve put together some best practices to help.  In this HR Unplugged episode, we welcomed Lisa Lindsey, Founder, Consultant & Coach of Peale Piper, to share her tips and tricks for small HR teams.  Key Moments: What a small HR team looks like  When to hire another HR professional Why you should think about company goals  How to deal with a lack of leadership support Interview questions to ask before taking a new HR role Why you need to speak the language of the business How to walk away from a role Challenges for small HR teams Why HR teams should embrace technology  Key Links:  Connect with Lisa on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/llindsey/ 

Brought on by an uncertain economic environment and augmented by the pandemic, ‘quiet hiring’ has become a phenomenon that is starting to reshape the workplace. But what is it and what does it mean for HR leaders?  In this episode of HR Unplugged, Head of HR Anita Grantham and HR Business Partner Vanessa Brulotte welcome Senior Manager & HR Business Partner Kelsey Tarp to the show to talk more about this.  They walk us through the three different kinds of quiet hiring, lay out the pros and cons and cover best practices, while also providing expert responses to some of the biggest questions HR leaders are asking.  Key points:  The three kinds of quiet hiring Who is quiet hiring for? Why it’s not for everyone The pros of quiet hiring The cons of quiet hiring How to handle ‘no shows’  Quiet hiring best practices  

Employee turnover and how to reduce it is often one of the biggest challenges we face in HR. However, it’s a fact of life that employees will leave one day, and it’s something that HR leaders need to deal with in the right way. Whether employees are leaving by choice or through layoffs, it’s important to make the leaving process as positive an experience as possible. Not only will this help with the transition, but it’ll also help protect existing employees and the leavers themselves, who may even return to the company one day. In this episode of HR Unplugged, Head of HR Anita Grantham, and Vanessa Brulotte, HR Business Partner, share insights and advice on how to make leaving a better experience, what to do about low performers, and how to handle layoffs the right way. Key Moments: Why you should set turnover targets by department How to get ahead of turnover Analyzing the reasons why people leave  Why you shouldn’t try to stop employees who want to leave What you can do to reduce turnover Why you should find a successor How to approach layoffs

When the time comes for you to move on from a company, you set the tone for how you want to leave things. Being a good leaver means walking away on good terms and making the process a positive experience both for you and the company you’re moving on from. To discuss this in more detail, we invited Jennifer Pomerantz, Director of People Operations at Zuva, to join BambooHR’s Anita Grantham and Vanessa Brulotte on the podcast.  We discuss the things to consider before leaving a role, how to be your own advocate, SOPs, and how leaders can deal with people leaving.  Key Moments: How leaders can handle job-hopping candidates Red flags in a company or new hire to watch out for What to consider before leaving a role Why you need to advocate for yourself and your career The problems with staying in a role that’s not right for you How leaders can talk about employees leaving How to implement SOPs and checklists around leavers Why you should always aim to leave things better than you found them Why you should try to speak positively about your time at an organization Tips for conducting reference checks How HR can support leaders and improve company culture