HR Unplugged

Everyone wants to be recognized for doing good work – and yet many leaders don’t make employee recognition a priority.  As a result, employees can feel undervalued and unrecognized for their hard work, and may even start looking for jobs elsewhere. In this episode of HR Unplugged, we welcomed special guest Trevor Larson, CEO of Nectar, to talk about how employee recognition can go a long way in making people feel valued at work. Trevor joins Anita Grantham, Head of HR, and Vanessa Brulotte, HR Business Partner at BambooHR, to explore ways to build recognition into company culture and the benefits of doing so. Key Moments: The benefits of giving employee recognition How recognition can improve employee retention How recognition drives engagement Why businesses struggle to give recognition Two ways companies can start to give recognition How to convince management to prioritize employee recognition Key Links:  Connect with Trevor on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/trevordegnlarson/  

Have you ever seen a valued employee surprise you out of nowhere by leaving for a new job? Watching team members come and go is normal for HR leaders, but sometimes those employees would have stayed if only things were a little different.  In fact, a Gallup survey in 2021 found that 52% of employees say their manager could have done something to prevent them from leaving. However, people aren’t always forthcoming about issues at work and so leaders are often surprised when good employees finally leave.  One thing you can do is hold stay interviews with employees to see where they’re at and if there’s any indication that they might leave. In this episode of HR Unplugged, Anita Grantham, our Head of HR, joins Vanessa Brulotte, our HR Business Partner, to discuss the benefits of holding constructive stay interviews and the best ways to conduct them. Key Moments: What is a stay conversation The benefits of stay conversations for managers How stay interviews benefit employees How to choose who to have stay conversations with Why stay conversations need to come from leaders Questions and topics to cover in stay conversations How Anita responded to Vanessa’s honesty in a stay conversation  Key Links: 5 Ways Managers Can Stop Employee Turnover by Gallup 

Manual processes can slow us all down, which is why automation and AI are such big topics in the business world right now. But when you’re in the business of people like HR, it’s not always simple to optimize and automate. In this episode of HR Unplugged, we sat down with TJ Davis, our Head of People Operations at BambooHR, to hear his perspective on improving manual processes. We hear his approach to continuous improvement, how to decide what to automate, and the best ways to use AI to become more efficient. Key Moments: The biggest challenge when optimizing HR processes Examples of processes that could use automation How to decide what to automate How to use continuous improvement principles  Convincing leadership to move away from manual processes Tools that can help you automate HR processes What you need to know about AI 

In the world of HR, it may seem like a lot of it is hard to quantify and measure. But by digging into “people analytics,” you can start to analyze and learn more about your workforce.  In this HR Unplugged session, BambooHR’s Head of HR, Anita Grantham, sits down with Vanessa Brulotte, Human Resources Business Partner, to talk about data – how we can gather it, what data to focus on, and what we can do with that information to become better business partners.  Key Moments: What is people analytics? What to do if you don’t have engaged employees What HR data can help with Why you should  get clear on which problems you want to solve Why stay interviews are so important How to have unbiased conversations How to pick a HR tool  Top takeaways and advice Key Links: The Definitive Guide to People Analytics: How to Make Better HR Decisions

Want to make sure your new hires hit the ground running?  On this episode of HR Unplugged, Vanessa Brulotte, BambooHR’s Talent Acquisition Manager, is back for an insightful discussion with Anita Grantham, Head of HR, on how we can make employee onboarding a top priority. Anita and Vanessa discuss the importance of onboarding, why transparency is key and how to set up your new hires for success. Key moments: Why you should treat onboarding like dating Making new hires feel like part of the tribe Being transparent about the good and bad aspects of roles Producing a message of stability Time to determine what you’re hiring for Do inside hires need onboarding? Setting up new hires for success Cadence and variation in your onboarding Adapting your onboarding for different learning styles How onboarding directly links to retention

So many factors shape our experiences as HR professionals. Some of them are controllable, some of them less so. On this episode of HR Unplugged, BambooHR’s Head of HR, Anita Grantham, is joined by Head of Talent, Brandon Welch, to discuss how the HR landscape defines our career paths. Brandon shares his views on the importance of education, finding reliable mentors and being a student of your business. Plus, he reminds us why face-to-face, real-life communication is so valuable and shares how long HR professionals should stay in a role. Key moments: Is education essential to success in HR? What it means to be a student of the business The first thing HR pros should do The value of mentorship and community in HR Adapting how we communicate post-COVID The importance of in-person interactions Working as an HR team of one How to prioritize your tasks effectively Why teamwork is vital to success How long to stay in one HR role Key links:  Brandon’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jbwelch/  

Are you onboarding the right way? The right way for you and your company, that is… On this episode of HR Unplugged, Clayton Binford, Chief of People and Development at Nomad Global Communication Solutions, joins Anita Grantham to explore how you can achieve onboarding success with five simple metrics. He talks about the importance of performance reviews, why adaptable training approaches are win-win and how onboarding isn’t just for new starters. Key moments: Five simple metrics for onboarding success The importance of performance reviews Why not all performance reviews need to be formal meetings Nomad’s orienting and onboarding processes Why you shouldn’t have a one-size-fits-all training approach How mission, vision and values play into onboarding Why onboarding isn’t just for new starters Why Clay involves direct managers from the interview process When does your investment in someone “break-even”? How onboarding impacts staff turnover Key links: The Definitive Guide to Onboarding: https://www.bamboohr.com/resources/guides/the-definitive-guide-to-onboardingBambooHR makes onboarding easy and effective: https://www.bamboohr.com/hr-software/hiring-and-onboardingClayton’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/clayton-binford-1403a333/Nomad Global Communication Solutions: https://www.nomadgcs.com/

Compassionate, authentic leadership has a ton of benefits – here, we explore just a few!In this HR Unplugged episode, we delve into how engagement, wellbeing and culture have colossal parts to play in the smooth running of a happy, successful company.These topics have been discussed in past episodes, but today we put them together and showcase how they work in harmony.Anita Grantham, Head of HR, sits down with Cassie Whitlock, Director of HR at BambooHR, to discuss compassionate leadership, the benefits of a people-focused approach and how to link engagement, wellbeing and culture to your mission, vision and values.Key moments:Why does engagement matter?Exploring what ‘company values’ really meansDealing with burnoutHow culture links to brand reputationWhy wellbeing should still be a priority post-COVIDManaging overworkManaging and communicating with international team membersWhy self-care is importantBeing fabulous at failingHow culture impacts everything in the workplaceKey links:Cassie’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cassie-whitlock/

What do HR professionals and business leaders need to know about HR in 2023?The role of HR has changed a lot, especially with the integration of new software and the pandemic changing expectations and the nature of work for many.In this HR Unplugged episode, we wanted to dig into what HR’s new role in the modern world is, how it’s changed, the value HR brings to a company, and how it can integrate more closely with the wider business.Anita Grantham, Head of HR at BambooHR, sits down with Laura Butler, CHRO and Chief People Officer at Entrata, to discuss HR’s role in 2023, what’s changed, and what HR professionals need to know in the future.Key moments:Laura’s biggest lesson since working in HRThe importance of knowing your superpowerWhy HR attracts women as a career pathWhy happy employees mean happy customersHow to know when to add HR to your businessHow HR can make employees feel more at ease in their rolesWhy companies are rebranding the term HRHow new technology is changing HRHow to break stereotypesWhy HR professionals should focus on problem-solving Key links:State of HR Leadership report: https://www.bamboohr.com/resources/guides/human-resource-leadership-2023 Laura’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laurabutler/

In this bonus episode, Anita Grantham, Head of HR for BambooHR, discusses how to fine tune your leadership skills for the unknown in 2023.Join Anita as she talks about:Working through an economic downturnHow do you scale your culture in a hybrid workplace?The importance of compartmentalizing your timeWatch other episodes and sign up for future live sessions at BambooHR.com/HR-Unplugged.