HR Works: The Podcast for Human Resources

In this episode, I am happy to share a few minutes of my recent interview Morgan Mercer. Morgan is the founder and Chief Executive Officer of Vantage Point (https://www.tryvantagepoint.com), an organization that strives to leverage virtual reality (VR) immersive technology to tackle complex training such as sexual harassment training and diversity, equity, and inclusion. In this shorter episode, we'll look at how training has changed since the pandemic, what lessons we have learned, and how what we'll need to remember going forward. The rest of the podcast, which will focus on VR sexual harassment and DEI training will be aired next Tuesday, April 13th. Remember you can always follow us on Twitter at @HRWorksPodcast (https://bit.ly/3l0dzP3), and we are also now available on Spotify (http://spoti.fi/3t8of13) and Audible (http://adbl.co/30uhdaq).

April is stress awareness month, and for that reason, I wanted to talk with someone about the presence of stress in the workplace, the role of stress in and out of work, and most importantly, how organizations can get in the right mindset and make a difference when it comes to mental health in general. I am pleased to have with us Leigh-Ann Larson, Founder and CEO of Eleveate Counseling (https://www.elevate-counseling.com/). Leigh-Ann graduated from Bridgewater State College in 2001 with a Bachelor of Science in Physical Education, with a double minor in Health Promotion and Psychology. She took this foundation and in 2005 with a Masters Degree in Education, specializing in Mental Health Counseling, also from Bridgewater State College, designed a Holistic Model of Healing combining the tenants of Physical, Emotional, Mental and Spiritual Well being as the foundation in which she has built her clinical meaning-making and personal life practice. Remember you can always follow us on Twitter at @HRWorksPodcast (https://bit.ly/3l0dzP3), and we are also now available on Spotify (http://spoti.fi/3t8of13) and Audible (http://adbl.co/30uhdaq).

In this shorter segment, we showcase portions of interviews that don’t necessarily make it into longer episodes or other content, but we still wanted to share with you anyway. Today I am happy to share a few minutes of my recent interview with Teri Keller, Vice President of Human Resources at Automox (https://www.automox.com/). The rest of the interview will be shared on the “Faces of HR” (https://hrdailyadvisor.blr.com/category/faces-of-hr/)column next Thursday, April 8th. Remember you can always follow us on Twitter at @HRWorksPodcast (https://bit.ly/3l0dzP3), and we are also now available on Spotify (http://spoti.fi/3t8of13) and Audible (http://adbl.co/30uhdaq).

Recruiting during 2020 required adjusting to a drastically new situation, new technologies, and solving new problems (along with a few old ones too). Now that we've all had a chance to find our footing, it's time to get ahead of the recruiting curve. That is, keep what worked in 2020 and find out what will work for the rest of 2021 and beyond. This episode's guest shares some of his very interesting research and what it all means. We are pleased to have with us today Ben Eubanks, Chief Research Officer at Lighthouse Research and Advisory (https://lhra.io/). Eubanks is a veteran author, speaker, and researcher. His 5th book, Artificial Intelligence for HR, debuted on Amazon’s “New and Noteworthy” books list and is rated 4.5 stars. He has 10+ years of research and advisory experience and is an award-winning international speaker. He hosts the We’re Only Human podcast and the HR Tech Talks livestream show. Remember you can always follow us on Twitter at @HRWorksPodcast (https://bit.ly/3l0dzP3), and we are also now available on Spotify (http://spoti.fi/3t8of13) and Audible (http://adbl.co/30uhdaq).

Many organizations held their breath for a long time, waiting for the world to go back to normal. Think water cooler chats, company picnics, cubicles, and daily commutes. Meanwhile, the world has moved on. In today's HR Works 5 Minute Friday, I ask our guest Ben Eubanks, Chief Research Officer at Lighthouse Research and Advisory (https://lhra.io/) two simple questions. First, can we even go back to the way things were before? Second, even if we could, should we? Ben Eubanks is a veteran author, speaker, and researcher. His 5th book, Artificial Intelligence for HR, debuted on Amazon's "New and Noteworthy" books list and is rated 4.5 stars. He has 10+ years of research and advisory experience and is an award-winning international speaker. He hosts the We're Only Human podcast and the HR Tech Talks livestream show. If you enjoy today's episode, check back next Tuesday, March 30th for a full-length HR Works Podcast episode with Ben where we discuss some of his latest recruiting research. We'll get into what's changed, what's going to work going forward, and how we all wrap our heads around a constantly evolving workplace. Remember you can always follow us on Twitter at @HRWorksPodcast (https://bit.ly/3l0dzP3), and we are also now available on Spotify (http://spoti.fi/3t8of13) and Audible (http://adbl.co/30uhdaq).

Welcome back to HR Works Podcast’s 5 Minute Friday. In this shorter segment, we showcase portions of interviews that don’t necessarily make it into longer episodes or other content, but that we still wanted to share with you anyway. Having spoken with so many HR professionals I often ask myself, “Shouldn’t HR be in charge of organizations?” From a certain perspective, HR seems to have the best set of tools to do so. In this episode, I ask the Global Head of Human Resources at Solve.Care (https://solve.care/) Sandra Hannon this question, plus a few lighter ones as well. If you enjoy this conversation and want to see more of the interview, check back next Thursday, March 25th on our “Faces of HR” (https://hrdailyadvisor.blr.com/category/faces-of-hr/) column. Remember you can always follow us on Twitter at @HRWorksPodcast (https://bit.ly/3l0dzP3), and we are also now available on Spotify (http://spoti.fi/3t8of13) and Audible (http://adbl.co/30uhdaq).

In this episode, I explore multiple generations in the workplace with returning guest and HR expert Ira Wolfe. We discuss the stereotypes and introduce a better segmentation to look at than generation: digital literacy. Such stereotypes are foolish because, for example, there are digitally literate boomers and millennials that don't know how to set up a printer. Ira is the president of Success Performance Solutions (https://www.successperformancesolutions.com/), which excels in pre-employment testing software for sales, leadership, service, and production across a number of industries. In addition to being a blogger and prolific business writer, Ira is an accomplished speaker, having visited the stages of TEDx and DisruptHR. He has also published books such as The Perfect Labor Storm and Recruiting in the Age of Googlization: When the Shift Hits Your Plan. Remember you can always follow us on Twitter at @HRWorksPodcast (https://bit.ly/3l0dzP3), and we are also now available on Spotify (http://spoti.fi/3t8of13) and Audible (http://adbl.co/30uhdaq).

Welcome back to HR Works Podcast’s Five Minute Friday’s, I am your host Jim Davis and the editor of the HR Daily Advisor. In this shorter segment, we showcase portions of interviews that don’t necessarily make it into longer episodes or other content, but we still wanted to share with you anyway. Today I am happy to share a few minutes of my recent interview with Miranda Nicholson, Senior Vice President of Human Resources at Formstack (https://www.formstack.com/), The rest of the interview will be shared on the “Faces of HR” (https://hrdailyadvisor.blr.com/category/faces-of-hr/) column next Thursday, March 18th. I certainly hope you are all enjoying these smaller episodes. If you found this interesting, please consider checking in next Thursday, March 18th when I’ll release the rest of the interview with Miranda via our “Faces of HR” Column. Remember you can always follow us on Twitter at @HRWorksPodcast (https://bit.ly/3l0dzP3), and we are also now available on Spotify (http://spoti.fi/3t8of13) and Audible (http://adbl.co/30uhdaq).

Today is International Women’s Day 2021. It is a global celebration of the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women. It is also a day to remember that much inequity still exists among the genders, and this last year has been quite destructive to efforts to bring such equity to the workplace. Today’s discussion aims to raise awareness of some of the issues that women face in the workplace, including imposter syndrome and microaggressions. We are very lucky to have not one, but two organizational psychologists with us today from Gallaher Edge (https://gallaheredge.com/), an organization dedicated to helping executives and other professionals grapple with challenges in the workplace. First, we have Dr. Laura Gallaher, who has worked in the field of professional and personal development since 2005. Laura is an Organizational Psychologist, Speaker, Facilitator, and Executive Coach. She is the founder and CEO of Gallaher Edge, which she started in 2013 and rebranded in 2018. Laura is an expert teacher, trainer, speaker, and consultant, particularly in the concepts of self-awareness, accountability, trust-building, and team cohesion. We also have with us Dr. Stephanie Lopez, an Organizational Psychologist and Executive Coach who is an expert in the application of the science of psychology to organizations. Her passions lie in leadership development and team cohesion. Stephanie specifically helps leaders become more authentic and self-aware, which enables greater resilience, stamina, and flexibility in the face of demanding and difficult leadership challenges. Remember you can always follow us on Twitter at @HRWorksPodcast (https://bit.ly/3l0dzP3), and we are also now available on Spotify (http://spoti.fi/3t8of13) and Audible (http://adbl.co/30uhdaq).

Welcome back to HR Works Podcast’s Five Minute Friday. In this shorter segment, we showcase portions of interviews that don’t necessarily make it into longer episodes or other content, but we still wanted to share with you anyway. Today I am happy to share a few minutes of my recent interview with Gaylyn Sher-Jan, Chief People Officer for Bright.md (https://bright.md/), an organization dedicated to delivering virtual care. The rest of the interview will be shared on the “Faces of HR” column next Thursday, March 11th. Remember you can always follow us on Twitter at @HRWorksPodcast (https://bit.ly/3l0dzP3), and we are also now available on Spotify (http://spoti.fi/3t8of13) and Audible (http://adbl.co/30uhdaq).

Can you mandate vaccinations? And if you can, should you? What are the legal considerations of doing so? What are the medical and practical considerations? Finally, what do HR experts advise in order to maximize vaccination rates among employees? These are the answers that I attempt to answer in this episode. We are going to discuss this issue from three perspectives. We’ll consider employment laws surrounding mandating vaccines, medical considerations about the efficacy and safety of the vaccine, and the HR perspective of making employees comfortable and engaging with them surrounding the notion of getting the vaccine. We are joined by three panelists today. The first is Whitney Brown (https://lehrmiddlebrooks.com/professionals/attorneys/whitney-r-brown/), a shareholder with Lehr Middlebrooks Vreeland & Thompson, P.C. in Birmingham, Alabama. Whitney represents employers in a range of employment litigation, including harassment and discrimination cases, Family Medical Leave Act, and cases involving state law claims. The second is Kimberly Cassady (https://www.cornerstoneondemand.com/company/executives/kimberly-cassady/), the Chief Talent Officer at Cornerstone OnDemand. In this role, she works to ensure all Cornerstars realize their potential through the development of a unique culture that strengthens Cornerstone’s core values and supports our employee lifecycle to attract, develop and retain our global team. Finally, we have with us Sree Chaguturu, MD and Senior VP of CVS Health and Chief Medical Officer of CVS Caremark (https://www.caremark.com/). He focuses on enhancing the quality of services provided to millions of its members and patients, while also contributing to the overall mission of CVS Health. I also mentioned a few past podcasts that cover aspects of this episode. You can find them here: HR Works Podcast COVID-19 Update: Religious Exemptions to Mandatory Vaccines (https://hrdailyadvisor.blr.com/podcast/hr-works-covid-19-update-podcast-religious-exemptions-to-mandatory-vaccines/) HR Works Podcast COVID-19 Update: Can Employers Mandate COVID-19 Vaccines? (https://hrdailyadvisor.blr.com/podcast/hr-works-covid-19-update-can-employers-mandate-covid-19-vaccines/) HR Works Podcast COVID-19 Update: Latest Coronavirus Testing Methods (https://hrdailyadvisor.blr.com/podcast/hr-works-covid-19-update-latest-coronavirus-testing-methods/) Remember you can always follow us on Twitter at @HRWorksPodcast (https://bit.ly/3l0dzP3), and we are also now available on Spotify (http://spoti.fi/3t8of13) and Audible (http://adbl.co/30uhdaq).

Welcome to our first episode of HR Works Podcast 5-Minute Friday. In these short, special episodes, we’ll examine a different topic with the guests of upcoming episodes. Today, we are pleased to talk with Ira Wolfe about what happens when an employee’s unsavory social media history comes to light. If you like what you hear, join us on March 16th for a full-length episode with Ira discussing multiple generations in the new workplace. Ira is President of Success Performance Solutions (https://www.successperformancesolutions.com), which excels in pre-employment testing software for sales, leadership, service, and production across a number of industries. In addition to being a blogger and prolific business writer, Ira is an accomplished speaker, having visited the stages of TEDx and DisruptHR. He has also published books such as The Perfect Labor Storm and Recruiting in the Age of Googlization: When the Shift Hits Your Plan. Remember you can always follow us on Twitter at @HRWorksPodcast (https://bit.ly/3l0dzP3), and we are also now available on Spotify (http://spoti.fi/3t8of13) and Audible (http://adbl.co/30uhdaq).

As many of you may know, there are basically two exemptions when employers mandate COVID-19 vaccinations: medical and religious. Most of us can wrap our heads around a medical exemption because such exemptions are a little more concrete than their religious counterparts. In this episode, we are going to discuss religious exemptions for the COVID-19 vaccine in some detail. We are going to learn how it applies, what the limitations are, and how HR can interact with employees that claim such an exemption. I am pleased to be joined today by Morgan E. Geffre (https://www.foulston.com/who-we-are/morgan-e-geffre), an Associate at Foulston’s Employment & Labor Law Practice Group (https://www.foulston.com) in Wichita, Kansas. She assists employers with the review and development of comprehensive employment policies and procedures and proactively researches rapidly evolving issues to help clients stay ahead of developing legal trends. Morgan writes in-depth about relevant legal matters for the Midwest Employment Law Letter and Kansas Employment Law Blog. For more details on this topic, check out Morgan's recently published article (https://hrdailyadvisor.blr.com/2021/02/08/tips-for-judging-sincerity-of-employees-religious-beliefs). Remember you can always follow us on Twitter at @HRWorksPodcast (https://bit.ly/3l0dzP3), and we are also now available on Spotify (http://spoti.fi/3t8of13) and Audible (http://adbl.co/30uhdaq).

The pandemic ensured that so much of our communication takes place remotely through chats, phone calls, video conferences, and e-mails. While these methods of communication keep organizations alive, they also leave a lot behind. How do we recover the value of in-person communication? The answer might be AI that offers real-time analysis to stakeholders during meetings. This episode is part of the HR Daily Advisor’s HR Technology Week 2021 (https://interactive.blr.com/HR-Tech-Week-2021). Our goal is to discuss HR technology in general, and AI technology specifically with our guest, Neil Sahota (https://www.neilsahota.com/), an IBM Master Inventor, United Nations A.I. Advisor, professor at UC Irvine, and globally-recognized speaker and author. Neil is a founding member of the UN’s Artificial Intelligence for Social Good Committee. He is the author of Own the A.I.Revolution, providing a future-forward look at A.I., focusing on how businesses can use it to commercialize while doing good in the world. Remember you can always follow us on Twitter at @HRWorksPodcast (https://bit.ly/3l0dzP3), and we are also now available on Spotify (http://spoti.fi/3t8of13) and Audible (http://adbl.co/30uhdaq).

In this episode we are going to look at the relief package that is being kicked around between the House and the Senate, and what some of the provisions might mean for employers and employment law. President Joe Biden’s goals are clear and well outlined (https://joebiden.com/covid-plan/). They indicate a number of desired changes that would influence employment law. We are pleased to have back with us today the illustrious Maggie Spell (https://www.joneswalker.com/professionals/mary-margaret-spell.html), partner at the New Orleans location of Jones Walker (https://www.joneswalker.com). Maggie focuses her practice on cases brought under federal, state, and local employment laws, including Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act, and the Age Discrimination in Employment Act. She regularly offers wage and hour compliance advice and has represented employers in numerous Fair Labor Standards Act collective actions and state-law wage and hour class actions.

In this episode, we examine the nature of employer lawsuits that are COVID-related. We’ll find out what lawsuits are on the rise and how employers can avoid them. Here to talk about these and other legal issues is employment lawyer and member of Clark Hill (https://www.clarkhill.com) in Collin County Texas, Kim Moore (https://www.clarkhill.com/people/kimberly-s-moore). Kim Moore has been pragmatically solving employer's problems for almost twenty-five years. A board-certified employment lawyer with an MBA and extensive experience in and out of the courtroom. Kim is passionate about achieving the client's goals in non-compete, theft of trade secrets, discrimination, harassment, retaliation, and wage and hour matters. Kim genuinely enjoys her work, particularly understanding each client's business and its people. Kim serves as the Member in Charge of the firm's Collin County office. Kim is also a AAA trained mediator. She uses her knowledge to help parties resolve all types of conflicts.

Last year saw so many additional deaths due to COVID-19 and related causes that the life expectancy in the United States has dropped by 1.13 years. That means employers will be encountering unexpected employee deaths more frequently. How do leaders and HR handle this? How do they share the information with your employees? How can they find a balance of grieving and support? In this episode, we have with us Kari Niblack, the CEO of ACS Benefit Services (https://www.acsbenefitservices.com/) in North Carolina. She had to personally face this situation and is here to discuss her experiences and what she learned.

In this episode, we will be taking a hard look at how mothers in particular fared over the last year, the impact that the pandemic had on them, and how employers better position themselves to support mothers and create a place for them in the next normal. The issue will be discussed from an HR perspective as well as an employment law perspective. Our first guest is Kara Shea (https://www.butlersnow.com/attorney/kara-shea/), an attorney with Butler Snow (https://www.butlersnow.com/) in Nashville, TN. Kara is a member and Practice Group Leader for Labor and Employment. She regularly counsels clients in financial services, healthcare, and home health industries on employment law compliance. She has extensive trial and appellate experience in Tennessee and around the country. Our other guest is Michelle Keefe, CEO of Momup (https://www.momup.com/). As a stay at home mom, Michelle discovered like many of her friends she wanted to continue her career path with businesses that value work/life balance. She found herself surrounded by highly educated, skilled, energetic multitasking mega stars that were unemployed and looking for new exciting challenges. She realized by forging partnerships with progressive companies and connecting them with skilled talent Mom Up could make a huge impact. She holds a graduate degree from Harvard University and an ungraduated degree from the University of Notre Dame.

The pandemic pushed so many workers home at the same time that it introduced countless new sources of stress and anxiety. Keeping employees happy, or at least, not burnt out has never been more important as they work in isolation from their coworkers, and perhaps from everyone. How far can remote efforts to improve morale really go? Can any one approach, or combinations of approaches, offset what is lost with in-person camaraderie? In this episode, we are pleased to have with us Vicki Salemi (https://www.vickisalemi.com/). Vicki is a career expert, author, speaker, consultant, and a former corporate recruiter from New York City.

It was just last Wednesday when an unprecedented attack on the Capitol building captured the attention of the world. I, for one, watched with disbelief as doors were breached, police were overrun, tear gas was used on both attackers and defenders, and when one woman died. It was a grim scene and one that reminds us that even those places that are supposed to be secure can have serious security flaws. Ahead of the inauguration, the FBI recently warned all 50 states that there might be armed violence. We’ve all seen the pictures of the national guard in the capitol building but not everywhere will have such resources to protect themselves to that degree. As an HR professional, you likely play some role in your organizational security. This event has highlighted for all of us how important that role is, and how more can always be done. I am lucky to be joined today by Ty Smith, a retired Navy Seal and founder and CEO of CommSafe AI (https://commsafe.ai), an African American and disabled veteran-owned technology company that helps companies disrupt emerging threats via an AI communications analysis system that helps companies identify and mitigate toxic communication in the workplace before it escalates. As promised, here is a link to the article (https://hrdailyadvisor.blr.com/2020/06/15/pandemic-create-new-threats-and-exacerbate-old-ones/) I mentioned discussing new threats during the pandemic with Ty.

When it comes to hiring, veterans are often overlooked. Many organizations have worked very hard to bring their unemployment numbers closer to other groups with some success. However, there is one related group of candidates that is even more often overlooked: military spouses. This episode will examine why that is a mistake on the part of employers. Our first guest is Lida Citreon, founder of LIDA360 (https://www.lida360.com/). A leader in reputation management and personal branding, Lida has worked with hundreds of international business leaders, entrepreneurs, and professionals, designing and promoting authentic, passionate, and intentional reputation strategies that drive results. She also focuses on building up veteran and military spouse talent. We are also joined by Tina Flores, SPHR and 16 year military spouse. Tina knows all about the struggles that mil spouses face as she’s seen and lived it all. She has had to give birth (2x) without her husband present, she’s had to let go of her former life during a move (New State didn’t recognize a former state’s law school…) and safe to say she’s been married to a man who has been home less than he’s been away. More recently in her career, she has been focused on the more human side of business and has found her happy place in human resources. She’s been performing HR-ish roles since 2011, but has recently made it her mission to focus on this niche as sourcing, cultivating, training, and reviewing teams is where she belongs. Finally, we are also joined by Kayla Eberhardt. She is Program Coordinator, Entrepreneurship at the Institute for Veterans & Military Families (https://ivmf.syracuse.edu/). She is responsible for the coordination and support of objectives related to the growth of the Coalition for Veteran Business (CVOB) and the Center of Excellence in Veteran Entrepreneurship (CoE). Kayla brings a unique perspective to her role through her knowledge as both a former military spouse and daughter of a veteran entrepreneur.

In the last episode of HR Works COVID-19 Update (https://hrdailyadvisor.blr.com/podcast/hr-works-covid-19-update-conducting-remote-workplace-investigations/), we began to discuss conducting remote workplace investigations with an expert attorney. In this episode, we are going to continue that discussion, focusing specifically on how poorly conducted investigations can impact workplace culture. We once again have Andre Caldwell (https://ogletree.com/people/andre-b-caldwell/), a shareholder at Ogletree Deakins in Oklahoma City, to discuss this important issue. Mr. Caldwell began his career as an Assistant United States Attorney in the Western District of Oklahoma where he was assigned to the Violent Crime and Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force. During his tenure, he was awarded the FBI Director’s award from FBI Director Robert Mueller for his outstanding prosecutorial skills. Just prior to joining Ogletree Deakins Mr. Caldwell was a shareholder at one of the largest and oldest law firms in Oklahoma and was an active member of the Criminal Defense Compliance and Investigations and Litigation and Trial practice groups. Mr. Caldwell utilized his wealth of trial and investigative experience to represent private and public companies of various sizes in all aspects of commercial litigation, preparation of compliance guidelines, and conducting corporate criminal risk assessments.

The pandemic has changed so much about how everyday HR tasks are completed. One of those tasks includes workplace investigations. A combination of remote work and additional health security measures have likely hampered workplace investigations. In this episode we have Andre Caldwell (https://ogletree.com/people/andre-b-caldwell/), a shareholder at Ogletree Deakins in Oklahoma City, to discuss this important issue. Mr. Caldwell began his career as an Assistant United States Attorney in the Western District of Oklahoma where he was assigned to the Violent Crime and Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force. During his tenure, he was awarded the FBI Director’s award from FBI Director Robert Mueller for his outstanding prosecutorial skills. Just prior to joining Ogletree Deakins Mr. Caldwell was a shareholder at one of the largest and oldest law firms in Oklahoma and was an active member of the Criminal Defense Compliance and Investigations and Litigation and Trial practice groups. Mr. Caldwell utilized his wealth of trial and investigative experience to represent private and public companies of various sizes in all aspects of commercial litigation, preparation of compliance guidelines, and conducting corporate criminal risk assessments.

In this episode we explore a simple question: can you mandate vaccinations at your workplace? We also discuss the latest guidance from the EEOC to some degree and take a stab at whether you should or not along with some other detailed considerations. We are pleased to have back with us today the illustrious Maggie Spell (https://www.joneswalker.com/professionals/mary-margaret-spell.html), partner at the New Orleans location of Jones Walker (https://www.joneswalker.com). Maggie focuses her practice on cases brought under federal, state, and local employment laws, including Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act, and the Age Discrimination in Employment Act. She regularly offers wage and hour compliance advice and has represented employers in numerous Fair Labor Standards Act collective actions and state-law wage and hour class actions.

It has been a few months since we have discussed workplace policies surrounding testing on this podcast. Since that time, testing has become much more widespread and available. In this episode, we will discuss what testing methods have been most effective, and what testing will look like next year. We are pleased to have back on the show today Dr. Sree Chaguturu, Chief Medical Officer for CVS Caremark (https://www.caremark.com/), the pharmacy benefits management business for CVS. He focuses on enhancing the quality of services provided to millions of its members and patients, while also contributing to the overall mission of CVS Health. Most recently, he was Chief Population Health Officer at Partners HealthCare. In this role, he led the system’s accountable care organization, one of the largest in the nation serving over 600,000 lives. Previously, he was a health care consultant at McKinsey and Company. Dr. Chaguturu is a practicing internal medicine physician at Massachusetts General Hospital and a Lecturer at Harvard Medical School. His articles have appeared in publications such as the New England Journal of Medicine, JAMA, and Health Affairs.

Many analysts and experts weighed in around this time last year to give their hiring predictions for 2020. We’ll never know how those predictions would have played out had the pandemic not occurred. Now we once again ask ourselves “what will hiring look like next year?” I have expert Michael “Batman” Cohen on the show to find out. Batman is the Founder of Wayne Technologies (https://www.waynetechnologiesinc.com/the-heros), a Contract Sourcing and Recruitment Training Organization. His approach to sourcing is one based on deliverables, transparent data, and using multiple sources/platforms to find the greatest diversity and quality of candidates. He will also be the keynote speaker in our virtual summit on December 9th called HR Now. Learn more here: https://interactive.blr.com/HR-Now-120920#Benefits

We all know that the move to remote work has many implications for the modern workforce. But does remote have to mean from home? Does it have to mean from your state? What about your country? Some countries have special packages that allow US employees to work abroad. In this episode we will explore this with Moe Vela, Chief Transparency Officer and Member of the Board of Directors of TransparentBusiness (https://transparentbusiness.com/), has worked in the remote work business for over a decade. He's been seen and quoted on Fox Business, Inc, Entrepreneur, Forbes, and more.

The Biden administration will be taking over on January 20, 2021. The administration’s approach to employment law will likely be very different from the current administration’s. Additionally, Executive Orders have played a large role in how employment law is conducted in the United States. What changes can Biden make with his own orders? What direction will the overall administration take? These are the questions I seek to answer in this episode of HR Works with my two guests. I am also excited to announce that this a SHRM-credit-approved podcast episode. Stay tuned for information on how to get your credits later in the program. My first guest is attorney Jo Ellen Whitney (https://www.davisbrownlaw.com/Jo-Ellen-Whitney) of Davis Brown (https://www.davisbrownlaw.com/) in Iowa. She is adept at managing the everyday chaos employers and human resource managers face. She is known for her approachable demeanor and practical approach to employment law. Jo is a prolific speaker and writer, simultaneously educating and entertaining audiences on the grey areas of employment law. Her clients are employers, managers, physicians, hospital administrators, and HR professionals in the health, manufacturing, telecommunications, technology, agriculture, and finance industries as well as not-for-profit service organizations. She is described as “top notch” by clients she advises on a wide array of matters and issues relating to employment and labor law, health law, fair housing, privacy, and data security compliance, and contract and policy issues relating to grant funding. Our other guest is Charlie Plumb (https://www.mcafeetaft.com/bios/charles-s-plumb/), a shareholder at McAffee & Taft (https://www.mcafeetaft.com/) in Tulsa Oklahoma. He represents management in all phases of employment law and labor relations. Much of his practice is dedicated to counseling employers on compliance with a broad range of state and federal employment laws and regulations and educating management on best practices for avoiding disputes arising from the employer/employee relationship. He also has extensive litigation experience before federal and state courts, regulatory and administrative agencies, and in arbitration matters involving claims of discrimination, wrongful discharge, retaliatory discharge, breach of contract, and constitutional law violations.

It has been a few months since we have discussed workplace policies surrounding testing on this podcast. Since that time, testing has become much more widespread and available. Recent news has also offered us perhaps our first breath of fresh air in quite some time: two viable vaccines have been successfully developed. In this episode, we will discuss what these vaccines mean for employers, what kind of time frames we are talking about, and to what extent the vaccines will mitigate COVID-19. We are pleased to have back on the show today Dr. Sree Chaguturu, Chief Medical Officer for CVS Caremark (https://www.caremark.com/), the pharmacy benefits management business for CVS. He focuses on enhancing the quality of services provided to millions of its members and patients, while also contributing to the overall mission of CVS Health. Most recently, he was Chief Population Health Officer at Partners HealthCare. In this role, he led the system’s accountable care organization, one of the largest in the nation serving over 600,000 lives. Previously, he was a health care consultant at McKinsey and Company. Dr. Chaguturu is a practicing internal medicine physician at Massachusetts General Hospital and a Lecturer at Harvard Medical School. His articles have appeared in publications such as the New England Journal of Medicine, JAMA, and Health Affairs.

In the last episode, we began to discuss the issue of online accessibility and an increase in general, especially since the pandemic hit in lawsuits surrounding this issue. Today we are going to continue that discussion, specifically focusing on a proposed piece of legislation called the Online Accessibility Act. We are pleased to have back with us employment attorney Conner Eversole (https://www.hallestill.com/our-team/conner-eversole) to discuss this important issue today. Conner is an attorney at the national law firm Hall Estill (https://www.hallestill.com/) in corporate law. He's been helping businesses navigate the growing issue to help them comply with digital guidelines under the Americans With Disabilities Act. The WCAG guidelines that Conner spoke of can be found here: https://www.w3.org/WAI/standards-guidelines/wcag/

This special episode is sponsored by the Society for Human Resource Management, also known as SHRM. We are also excited to announce that this is our very first SHRM credit approved podcast episode. Stay tuned for information on how to get your credits later in the program. With large swaths of the workforce working remotely, some employers have growing concerns about employee productivity, as well as information security and confidentiality. While some monitoring of employees will occur at virtually every organization, the degree to which that monitoring is implemented and how can be the difference between getting useful information and accidentally learning protected information about your employees. Additionally, employers are struggling to protect their trade secrets and other confidential information among employees that are outside the watchful eye of their employers. We are pleased to have with us two attorneys from Jones Walker (https://www.joneswalker.com/) to discuss the issue of employee monitoring as well as how employers can protect themselves from trade secrets and confidential information threats. First, we have with us Joseph Lavigne (https://www.joneswalker.com/professionals/joseph-f-lavigne.html), a partner at Jones Walker. As a lead attorney on Jones Walker’s trade secret and non-compete team, Joe focuses his practice on prosecuting and defending claims of employee misconduct involving trade secret violations, unfair trade practices, non-compete violations, invasion of privacy, Computer Fraud and Abuse Act issues, theft, and related disputes. He also advises clients on employment policies and practices and regularly negotiates employment agreements for employers. We also have with us today P.J. Kee (https://www.joneswalker.com/professionals/p-j-kee.html), also a partner at Jones Walker. P.J. regularly represents clients in federal and state courts. He has been on trial teams that have not only successfully obtained and fended off injunctions relating to trade secrets, but also prevailed on the merits at trial. P.J. also litigates other complex commercial and employment matters that involve breach-of-contract claims, business torts, fraud claims, fiduciary duty actions, defamation claims, invasion-of-privacy claims, wage-and-hour disputes, Title VII claims, and appellate advocacy.

With the mass migration toward working from home, more employees are depending on digital devices and the Internet for essential information for everything both in and out of work. Yet, many websites, services, and digital tools are not accessible to people with disabilities. That may mean your employees are having difficulty completing their work. Meanwhile, your liabilities are increasing rapidly. We are pleased to have with us employment attorney Conner Eversole (https://www.hallestill.com/our-team/conner-eversole) to discuss this important issue today. Conner is an attorney at the national law firm Hall Estill (https://www.hallestill.com/) in corporate law. He's been helping businesses navigate the growing issue to help them comply with digital guidelines under the Americans With Disabilities Act. Please check back next week when we'll discuss proposed legislation that is designed to make online accessiblity lawsuits largely vanish for employers.

In September, the DOL released a notice of proposed rulemaking regarding rules for employers to follow when classifying a worker as an independent contractor or an employee under the Fair Labor Standards Act. In this episode, we unpack what these proposed rules would mean for employers with employment lawyer Jacob M. Monty. Jake is managing partner and founder of Monty & Ramirez LLP (https://montyramirezlaw.com/). For over two decades, Jake has successfully practiced at the intersection of immigration, labor, and employment laws. A nationally recognized authority on issues facing employers with large Hispanic workforces, Jake has written not one, but three books on the topic and speaks regularly in English and Spanish on navigating labor and employment matters in industries with heightened immigration scrutiny. His clients include professional baseball teams, grocery store chains, single establishment and chain restaurants, and leading companies in the construction and facility maintenance fields. Jake has been interviewed by major media outlets such as Fox News, CNN, and MSNBC regarding national immigration concerns. Jake founded Monty & Ramirez LLP to offer an integrated approach to dealing with Hispanic workforces. He and his bilingual partners address all the critical aspects of employer advocacy, from immigration to union matters, workplace safety, and employment disputes.

When the leader of a digital identity and access management company wanted to rapidly expand, he needed a configurable training management solution that could handle the pressure. Ultimately, he found more than just a solution, he found a business partner. Through that partnership, both organizations grew to great heights. This is our second episode with our sponsor Administrate (https://www.getadministrate.com/), an EdTech infrastructure platform that provides configurable training management solutions for enterprises across the globe. Based in Edinburgh, Scotland, with offices in Montana, USA, and Beirut, Lebanon, Administrate is a diverse, creative software company born from within the training industry that focuses on creating the Ultimate Human Organization in culture, practice, and product. Now in its sixth year, Administrate is proud to support the training teams of Fortune 100 companies in the US, EU, and EMEA regions with a team of 100 talented professionals focused on creating and delivering learning & development technology innovation. Last time we discussed new ways for employers to get a hold of their training metrics to unlock the true potential of their training programs as well as to rapidly expand a training program. Today we have Administrate’s CEO, John Peebles, back with us on the show along with one of his clients to discuss what this process looks like. Before Administrate, John helped found Fort Lauderdale-based Sentry Data Systems, where he served as Chief Information Officer and VP of Operations while it grew to more than $30 million in revenue within five years. He is passionate about education, teamwork, technology, and mental health in the workplace, and often speaks on these subjects around the world. We also have one of John’s clients, Kevin Streater, Vice President of ForgeRock University (https://www.forgerock.com/university) at ForgeRock Kevin is a leader in the IT Learning and Development industry and currently the Vice President of ForgeRock University at ForgeRock, a leader in digital identity and access management. He is also a Director of CEdMA (Computer Education Managers Association) and is known for innovating unique learning and development initiatives in response to learner analytics. Before ForgeRock, Kevin spent nearly 20 years in various service delivery, project management, and training leadership roles at Sun Microsystems.

Before the pandemic, awareness of the need for a well-crafted and -maintained company culture was high, and HR was making real strides toward taking charge of those efforts. That awareness has only been heightened, and being effective has simultaneously been challenged by the pandemic. How do HR professionals adapt? What tools do they discard, and what tools do they acquire? You can also listen to the episode here: https://bit.ly/37nuiqM In today’s episode, we tackle these questions with Neil Sahota (https://www.neilsahota.com/hrworks/) an IBM Master Inventor, United Nations A.I. Advisor, professor at UC Irvine, and globally-recognized speaker and author. Neil is a founding member of the UN’s Artificial Intelligence for Social Good Committee. He is the author of Own the A.I.Revolution, providing a future-forward look at A.I., focusing on how businesses can use it to commercialize while doing good in the world.

The pandemic has changed so much about how we work together and how we interact. It has also redefined many social norms and etiquette. Layoffs, pay reductions, employee illness, and death have all increased over the last months, and with each comes a difficult conversation. HR has always been positioned to be the people who have to deliver difficult news to employees. Compassion, then, becomes an important currency of how organizations operate today. Uber, for example, has become infamous for how they fired over 3,500 employees over zoom calls. There has to be a better way, and we have with us today an expert in delivering bad news compassionately. In this episode we are pleased to have with us Dr. Anthony Orsini practicing neonatologist and founder of The Orsini Way (https://theorsiniway.com/), join me to discuss tips employers and HR professionals can use when delivering bad news. Dr. Orsini took what he learned as an ICU physician who had to deliver difficult news to families and founded The Orsini Way, a communication training company that helps healthcare professionals and business leaders navigate difficult conversations and build strong relationships.

If you have a learning management system, you probably have access to a boatload of metrics. But what do they really tell you? Do they help you fine-tune your training regiments? One expert suggests that a swath of additional, less common metrics exist and they can help you unlock hidden and meaningful trends within your training process. You may also listen to this track here: https://bit.ly/3lr2OnN In this episode, we will discuss the intersection of training and business intelligence. This episode is sponsored by Administrate (https://www.getadministrate.com/scale-your-training-operations/), and we are pleased to have with us John Peebles, the CEO of Administrate, an EdTech infrastructure platform that provides configurable training management solutions for enterprises across the globe. Based in Edinburgh, Scotland, with offices in Montana, USA, and Beirut, Lebanon, Administrate is a diverse, creative software company born from within the training industry that focuses on creating the Ultimate Human Organization in culture, practice, and product. Now in its sixth year, Administrate is proud to support the training teams of Fortune 100 companies in the US, EU, and EMEA regions with a team of 100 talented professionals focused on creating and delivering learning & development technology innovation. Prior to Administrate, Mr. Peebles helped found Fort Lauderdale-based Sentry Data Systems, where he served as Chief Information Officer and VP of Operations while it grew to more than $30 million in revenue within five years. He is passionate about education, teamwork, technology, and mental health in the workplace, and often speaks on these subjects around the world.

In the last episode of HR Works COVID-19 Update, I was joined by Neurologist and headache expert Dr. Charisse Litchman to discuss how the pandemic has lead to increased screen times and consequently increased headaches. In this episode, we continue our discussion with Dr. Litchman, which includes the topic of how HR can help their employees prevent headaches as well as support them in finding treatment and care. You may also listen to this track here: https://bit.ly/3iFMu0I Charisse Litchman MD, FAHS is a neurologist, headache specialist, and medical advisor to Nurx (https://www.nurx.com/). She received her undergraduate degree at Wesleyan University and her medical degree at Yale School of Medicine. After completing her internship at Yale New Haven Hospital, she completed her neurology residency at Cornell-New York Hospital. She began a solo private practice in general neurology and became board certified in headache medicine in 2008. She left her private practice in 2018 to become faculty at Yale where she is currently Assistant Professor of Clinical Neurology. Charisse has published articles in headaches and multiple sclerosis and edited the first textbook on a rare soft tissue tumor. She has earned a certificate in Medical Editing and Writing from the University of Chicago. Charisse has three children and lives in Connecticut with her husband Mark and her two dogs.

Recent research has shown that the ordinary 11 hours a day of screentime that most employees are exposed to has increased by 3 hours every day since the pandemic began. That amount of screen time leads to more headaches and more serious headaches, an often misunderstood and underappreciated concern for employers and employees alike. In this episode, we are joined by Dr. Charisse Litchman (https://www.stamfordhealth.org/find-a-doctor/profile/charisse-litchman/), a Neurologist and headache expert that will help us understand the problem and learn how to help. Charisse Litchman, MD, FAHS is a neurologist, headache specialist, and medical advisor to Nurx (https://www.nurx.com/employers/). She received her undergraduate degree at Wesleyan University and her medical degree at Yale School of Medicine. After completing her internship at Yale New Haven Hospital, she completed her neurology residency at Cornell-New York Hospital. She began a solo private practice in general neurology and became board certified in headache medicine in 2008. She left her private practice in 2018 to become faculty at Yale where she is currently Assistant Professor of Clinical Neurology. Charisse has published articles in headaches and multiple sclerosis and edited the first textbook on a rare soft tissue tumor. She has earned a certificate in Medical Editing and Writing from the University of Chicago. Charisse has three children and lives in Connecticut with her husband Mark and her two dogs.

In this episode, we take a look at some of the DOL’s revisions and reaffirmations of the original FFCRA regulations. That includes clarifications around leave for medical professionals, intermittent leave, and more. You may also listen here: https://bit.ly/3hIREJ1 And we have with us a familiar voice: attorney Maggie Spell (https://www.joneswalker.com/professionals/mary-margaret-spell.html)of Jones Walker (https://www.joneswalker.com/). Maggie focuses her practice on cases brought under federal, state, and local employment laws, including Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act, and the Age Discrimination in Employment Act. She regularly offers wage and hour compliance advice and has represented employers in numerous Fair Labor Standards Act collective actions and state-law wage and hour class actions. Maggie’s litigation experience also includes defending employers in breach of contract and employment-related tort claims. She regularly defends employers and management before state and federal courts throughout the country at the trial and appellate levels, as well as before administrative bodies such as the US Department of Labor, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, and similar state agencies.

The pandemic has put a lot of strain on everyday Americans in a host of ways from job losses, riskier work for the same or reduced pay, to financial hardship. You may also listen here: https://bit.ly/2ZPucna Today’s guest believes that employers have a duty to be courageous about financial inclusion and to do whatever they can to help employees manage their money, credit, and debt as part of their voluntary benefits packages. She suggests that employers need more than thought leadership; they need action leadership. We are pleased to have with us today Anita Ward, Chief Development Officer at Salary Finance (https://www.salaryfinance.com/us/), a global provider of financial education and salary-linked savings and loans for employees. Anita Ward is a Cultural Anthropologist whose career has been dedicated to culture, behavior, and the growth and transformation of organizations. Anita has led growth, development, and technology in organizations that include Chase, American General, Safelite Autoglass, Occidental Petroleum, and the Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health. Before recently joining Salary Finance, she was President of Operation HOPE, a non-profit that she streamlined and expanded. If you enjoyed this episode, please consider joining us on September 30th at an event called HR Now, which features a roundtable hosted by Anita called "Why Financial Inclusion Belongs on Your D&I Agenda." Learn more or register here: https://interactive.blr.com/HR-Now.

In this episode, we discuss substance abuse. While always an issue, substance abuse becomes much more widespread and serious during crises. This crisis in particular offers an especially troubling environment for abuse. You may also listen here: https://bit.ly/3cc2Lcc Today’s episode is brought to you by The Standard, a family of businesses united by a shared purpose of compassion for their customers. The Standard’s Workplace Possibilities Program offers a proactive, whole-person approach to disability, helping employers provide customized solutions to help employees stay at work or return sooner. More information on this program can be found here: https://bit.ly/2RevH9U. We are joined by Dr. Dan Jolivet. Dan started working in the behavioral health field in 1980 as he was completing a degree in mathematical statistics and wanted to get some hands-on experience in an applied scientific discipline. Dan has held a variety of roles throughout his career. He has worked in inpatient hospitals, residential treatment centers, partial hospitalization programs, intensive outpatient programs, employee assistance programs and in private practice. He moved into supervision to multiply his impact and began working in managed care soon after that. He joined The Standard as its Behavioral Health Director in 2016 and says his favorite part of the job is still helping people—both claimants and people on his team—find solutions to seemingly intractable problems. Dan received his bachelor's degree in psychology from the University of Washington, and his master's degree and a doctorate in clinical psychology from Georgia State University.

In this episode, we go over the latest workplace COVID-19 testing strategies and capabilities. What types of tests exist and how available are they? What strategies are employers using, especially those that require workers on-site like mines and factories? What technologies are being developed and what will testing look like in the future? You may also listen here: https://bit.ly/2REpnbT This episode's guest, Rich Robillard, Managing Director at SBL Testing Technologies Inc. (https://sbltt.com/), helps answer these and other similar questions.

When I first took over this podcast, my very first guest was Ira Wolfe, and we talked about what HR might look like in 2025. By all accounts, we were well on track to realize that future. But then the pandemic hit and that future has largely been changed. You may also listen here: https://bit.ly/350BEzc In this episode I am pleased to have Ira back with us to ask a few more follow up questions, including what will HR look like next year, and what will it look like by 2030 and 2035? Ira is the president of Success Performance Solutions (https://www.successperformancesolutions.com/), which excels in pre-employment testing software for sales, leadership, service, and production across a number of industries. In addition to being a blogger and prolific business writer, Ira is an accomplished speaker, having visited the stages of TEDx and DisruptHR. He has also published books such as The Perfect Labor Storm and Recruiting in the Age of Googlization: When the Shift Hits Your Plan.

According to our guest this week, retaliation claims surrounding COVID-19 are outpacing many other types of lawsuits. Are your managers well trained when it comes to avoiding retaliation suits? You can also listen to this episode here: https://bit.ly/32V5dzv This episode's guest is once again Maggie Spell (https://www.joneswalker.com/professionals/mary-margaret-spell.html), partner at the New Orleans location of Jones Walker (https://www.joneswalker.com/). Maggie focuses her practice on cases brought under federal, state, and local employment laws, including Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act, and the Age Discrimination in Employment Act. She regularly offers wage and hour compliance advice and has represented employers in numerous Fair Labor Standards Act collective actions and state-law wage and hour class actions.

We recently did a special video interview for Women's Equality Day that we wanted to share with you. You can listen to it here, but if you want to watch the video, check it out here: https://bit.ly/3gQnG5m Music: www.bensound.com

When the pandemic first hit the United States, the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) was passed to help protect American citizens. The FFCRA has been in effect for some time since then, and employment lawsuits have begun hitting the courts. You can also listen here: https://bit.ly/3gWirRB In this episode, we are going to go over some of the hot-spots surrounding the FFCRA with returning guest Maggie Spell (https://www.joneswalker.com/professionals/mary-margaret-spell.html), partner at the New Orleans location of Jones Walker (https://www.joneswalker.com). Maggie focuses her practice on cases brought under federal, state, and local employment laws, including Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act, and the Age Discrimination in Employment Act. She regularly offers wage and hour compliance advice and has represented employers in numerous Fair Labor Standards Act collective actions and state-law wage and hour class actions. Please join us next Friday when we'll be releasing another episode where Maggie and I get deeper into one of the most common types of suits that have arisen: retaliation suits.

The early effects of the pandemic on the workforce saw many businesses close, and many others take extreme measures to survive, including downsizing, cutting pay, and reducing or eliminating benefits. Our guests today believe that getting a better handle on your people costs and benefits can help organizations be less draconian in their approach to surviving the ongoing pandemic. We are pleased to have Peter Newhouse with us in this episode. Peter joined Unilever (https://www.unilever.com/) in September 2010 as Global Head of Reward and a member of the Unilever HR Leadership Team, having previously worked as a senior executive at Ford in North America and as Group Head of Remuneration at Standard Chartered Bank in London. Having graduated with a Law degree, Peter started his career in Reward in 1980 when he joined the American consulting company Organization Resources Counselors Inc (ORC). As well as developing the Reward consultancy services of MM&K, specialists in executive and incentive compensation, Peter has also run his own Reward consulting business, Peter Newhouse & Co. We also have with us today Ken Charman. He is the CEO of uFlexReward (https://www.uflexreward.com/), an HR and rewards data platform that collates all costs to do with employees (salary, pension, bonus, shares, etc) into one real-time platform. Ken has been involved in major enterprise software projects since 1987, specifically in financial consolidation and reporting systems, and has built high-performance teams in IT start-ups that were acquired by Oracle, SAP, IBM and Sungard.

Unfortunately, COVID-19 has invited a new wave of discrimination, particularly against pregnant women, employees over the age of 65, and those of Chinese or Asian heritage. There are other issues as well, including managing discrimination while employees are working remotely. As your organization meets the other challenges of COVID-19, make sure you are not accidentally discriminating against these and other protected classes. In this episode, we are pleased to with us attorney Barry Hartstein (https://www.littler.com/people/barry-hartstein), Shareholder and Co-Chair of the EEO & Diversity Practice Group at Littler (https://www.littler.com/) in Chicago. Barry has earned a national reputation for a career that includes more than 30 years of counseling and representing employers in a broad range of labor and employment matters. He is a frequent writer, commentator and lecturer on workplace issues. He also has extensive experience as a litigator and has defended employers nationwide in individual and class action claims and wage and hour collective actions. He has particular expertise dealing with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) on both a local and national level, which included an invitation by the EEOC chair to address the Commission at a recent meeting in Washington D.C. on the legal standards governing employers’ consideration of criminal arrest and conviction records.

Last time on HR Works COVID-19 Update we began to explore the many new types of wage and hour lawsuits that might be coming your way in light of the pandemic. This week we'll hear from a lawyer that specializes in these types of cases to discuss where she is seeing new lawsuits, what they look like, and what might happen going forward. We are pleased to have back on the show Maggie Spell (https://www.joneswalker.com/professionals/mary-margaret-spell.html), Partner at the New Orleans location of Jones Walker (https://www.joneswalker.com/offices/new-orleans.html) with us. In this episode, she helps us unpack some of the most common pandemic-induced wage and hour violations. Maggie focuses her practice on cases brought under federal, state, and local employment laws, including Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act, and the Age Discrimination in Employment Act. She regularly offers wage and hour compliance advice and has represented employers in numerous Fair Labor Standards Act collective actions and state-law wage and hour class actions.