Up Next @ Work

Sarah Rodehorst is the CEO of Onwards HR, the leading HR tech provider committed to making separations better for employers and employees. No stranger to the power of technology, Sarah’s expertise includes complex areas including healthcare reform and compliance. After seeing how much organizations struggled with the severance payments and separation regulations intended to ease transitions during workforce reductions, she started Onwards HR. In this episode of #TheWork, Sarah helps us understand who else is involved in a reduction in force (guess what – it’s not only HR) and how messy state WARN acts can be for enterprises laying off employees across different locations. We learned so much from Sarah and we’re sure you will too – please listen to learn more about this timely topic that is fraught with emotion and challenges for employers and employee alike.

It’s always fun to learn about new companies that are returning value to their customers from day one! That’s Berlin-based Dado. By applying the principles of product management to HR, Dado becomes the extra team member that supports every stage of the employee experience, consistently and transparently. Arielle Kilroy is Dado’s co-founder, CEO and CPO, who has a fascinating career journey and game-changing technology. Thanks for listening to and liking this episode of #TheWork #podcast.

This episode features a fascinating conversation with Hung Lee. He curates Recruiting Brainfood, one of the most popular weekly newsletters for the recruiting, HR, and talent industries. His keen expertise and approach to building a vendor-neutral community are respected around the globe. We discuss why some things in the workplace never change such as workers leaving low paying and low flexibility jobs, the impact of the aging workforce, and “elite overproduction” of highly educated people with elevated expectations without suitable jobs to match. No one has the final answer and we agreed we’re not going to solve it anytime soon. It’s why recruiting remains broken, and regardless of economic pressures, vacancies will always persist. Thanks for listening to #TheWork podcast.

Employment attorney, writer and professor Heather Bussing believes pay equity is the easiest place to start a company’s DEI journey. Straightforward and simple, it’s math and shouldn’t be met with so much resistance. Yet, we all know that we’re years away from true pay equity, especially for women of color. Jeanne was surprised to learn how disparate pay is between men and women in the legal profession and we all bemoaned how uncomfortable and non-inclusive mandatory golf outings are. Join us for this episode of #TheWork podcast to learn from one of the HR industry’s most knowledgeable – and authentic – employment law experts.

Blindly copying what successful companies did in the past simply doesn’t work anymore. In this episode of #TheWork podcast, our guest Ben Waber, President and co-founder of Humanyze and one of the world’s leading experts in people analytics, discusses why there is no status quo other than change as the new constant. We discuss how it has exposed the shabbiness of management practices and, of course, we also delve into #ChatGPT, preconceived notions of what data does or does not tell us, and why the truth matters. Having presented at high profile organizations including the U.N. and World Economic Forum, Ben’s thought leadership has been featured in Wired, CNN, HBR, and The New York Times. There’s no doubt you’ll understand why his work was selected for the Harvard Business Review's List of Breakthrough Ideas and the Technology Review's Top 10 Emerging Technologies.

A pioneering voice in HR tech, William Tincup lives outside the box. In this episode of #TheWork, William punches holes in conventional thinking, shares his envy of Gen Z, and takes us on an unexpected magical mystery tour. John, Jeanne and William used to teach the wildly popular "Master Class in HCM" and by listening to this podcast, you’ll have a front-row seat as to why it was so successful. Learn from one of the best strategists in the #HRtech category: William Tincup.

While speed-to-hire might seem like the all-important recruiting metric, the person stocking the grocery market shelves requires different skills than the trucker who is delivering the merchandise to the store. In this episode of #TheWork, Crosschq CEO Mike Fitzsimmons takes us through an outcome-driven approach to talent acquisition and shares why hiring intelligence – the verified intelligence that informs quality of hire – is the future of relevant data. By leading with outcomes, Fitzsimmons says we can truly get to a predictive state in recruiting. Learn more by listening to the latest from #TheWork.

Leapgen CEO & co-founder Jason Averbook didn't mince words on the latest episode of TheWork. He says that unless HR stops doing what it has been doing for the last 50 years and refocuses within the next five, the function will DIE. Reskilling is part of what will help drive change but even more important is cultivating a mindset of changefulness: the intention and willingness to change. Listen and learn from one of the HR industry's leading experts as he muses over what HR investments are needed now to create a path forward.

CEO of Socrates, Randy Womack, helps us understand ChatGPT in the context of generative AI and precise AI. Two separate concepts that tend to be erroneously combined, the differences between generative and precise AI should have all of us thinking about how these tools should be used and in which circumstances. Randy shares how ChatGPT’s well written content will influence many aspects of our lives, including the potential to replace the employment handbook (albeit under a consortium model.) Time with Randy makes all of us smarter. Thanks for listening and liking this episode of #TheWork.

When it comes to HR technology, Thomas Otter has seen it all. He joined Acadian Ventures from his own advisory firm in March 2022 as a General Partner, advising early-stage technology companies building the future of work. Before that, he led the product management organization at SAP SuccessFactors, Earlier in his career, he was a research vice president at Gartner, responsible for proprietary research in HR and HR technology. He earned a PhD from Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, where he explored the relationship between enterprise software and compliance. In this episode of #TheWork, he tells us about his firm's investments in pay transparency, nudging technology, a skills engine solutions provider and a copyright infringement vendor. The last one led to a fun-filled discussion about ChatGPT, on which Thomas encourages us to slow our roll because - after all - weren't we all excited about blockchain just a few short years ago? Thanks for following #TheWork.

We kick off the new year with a repeat visit from one of our most popular guests: Meg Bear, President & Chief Product Officer of SAP SuccessFactors. Meg accepted our challenge to discuss ChatGPT - what it means now and what possibilities it holds for the future of work. Her take on how it can be used was refreshing and goes beyond the obvious such as writing marketing content and cover letters. Please listen in and be sure to share your feedback about this episode of #TheWork.

George LaRocque holds a special place at the intersection of HR tech funding, M&A, and what's best for customers. In this episode of #TheWork, George muses over how the world is now moving faster than the technology that supports it. We discuss the moniker "Talent Intelligence" and what that means to customers. John questions if we’re still just conquering what hasn't worked before instead of innovating. We also turn our attention to lower birth rates, the scarcity of qualified talent, and what workflows can be automated when the people to fill jobs simply aren’t available. John calls balderdash when it comes to labor shortages and argues the issue is making work accessible instead. Thanks for listening to #TheWork.

Why are we making it so difficult to hire? Why are employers expecting candidates to share details of every position ever held and how it ended? Why aren’t hiring managers required to tell candidates how many people they’ve hired in the last five years and where they are now? Restricting information to what can improve decision-making is a big fail for companies in the U.S. says Gerry Crispin, the indisputable kingpin of talent acquisition expertise. We were fortunate enough to sit down with Gerry upon his return from Burning Man to discuss the current state of recruiting and what TA leaders need to do to improve hiring outcomes.

In one of our favorite episodes ever, Ben Waber gives us new ways of thinking by dispelling people decision assumptions and myths. He explores probability and the role of chance, acknowledging how uncertain we are about being certain. If you're responsible for making business decisions - for yourself, your team, your customers and your organization - you'll want to listen to this MIT course in how to use data, creatively.

Quiet quitting. The Great Resignation. Low employee engagement. It seems like every headline illuminates how unhappy workers are and what that means to business outcomes. In this episode of #TheWork, Tracey Parsons calls BS. She says we know what employees want and have known for decades. Giving them what they want seems to be the elusive change that employers struggle with and that's why turnover rates remain high. We learned so much from Tracey about creating career opportunities through internal mobility programs. And you will too.

Stacey Harris is the keynote speaker on Thursday, September 15 at this year's HR Tech Conference. Why is this so important? Because Stacey conducts the industry's most important buyer decision-making research, which is based on 25+ years of survey data. Stacey observes that HR professionals are stretched to the limit, John jumps in with tough questions about ethics and Jeanne reminds all of us about the importance of boundaries.

Cecile Alper-Leroux is GVP of Research and Innovation at UKG. Since 2010, she has focused on fostering a culture of innovation, resulting in the delivery of advanced, people-centric technology solutions and services. Cecile is an economic anthropologist and best-selling author of "From Dissonance to Resonance, Bringing your People and Organization into Sync." In this episode of #TheWork, she questions why the trauma created by working through COVID times hasn't been addressed by many employers and the damage being created by organizations pushing tone-deaf agendas like it's still 2019.

Matt Charney is a legend in the #HRTech category. Known for his ability to see the truth quickly (and call it out), John says Matt is one of the smartest people he knows and Jeanne thinks Matt is a polymath. At HR.com, Matt gets the opportunity to truly shine. In this episode of #TheWork, he talks about HR.com's global community, advisory boards and deep research offerings. Matt also takes us into the nitty-gritty of talent acquisition including the impact of dated technology and bad processes.

One of the deepest thinkers in the HR tech category, Thomas Otter is our guest on this episode of #TheWork. Thomas helps us understand how disruption at the process level is forcing the evolution of HR systems, especially as work and payments change and organizational models shift. We discuss the innovation happening in the SME, dynamic economic indicators, and how the mobile, aging workforce is driving the shape of work.

Few #HRTech marketers can boast the incredible career of Jess Von Bank. Added to her thoughtful, disciplined approach to people and products, is a deep passion for community: true workforce community, not just "lip service." In this episode, Jess takes us through her ideas for models that truly embrace inclusion and belonging and respect the dynamic nature of the workforce. We enjoyed our chat with Jess about work and we're sure you will too.

In this fascinating episode of #TheWork, we chat with Cornerstone’s Global VP, Strategic Initiatives, Mike Bollinger. He steps us through the resiliency of organizational bias and muses over flat-screen life vs. office hallway conversations. Don’t miss his take on the metaverse and the opportunities it will create for increased innovation through a return to out-of-band conversations with a twist.

Creating pathways back into the workforce for those who've taken a career break is what reacHIRE does and their CEO explains why this is so important to organizations. "A career break is not a career breaker," she says and our co-hosts agree. It was great to learn how skills can be redeployed in new ways, even for jobs that didn't exist previously. Addie also lets listeners know how they can jumpstart their return to work with reacHIRE's free workbook, available for download: https://bit.ly/3mC36Lz

In this episode, the HR tech industry's leading talent acquisition expert Madeline Laurano stumps co-host John Sumser on the topic of skills and role of the resume. She helps us understand how TA teams need to think strategy, not just efficiency, especially when it comes to their tech stacks. We discuss the great resignation, recruiting hourly workers and hiring for potential while Jeanne rails about ghosting candidates. Don't miss the latest spirited discussion on #TheWork.

We're so fortunate to speak with Dr. Anna Tavis in this episode. She helps us understand why the pandemic accelerated changes that were already underway, specifically to the four Ws: work, workforce, workplace, and worth. She explains how machines can already take over simple cognitive tasks and the projected evolution of emotion in AI (AE: artificial empathy.) It's a fascinating discussion with one of the future of work's exceptional thought leaders.

Entrepreneur, CEO, thought leader and working mother, Caitlin MacGregor knows how to bring clarity into the hiring process through psychometric data. In this episode, we explore what drives or drains employees and how this human-centric approach informs employee engagement and career pathways. Most important, she discusses how Plum data enables managers to be better leaders by aligning talent acquisition and talent management in a way that nurtures and respects workers.

In this episode of #TheWork, talent expert Jeff Hunter helps us understand how to build great organizations by leveraging the potential of talent. Jeff talks about the human experience at work and what's needed to fix it. We talk about coaching, leadership, culture and more. Thank you, Jeff for giving us the clarity we need to make better decisions.

In this episode of #TheWork, we have the good fortune to speak with book author and Conference Board Senior Fellow, Stela Lupushor. Stela has a sharp vision of what’s important at work: analytics, technology and the workplace experience. She discusses why there really isn’t a talent shortage yet companies are struggling to deliver on their business commitments. You’ll find her analysis of digital affluence particularly enlightening. Thanks for listening to and liking #TheWork.

In this episode of #TheWork, we have the pleasure of speaking with Kyle Lagunas, Head of Talent Attraction, Sourcing & Insight at General Motors. Kyle is spearheading GM's zero emissions talent pipeline: zero waste, highly efficient, super modernized, and future-proof while also ensuring that candidates receive a world-class experience. It's always a good day when you can learn from one of the #HRTech industry's leaders. We hope you'll like and share the latest from #TheWork.

In this episode of #TheWork, we have the good fortune of speaking with Dr. Charles Handler. Charles is a highly visible futurist and evangelist for the talent assessment space. Throughout his career, he has been on the forefront of innovation in the talent assessment space, applying his sound foundation in psychometrics to helping drive innovation in assessments through the use of gaming, social media, big data, and other advanced technologies.

Katrina Kibben creates impact on people. They know that job post strategies haven't changed in the last 100+ years, resulting in 100-year-old biases. As the world’s leading expert in writing better job postings, they teach companies how to remove bias, why adding pronouns matter, and about creating more inclusive candidate experiences. And, in this episode, Kat talks about being a ninja and John Sumser tells us about his short-lived career as a door-to-door Santa Claus. You’ll have to listen to hear more.

Randy Womack has 30+ years of SaaS/healthcare/operations expertise and three IPOs among his many accomplishments. It's no wonder that he understands what makes people feel connected, valued and so much more significant than their employee ID. In this episode of #TheWork, he talks about bridging the gap between our jobs and our lives and the roles that artificial intelligence, content management and good old-fashioned common sense play.

Turns out, working in the Metaverse is closer than you think. In this episode of #TheWork, we chat with Kyle Jackson, co-founder and CEO of Talespin. His company leverages immersive technology to rethink how people learn new skills and measure skill competencies, and in turn, puts a new foundation in place for professional development that helps people and organizations keep up with business transformation. It was a fascinating discussion and one you won’t want to miss.

CEO of Logical Design Solutions (LDS), Mimi Brooks, helps organizations think through organizational design and worker experience. A brilliant strategist, she drives opportunities for bridging across the enterprise and prioritizes high-value initiatives. Listen to this episode of #TheWork to think out of the box about competing in a digital world.

Having started his career as a research chemist, Michael Kannisto applies a similarly disciplined and science-based approach to the fields of Recruiting and Talent Management. He’s also the Founder and Scenario Director at Mindemic Lab, a think tank dedicated to exploring the future of social constructs such as art, relationships, mental wellness, and disability. In this episode of #TheWork, Michael challenges us to consider the unthinkable, especially as we attempt to use today's thinking to define the future of work.

There’s no dispute that workforce decisions are being made every day based on data. How can we be sure that this data is accurate? What about circumstances where there’s no data to support the decisions we need to make? Our guest Shon Burton discusses talent intelligence and the business improvements that can be made when staffing agencies and HR professionals – and HR technology tools – move data beyond transactional to predictive.

Using interviewing data to make better recruiting decisions seems so logical. Leaving the process to chance - dismissing structured interviews as navel-gazing instead of science - sends a negative message to job candidates plus wastes precious time and resources. Our guest Jon Stross shares how structured interviews can result in a better organization and why process changes can be an important part of HR technology buying decisions.

In this heartfelt episode of #TheWork, Jenn Ravalli, VP of Marketing at PandoLogic, shares the best and worst of her personal journey through infertility and a high-powered career. She shares the range of emotions, including guilt, sorrow, frustration and elation while giving listeners the encouragement to give yourself grace and expect support. We shouldn't have to set our careers back to become parents. We agree, Jenn!

Kicking off the inaugural episode of TheWork, co-hosts John Sumser and Jeanne Achille welcome SAP’s Chief Product Officer, Meg Bear. Together, they unpack how work is changing and how the resulting discomfort is creating learning and impacting product design. Oh, and Meg also lets us know why her colleagues consider her to be the Roy Kent of SAP SuccessFactors. We hope you’ll enjoy listening as much as we enjoyed recording this one.

Leading during challenging times means asking hard questions and doing hard work. Who are we? Where are we going? Larry Dunivan shares the building blocks of culture change, from strong employee resource groups to relying on his own kids as a great source of inspiration. In this episode of #TheWork, you'll learn how he ensures that every employee's viewpoint is respected.

Myra Norton has been described as a mathematician with a superb sense of social. She ran student affairs at Temple University; taught at the U.S. Naval Academy; and, most recently, has been leading Arena Analytics in Baltimore, MD. She says she's a recovering academic who thinks talent is distributed but opportunity is not. Listen to this episode of #TheWork to learn how to remove historical hiring bias and especially why women shouldn't buy into the narrative that they're not good in math and science.