The WorldatWork Podcast: Recent Episodes
WorldatWork Podcast
WorldatWork Podcasts include the Workspan Podcast and the #evolve Podcast - each aligned with its respective namesake publication. Both take on the day’s most pressing workplace issues with a healthy mix of insight, wit and irreverence. Produced and hosted by Tom Alexander and WorldatWork columnist Charles Epstein.
Lulu Seikaly, in-house employment counsel for Payscale, joins us to discuss pay transparency: the law recently passed in Hawaii and how it’s different, varying levels of stringency by state, benefits to employers, unintended consequences and trends employers need to be on the watch for.
Rich Fuerstenberg,a Senior Partner with Mercer, works with clients on their healthcare and group benefit programs, connecting dots for employers and employees helping them reduce cost and risk while improving the benefits experience. The focus of our conversation is employer-sponsored sabbaticals – the different types, why they’re offered, ways they can be structured, how to prod employees with “tenure” to take them when they’re reluctant to do so, and best practices to ensure productive (paid and unpaid) sabbaticals.
We’re joined by the two co-founders of Zayla Partners, an executive compensation and corporate governance consulting company: CEO Chris Crawford and Managing Partner Ian Keas. Our conversation focuses on solving the challenge of executive retiree incentive compensation: why more older employees are working past age 65 than the prior generation, the importance of succession planning and a “good leaver policy,” planning for a ”principled outcome,” and other timely issues.
Steven Brink is President and Chief Revenue Officer of uFlexReward, providers of a digital total reward platform to improve the employee experience and enhance the organization’s global understanding of the total reward spend. He joins us to discuss total rewards optimization: the challenges/benefits of consolidating the various benefits silos, how to tailor rewards for the "new shape of work," and the ways it improves decision-making.
Sunil Vatave is the U.S. product advisor to DarwinBox, an HCM platform that helps build better workplaces. He brings a broad perspective to the topic of compensation, having been an employment lawyer, Vice President of HR, and HR technology provider. He joins us to discuss how to make compensation management a strategic advantage.
Jon Hyman is a nationally recognized employment and labor attorney, author, speaker, blogger, and most importantly, a friend of the Workspan pod. He joins us to discuss the three landmark decisions recently handed down by the Supreme Court on religious accommodations, affirmative action, and LGBTQ rights. He is just the guy to tell us what it means, doesn’t mean, and could mean for employers now and in the near future.
Mario Ceron,Managing Partner & CEO, Zereon Associates, gives us a global perspective on total rewards, workforce mobility, digital transportation, leadership and team development, and executive compensation. He also discusses emerging compensation trends, the impact of AI on total rewards, and how leadership must evolve to meet the challenges in the changing world of work.
Joe DiMisa, Senior Client Partner and Korn Ferry’s Global Sales Force Effectiveness Leader joins us to talk about designing and implementing sales management solutions that increase sales and profits for clients. We discuss the 2-3 characteristics of an effective or successful sales organization, how to set pay levels for sales roles, where to get good data, and whether you should benchmark against peers, among a host of timely topics.
Brett Christie, WorldatWork's Digital Content Manager and Strategist joins us to discuss an exciting new development – the eagerly awaited unveiling of a newly updated and expanded online resource for anyone in the total rewards and comp fields. Members (and non-members) now have easy access to every pay equity law, salary history ban law and pay transparency law for every state in the U.S. It includes an alphabetical search bar at the top that allows users to easily navigate to the state they are looking for. You can find it here: https://worldatwork.org/resources/tools.
A timely conversation with Cheryl Brown Merriwether, Co-Founder, Vice President, Executive Director, International Center for Addiction & Recovery Education™ (ICARE). Many people struggle during the holiday season as it can give rise to – or heighten - addictions and mental health issues. Cheryl discusses how you, and/or those close to you, can prepare mentally and emotionally to avoid/minimize these issues, and principles for making positive behavior change long-lasting.
WorldatWork is about to publish findings showing that employers continue to struggle with communicating internally and externally about their pay equity efforts. Nancy Romanyshyn, Director Pay Strategy and Partner Success with Syndio, joins us for a lively, informative discussion on what employers need to understand – and do – to better communicate their pay equity efforts. We also discuss the shock and awe that greeted her provocative presentation at WorldatWork's Rewards ’22 Conference!
We speak with Michael Piker, Global DE&I & Reward Director with Flutter Entertainment, a global sports betting, gaming and entertainment company. Currently based in London, Michael has lived and worked in 9 countries, and brings a broad perspective to a range of important issues: Talent Mobility, DE&I, Total Rewards, Executive Compensation, People Analytics, HR Technology…and more. Michael joins an elite cadre of “second timers” – and based on this excellent conversation, we expect we'll soon be coaxing him back for a third time!
Scott Pechaitis, a principal in the law firm Jackson Lewis P.C. and a national leader in the world of employment law, discusses pay transparency, specifically the new Pay Transparency laws that are taking effect November 1 in New York City and Westchester County, and will soon be sweeping the nation. What you need to know, how to prepare, the pros and cons.
Darren Tse, North America Practice Leader Sales Effectiveness and Rewards for WTW, discusses setting caps on sales compensation. What may first sound like a narrowly focused topic turns out to have many fascinating dimensions and implications. Darren expertly takes us through the host of competing interests that need to be balanced: maintaining an equitable compensation framework and keeping top performers motivated, attracting top people to the team, etc. Check it out.
A fascinating conversation with Liz Supinski, Director, Research & Insights at WorldatWork. Liz discusses how her background in I/O psychology and data science informs her research work, her plans to make WorldatWork’s research reports more narrative-driven, helping TR professionals carry the conversation into their organizations…and a sneak preview on the research reports coming out this year and early next year.
Co-authors Solange Charas and Stela Lupushor discuss their timely and very insightful new book, Humanizing Human Capital. Topics include: the difference between people analytics and human capital analytics, the value of “purpose audits,” AI and its potential impact on leadership, why HR needs to improve their numeracy and understand how data can actually help “humanize” the workplace.
Master Corporate Executive Coach Jordan Goldrichon how successful leaders can get better. Jordan discusses how to promote successful leadership in today’s increasing remote business world, his work with “abrasive” leaders and what he means by applying the Navy Seals “ethos” to effective, responsive leadership.
Cindy Robbins is an independent board director, corporate advisor, and senior executive with 20+ years of experience counseling CEOs and other senior executives. As President and Chief People Officer of Salesforce, she designed and oversaw a global workforce that became a model of innovative corporate culture. Cindy joins us to discuss pay equity: how/why Salesforce made pay equity a priority, the CEO’s influence in changing corporate behaviors, what tools are best for measuring pay equity, the importance of transparency and what the future holds.
Judy Canavan isManaging Director, Compensation & Benefits, Global Employer Services at BDO, and leader of their Compensation Surveys practice. Judy joins us to discuss BDO’s 2022 Study of CEO and CFO Compensation, which is based on the practices of 600 mid-market public companies. She shares the key takeaways, differences between the 2022 and 2021 studies, and the biggest surprises. To access report: https://insights.bdo.com/2022-BDO-600.html
Our guest Dan Beaudry is the founder of LDP Connect, a community of professionals who lead, manage or support early career talent development programs at some of the world’s largest employers. We discuss what young, high potential employees are looking for and the skills/attributes/support they need to advance and flourish. With a special cameo appearance from friend and benefactor of the pod, Todd Horton, CEO of KangoGift!
Our guest Dan Beaudry is the founder of LDP Connect, a community of professionals who lead, manage or support early career talent development programs at some of the world’s largest employers. We discuss what young, high potential employees are looking for and the skills/attributes/support they need to advance and flourish. With a special cameo appearance from friend and benefactor of the pod, Todd Horton, CEO of KangoGift!
Awestruck by the images pulled from deep space by the James Webb telescope? We are too! We have the perfect guest to bring it all down to earth: Ann Jenkins, principal science writer at the Space Telescope Science Institute, the science operations center for the Hubble and James Webb Space Telescopes. We also discuss her fascinating career that began at NASA 25 years ago.
We are joined by Debbie Gunning, VP of People at Human Interest, a fast-growing fintech firm providing 401(k)s to small and medium businesses. Debbie’s team runs the company's talent and culture programs. We discuss geographic pay differentials and the challenges of promoting coherent company culture for a company experiencing exponential growth – Human Interest has grown from ~50 team members working from the SF office in 2019 to nearly 700 working all across the US today!
Emily Cervino and Ranjan Dutta from Fidelity Investments on pay equity and the complexities/nuances of pay equity assessment. We discuss why companies are considering non-base pay in pay equity assessments and highlights from the WorldatWork/Fidelity Pay Equity Study (the study can be found at: https://worldatwork.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_cI0ooLXPrudcaFw?Source=Fidelity).
Our guest is Dr. Stephen Ezeji-Okoye, MD,Chief Medical Officer, Crossover Health, the leader in delivering value-based hybrid care. We discuss Social Determinants of Health and a case study he wrote called Cracking the Code on Referral Management, which shows how an integrated, team-based care model removes cost and improves satisfaction.
Neena Kovuruis astrategic HR and technologies consultant who creates value for organizations via insightful analysis and data driven solutions. We discuss the need for HR to become more comfortable and adept with analytics, what HR is doing to meet the challenges of today’s changed business landscape, and emerging technologies that will have the greatest impact on the way we work.
We're joined by Rob Whalen, co-founder and CEO of PTO Exchange, the first benefits platform that allows employees to self-direct the value of their unused paid time off (PTO) for other needs and causes. We discuss how this will lead to more employee engagement, increased loyalty, reinforce a healthy workplace culture and move the needle on DEI.
Kristin Pozen, practice leader and senior executive recruiter with the Duffy Group, on boomerang interviews: those you conduct with former employees who are seeking to return. We discuss why they’re on the rise, whether it’s a good or bad thing for employers, and how to make sure the “sequel” is better than the original.
Mark McGraw, managing editor of both Workspan and #evolve, joins us to discuss the Q2 Workspan, which focuses on wellbeing. Features include “Family Time, which addresses parental leave and “Do Not Disturb,” which looks at how some companies are expanding their PTO offerings to help workers refresh and recharge.
Serial entrepreneur Shannon Scott, the CEO of OnCentive and SyncStream, on lessons learned from starting and growing successful companies, what drives him, why he prefers the term corporate “vision” to corporate “culture” and how it’s factored into his success. He also shares what’s on his entrepreneurial “bucket list” – spoiler alert: a local flavored barbecue joint on the beach.
Ravin Jesuthasan, a recognized global thought leader, futurist and author on the future of work, automation and human capital. He is the co-author of the just published “Work Without Jobs: How to Reboot Your Organization’s Work Operating System,” about how work is changing in ways that will eventually transform every aspect of society. It debuted at No.3 on the Wall Street Journal bestseller list. An illuminating and fun convo with our second best-selling author, third futurist and first Davos man...check it out!
We're joined by Michele Ruiz, co-founder and CEO of BiasSync, a science-based approach to combatting unconscious bias in the workplace. She speaks about her journey from the anchor chair (she was an award-winning broadcast journalist) to serial entrepreneur (BiasSync is her third company) and the ways organizations can systematically identify and address unconscious bias.
We’re joined by Kimberly Harris, Director of People Operations at Poll Everywhere, a company thatturns presentations into a two-way dialog, providing employees with ways of getting involved instead of getting distracted: “2022 will be the year of conquering the new workforce rhythm.” Which begs the question: can we dance to it? This and more on promoting more dynamic employee engagement – check it out!
Eden Higgins, VP Practice Leader with the Duffy Group, Inc., a global recruitment firm, on ghosting: why more job candidates are “disappearing,” signs recruiters should look out for, and how to prevent being ghosted.
In his fourth appearance on the pod, tech analyst David Foote joins us to discuss the future of work: what it means, what’s driving it, the implications for how we build and manage workforces going forward. David is Chief Analyst & Chief Research Officer for the eponymous Foote Partners. He is an innovator of advanced techniques for benchmarking enterprise tech jobs, skills supply/demand, and compensation; tracking/forecasting tech labor trends; and analyzing human factors in technology development. David is a former Gartner and META Group analyst and Silicon Valley executive.
The rate of people quitting jobs in private educational services rose more than in any other industry in 2021. We’re joined by Kathleen Schulz, Gallagher’s Global Innovation Leader for Organizational Wellbeing to discuss teachers why more teachers are leaving the classroom and going to work for companies, and why companies are eager to enlist their translatable skills and experience. Bonus: we revisit Kathleen’s most embarrassing COVID moment, which she shared on her first visit with us!
Tarin Calmeyer joins us on our maiden #evolve podcast. Tarin is a virtual events specialist and thefounder of Remote Team Wellness, a corporate wellness company that facilities comprehensive wellness classes and activities virtually for teams across the world. She discusses what event organizers can do to make their virtual events more engaging and effective, as well as how companies can implement/promote a culture of health.
Mark McGraw, Managing Editor of both Workspan and #evolve, joins us to kick off the first Workspan Podcast - what was once Work in Progress will now be divided into this and the #evolve podcast, each aligned with its respective namesake publication. Mark gives us a typically lively tour sneak peak of what's in the next several issues of Workspan: spoiler alert, lots of insightful articles on pay equity and DEI. One day you'll remember exactly where you were when you listened to the maiden Workspan pod...check it out!
Our guest is Carol Leaman, President and CEO of Axonify, providers of learning solutions for frontline employees. Carol discusses her “open door” approach to exec management, the benefits of delivering personalized, bite-sized bursts of training in the flow of work, and how equity is a critical factor in attracting and retaining frontline talent. Bonus chat on the most popular day of the week for giving praise based on research from Kangogift, our most excellent sponsors.
Lorna Hagen is Chief People Officer with Guild Education, a pioneer in helping companies transform traditional tuition reimbursement programs from a cost center into a recruitment and retention tool. Lorna has worked in multiple sectors: hospitality, sports, media, retail and fintech…we will be talking about this and an article she recently wrote for Workspan, Trends for 2022: Putting the human element back in human resources.
Dr. Jonathan Canger, an Industrial-Organizational Psychologist and founder of Zennia Research, has worked in senior leadership roles with companies such as Verizon, Monster, Motorola and, most recently, Marriott International where he was Senior Vice President of Global Talent Management. Jonathan joins our elite roster of two-time WIP guests to discuss engagement from multiple angles: how you know it when you see it, how different personalities need to be engaged differently, how to improve it among remote workers, and more.
Adam Zuckerman leads Willis Towers Watson’s Employee Engagement Software global product team, whose goal is to help companies improve performance by enhancing the employee experience. Adam discusses everything from feedback (he’s not a fan, but not for reasons you think!), how and why leadership is sometimes disconnected from their workforce, his thoughts on stay interviews…and, in a surprise twist, our shared interest in Philip Roth!
We’re joined by Chris Michalak, CEO of Virgin Pulse, providers ofemployee well-being solutions. He previously worked forTowers, McKinsey and Aon - a murderer’s row of top consulting organizations – and tells us how his consulting work informs his “operational” role as CEO. Chris discusses how Virgin Pulse promotes more “habit-building” interactions per member than other programs and fosters a culture of well-being.
Greg Slamowitz is an entrepreneur, investor, professor, speaker and author of Flip the Pyramid: How Any Organization Can Create a Workforce That Is Engaged, Aligned, Empowered and On Fire (https://zurl.co/uGh8). We talk about his journey as an entrepreneur, how business leaders can avoid micromanaging their staff and create a culture of collaboration. He also discusses what he looks for in companies he invests in, and how an East Coast guy came to embrace life in Montana.
We close out a banner year of podcasts with Justin Hampton, the founder, and president of Compensation Tool (www.compensationtool.com) and a self-proclaimed “compensation nerd” who recently wrote a very interesting WorldatWork article on “Determining Compensation for a Distributed Workforce.” A timely and fascinating conversation, with a look forward to what’s ahead on WIP in 2022. Here’s wishing all of our listeners a happy, healthful, podcast-filled new year!
Dr. Jasleen Chhatwala board-certified psychiatrist and chief medical officer for the mental health treatment center Sierra Tucson, discusses the results of a survey they did titled “Self-Medication Nation: The Numbing of America.” You’d expect an increase in drug and alcohol use during the pandemic as people are isolated, stressed, etc - but some of their findings are eye-opening. A must-listen as we head into a new year and navigate the uncertainties ahead.
Darcy Gruttadaro, Director, Center for Workplace Mental Health at the American Psychiatric Association Foundation, has been singularly focused on mental health from just about every angle: litigation, policy, and advocacy. She joins us to discuss promoting the business case for workplace mental health and turnkey programs for employees and their families, dealing with burnout, how the association has expanded its virtual footprint…and more. A very timely conversation.
We are joined by Amelia Dunlop, the author of Elevating the Human Experience: Three Paths to Love and Worth at Work – the second best-selling author who has visited with us. Her book is in large part about her personal journey in deriving love and worth from her work, the challenges of bringing our “authentic selves” to the workplace, and much more. A stimulating, insightful conversation about an equally stimulating and challenging book.
A provocative conversation with Ernst & Young’s Tamra Chandler and Laura Grealish on performance management, feedback, and rewards: why flawed models, methodologies, and mindsets persist (hint: organizational inertia and the CYA reflex), and what can be done to revolutionize performance management. Also, why feedback has such a bad rep and what needs to be done to “redeem” it.
A timely conversation during the season of gift-giving and receiving with Todd Horton, founder/CEO of KangoGift, whose mission is to help organizations improve their corporate cultures, and increase employee engagement, retention, and manager effectiveness. We discuss what inspired him to found the company, the business value of recognition, the difference between AI and machine learning, and KangoGif;s role in enabling companies with hybrid and large remote workforces to maintain a cohesive company culture. (We try valiantly to avoid making the inevitable Dr. Seuss references, but succumb to the impulse and thank Mr. Horton for his indulgence.) For stats and takeaways from Kangogift clients who have used their platform, visit https://www.kangogift.com/2021-insights
A conversation with Steven Brink, President and Chief Revenue Officer of uFlexReward, an HR Tech start-up whose platform aggregates data from an organization’s disparate systems to enhance the organization’s global understanding of their total reward spend – while improving their ability to communicate the value of rewards to the workforce. By facilitating the delivery of personalized rewards that match an employee’s “lifestyle and lifecycle,” it’s also a powerful retention tool, a critical asset at a time when managers are struggling to retain their top performers.
Grant Thornton’s Eric Gonzaga (National practice leader for their Human Capital Services Practice) and Tim Glowa(Principal, Employee Listening) on how HR should think like marketers and leverage data to retain flight-risk talent. They discuss a four-stage approach to improving employee retention, maximizing the perceived value of benefits, and using AI to predict/pre-empt turnover.
Mark McGraw, managing editor of both Workspan and #evolve, and WorldatWork’s resident Stones fan (short for fanatic), gives us a sneak preview of Workspan’s Global Advisory issue (out this November) and the challenges facing comp and rewards leaders around the world: companies across Latin America developing female talent, the effect of employee recognition on employee engagement in Asia, initiatives companies in India have put in place since the pandemic that enable women to rejoin the workforce, etc. Plus a bonus chat on the modern scourge of self-proclaimed “influencers.”
We're joined by Kris McGuigan, Founder & CEO of Professional Courage, a career services firm that empowers professionals to achieve career excellence through on-site interactive workshops, on-demand, and remote learning opportunities, and executive coaching. Kris discusses what she means by professional courage, the definition of “career wellness,” and how to stem the tide of the “great resignation.” Bonus chat on her time working for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (and why if you take issue with the voting, you should direct your hate mail to the unaffiliated NY office).
We’re joined by Donald Delves, Managing Director, North American practice leader, Executive Compensation at Willis Towers Watson, a leading expert on corporate governance and executive pay and performance. We discuss linking #ESG to executive incentive plans, focusing on environmental-based compensation: why boards and companies ought to take ESG measures seriously and how they need to “earn” their way into the incentive plan. We also coin a new word – fandextrous – to describe Don’s highly unusual dual loyalty to both the Cubs and White Sox (he’s a native Chicagoan). For more on ESG and Executive Compensation, visit https://zurl.co/sMnj
We’re joined by Dr. Deryk Van Brunt, CEO of CredibleMind, and professor at U.C. Berkeley’s School of Public Health, to discuss the state of healthcare informatics, the mental health/wellbeing app space, and his company, which he calls the Yelp of Healthcare. Add a star if you’re a Keith Jarrett fan.
David Foote, chief analyst and co-founder of the eponymous Foote Partners, an IT analyst firm, discusses how COVID proved to be a boon for forward-thinking, agile leaders, important technologies that will evolve in the coming years, in-demand tech skills, and what policies and technologies conservative companies can implement to move the needle on productivity, talent retention, innovation.
Brian Levine, Mercer’s Global Pay Equity Leader and a Partner in Mercer’s Workforce Strategy & Analytics Practice on theirpay equity process, the major changes driving the evolution in pay equity assessments...and insights into the impact their work has on just about every major business process, function and goal, from retaining talent to promoting a high-performance culture to managing today’s increasingly distributed workforce.
Scott Torrey, CEO of PayScale, joins us to discuss the company’s AI-driven approach to finding the right pay for every position, what is factored into compensation decisions, how companies need to rethink perks in a hybrid work environment, and the importance of transparency and effective communications around the topic of compensation.
Dr. Solange Charas, the Founder and CEO of HCMoneyball, discusses how CEOs and CFOs can use standardized metrics to understand and predict the impact of their investments in their people…and the need for HR to become better atunderstanding and communicating the impact of human capital trends on business and financial outcomes.
Marco Rodriguez Tapia, wholeads Pepsico Europe’s transformation and lean projects, joins us from his office in Amsterdam to discuss how they adapted a video game - Minecraft - to successfully extend their LSS training program around the world in a post-COVID 19 environment...an idea that came from his 10-year-old son who played a major role in developing the platform! We also discuss how their approach overcame the inherent limitations of gamifying training and various other business processes.
Dr. Amy Beacom is the founder and CEO of the Center for Parental Leave Leadership (CPLL), the first consulting and coaching company in the U.S. to focus exclusively on parental leave. She is also the author of the Parental Leave Playbook (Wiley, out September 15). Amy makes a convincing business case for better supporting parental leave - including offering paid leave (the US is the only developed country without a nationwide paid leave policy). She also discusses why providing parental leave training and support products is an increasingly important benefit to a growing number of people entering the workplace, well before they even start families.
The goal of executive compensation should be to motivate the right behaviors that lead to value creation for shareholders – unfortunately, this is all-too-often not the case. Gregory Milano, Chief Executive Officer and Managing Partner of the consulting firm Fortuna, provides a sneak preview of his presentation at WorldatWork’s TR show in October: Incentives Proven to Drive Shareholder Return. Includes a very interesting exchange on “ownership culture.”
Mark McGraw, Managing Editor of WorldatWork's Workspan, gives us a sneak preview of its tech-focused Q3 content. Then professor and management consultant Scott Behson discusses his new book, The Whole-Person Workplace, which is about supporting employees as “whole people,” offering actionable advice on how to do this, and why it’s the key to sustainable business success. We also ask whether working from home, where the line between work/life is increasingly fine, presents the opposite problem: unavoidably involving more of your whole person than is good for you and/or business.
Daniel Stewart, Axtria’s Director of Commercial Excellence, provides a sneak preview of his presentation at WorldatWork’s Spotlight on Sales Comp Conference in Chicago (August 23-25): designing balanced sales compensation programs that satisfy the needs of local markets while adhering to corporate expectations and compensation best practices. Bonus chat on the challenges of learning a new skill – chess – as an adult.
Tad and Julianna Radzinski from Sustainable Solutions, join us to discuss empowering businesses to assess, optimize and capitalize on their processes and products: what’s driving a growing number of companies to incorporate sustainability into their business models, how they are using it as a recruitment tool, technologies on the horizon that will enable us to combat the effects of climate change, among other timely topics.
Dr. Jeff Levin-Scherz, MD, MBA and Managing Director/Co-leader of Willis Towers Watson’s North American health management practice, discusses behavioral economics and disruptive innovation as they relate to healthcare and mental health, and findings from the recently published 2021 Employee Experience Survey which provides insights into what companies need to do to successfully transition to new ways of work.
Jon Hyman, nationally recognized employment and labor attorney, author, speaker, blogger, and most importantly, friend of the pod, joins us to discuss – with his signature blend of clarity, reasonableness, and humor – everything from employer vaccination policy to drug testing and an assortment of controversial issues in between. Bonus chat on the latest RRHOF inductees.
Courtney Schroeder and Jake Lewellen, Humana’s Wellbeing Practice Leads and hosts of Welltrend, a workplace well-being podcast, on reinforcing/evaluating workplace culture, the challenges of implementing wellness programs for hybrid workforces, a glimpse into the future of wellness…and tips on maintaining a wellness regimen for sedentary podcasters.
Renowned industry analyst, researcher, and educator Josh Bersin, founder of Bersin by Deloitte, joins us for a fascinating conversation on return to work strategies, top trends in employee wellbeing, the "real" story of diversity and inclusion, creating an irresistible employee experience, and preparing for black swan events. You won’t want to miss this!
Martin Hartshorne, the CEO of the software company When I Work, on shift-based work and keeping extended workforces in sync. We’re also joined by Mark McGraw, the Managing Editor of Workspan and #evolve, to discuss stories in the pipeline and the Rolling Stones.
Jim Davidson discusses his book, "The Next Everest, Surviving the Mountain's Deadliest Day and Finding the Resilience to Climb Again," in which he tells about two climbs: one in 2015 where a 7.8 magnitude earthquake left him and his team stranded for two days at 20,000 feet…and a successful climb he did just two years later. An amazing story of grit, teamwork and unimaginable determination.
Brooke Green, Partner and Future of Work Leader with Aon, discusses the impact of digital transformation on companies, people, jobs, and reward structures. She helps us navigate a maze of buzzwords and emerge with a clearer picture of our working future.
Lloyd Fassett, one of the staffing industry’s most innovative entrepreneurs and thinkers, ranges from Julius Caesar’s recruiting techniques, to a 1937 hiring study of railroads, to the Who. He discusses the unmet promise of the Internet and creative ways of finding patterns in data to match people to jobs and jobs to people.
Steve Pemberton, Chief Human Resources Officer of Workhuman, on his amazing personal journey, what makes work human, diversity and inclusion, and his takeaways from his brief but inspiring run for Senate against a multi-term incumbent and a Kennedy (!).
Boyd Davis joins us for a lively conversation in which he demystifies artificial intelligence (more a “way of thinking” than a technology), and discusses how it can be applied to compensation specifically, HR more broadly, and why AI is a skill for everyone, not just data scientists.
Once a partner at the infamous firm portrayed in “Wolf of Wall Street,” Richard Bronson joins us for a brutally frank conversation about his life before and after his two-year prison term for securities violations, and how he came to found two enterprises serving people with criminal records: 70 Million Jobs (an employment platform) and the Commissary club (a social networking platform). One of the more interesting and complex people we’ve had on the pod.
Dr. Mary Marzec, Sr. Scientist with Virgin Pulse, on implementing, assessing, and measuring workplace culture and improving employee health. Also: can workplace culture lead to a culture of conformity?
Cheryl Brown Merriwether, VP, Executive Director, International Center for Addiction & Recovery Education (ICARE) joins us to discuss a number of “thorny” workplace issues – random drug testing, the impact of marijuana legalization, addiction as a D&I issue, and more. Plus, a bonus HR joke: a rabbi, a priest, and an HR administrator walk into a bar…
The serial entrepreneur's serial entrepreneur Peter Pezaris, CEO of CodeStream, a collaboration platform for coders, discusses what it takes to lead and build a vibrant company, and his good fortune in being joined at every stop along the way by his best coding buds from college.
Chris Moodhe, WorldatWork’s Director of Research and Insights, discusses two of his recent research projects that have gotten quite a lot of attention – on COVID and its impact on the workforce, and on People Analytics. Inspired by Chris, we also discuss creative job titles.
Our guest is Arthur Woods, co-founder of Mathison, a leader in technology for diversity recruiting and equitable hiring. We discuss everything from D&I as a recruiting tool to a “learning alternative” to cancel culture. A fascinating conversation you won’t want to miss!
Dr. Carol Vallone Mitchell is, without question, the most versatile guest we’ve had on this podcast. She’s a former molecular biologist, cofounder of the leadership development consulting firm Talent Strategy Partners, and author of the new business book, Collaboration Code: How Men Lead Culture Change and Nurture Tomorrow’s Leaders.
The 100th Show! At approx 45 min. each, it equates to 75 hrs., or more than three whole days of listening to us talk! Joining us to mark the milestone is WorldatWork’s CEO/Pres Scott Cawood to discuss the "New Work Exchange" and comedian/impressionist Rob Magnotti, who brings special guests Pacino, DeNiro, Cage, Walken, among others, to the proceedings.
Mercer’s Mary Ann Sardone and Kate Brown discuss the recently published 6th annual edition of Mercer’s Global Talent Trends study, which identified the top priorities for HR in 2021. We also tease our eagerly awaited 100th podcast, which comes next.
Manisha Thakor, founder of MoneyZen, a boutique Financial Wellbeing consultancy, discusses the growing interest in – and need for - workplace financial wellness programs. She also talks about her work in improving the financial literacy of women.
HR and remuneration consultant, author, professor and pilot Dr. Mark Bussin on the primacy of culture over strategy, what HR leaders need to focus on in the year/s to come, and how Zulu came to be his “mother tongue.” Bonus chat on the Super Bowl.
Workspan and #evolve Managing Editor Mark McGraw sneak previews Q1 editions. Michael Piker, a Global Human Resources executive based in Switzerland, on what it means to be an “agile organization” in a post- Covid world, and his work with the WorldatWork Global Advisory Council. He also dazzles with his impressive facility for languages developed during his world travels.
Mercer’s David Jackson joins us to discuss diversity and inclusion: what’s taken so long, how inclusivity is measured, the challenges of maintaining a vibrant culture in an increasingly decentralized workforce. Beware: because he’s a lapsed lit prof, the conversation takes a decidedly literary turn.
Fawn Germer, four-time Pulitzer Prize-nominated investigative journalist, discusses her new book, COMING BACK: How to Win the Job You Want When You've Lost the Job You Need. Combining life lessons and over 300 conversations from all fields, she challenges mid- and late-career professionals to raise their game and sights, while laying out a path forward.
Sandrine Bardot, head of a boutique compensation & benefits training and consulting company, joins us from the City of Lights to take us on a tour of the global total rewards landscape – from Nepal to Namibia and points in between. Bonus chat on where we’d like to go when the coast is clear for travel.
We thought a blooper reel might be more reflective of the year passed, but decided to go out on a more upbeat note by compiling excerpts from just a handful of the many great conversations we had. Thanks again to the WorldatWork team for their support, and to you for listening...here's to a new year of health, happiness and more podcasts.
On our penultimate podcast for 2020, we’re joined by Nir Bashan, founder and CEO of The Creator Mindset and author of the new book, The Creator Mindset: 92 Tools to Unlock the Secrets to Innovation, Growth, and Sustainability.
Your intrepid hosts Tom and Charles take a brief respite from their holiday revels for a special holiday greeting - featuring an inspired rendition of White Christmas from a legendary friend of the pod.
Director, cinematographer, screenwriter and author Steven Bernstein discusses his new film, Last Call (about the last day of poet Dylan Thomas, featuring John Malkovich). We also talk about the challenges of filmmaking and getting the best work from his cast and crew.
A shockingly engrossing conversation about exec compensation from the sell/buy sides with the tag team of Tom Haines, Managing Director at Frederick W. Cook & Co., and Steve Pennacchio, Senior VP at Pfizer.
Sean Conley, former placekicker for the Detroit Lions, Indy Colts, and NY Jets talks about rediscovering himself through yoga and meditation in his new book, "The Point After: How One Resilient Kicker Learned There Was More to Life Than the NFL." An inspiring journey for anyone at a career or life impasse.
Ilyce Glink nationally-syndicated financial journalist, book author, radio show host and CEO of Best Money Moves, on financial wellness and pushing benefits to meet employees at the point of pain.
You may not know the name, but you’ve seen his work - Bruce Van Dusen, one of the advertising industry’s most successful commercial directors, talks about his amazing career and his new memoir, 60 Stories About 30 Seconds: How I Got Away with Becoming a Pretty Big Commercial Director without Losing My Soul (Or Maybe Just Part of It).
Author of the award-winning novel the Bear and the Signal Flame, a National Book Award Finalist, Andrew Krivak discusses writing in the age of the pandemic, his lyrical brand of stoicism, and why we read fiction. Bonus debate on the greatest 20th C. American novelist, Cormac McCarthy vs. Philip Roth.
Research scholar and business strategy consultant Dr. Mark Attridge discusses the role of EAP in promoting positive workplace outcomes (lower “presenteeism,” improved work/life satisfaction, etc.) and maintaining business continuity. He also shares the findings in the 2020 Workplace Outcome Suite Report (sponsored by Morneau Shepell and the Employee Assistance Professionals Association), which underscored the ROI of EAP.
Leadership coach Dr. Julianna Hynes, CEO of Julianna Hynes & Assoc., on key leadership competencies, including influence and persuasion, strategic thinking and speaking, etc. Most importantly, she tells Tom and Charles what they need to do to “exude executive presence.”
We’re joined by three experts to provide a multi-level perspective on “multi-level resilience,” a “takes a village” model developed in response to 9/11: Clemson Psychology Professor Dr. Thomas Britt on the science, OWLS CEO Dr. Joel Bennett on the programming, and Anthem BCBS Health Promotion Manager Stephany Sherry on outcomes.
Actor, writer, producer, director Michael Elias (his produced screenplays include The Jerk and The Frisco Kid), joins us for a retrospective on a remarkable career that took him from the Castkills to LA and Paris. We discuss his new novel, the psychological thriller, “You Can Go Home Now.”
Iggy Rosenberg, director of business development for Lightswitch, talks about his work as a lightning and visual designer for large corporate events and touring shows around the world (Tesla, Def Leppard, Janet Jackson, the Rolling Stones)…and the challenges of staying afloat during the pandemic.
We speak with Cere Netters, WorldatWork’s Director of Events, about the nine week Total Resilience 2020 conference - the challenge of going virtual, the highlights, what's in store going forward.
American icon Lilly Ledbetter discusses the act that bears her name, its real world impact and her legacy. Bonus interview with Workspan’s new managing editor, Mark McGraw.
We discuss the legacy of RBG, previous guest Lilly Ledbetter, and round out the trifecta of female icons by speaking with Judy Shepard, founding president of the Matthew Shepard Foundation, on her inspiring work championing social justice, diversity awareness and education, and equality for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people.
The world as we know it today will be gone by decade’s end – in what is among our favorite all-time conversations, Wharton professor Mauro Guillen discusses his latest book, 2030: How Today's Biggest Trends Will Collide and Reshape the Future of Everything. (Yes, everything!)
We discuss applying the “eye test” and advanced metrics in evaluating human potential, and the relative merits. We then speak with Dr. Natalie Baumgartner, Chief Workforce Scientist at Achievers, about the science behind driving higher levels of employee engagement and their new report on employee recognition.
With the success of W@W’s virtual Total Resilience conference, we discuss how other orgs (NBA, USTPA, etc.) have met the challenge. We’re joined by Gallagher’s Kathleen Schulz to talk about organizational wellbeing, how COVID has changed our priorities and why employee engagement is surprisingly high.
We're not perfect - we're human, after all - but we have our plusses. Corinne Selk, Sr. Solutions Consultant with WorkHuman, on the three words that deepen connections to make work more human, and how it drives business performance.
Playing through with AON’s David Knopping: “What people want has changed from what they wanted six months ago.” We discuss digital disruption, competing for talent, the challenge of sustaining company culture…and golf.
Chris Frantz, drummer and founding member of the seminal new wave band the Talking Heads talks about his new memoir, Remain in Love: Talking Heads, Tom Tom Club, Tina. Great stories well told...and funny too!
Chris Frantz talks about his new memoir, Remain in Love, which chronicles his life before, during and after the Talking Heads: the amazing people and experiences along the way, and bandmate, soulmate and wife Tina Weymouth. Full interview drops next Tuesday!
We solve pandemic fatigue and talk to multi-threat artist Stephanie Andujar, aka StephA, who’s appeared in Orange is the New Black and Blue Bloods, about her versatile career as an actress singer, dancer, director and producer.
A fascinating chat with writer, artist, musician and comedy improviser Braden Bjella, a “dude from Wisconsin” based in Berlin who talks about the challenges of a globe-trotting, “non linear” life/career in the age of COVID-19.
We speak with jazz legend Randy Brecker, who has played with everyone from Blood Sweat and Tears to Stevie Wonder. We discuss how jazz is good training for improvisational business leaders, jazz as a tool of cold war diplomacy, different styles of leadership, and jazz in the age of COVID.
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Alicia Scott-Wears, WorldatWork’s Director of Total Rewards Content, helps us get over canceling our trip to Minneapolis and tour of Paisley Park by highlighting all the fun events on tap for Total Resilience 2020, WorldatWork’s virtual conference.
We’re joined by the Perry Como of the EAP field, the preternaturally unflappable Greg DeLapp, CEO of the Employee Assistance Professionals Association, who discusses the evolution of EAP, its emergence as a key business continuity asset in today’s transforming business landscape and how EAP is itself transforming to meet the “moment.”
More than an excuse to reference a solid REM tune, we discuss the business benefits of happiness and how to know it when you see it with Certified Chief Happiness Officer Joanna Brandi, who helps companies improve engagement and positive company culture.
On being checked in and checked out (and a tip for avoiding intrusive video calls). We speak with employee engagement evangelist Brie Harvey on the ROI and future of employee recognition, her thoughts on Leonard Cohen and other pressing matters.
Oshoke Abalu, co-founder of the Love and Magic Company, on her journey from Nigeria to Iowa, and as a black female architect (among only 400 of > 100K licensed in the US) to transforming work culture by reimagining human-centered spaces.
I'm ready to play today! We put on our best game faces to speak with CB Bowman, CEO of the Association of Corporate Executive Coaches. CB explains what an executive coach does and how she improves the game of the top executives who engage her.
Should celebrities stay in their lane and “just dribble?” Actor Phil Morris, aka Seinfeld’s Jackie Chiles, discusses out-of-work actions stars lining the streets of LA, staying busy during COVID and the protests stemming from George Floyd’s killing.
We discuss Scott Cawood’s new leadership column on “bringing the whole you” to work…and speak with Google VP John Zissimos about Google Meet and the new definition of “Googling”: finding creative solutions for working at home, maintaining “connectedness” and expressing gratitude.
On which we discuss movies and books we recommend as pandemic palate cleansers – including, yes, a great zombie flick (you’ll just have to listen). We then speak with Net at Work co-President Alex Solomon, about supporting remote workforces, maintaining cohesive company culture among remote workforces..and more!
Why “pandemic time” is making so many of us so fatigued! We’re joined by Alysia Helmingm a clean energy entrepreneur, as well as a screenwriter and novelist, who tells us how these two things came together in her vital work.
A critical review of Zoom and Skype rooms (aka, virtual voyeurism). WorldatWork’s VP of Content Strategy, Marta Turba, joins us to discuss trends in Total Rewards and shares what it’s like living in the great outdoors off Lake Michigan.
Execs are not exempt from the stressors of the pandemic - Scott discusses exec coping strategies and how they can effectively lead during the crisis. For the full interview go to: https://zurl.co/iof8
Returning champ Scott Cawood on how the pandemic has challenged several of his core business principles and the role leaders can/should play in helping their workforces find a path forward. A surprisingly upbeat conversation given the circumstances!
With apologies to the Stones’ great new track (excerpted in this pod!), Vaporware CEO Dan Moore discusses everything from the challenges of “coding in place” to “creating happiness” at work.
Doing weathercasts when we can't go outside can seem like reviewing Broadway shows for people in Peoria – but meteorologist Ashley Gann claims they’re as important - arguably more so – than ever. She also discusses gender equity in the sciences.
We begin by describing assorted life hacks to make sheltering in place a little more efficient. Dr. Angela Lauria the founder of The Author Incubator™, joins us to share how she works her magic to help produce a string of non-fiction best sellers.
With the Master of Workplace Schadenfreude (and legal sangfroid), Jon Hyman, for a lively and insightful conversation on law in the time of the coronavirus.
Can someone be trained to be funny, can you calculate office humor ROI, is there such a thing as a good coronavirus joke? Business humor coach Andrew Tarvin answers these and other timely questions as we scale new heights of hilarity.
Dirk Doebler, CEO of Parento, a company that’s on a mission to help employers offer fully paid parental and family leave benefits…equal parts good will and good vibrations (wait for it). BTW, we dare you to get the Clash song referred to in the title out of your head!
In a world dominated by BS and leaders who are full of it, Jordan Goldrich, Executive coach and co-author of Workplace Warrior: People Skills For The No-BS Executive, joins us for a brutally frank convo on cutting through the BS and becoming a more effective leader.
Charles (“no way!”) and Workspan/#evolve Managing Editor Stephanie Rotondo (“way!”) debate the pros/cons of welcoming dogs into the workplace. The source of the debate can be found at https://zurl.co/sCfB
I/O psychologist Jonathan Canger joins us to discuss, among other (legit) HR grievances, the CEO paradox: they profess to value culture talent but don’t pay their CHRO a commensurate salary. He also talks about leadership, exec coaching, AI, etc., from his perspective as a senior HR exec with some of the world’s most recognizable companies.