Workhuman Radio: Recent Episodes
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Elena Valentine is the CEO and co-founder of Skill Scout, an organization that specializes in talent acquisition and employer branding. She is also the co-founder and Board President of Mezcla Media Collective, whose goal is to elevate women of color and non-binary filmmakers in Chicago. She joins Mike Wood to discuss Skill Scout’s mission and how they have been carrying it out.
Skill Scout Elena and her colleague realized that many youths lacked access and exposure to job opportunities, and were hindered from achieving success by their lack of knowledge. They founded Skill Scout to provide youths and the wider community with the opportunity to understand which jobs would be the right fit for them. Skill Scout captures and shares the stories of employees from various industries and brings their jobs to life on video.
Humans at Work Elena describes Skill Scout’s latest project: a series called Humans at Work. It tells the raw, authentic and emotional stories of employees who have found their purpose as people first, workers second. This series stemmed from a need to increase the number of positive stories in the workplace, as they have the power to shift bias and counterbalance and form our brains in new ways. One of the major objectives for filming was to recognize and celebrate employees, she adds. When employees feel appreciated, they are more engaged and loyal to their companies.
COVID-19’s Impact We are not working from home; we are working at home during a crisis. In previous generations it was the social norm to have a different persona for the workplace than you do at home, but because of the virtual and mostly remote nature of the global workforce, it is almost impossible to separate your work life from your home life. It is important to have empathy during these uncertain times.
Resources Elena Valentine on LinkedIn Email: elena@skillscout.com SkillScout.com HumansAt.work
Christine Assaf is a content specialist for Peridus Group, a boutique human capital consulting firm dedicated to assisting HR professionals and business leaders during crucial periods of growth and change. She is also the author and owner of HR Tact, a personal blog where Christine shares tips and insights about HR. She joins Mike Wood today to discuss the importance of practicing empathy as leaders.
Job Seeking Christine mentions getting laid off in the beginning of the year, not due to the pandemic, but as a result of bad timing. Mike asks her if she has observed an increase in empathy among hiring managers while searching for a new job. She has received more feedback from companies about the status of her applications recently than in the past, she replies, but empathy is something that should always be practiced in the hiring phase. Too often do people send out applications only to never hear back from the organizations they applied to. Job seekers deserve to know their status, even if they don’t succeed.
Shared Experience More and more companies have been acknowledging the shared experience that the world is going through, and are subsequently more understanding and considerate with their employees. People are not just losing jobs; they are witnessing their loved ones dying at a high rate. There is a global sense of anxiety even as people work and communicate, and these create a cognitive overload. People respond to cognitive overloads in various ways. Though it usually manifests as the fight-flight-freeze response, it can also show up in other deviant behaviors. The shift to the virtual workplace has brought with it a loss of physical proximity, with which it was easier to be more open and check up on people.
HR’s Role HR tends to abdicate the responsibility of mental health to EAP programs. However, the best thing an organization can do right now, Christine says, is to be transparent in their uncertainty and offer support.
Resources Christine Assaf on LinkedIn | Twitter HRTact.com
Dr. Patti Fletcher is a writer and the Vice President of Brand Marketing for Workhuman. She is also a Forbes contributor, a contributing writer for Green Entrepreneur, the producer and creator of Disrupter Productions, and a Workplace Equity and Disruption Futurist for HR.com. Patti is the co-founder and CEO of PSDNetwork. She joins Mike Wood to talk about starting a new job in a pandemic.
People Patti shares how she got into HR. While branching off into business, she realized that the only true competitive differentiator between organizations is their people. Patents run out, Patti says, but the intersection of people, including human capital and employee contacts, is where the magic happens. As industrialization evolved, everyone focused on processes, but forgot the people.
Marketing and Brand She defines marketing as helping people with how to think by supplying them with information in ways they would be open to receiving. She describes “brand” as what people say about you when you’re not in the room.
Patti talks about becoming the new VP of Brand Marketing in the middle of a worldwide health and economic crisis. Fortunately, Patti says, she is no stranger to remote working, as she has never worked in a traditional office space before. She and Mike chat about the difficulties of working from home, and the change it has brought on.
Resources Dr. Patti Fletcher on LinkedIn | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook Workhuman.com
Disrupters: Success Strategies from Women Who Break the Mold by Dr. Patti Fletcher DrPattiFletcher.com
Anne Fulton is the co-founder and CEO of Fuel50, a career path software that improves employee engagement and supports diversity and inclusion initiatives. She joins Mike Wood today to discuss her company and the emerging trends in the virtual workplace.
Fuel50 Years ago, Anne and her co-founder wrote The Career Engagement Game, about the importance of career agility for the future workforce. She says that even they were shocked by how much the need for career agility would surpass their predictions. Fuel50’s mission is to deliver career path transparency and growth opportunities for employees to connect them to their full potential. They work with 60 of the world’s leading organizations and a team of 65 “fuelees.” Mike adds that Fuel50 is effective in providing different pathways for people and helping them identify their strengths and skills, so that they do not feel pigeonholed into a singular career.
What’s Changed Mike asks Anne how the business has changed since the dawn of the COVID-19 pandemic. Six months in, the unemployment rate has skyrocketed to 13%. Prior to the pandemic there was a skills shortage, but currently there is an abundant talent supply. Organizations need to approach their talent pools with a new attitude, Anne urges, and reskill their workers for the future. As hiring is stalled globally, organizations are now looking within themselves for their next talent wave.
Trends Remote workforce management, supply chain reengineering, and cultural competence are among the skills that are currently trending and in demand. Mike believes it will all trend towards the betterment of the global workforce. He asks Anne what her predictions are for HR going forward. Anne talks about emerging roles that weren’t present before.
Recognition Employee recognition has increased during the pandemic, Mike says. Companies understand that current times are stressful for everyone in their daily lives outside of work, and should seek to recognize and appreciate their employees for their effort.
Resources Anne Fulton on LinkedIn | Twitter Fuel.com The Career Engagement Game
Holly Hazelton is the Senior Digital Media Specialist at Workhuman and the founder of their first working-parent employee resource group, Parenthuman. Sarah Payne is the Managing Editor at Workhuman and a member of Parenthuman. They join Mike Wood this week to discuss the challenges the pandemic has brought to parenting.
Remote Working Working from home is easier in some aspects, but as a parent of two young children, Holly says, it leaves you with even less time for yourself. Sarah adds that she is taking extra precautions due to her pregnancy. They share how they have been juggling working and parenting, as well as the compromises they have negotiated with their spouses and the help they have been receiving.
What COVID-19 Has Done Mike hopes that the pandemic has revealed a fundamental flaw in the system of the working world: parents need more support if they are to be efficient and productive. They have time to get tactical work done, but not work that requires thinking and extensive mental energy as their minds are occupied with parenting their children. Additionally, Holly claims, COVID-19 has highlighted the inequities within the system with regard to women. Women drop out of the workforce because it usually falls on them to be the primary caretaker and bear the majority of domestic duties, due to a lack of resources available to them.
COVID-19 has also revealed which companies are the most empathetic and understanding in light of the challenges everyone is currently facing with regards to working from home, Sarah says. Mike believes that seeing coworkers in their homes with their children will give everyone a better sense of what people are going through when they return to the office.
Parenthuman COVID-19 is almost forcing companies to work more humanly, Holly says. The types of organizations and companies that will come out on top post-COVID-19 are the ones who will adapt to the new ways of working. She shares the origins of Workhuman’s first ever working-parent employee resource group, Parenthuman, as well as what they have been up to.
Resources Holly Hazelton on LinkedIn Sarah Payne on LinkedIn Workhuman.com
Tamara Fields is the Office Managing Director for Accenture in Austin, Texas. She is on the board of numerous nonprofit organizations, including the Texas Conference for Women. A business veteran with over two decades of experience in management, she joins Steve Pemberton to discuss the working African-American’s experience, and the power of allies.
Don’t Be Silent Tamara shares how Accenture is navigating the conversation around diversity, equity and inclusion. African-Americans have been taught generationally to not bring up taboo topics in the workplace such as racism, keep their heads down, and not make people uncomfortable. One of her biggest mistakes, she laments, is not sharing her own professional and personal experiences with regards to racial injustice. Remaining silent makes it harder for unconscious biases and microaggressions to be addressed.
We Are Not Immune The absence of evidence is not evidence of absence, Steve quotes. People often assume that because Black employees don’t speak about the injustices they occur in the workplace, that they don’t experience them. Multigenerational educated African-Americans are assumed to be immune from racial injustices due to their presentation and articulation, but it is their excellence that becomes a threat and makes them a target, he adds.
Isolation Led to Connection Tamara talks about her experiences of feeling like the odd one out. She was left out of lunches and gatherings, which isolated her from the rest of her colleagues. This led to her developing strong relationships with her clients out of a personal need for human connection, and it worked out in her favor as her business was successful because of it.
What Happens Next It is good that conversations are happening, but what is important is what is done with the information shared. Don’t confuse conversation with accomplishment, Steve says. The purpose of conversation is to study direction and then follow that direction with accountability and transparency. He and Tamara share recommended material for discovering more about the Black experience.
Resources Tamara Fields on LinkedIn | Twitter | Facebook Accenture.com
Sarah Morgan is the Founder and Chief Excellence Officer of BuzzARooney, LLC and the Corporate Director of Human Resources at Rosewood Family of Companies. She joins Steve Pemberton to discuss microaggressions and a leader’s and bystander’s role in dismantling them.
They Foster Discrimination Microaggressions are the foundation for bullying, harassment and discrimination in the workplace. These major issues normally start off as offhand jokes or comments about someone’s appearance that go unaddressed, which incites the aggressor to become emboldened until it snowballs into a larger problem. An important thing to note however, Sarah says, is that they are often unintentional, and that contributes to it being tricky to deal with from an HR perspective especially.
Three Levels of Microaggressions There are three levels of microaggressions: microassaults, microinsults, and microinvalidations. Microassaults include slurs and displays of symbols with problematic histories or derogatory meanings. Microinsults involve implications of negative attributes about someone because they belong to a certain group. Microinvalidations occur when someone expresses that they have experienced one of the aforementioned microaggressions and are overlooked or told that they are wrong. Leaders must recognize that their people know right from wrong and should hold them accountable to be their best selves, Sarah urges. Additionally, they must address it when it happens or else it will get worse over time, Steve warns.
The Leader’s Role Sometimes aggressors are aware that their leader is watching them, and will look to them as if they are asking for permission to commit a microaggression. If you say nothing, you have given your permission, Steve says. When such situations escalate and people wonder how the offender thought the rules didn’t apply to them, the blame lies with the leader or colleague for not addressing the issue. If you witness a microaggression, it is your responsibility as a bystander to confront it right away, before the offender believes they can get away with such behavior.
Sarah highlights the importance of rest and self-care during these difficult times, and shares her practices to ensure her physical and mental well-being.
Resources Sarah Morgan on LinkedIn BuzzARooneyLLC.com
Stacia Garr is the co-founder and Principal Analyst of RedThread Research and a guest lecturer at the Haas School of Business of the University of California. She joins Mike Wood to discuss RedThread’s timely research into women’s performance management during the current pandemic.
The Report The initial report was done before the COVID-19 outbreak was declared a pandemic, and there were doubts about whether the time was appropriate to publish it, Stacia shares. However, they decided to collect additional data with regards to the influence of the pandemic on performance and reframed the report.
The Research Several findings were discovered while investigating the differences in performance management between men and women. One such finding is that managers were much less effective at having difficult conversations with women, and the frequency of those conversations were low. Additionally, studies have shown that due to COVID-19, women are more likely to be removed from the workforce, and more likely to be juggling the equivalent of a part-time job with additional household responsibilities than men. If we are expected to perform at the same level we did before the pandemic, we will burn out, Mike says.
A Systems Issue Research reveals that the issue lies within the systems, according to Stacia. Performance management is a key component in compensation, so it contributes to the gender pay gap. One systemic change that should be made in order for men and women to have equal footing is the quality and frequency of feedback that women are getting. Stacia shares a study about rating scales and how their structure impacted the feedback women received.
Performance assessments should be an ongoing conversation instead of something that’s done once or twice a year, Stacia says. According to research, it removes stress from the employees, which can impact their performance, and less bias will influence feedback if these conversations are happening continuously throughout the year.
Resources Stacia Garr on LinkedIn | Twitter Women, Performance Management and COVID-19 Report | Infographic
Kate Bischoff is an attorney and HR consultant at tHRive Law & Consulting LLC and an HR Compliance Adjunct Professor at Mitchell Hamline School of Law. Wendy Berry is a Senior HR Generalist at Just Us Health and a councilperson for West St. Paul City. They join Mike Wood to discuss fostering inclusivity in the workplace for members of the LGBTQ community.
Hope Mike asks Kate and Wendy how things have been in Minneapolis regarding the current civil unrest. The best takeaway from all of it is the feeling of community, Wendy says. Kate adds that seeing people cleaning up their communities and providing meals for those in need makes her hopeful for a better future where there is a change in the way policing is done.
The Supreme Court’s Landmark Decision Mike asks Kate to explain the recent LGBTQ rights ruling by the Supreme Court. In Title 7 of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, sex is one of the protected classes against discrimination. The argument was that one cannot describe the orientation of a member of the LGBTQ community without using sexual terms like gender identity, which therefore puts sexual orientation and gender identity in the list of protected classes, Kate clarifies. Wendy expresses her satisfaction with the Court’s decision, though she wishes it was a 9-0 verdict instead of 6-3. It’s all summed up to be basic human decency, Mike says. Wendy describes her experiences with workplace discriminition as an openly lesbian individual. Kate and Wendy discuss the impact of representation in the media.
HR’s Input Wendy shares suggestions of small but impactful things organizations can do to be more inclusive towards their LGBTQ members, such as having gender neutral bathrooms and encouraging employees to introduce themselves with their pronouns if they so desire. Mike talks about WorkHuman’s culture of treating their employees with the human decency and respect they deserve.
Resources Kate Bischoff on LinkedIn | Twitter tHRiveLawConsulting.com | Twitter
Wendy Berry on LinkedIn WendyBerry.com
Gill Barr is a professional hairstylist and owner of the Gill Barr Freelance hair salon in Dublin, Ireland. She joins Steve Pemberton to discuss how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected her business as well as the impacts it may leave on the industry in the future.
How She’s Coping Gill stopped working on March 14th and hasn’t been back since, as the nature of her job does not allow social distancing. She expresses her relief about salons reopening on July 29th, and gives a brief report on the decreasing number of cases in Ireland and the government’s response with regards to those affected. Gill shares how she’s been taking advantage of free online education, and posting tutorials on social media for styling and taking care of one’s hair.
The Impact Steve asks Gill if she thinks the pandemic will have a long-term effect on the industry. People will fall back into the habit of getting their hair done regularly, she replies, and they will remember how good it makes them feel. She discusses the new guidelines salons will have to follow when they reopen, as well as the illegal practices of those who continued working quietly during the lockdown and the effect it has had on the participants.
Steve believes that returning to the salons entails more than just wanting to look good, and asks Gill for her thoughts. Gill says that it’s about self-esteem and taking a mental break. Additionally, it is somewhat of a therapy appointment, especially for Gill’s regulars with whom she has built friendships with over the years.
Resources Gill Barr on Facebook | Instagram GillBarr.com
Leeatt Rothschild is the founder and CEO of Packed with Purpose, an organization dedicated to curating gifts with meaningful impact. She is an expert in employee engagement and an advocate for building human connections in business settings. She joins Steve Pemberton to talk about her company’s objectives and share tips for businesses on how they can express gratitude to their employees.
The Mission Packed with Purpose is a corporate gifting company on a social mission to create impact by helping organizations and individuals give meaningful gifts to their employees, clients, partners, etc. Each product in their gift boxes comes from a purpose-driven company or social enterprise. Leatt launched Packed with Purpose when she realized that they could impact numerous different communities by sourcing products primarily from the US. Also, recipients of gifts curated by Packed with Purpose are impacted by receiving a gift.
COVID-19’s Impact Steve asks Leeatt how her company has been affected by the pandemic. Business has increased exponentially during COVID, she reports. More and more companies are seeing the need to express their gratitude to their employees for their continued hard work and productivity despite the challenging circumstances. The silver lining in the pandemic for her company, she says, is being part of an opportunity to do good and connect with other people.
Moving Forward Steve and Leeatt discuss tips and things for companies to consider when moving forward during and post-pandemic. Due to COVID, people have been forced to work remotely, something previously thought impossible. Leeatt shares ways for employers to keep employee engagement up as well as convey gratitude to employees: part of doing so is expression and the other part is action. The pandemic has also provided a great opportunity for companies and employees to think about their work culture and decide whether it’s a right fit.
Resources Leeatt Rothschild on LinkedIn PackedwithPurpose.gifts
Mary Ellen Slayter is a publisher at Managing Editor magazine and the owner of Rep Cap. Robin Schooling is the Managing Partner in HR and People Strategy at Perdius Group. They join Steven Pemberton to discuss how the world of human resources is navigating through these unprecedented times.
Their State of Affairs Mary Ellen and Robin describe the minimal impact that the pandemic has had on their businesses. Their companies were already intimately familiar with operating remotely, so there were little to no changes in how they operated. Robin says that her company is still hiring, and Mary Ellen shares that some of her employees have been receiving more work.
HR Professionals are Architects Steve asks Mary Ellen and Robin what changes they think HR will need to make. Mary Ellen replies that HR has the power of being the architect of the way a company works, which should be embraced to bring about significant change. We need to rethink the way we treat our frontline workers, she says. Current events have made it clear that they are essential, and she hopes that they will be given the pay, dignity and respect they deserve post-pandemic. In addition, current events have also revealed that more flexible, remote work models are achievable. Robin adds that HR teams have been forced to pay attention to the General Duty Clause, and that there is now a heightened need to maintain a safe work environment. The pandemic has created a greater sense of awareness and understanding about employee well-being; we have learned that the stressors people have in their lives intersect with their work and jobs to a large extent.
Skills Leaders are discussing what specific skills will be necessary to deal with similar emergencies, Steve says. Robin urges leaders to assess their efficacy during the pandemic in order to highlight and improve those skills, and shares that communication is one of them.
COVID-19 has highlighted underlying societal and systemic issues that will hopefully be addressed when things calm down, Robin says.
Resources Mary Ellen Slayter on LinkedIn | Twitter RepCapitalMedia.com ManagingEditor.com
Robin Schooling on LinkedIn | Twitter RobinSchooling.com
Laurie Ruettimann is the founder of HRBooks and LFR LLC. She is also a podcast host, an instructor at LinkedIn, and an author at Henry Holt & Company. She joins Steve Pemberton to share details about her upcoming book, Betting on You: How to Put Yourself First and (Finally) Take Control of Your Career, and to discuss current events.
Working Environments If, more often than not, you don’t find work enjoyable, it impacts your entire life negatively. Laurie sees it as her mission to help you work in a healthy environment or at least create positive work experiences where a healthy environment is absent. Organizations often push for productivity without acknowledging that their employees are humans and should be treated as such, Laurie says.
The Effects of COVID-19 The current pandemic has given us a deeper understanding of where contributions live within organizations. Steve believes that there will be a renewed emphasis on appreciation and gratitude for essential workers who aren’t often labelled heroes, but truly are. He adds that this shift in perspective is a social correction that will pull our focus away from things that aren’t important. Laurie says that COVID-19 has presented us with the opportunity to recognize and celebrate our mutual humanness.
Betting on You Steve asks Laurie to give an insight into what her upcoming book will be about. Betting on You is a guide to taking control of your life, putting yourself first, and being your own advocate, Laurie replies. She shares snippets of topics covered in the book, and the stories behind them. She gives advice to aspiring writers, saying that when writing a book, you should start with micro-stories that help communicate who you are and what you believe in. Not everybody can write a book but everyone has a story to tell, Laurie says. By chronicling your journey, you may inspire others to share their experiences and learn from yours. Oftentimes the pain of our past is a present reality for someone else.
Resources Laurie Ruettimann on LinkedIn | Twitter | Instagram LaurieRuettimann.com
Betting on You: How to Put Yourself First and (Finally) Take Control of Your Career
In this Special Edition of Work Human Radio, a long-time friend of WorkHuman, Norm LaViolette of the Improve Assylum in Boston and New York. He talks about the impact of Covid on his business, and different ways we can get through the crisis with a little bit of laughter.
In this special edition of the Work Human Radio Podcast, CHRO Steve Pemberton is speaking with Michelle Bellveu of the Mansfield police department, and to JP Benoit who is a captain and EMT for the Stow Fire department.
Today, Steve Pemberton speaks with Gordon Wright and Andy Bozagni about being business owners in New York, one of the country's hardest hit areas.
In today's Work Human Radio special edition, Steve Pemberton talks to Aoife McGivney, a nurse from Ireland about the nature of the virus, and what it's like to work as a nurse while the pandemic is going on.
In this Keeping Work Human episode of Work Human Radio, Steve Pemberton is joined by Chriss French who leads the Work Human Customer efforts about the different ways they are using the product to help keep employees connected and engaged.
In this edition of the Keeping Work Human series, Steve pemberton is talking to the head of the Work Human Data Unit, Jesse Harriot, about theresearch and information that is generated from the WorkHuman rewards and recognition software.
In this special edition of Workhuman Radio, Steve Pemberton is exploring stories of humanity and gratitude with nurse Megan Walsh.
In today's episode of the Keeping Work Human series from Workhuman Radio, Steve Pemberton has a conversation with two people from AtlantiCare about how they're dealing with the Pandemic.
Today in the Keeping Work Human Series, Steve Pemberton talks to the CEO of Workhuman, Eric Mosely, about a new initiative by Workhuman to show appreciation for healthcare workers.
Check out thankyouhealthcare.workhuman.com
In today's special edition of Work Human Radio, Steve Pemberton is speaking with two mental health experts, about improving mental health and wellness during this time.
In today's special edition of Work Human radio, Steve Pemberton talks to Doug Mason, a scientific group director at Zapto Metrics, all about testing kits that are being developed.
In today's installment of the Keeping Work Human Series on Work Human Radio, Steve Pemberton talks to Derek Irvine, Senior Vice President of Strategy and Consulting (and the MC of the WorkHuman Conference!) about the products that Work Human is making available.
In this special edition of Work Human Radio, Steve Pemberton is looking at how restaurants are doing with how they are responding to the crisis, and get some first hand insight from different restaurant employees.
In this special edition of Work Human Radio, Steve Pemberton talks to Johnathan Kaufman, an executive coach, licensed psychotherapist and strategist and former policy advisor to theWhite House.
In this special edition of Work Human Radio, Steve Pemberton speaks with John Baldino and Sabrino about how the current crisis is affecting thier small businesses.
In this special edition of Work Human Radio, Steve Pemberton talks to Hari Date, an adjunct professor California Lutheran University about the challenges of educaiton during this time.
In today's Special Addition with Steve Pemberton, you're going to be able to here a conversation with three wellness, locally-based business owners, and how they're coping with the changes to thier business throughout the crisis.
In this special edition of Work Human Radio, Steve Pemberton is talking to Erica Dhwan a writer who focuses on the power of connectional intelligance.
On tday's special edition of the Work Human Radio Podcast, Steve Pemberton is chatting with Joe Hirsch, the managing director of Semaca Partners, about behavioral science, and what that can tell us about what is going on in HR today.
In this Special Edition of Work Human Radio, Steve Pemberton is joined by Jen Miller, a Nurse based out of New York City, about what is happening on the front lines.
In today's special edition, Steve Pemperton speaks with Kevin Martin - the Chief Research Officer at the Institute For Corporate Productivity about how we can remain human, and maintain a healthy culture during these challenging times.
In this special edition of Work Human Radio, Steve Pemberton chats with Chief Legal Office Lauren Zajac and Senior Vice President of Strategy and Consulting Derek Irvineabout being productive when you're working from home and there are kids around.
Today's Special Edition of Work Human radio, Steve Pemberton talks to Lars Schmidt, the founder of HR Open Source, about the resource he has created for HR professionals about Covid-19.
In this special edition of Work Human Radio Cy Wakeman and Steve Pemberton talk about trauma and coping with the Covid-19 virus.
In this special edition of Work Human Radio, the CHRO of Work Human, Steve Pemperton speaks with Jen Reimert about the best practices for working from home.
In this Special Edition of Work Human Radio Conversation between Steve Pemberton and Nataly Kogan, a happiness expert who spoke at last year's Work Human event.
There has been a lot happening in the world with Covid-19, and we wanted to share with you what we were doing at Workhuman. We have a tremendous community of wellbeing and HR experts, and over the next couple of weeks, we will be sharing content from them daily, starting with our CHRO Steve Pemberton.
Chris French is the Executive Vice President of Customer Strategy at WorkHuman. He joins Mike Wood to discuss parental leave, workplace culture, and recognition.
Should I Be Distracted? Chris recalls a performance review he received in a past experience. His wife had given birth to their first child, and he was excited to be a parent. However, in his yearly performance review, he was told he seemed distracted by his responsibilities as a parent. He was offended because he didn’t believe it to be true. Chris says at the time it hadn’t dawned on him that he should have been more offended that his supposed distraction was seen as a bad thing. Two years later, in the same job, a different superior encouraged him to take paternity leave. Different perspectives from different people can have a big impact on what you think a company expects from you, he says.
Beyond Just Parental Leave It’s great to work in a workplace where people celebrate that they are happy for you. Companies should create a working environment where people see each other as human beings. It is important that companies allow their workers the flexibility to live their lives in whatever way they see fit, Chris states, and not get in the way when life happens. Work extends into a gray area past 9 AM and 5 PM, Mike adds.
A Culture of Recognition Creating a culture of recognition in the workplace builds a social network within the organization that holds things together during life’s challenges. The culture that WorkHuman builds is one where employees are recognized when caught in the act of doing good things. This means that employees are consistently and constantly recognized by everyone, not just the bosses. When they have young children at home, parents are stressed from their different roles and may feel like they are behind in both facets of their lives. Sometimes all they need is someone to tell them they’re doing a good job.
Resources Chris French on LinkedIn WorkHumanLive.com
Rhonda Taylor is the Director of Partnerships at Fuel50 and a former hockey player. In addition to being a founding member of the Ontario Women’s Hockey Association (OWH), Rhonda was the first female to ever sit on Hockey Canada’s Board of Directors. She and Mike Wood discuss her recent book, the women’s hockey program, and the struggles endured to create it.
Offside Rhonda wrote her book, Offside, in parallel with the development of women's ice hockey and the women's movement. She is passionate about women moving forward in the sports and business communities. The book is an anecdotal history lesson about the evolution of women’s hockey and the numerous challenges women faced to make ice hockey a socially acceptable sport for females to play in Canada. A Man’s Game Ice hockey was a male dominated field when Rhonda first started playing, which put her in the spotlight for criticism and discrimination. Luckily, Rhonda was hired for the women’s development program, but although she had a seat on the board she was not given the right to vote. This motivated her to fight for women to obtain the opportunity to play the game. Rhonda comments that today in Canada and the US, the male hockey programs are losing players to other sports, and the women’s programs are driving hockey at the national level. The Evolution In the early eighties, the evolution of women's sports came along. Rhonda recounts how the women's hockey program came together. She put all her assets on the line, went around knocking on doors for sponsors, and eventually got funding and approval from the administrative bodies. They were not greeted with a warm reception, but they achieved what they set out to do.
Resources RhondaLeemanTaylor.com Rhonda Taylor on LinkedIn | Twitter OFFSIDE: - A Memoir - Challenges Faced by Women in Hockey
Michael Robb, Senior Manager and Content Producer and recipient of WorkHuman’s Cultural Energizer Award, is this month’s Human of WorkHuman. He joins Mike Wood to talk about his luck, employee appreciation, and his most recent award.
Michael is Lucky Mike asks Michael to recall his golfing experience. Michael gives an account of the two hole-in-one’s he managed to score in one day while on holiday, later appearing on national news because of it. In addition, when he and Mike went to Las Vegas, Nevada, he won over $1000 in a Wonder Woman slot machine in one try.
The Importance of Appreciation In response to Mike asking him what employee appreciation means to him, Michael says that everyone does a great job and should be recognized for it by both their managers and their peers. If someone works over the weekend they should feel appreciated and acknowledged for the sacrifice of their free time. Part of Michael’s job is showing prospective or existing customers that employee appreciation is beneficial to drive other business objectives.
Cultural Energizer Michael is the recipient of WorkHuman’s Cultural Energizer Award, which he says is the most important award he has ever received. He explains that the role of the cultural energizer in WorkHuman is central to promoting positivity and representing the fabric of WorkHuman culture, and that he was shell shocked at the standing ovation he was given when the award was presented to him.
Resources Michael Robb on LinkedIn WorkHumanLive.com
Susan Reyburn, Library of Congress curator and contributor to the Rosa Parks: In Her Own Words exhibit, is interviewed by Mike Wood in this week’s episode of WorkHuman Radio. They discuss the contributions Rosa Parks made to the dismantling of segregation laws, including how her stance impacted workplace rights.
Living on a Tightrope Susan shares what she discovered about Rosa Parks while putting the exhibit together. Rosa Parks, in her letters, describes living in a segregated society as constantly being on a tightrope: having to do mental and physical gymnastics to work around difficult situations, and never knowing if you might fall.
Love in Law Rosa Parks first started using organized methods for civil rights during the Scottsboro Trials. She married Raymond Parks in 1932, with whom she shared similar opinions about racial politics. Raymond was a charter member of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) branch, in Montgomery, Alabama. They worked with others to overturn the accused’s convictions and held secret meetings at their house.
Before Rosa, There was Claudette Interestingly, Rosa was not the only one in history who resisted being told to move. What made her experience different was that its timing lined up perfectly with a boycott that Jo Ann Robinson had been planning for years. The fallout of the Bus Boycott inspired by Rosa Parks, in conjunction with the lawsuit filed by another woman, Claudette Colvin, who was forced to give up her seat, were the driving factors behind the abolition of the Jim Crow laws in Montgomery.
Workplace Rights According to Susan, Rosa wasn’t treated well after the Bus Boycott. She was soon without a job and no one would hire her. Eventually, she began working for congressman John Conyers, and was credited with ensuring his victory after she campaigned for him. He hired her as his receptionist and as part of his social service committee, which enabled her to intervene in many workplace complaints.
Mother of the Movement Since the early 60’s, the black community has regarded Rosa as the mother of the modern day civil rights movement. “No one is asking for special rights,” Susan says, “they’re only asking for equal rights.”
Resources WorkHuman Live 2020
This is part 2 of Mike Wood’s interview with Deborah Tulani Salahu-Din of the National Museum of African American History and Culture. In last week’s show, Mike asked her if there was a particular artifact that resonates with her. The story she tells, and the amazing way the artifact came into her possession, is the subject of this week’s show.
Matthew Williams and the Rope In the Segregation Era gallery of the museum there is an 8-inch piece of rope. This rope was used in the lynching of a 23-year-old African American man, Matthew Williams, in Salisbury, Michigan in 1931. Deborah’s search for artifacts relating to Paul Henderson led her to the discovery of the rope. Henderson himself was present at the lynching; he secured a piece of the rope, and wrote a note about the event. Deborah comments, “It was almost as if he was speaking from the grave and telling the story of racial violence against Matthew Williams and the broader story of lynching and the spectator sport that it had become.”
Resources Deborah’s article about Matthew Williams and the Rope
In this second installment of WorkHuman Radio’s month long series celebrating Black History Month, Mike Wood visits the National Museum of African American History and Culture and chats with museum specialist Deborah Tulani Salahu-Din about what the museum has in terms of artifacts and objects, as well as the stories behind them. Before joining the museum, Deborah worked in higher education; in her present role she has been able to merge her expertise in African American literature into the exhibitions.
The Museum’s Origins The museum was first conceptualized as a way to recognize African Americans who served in the military. The idea evolved into a national edifice to recognize the achievements of African Americans in all fields, and to use the African American experience as a lens through which to examine American history as a whole. Legislation passed in 2003 under the Bush administration gave the mandate for the museum’s creation. Construction began in 2012 and the museum was officially opened in 2016.
6 Floors of History African American history, from pre-slavery days in West Africa to present day is on display in the 6 floors and 11 galleries of the National Museum of African American History and Culture. Deborah says that although the exhibitions display America’s tortured past, it is still a celebratory expression of the resilience African Americans had and still have in the face of adversity. In describing the layout of the museum, she mentions that young people will particularly enjoy learning how to step dance on the interactive stepping floor. Two other notable exhibits are the Making A Way Out of No Way Gallery, and the Culture Gallery which showcases how African American culinary arts influenced American cuisine.
Roots Mike asks about the family history resource at the museum. Deborah replies that you can come to the museum to discover your lineage and the staff will help you search for at least 30 minutes. She mentions that the museum will be opening a new exhibit on Pauli Murray, author of Proud Shoes, activist and the first woman to serve as a priest in the Episcopalian Church.
Resources NMAAHC.si.edu
In honor of Black History Month, Workhuman Radio goes on location to some historical places in Washington D.C. with special guests. This week, Mike Wood visits the Martin Luther King, Jr monument with Tamara Rasberry, HR professional and expert in diversity and inclusion. They talk about what diversity and inclusion means today, and why opportunity and recognition must accompany them.
A Struggle for Recognition CHRO at Globoforce, Steve Pemberton, said that recognition is the bridge between diversity and inclusion. Mike comments that at its core, the African American struggle through history has been a struggle for recognition. As she looks at the MLK monument, Tamara muses that African Americans still fight today for so many of the things that MLK fought for. “We still have so much work to do to achieve civil rights and equality for everyone,” she says. “Where can we start, and what can I do?”
There’s Always Hope Mike asks if Tamara believes there is hope that things will be different for the younger generation. She responds that we always have to hope. Without hope you don’t have anything, she says. However, change is slow. We have to teach children the history and what their ancestors fought for, so that they understand why it’s important to take a stand and to treat everyone with dignity and respect even if they’re different from you.
Opportunity Must Come With Diversity and Inclusion Tamara says that both her parents were usually one of the only black people at their jobs. As inspiring as their stories are, it points to the fact that opportunities were not the same for persons of color, otherwise there would have been more diversity. Even today, persons of color are not given equal opportunities, and are treated differently. Before someone will listen to you, Tamara points out, they first have to respect you. When you’re not respected because of your race or gender, your struggle to be heard is that much harder.
Mike asks Tamara to describe the difference between diversity and inclusion, and why inclusion should be at the forefront. Without inclusion, diversity means nothing, Tamara responds. Just having different ethnicities, genders and culture in your workplace is not enough, especially if they are not afforded the same opportunities or the same voice. All your employees should feel included, like they belong; they should not feel like they're outsiders because they're different.
Resources Tamara Rasberry on LinkedIn
In this week’s show, Dr. Evian Gordon shares important insights about the brain as well as an innovative product that is now being used by corporations across the country. Dr. Gordon is a scientist and medical doctor who specializes in research into the total brain. He set up the world’s first standardized integrative database about how the brain works to try to discover key patterns and how to convert those insights into applications.
An Innovative Product Mike asks Dr. Gordon to relate some insights gained from the database and how he applied those insights into his product. Dr. Gordon responds that the brain’s four main capacities are emotion, feeling cognition and self control, and they use three measures for each of them. The essence of the Total Brain product is the online assessment which gives you a snapshot of your total brain, including your mental health, in 20 minutes.
Major Insight The more you know about how the brain actually works, the more impact you can have, Dr. Gordon says. The biggest insight his work has revealed is that emotions drive the show. Emotions pick up on cues, and they have our biases. Emotions shape the way we perceive a situation more than our rational mind. If you don’t have emotional awareness, you’re going to be hijacked by your emotions, Dr. Gordon says. He points out that emotions drive your feelings, which is how you deal with risk and reward. His product offers users 50 ways they can get their total brain working more effectively.
One Thing You Can Do Mike comments that WorkHuman’s mission is to make work a better place. However, stress is a major challenge because it follows us. Practices such as mindfulness and unplugging can help us deal with stress. He asks Dr. Gordon to describe some easy practices to help workers increase their productivity and their overall wellbeing. First and foremost, get an insight into how your own emotions and how they lead to your feelings, Dr. Gordon advises. Tune in to your default mode and focus on breath as a supplement to your mindfulness practice.
Resources Get the Free TotalBrain.com Assessment
This week’s guest on WorkHuman Radio is Jacob Morgan, TED keynote speaker, four-time bestselling author, and creator of the Future of Work University. Jacob chats with Mike Wood about his soon-to-be-released book, The Future Leader, and how to become the kind of leader the future needs.
Leadership in the Future Jacob teamed up with LinkedIn to research the trends shaping future leaders, the greatest challenges that future leaders will have to overcome, and the mindsets and skills that future leaders will need to possess. Some aspects of leadership are timeless and will remain constant. However, the impact of artificial intelligence and technology, globalization and the changing nature of talent are some of the issues that will shape how we conduct business in the future. As such, the future demands that leaders possess what Jacob calls The Notable Nine - a collection of four specific mindsets and 5 skills.
What is Leadership? Most of the 140 CEOs that Jacob interviewed found it difficult to define leaders and leadership. Jacob comments that we all assume we know who a good leader is and what good leadership is, but that’s simply not true. He says that we should start by writing down our definition of leadership, because that will determine the filters we put in place. Mike adds that WorkHuman helps its clients tie their vision to their values, and everything trickles down from that. Jacob responds that many organizations have similar values. What’s different is how these values come to life.
A Tremendous Opportunity His research showed that more than 50% of leaders believe that they successfully practice leadership skills and mindsets. Interestingly, of the 14,000 employees surveyed, less than 10% rated their leaders as performing very well. Jacob points out that if the people who work for you don’t say that you're doing a good job, then you're not doing a good job. It really doesn't matter what you think about yourself as a leader. This presents a tremendous opportunity to step up and practice these skills and mindsets, and teach others to do the same. Your job as a leader is to build yourself up to become a lighthouse, and also to guide other people.
Resources The Future Leader book TheFutureOrganization.com
We’re doing something a little different this 2019. Each month, we’re highlighting a specific human from Globoforce and learning all about their stories. Today, we have Laury D'Oliveira, our Office Manager and all-around cultural energizer. She’s sharing what it’s like to be the support system of the company, and will robots be taking over our jobs soon?
Early life
Laury grew up in Central Massachusetts as the middle child of seven kids, from a family of very strong women. When she was younger, she wanted to be a lawyer because she felt there were injustices in the world that she could help fix. She was always taking care of everybody, and it’s carried through her entire life. In college, she took up Psychology at Fitchburg State University.
Family life
She met her first husband when she was younger and they had two boys. After they decided to move on from one another, she was a single mom for a while. Laury shares how the support she had from her mother in raising her kids meant never needing a babysitter outside the family.
Daniel, her eldest, was a marine. He’s presently a personal trainer and hopes to open a gym where he can help veterans. The youngest, Jordan, is a teacher’s assistant and works with boys from difficult backgrounds.
She met her second husband, Paul, through work, even though she wasn’t looking for a relationship at the time. He never shied away from taking on the responsibility of raising her two boys, and she now introduces him as their father.
How did you start working for Globoforce?
The engineering firm she was working for was closing, and she came across a listing for a payroll administrator. She threw in her résumé and got the call to interview about the position.
The interview began typically, but at one point it had transformed into a warm conversation. It was the best interview she’d ever done. Her interviewer even told someone, “Don’t bother interviewing anyone else. We have who we need.” Two days later, she was offered the job.
What does your role here look like?
Laury started as the payroll person, but as she became familiar with how the company functioned, what was needed where and who needed what, she was asked if she wanted to be the Office Manager. Naturally, he said yes. At its core, it’s a job that helps people do their jobs better, and that’s just who she is.
If someone at the office has something going on in their lives, they can come to her about it. She (and Globoforce) believe that if they can help people in their outside lives, what they do during their time working will be much more productive because they can give so much more of themselves. Helping them deal through life and navigate doctors’ appointments and after-school activities just makes sense.
What is your biggest accomplishment?
Her children. They love giving back and understand that service to others and supporting each other is important. They’re caring human beings who aren’t afraid to fight for what is right: they’re not going to see someone struggling and say, well, that’s not my problem. It is. It’s all of our problems.
What do you see work becoming like in the next couple of years, especially with AI and robots coming in?
Globoforce will always have humans. There’s something to be said about eye contact, interacting with one another, and actually caring about each other’s days. A connection with another human being will always make things better, and despite all the negativity in the world today, we can — and must — be the light.
Resources Laury D'Oliveira (LinkedIn)
Mike Wood welcomes Erica Dhawan, one of the speakers at WorkHuman Live 2020, to this week’s show. Erica is the world’s leading authority on Connectional Intelligence and the founder and CEO of Cotential. She is a speaker, trainer and consultant, as well as a bestselling author and podcast host. Named the Oprah of Management by the Thinkers 50, Erica is considered one of the management thinkers most likely to shape the future of business. She and Mike chat about digital body language, the topic she will speak on at WorkHuman Live 2020.
What is Digital Body Language? A modern dilemma is that while body language makes up 75% of communication, today 70% of our communication is digital. As a result, it’s becoming more difficult to express what you mean in the workplace, and to grasp what others mean. These days we don’t talk the talk, Erica says, we write the talk. She defines digital body language as the cues and signals we send in our messages that truly make up the subtext of what we mean. She says that it is a key skill to help reduce the empathy deficit that strains workplace relationships.
New Signals Mike asks what signals we should look for in digital communications. Erica responds that digital body language shapes every interaction we have now, even face to face ones. Some of the new signals are word choice, response time, medium choice, and email signature. The key thing to keep in mind is how our digital body language signals are received by others. She says that we should first ask ourselves if we've given the other person enough context and if we're being clear, then if we’re using an emotional tone that’s in keeping with our company culture.
Practice Patient and Careful Responses Today’s advanced technology, Erica says, has created a culture where we feel that communication has to be instant. One of the most important elements of digital body language is to practice patient and careful responses. Be patient; you shouldn’t panic or get upset if someone doesn’t respond immediately, Erica says. A better approach is to include response time expectations in your messages. When you rush to respond to messages, there’s a high chance that your response will have mistakes and typos. Hasty responses can cause a breakdown in trust, Erica points out. Respond carefully and thoughtfully.
Using Sarcasm and Humor There are times when we can use sarcasm or humor in our digital communications effectively, but it depends on the audience and our relationship with them. Erica describes when sarcasm and humor is appropriate, and when it’s better not to use it. Ultimately, she says, everyone has their own style of sarcasm, and if it can cause misunderstanding, it’s best not to use it at all. Mike adds that there still needs to be a tone of business in your writing. Erica comments that digital body language is a whole new skill set but it’s critical for teamwork and leadership in the modern age.
Resources EricaDhawan.com Erica Dhawan on Twitter | LinkedIn WorkHuman Live 2020
Sabrina Baker is the founder of Acacia HR Solutions, an HR consulting firm focused on the startup and small business space. She started her company in 2011 after she was laid off from her corporate job. Since then she has been helping startups and small businesses with their HR needs. She joins Mike Wood to chat about the biggest HR trends of the past decade, and what we should expect moving forward.
Social Media Is The Biggest Thing While the #MeToo Movement of 2017 was certainly one of the biggest stories of the last decade, Sabrina says that it would not have been as big without social media. She feels that social media has had the biggest impact on the last 10 years. It has given a voice to people to share their stories and a platform to impact many long standing issues on a global scale. Mike comments that many issues had been open secrets until the advent of social media. People had heard about them but there were never enough voices advocating for change. Social media has made it possible for one person to share his or her story and then have other people join in, until the veil is lifted off the problem.
Lifting The Veil Off Mental Health Issues Mike says that he believes the issue of mental health is going to get more and more coverage in this new decade. A lot of people struggle with mental health challenges and it’s being understood that we should talk about it more. Employees are also recognizing that they need to take care of their employees’ mental health. Sabrina agrees and adds that it’s a positive sign that people are willing to speak more openly about mental health and learn how to better deal with the issue in the workplace. Mike comments that what your employees are dealing with is a mirror of what society is dealing with. As a company, you need to address it and provide resources to help your people.
Where’s The Line? Employees can’t leave their problems at the door when they come to work, Sabrina says. We need to figure out our role as employers in helping our people through their challenges. Mike poses the question, Where is the line? How can employers help without crossing boundaries? Sabrina responds that small businesses are great at helping employees because of their small teams and close bonds. The problem arises in large companies, she says, where they are afraid to get involved because they don’t want to cross the line. However, they can help through their company policies. Large companies can keep it diplomatic, while creating policies for employees to get the help that they need.
Staying Human In A Tech-Oriented World As the world becomes more technology-oriented, will we need to address the lack of human to human connection? Sabrina says yes. If we don’t put limits on how we use technology to interact - if we don’t put our devices down sometimes and just speak to each other, and model the same to our children - we’re going to struggle to make meaningful connections. Technology is only going to increase, Sabrina says. We have to figure out the balance of using technology for all the great benefits it provides vs letting it take over all our interactions.
Resources AcaciaHRSolutions.com Sabrina Baker on LinkedIn | Twitter | Instagram WorkHuman Live 2020
Dan Miller is the Director of Content Marketing at WorkHuman, and this month’s Human of WorkHuman. He joins Mike Wood to talk about his interesting journey and his approach to life.
Covering Sports Mike asks Dan to talk about the various jobs he’s had. Dan says that his first job after college was as a disc jockey. He then worked as a reporter, covering business, music and sports. He shares some experiences reporting on sports games before the internet: you had to have 3 headlines ready before the 9:45pm deadline, he says. He recalls interviewing athletes in the locker rooms and contrasts hockey players’ and baseball players’ attitudes towards reporters.
Woodstock and His Favorite Music Dan had the opportunity to cover the 25th anniversary of Woodstock in 1994. He says that he wanted to experience the event from the crowd, so he set up a tent. He recalls being in the middle of the Green Day mud fight and seeing some famous acts as well as other bands who were relatively unknown at the time. Mike asks him to name his favorite musician. He responds that The Who is his favorite band because of Pete Townsend’s songwriting ability. He likes classic rock, but listens to all types of music.
His Acting Career His radio DJ stint led Dan to a role as an extra in the B-rated horror movie, The Stuff. Mike jokes that he found the movie on YouTube and showed it to the entire office team.
From Reporter to Content Director Dan relates his journey from reporter to his role as Director of Content Marketing at WorkHuman. He says that he foresaw early on that online was coming and he prepared himself for it. He describes how he moved to AT&T then Microsoft then Monster.com. He describes it as an amazing experience to be at the forefront of creating a digital presence for so many businesses. Along the way he refined many skills, including recruiting and HR, that prepared him for his present role at WorkHuman.
His Approach To Life Mike comments that he values the advice and insights Dan gives him about work and life. He feels that the diverse mix of youth and experience at WorkHuman makes their company well-rounded. Dan says that he has a positive approach to life. He likes adventure and is always looking to do something different and new.
Resources WorkHuman Live 2020
Mike Wood is pleased to welcome Aaron Hurst to this week’s show. Aaron is the founder of Imperative, a SAAS platform that helps people understand their purpose. He and Mike chat about how investing in relationships makes work more meaningful.
From Volunteering to Pro Bono Work Aaron launched the Taproot Foundation to change volunteerism. Through his foundation, people contributed their professional skills pro bono, instead of just volunteering time. Aaron soon recognized that people were using their pro bono work to get fulfilment in their lives. The challenge, he realized, was how to make work itself more meaningful. He founded Imperative as a solution to this problem. His company created a purpose assessment to help people uncover what brings purpose to them. Imperative also launched a peer coaching platform to help employees align and grow with their organizations.
Relationships Matter 150,000 persons have completed the purpose assessment, Aaron says. While just knowing your purpose increases your odds of being fulfilled, Aaron understood that there was still a need for a model to help people live out their purpose on a daily basis. He saw that people who find their work meaningful tend to have good relationships with their peers, a network they can rely on for support, learning and growth. Imperative’s platform allows employees to build those relationships with their peers. Mike agrees that it’s the people you work with who make you stay at a company.
Mental Health Issues Aaron cites statistics that show that 50% - some researchers say up to 75% - of millennial turnover is tied to mental health issues. This is due in part to the fact that many people do not have strong relationships. Mike comments that first jobs are usually a big let down from the lofty expectations of college. “You can get a little bit depressed right out of the workforce,” he says. Social media can add to the depression, especially when you see everyone “living their best life on Facebook” and your life cannot compare. Mike says that we all need to have a supportive network at work to lift us up together.
Investing In Relationships Even when your job seems menial, you find it purposeful when you have a great relationship with your peers. Aaron says that if you focus on relationships, it feeds everything else. He challenges listeners to think about the people who bring meaning to their work, and to invest in building more of those relationships.
Resources Imperative.com The Purpose Economy book Taproot Foundation
Dr. Patrick Malone is the Director of Key Executive Leadership Programs at American University. He is also one of the presenters at WorkHuman Live 2020, where he will speak on the gift of gratitude and the power of kindness. He joins host Mike Wood on this week’s show to talk about his work, and why kindness and gratitude matter.
It Matters Patrick mentions research that shows that parents value achievement over caring. He finds this alarming since he has dedicated his career to discovering the impact of kindness and gratitude. Modern neuroscience has proven that these traits matter. When humans connect heart to heart in the workplace, there is a marked improvement in the organization’s performance. Mike adds that when you’re happy at work you do better work.
Authentic vs Fake Kindness The secret of authenticity, Patrick says, is showing your true self and maintaining a moral compass even while you exercise different styles in your relationships. We have a sense of whether someone is being real with us. Patrick explains the neuroscience behind this intuitive feeling. He laments the emphasis we have placed on metrics and data over the years when what really matters is the human connection. Mike comments about WorkHuman’s platform where employees can give gratitude to one another. He contrasts it with another platform that gamifies recognition: there is a leaderboard and employees have a quota of points they have to award each quarter. Mike and Patrick agree that such a system is counterproductive since there is little authenticity. Placing measurements and tangible rewards for gratitude and kindness defeats the purpose. Kindness, gratitude and authenticity spring from the heart.
How Dr. Malone Works With Organizations Mike asks Patrick to describe some of the work he is doing with organizations. Patrick responds his work centers around areas related to kindness and gratitude, such as meditation, mindfulness, self-awareness and emotional intelligence. He remarks that people are ready for this kind of work. It all boils down to the ability to touch hearts and souls and getting people to be more vulnerable. Practices such as meditation and mindfulness actually create new neural pathways that allow the brain to see more. This is important in careers where you need to make split-second life and death decisions, Patrick says. More neural pathways mean that you can make better decisions because your brain is seeing more.
Host Mike Wood chats with Norm Laviolette, founder of the Improv Asylum and author of the new book, The Art of Making Shit Up. Norm has also been a speaker at WorkHuman Live for the last four years. He and Mike talk about his book, and his approach to team building.
The Improv Approach Norm started Improv Asylum with his partners 21 years ago. Soon they were asking themselves how they could expand and bring the principles of improv to the workplace. He says that their IP was that they were able to create teams in a pressurized environment, a valuable skill in the business world. They created a program based on improv principles, that taught businesses how to build teams and cultures. Norm says that they wanted to address common challenges such as how to help teams work better together and build better ideas, as well as create healthy cultures where people want to listen to each other and are okay with taking appropriate risks and sometimes failing. Today, he gets to share these principles around the world.
Your Job Is To Get Good Mike asks how Norm got started with launching his book. Norm responds that his clients kept asking him if he had written a book that they could use as a resource. It was when Wiley, the publisher, approached him that he finally decided to write one. The lesson in this, he says, is that if you put yourself out and start doing stuff, you attract people to you. That’s how we find a lot of the speakers for WorkHuman Live, Mike comments. Norm emphasizes that your job is to get so good with your message that people will find you. It may not be as quickly as you want, but keep going nonetheless. When you start working, you’re taking the steps to greater things.
Laughter Is Good Medicine Mike has taken an Improv Asylum class and he has thoroughly enjoyed it. Laughing with people is valuable, Norm says. You’re relieving stress and that’s always a good thing. There’s a deeper strategy as well: when people start laughing, they relax. When they relax, they're willing to think differently or hear messages that they would have been closed off to before. Laughter is really good medicine.
Resources Get the book: The Art of Making Shit Up See Norm Laviolette at WorkHuman Live 2020
Mike Wood welcomes 7-time author and speaker Neil Pasricha to the WorkHuman Radio Podcast this week. Neil runs the Institute for Global Happiness and in his latest book, You Are Awesome, he shares practical tips for building resilience and bringing positivity back to work and life.
A Happy Experiment Neil relates how a failing marriage and a friend in crisis inspired him to create a blog to cheer himself up. He started 1000AwesomeThings.com where he posted one positive thing every day. His blog became a viral hit and won him the Best Blog In The World award. This led to him writing his first book and his first TED Talk. Mike comments that his little daily dose of positivity set his entire career. Neil agrees and explains that his blog experiment became his connective tissue and social circle.
You Can’t Win Anxiety, depression and suicide rates are spiking, Neil points out. We’re more connected than ever before, yet we’re lonelier. We should be happy yet we feel worse than ever! This is confusing since we live in the best time ever to be alive. Neil believes that resilience is the muscle we all need to build today. Mike says that as technology has advanced making us more connected, we’re more reminded of what we don’t have. We’re not just keeping up with the neighbors anymore, we’re trying to keep up with everybody, and that’s a fight we can never win. Neil adds that this sense of endless failure contributes to driving up our anxiety.
Bringing Positivity Back to Work What can we do to bring positivity back to work, Mike asks. Neil replies that we spend most of our time at work, but we’re the least happy there. Our employees want to be engaged in meaningful work that challenges them and that they’re passionate about. The problem is that we’re drained of energy: we have a low resilience mindset and we stimulate ourselves with caffeine to get through the day. The solution is simple, Neil says. Simple daily activities, like taking a walk, keeping a gratitude journal, or doing a random act of kindness, can drive a positive mindset. He invites leaders to take his free 20 for 20 Challenge with their teams. You will create a happiness habit that will not only impact your team, but will yield positive business results.
Resources GlobalHappiness.org Neil.blog
Brittany Harris is the VP of Learning and Innovation at The Winters Group, a global diversity inclusion and equity consulting firm. She will be speaking on Authenticity at WorkHuman Live 2020. She joins Mike Wood on WorkHuman Radio to discuss how she supports leaders and organizations in operationalizing diversity and inclusion.
A Skill Set The Winters Group approaches Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) education as developmental. It’s a skill set that requires ongoing work around understanding yourself and others, and creating an inclusive culture where everyone can be authentic. The company supports organizations through cultural audits and identifying metrics, as well as DEI strategy development. Brittany sees her work as a passion: she and her company are change agents, she says. In addition, motherhood has reshaped how she sees her work. It’s even more important and urgent now, she says. Mike agrees that you need passion for your work, otherwise you will leave.
Framing Cultural Competence Cultural competence is the ability to effectively engage across differences. It doesn’t come easy, Brittany points out, because it’s human nature to be most comfortable around people who are just like us. It takes intentional effort in the four E’s to build cultural competence:
Exposure - increased contact with diverse people;
Experience - engaging in transformative experiences that shift our perspectives and build connections;
Education - to give greater context about different people and cultures;
Empathy - being able to take the perspective of others and understand an experience that is not my own.
Brittany reiterates that these skills take time to develop, and it’s a model to keep top of mind in your daily interactions. Mike encourages listeners to get out of their comfort zones and talk to people who are different. When you do, you’ll realize there isn’t much difference. He believes that much of discimination comes from fear of others. Brittany adds that one way to minimize the fear is to assume positive intent.
Resources WintersGroup.com The Inclusion Solution blog Brittany Harris on Twitter | WorkHuman Live
Get your ticket for Workhuman Live 2020
Mike Wood chats with Diversity and Inclusion (D&I) consultant and speaker, Joe Gerstandt, in this week’s show. Joe helps organizations understand what inclusion is and then put processes and behaviors in place to make it a reality in their companies.
How He Came to This Work There aren’t many straight white males in the D&I space. One of the things Joe is doing more of now, is sharing his story and the lessons he learned through his journey. He believes that this work is his calling, but 25 years ago, he would have rolled his eyes at the idea. He says that a lot of personal change occurred along the way to bring him to where he is today. His first job in the US Marine Corps taught him about racial diversity. His years in college educated him about gender. His years in sales changed his view of the world and how we interact.
Privilege Once in a while, Joe encounters a situation where someone doubts his credibility or expertise on this issue because of who he is. For the most part, though, he says that he still benefits from a tremendous amount of privilege. When he speaks about D&I issues in front of audiences, he generally is given the benefit of the doubt. That’s where it usually shows up, he says, who gets the benefit of the doubt and who is really listened to. For example, one time he delivered a D&I presentation to an all-male senior executive team who said that it was the best presentation that they had ever heard on the topic, and it finally made sense. Afterwards, the VP of HR, an African American woman and the one who had invited him, thanked him and commented that what he said was the same things she had been saying to them! She had hired him because she felt that they would listen to him more than they listened to her. Mike comments that many women have that same experience and it’s got to be quite frustrating, not to mention a waste of money!
Making Inclusion a Reality Inclusion can be a reality if those of us who care about it speak up. Once we see the issues, we should point them out and have conversations about it. We also need to design against it, Joe says. We can’t just rely on our good intentions for things to change, we have to actually put practices and rules in place to push back against negative behavior.
Get to Know People Joe says that meeting people is one of the most valuable tools for change that we have. It’s easy to mistrust or hate people that you don’t know. Once to get to know someone, however, that quickly changes. We absorb ideas about different groups from our culture, as well as how they are portrayed in the media. However, many of our ideas are under-informed. When we enter relationships with expectations that are rooted in racial stereotypes, that’s how bias usually shows up, Joe remarks. Once he met different people, his views changed and he became more proactive in bringing more diversity into his network of relationships. Mike implores listeners to broaden their horizons, to get to know people on a human level, and we’ll realize that we’re not as different as we think we are. Joe adds that if you have an actual relationship with them, you’ll find that you've got a lot in common as well.
Resources JoeGerstandt.com Joe on Twitter | LinkedIn
Get your ticket for Workhuman Live 2020
John Wamback, Director of Creative Services/Operations, is this month’s Human of Workhuman. He is in the process of building out a project management team to support marketing and other areas of the organization. He chats with Mike Wood about his penchant for Christmas lights, and how he is being a spark at the office.
Come to the Island John has been inviting Mike to his ‘island’ in Worcester since he joined the company three months ago. He explains that the ‘island’ is really 80 acres of property that includes a pond and an island. Local residents pooled together to buy the property to prevent Norin Company from purchasing it and turning it into a corporate retreat. It’s run like any association, John says. You pay your dues and you have access to all the facilities, including the island. It’s a family club, but the men have a regular monthly get-together. Mike comments that these get-togethers are important.
Obsession with Christmas Lights Mike talks about the Be The Spark campaign in their office. It is about how they can spark joy in their colleagues’ lives. He has heard that John is into Christmas lights. He asks him about it. John relates how he and his father started stringing white Christmas lights around the bushes in their yard. Every year they added more and more lights, and today he strings about 2800 lights. He does this on the Friday after Thanksgiving, and it’s become bigger than Thanksgiving now. Friends come over and they have a big party. His father passed away two years ago, but he continues the tradition because it keeps him connected to his Dad. It means a lot to his mother that he carries on the tradition.
Karen Eber is a culture and leadership development strategist with over 20 years experience working with global corporations like Deloitte, Hewlett Packard, and GE. She helps them shape leadership development, culture, and team effectiveness, by using strategies such as storytelling. She joins Todd Schnick and Mike Wood to discuss how she uses storytelling to help companies create culture.
What is Culture? Todd comments that culture is one of those concepts that everyone would define differently. He asks Karen how she defines the term. She responds that culture is everyone’s experience of how work is done. Culture is all of the moments of how we interact each day, how work gets done, and what we encourage or discourage. That’s why everyone's definition is different, she explains. She teaches leaders that it comes down to the environment they create, so they need to model the culture they want to create, yet leave enough room for teams to work out how they are going to live out those values. Mike agrees that the culture is going to develop at the lower levels on its own, and it just needs some guidance from the top to reinforce those positive behaviors. Also, the more people are recognized for the positive attributes they bring to the company culture, the more likely they are to stay at that company.
The Power of Storytelling When Karen started using stories to share values and leadership behaviors, she saw employees begin to discuss those ideas, reflect on them and become more intentional in following them. This proved to her the power of stories to start a conversation, to impart new thinking and to allow for reflection and intention to take place. She even uses stories to get leaders to understand the power of stories!
How to Tell a Story Karen’s storytelling model is very basic: a story has a beginning (the context), a middle (the conflict), and an end (what happens). She explains that she helps people to build a toolbox of stories from their experiences, then write out a sentence for the beginning, middle and end. This tightens the story and gives people a takeaway. It also helps them develop their storytelling muscles. Mike asks how you can stop people from telling boring stories. Karen says that it starts with finding stories from your own experiences. Think of some nugget of information that you want to communicate and start there. Don’t ramble on and on.
Resources KarenEber.com
This week’s show was recorded Live from HR Tech 2019. Host Mike Wood interviews employment lawyers Heather Bussing and Kate Bischoff, who are working to eliminate gender bias and discrimination. They talk about the adversarial culture, and how to create a discrimination-free workplace culture.
The Adversarial Culture Our culture is heavily adversarial. Everything is us vs them, including the way we do politics and pass laws and create organizations. When you have a system based on having an enemy, there must always be a constant stream of new enemies. In addition, many employees do not feel valued, respected and seen at work, which feeds into the feeling of adversarialism. This is why discrimination is still the biggest issue in employment today.
Creating a Discrimination-Free Workplace Mike asks if we are finally seeing progress towards equality. Both Heather and Kate say that we haven’t even started, because the people who can actually do something about the issue, refuse to acknowledge the problem. They point out that creating a discrimination-free culture is a daily practice. You move forward, you may slip back at times, but you keep moving.
Resources Heather Bussing on LinkedIn Kate Bischoff on LinkedIn
Mike Wood chats with Dan Tomasulo, who will be one of the presenters at WorkHuman Live 2020. Dan is a core faculty member at Teachers College Columbia University in the Spirituality Mind Body Institute (SMBI). He teaches Positive Psychology, as well as the Optimal Wellbeing program. Mike and Dan talk about positive psychology and the power of gratitude and hope. WorkHuman Live 2020Dan will share practical strategies for intentional self-care in his keynote at WorkHuman Live 2020. He says that deadlines and busy schedules make us forget to take care of ourselves. However, it’s intentional self-care that will boost our productivity. We need to recharge to work at our very best. The Power of GratitudeMike asks Dan what are some simple things we can do to take care of ourselves. Dan responds that one simple practice that has powerful effects, is to do a 90-second gratitude review of the day before, every morning. Gratitude is wired into many performance elements, into our sense of self, into our feelings of joy and connectedness and relationship. Doing a gratitude review has the power to change your perspective of the day past, even though we have a natural negativity bias. American Snake PitDan relates how he helped deinstitutionalize Willowbrook, the worst asylum in American history. His experimental group home, which he says was designed to fail, helped his patients thrive. What he found was that once people are given the right opportunity, they flourish. Mike agrees that people need purpose in their work. Productivity increases when workers feel a sense of positivity, connection and purpose. Positive PsychologyDan shares three key resources for listeners to learn more about positive psychology. The Power of HopeMike asks about Dan’s Ask a Therapist section at PsychCentral.com. Dan says that they receive about 2500 questions a month, and what he sees most often is that people are looking for a sense of hope. He says that a large part of his responses are giving people something tangible to work on that will change their expectations of the future, which makes them more positive and energetic in their day to day functioning. Resources:Dan’s memoirs: American Snake Pit PsychCentral.com WorkHuman blogWorkHuman Live 2020
Todd Schnick and Mike Wood are happy to welcome fellow podcasters Lars Schmidt and Laurie Ruettimann to this week’s show. Lars is the founder of Amplify, a recruiting, employee brand strategy and HR executive search company, and host of the recently launched 21st Century HR podcast. Laurie hosts the Let’s Fix Work podcast where she shares great ideas from smart people who are passionate about improving the world of work. The group have a lively conversation about how putting employees first benefits a business, and the future of HR. The Journey is Rewarding Laurie is writing her second book which will soon be published. She remarks that having a dream is one thing, but acting on your dream is something else. It's daunting to know that someone can say no after you’ve put in all your effort. But if I don't do it I'm gonna regret it, she says, so I'm absolutely doing it. Todd commends her for working towards her dream. It's good to strive for and achieve something big, he says, but what you're gonna find is that the process of getting there was truly rewarding. Everything Comes Back to HumansAttendees at the WorkHuman conference were shown data that proves the better you treat your employees, the longer their tenure and the better your business results. Everything comes back to humans, says Lars. The Future of HRLaurie sees the HR conversation shifting to a discussion around distributed workforces in the near future. More and more work is being done through contractors and collaborators, so government agencies have to be prepared to address issues of benefits, wellness and retirement contributions. Lars’ view is that the ideas about AI and blockchain taking over HR, are out of touch with reality, or at least years into the future. He feels that technology would allow HR teams of the future to focus more on catering to all employees. Removing Drama from WorkTodd asks Laurie to elucidate on removing drama from work. You can fix work by fixing yourself, she responds. Focus on your own internal issues, prioritize your relationships. Make friends in your industry and within your work community. Fix your own stuff and learn to optimize your own potential. When you focus on what really matters, all the other stuff, including work, figures itself out. ResourcesAmplifyTalent.com 21stCenturyHR.com Lars Schmidt on LinkedIn Lars on Twitter - @lars Laurie Ruettimann
This week’s show features another Human of WorkHuman, Joyce Silvia. Joyce is a Consultant with the Strategy and Consulting team. Her team partners with other departments and teams in the company to support clients. Coming from a Communications background, Joyce loves sharing on social media. She brings some of that background into helping their clients succeed. What Brought Joyce to WorkHumanHost Mike Wood asks Joyce what brought her to WorkHuman. Like many of their employees, she was a referral. As it’s often said, the best employees come from other employees. Clearly, Joyce says, when you love where you work, you want to have other people join you as well. She describes how a chance discussion with her friend and colleague, Colleen Finnerty, set the wheels in motion for her to join WorkHuman. Baking HappinessJoyce is a great baker and often brings her creations to the office. Mike enjoys the chocolate chip cookie dough brownies that she makes. She describes herself as a bake sale type of baker as she loves making cookies and bars. It brings her joy to see people eating and enjoying her baked goods. The world has become more global in its perspective and this has translated into food, Joyce says. The new American ideal is the blending of cultures and creating new things. What Joyce Loves About WorkHumanMike asks what Joyce enjoys most about her role at WorkHuman. She says that she loves knowing that her work will change from day to day with each new client. She gets an inside view of the client’s company culture, their values, and what their employees are like. She also gets to visit a lot of these sites. Joyce says, “I love that I get to work with these companies to help do something great for their employees and make sure they're being recognized for their great work... It's never boring.” ResourcesJoyce’s Twitter: @JoyceCSilva
Tara Greeley, Area Director for the American Foundation For Suicide Prevention (AFSP) in Massachusetts, joins host Mike Wood this week for a special edition of WorkHuman Radio. They talk about the AFSP’s advocacy work and how to help someone who may be contemplating suicide. How Can I Help?In her presentation to Work Human, Tara mentioned that suicide is the 10th leading cause of death in the US and the rate is increasing year after year. Mike asks her what we can do to help. She responds that on an interpersonal basis, we can let someone who may be struggling or contemplating suicide know that they're important and that we value them being here. She emphasizes that you never know when just checking in with someone could make their day or potentially save their life. Warning Signs of SuicideMike notes that after someone has died by suicide, it’s common for family and friends to say that the person seemed happy and fine. He asks Tara to describe some warning signs we can look out for that might tell us if a loved one is contemplating suicide. She says to look out for the following:They talk about suicide. They may say things like, “I just don’t want to be here anymore,” or “I feel alone,” or “I feel like I'm a burden to others.''They isolate themselves from family and friends or withdraw from their favorite activities.They might experience depression or apathy or completely change their regular behavior; for example, if they are usually a well-ordered person, they may suddenly become spontaneous.They may use drugs and alcohol more often. Advocacy Work of AFSPTara describes how the AFSP has been working with organizations and persons to help prevent suicides. Some TV shows may contain triggers for persons struggling with thoughts of suicide. High-profile suicide deaths, such as Anthony Bourdain and Kate Spade, can also impact persons who feel connected to them. She mentions the work her organization did with Netflix to remove triggering scenes and language. They have also worked to ensure that the reporting of suicide deaths has increased. She emphasizes that with suicide, it’s never just one cause: it’s a combination of several factors coming together at one time that causes someone to take their own life. Change the LanguageMike asks Tara about the language we should use when talking about suicide. She responds that you must use safe language in order to remove the stigma and judgment around conversations about mental health and suicide. Two main language changes are:Avoid saying “committed” suicide: use “death by suicide”, “took his or her own life” or “killed himself or herself”. Avoid saying “failed attempt” or “successful attempt”: just say “suicide attempt”. Help is AvailableIf you or someone you know is contemplating suicide, please reach out to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK or 1-800-273-8255, or you can text the Crisis Line at 741741. Both of these platforms are available 24/7. ResourcesAFSP.orgAFSP.org/Massachusetts
Paul Batz is the CEO/Founder of Good Leadership and the author of How Goodness Pays. In today’s show, he chats with hosts Todd Schnick and Mike Wood about the 7 Fs, creating a culture of goodness and how teams come together in a crisis. The 7 FsPaul defines goodness as creating an environment where people thrive together in a culture of encouragement, accountability, and positive teamwork. As a leader, it’s your job to help your team succeed personally and professionally. Paul uses the 7 Fs wheel in his coaching business to illustrate a successful life. The 7 Fs are:FaithFamilyFinancesFitnessFriendsFunFutureHe believes that we can grow in any one of these areas as much, or more, at work as we would at home. FaithTodd asks why faith is such a critical element since it is not usually something you think about when discussing work. Paul says that it's a myth that the faith conversation doesn't belong in the workplace. Faith, in the context of goodness in leadership, recognizes the connection between mind, body and spirit. When things get difficult, it's natural to think about faith. When we open our hearts to faith, people come together, learn from each other, and begin the thriving process. On the other hand, if employees don't see their leaders as faith-worthy or as having a moral compass, they would not believe that the organization would do the right thing during a crisis. Coming Together in a CrisisThe opposite of goodness is not greed and evil. Paul says that it is actually Superhero Leadership and short-term thinking. While superhero leadership is glorified in the media, in real life, no-one wants to be rescued. The teams that decide to stick together during a crisis come out better. People who care about each other will create unprecedented teamwork because of a crisis. Creating a Culture of GoodnessThere are four cornerstones on which you build a culture of goodness. These are:Excellence GenerosityFairnessPositivityEven if you work in an organization where you don't see goodness, you have an obligation to decide that fairness is going to come through you, even if it does not come to you. You may have to accept the responsibility that goodness starts with you. Anyone can take it upon themselves to radiate goodness and make sure they bring out to the goodness in other people. ResourcesPaul@GoodLeadership.com
Todd Schnick and Mike Wood chat with researchers Greg Stevens and Madison Beard about how companies can use data to make better business decisions. Greg is Analytics Manager at Workhuman Analytics and Research Institute. His research focuses on converting data into insights that managers and HR leaders can use to make organizations better. Madison is the Lead Data Scientist and Researcher at Cisco. The Analytics and Research team she leads studies what makes teams and leaders great at Cisco and leverages data to answer relevant, simple and actionable business problems for the company. An Interdisciplinary ApproachMadison’s team members have various skill sets. The interdisciplinary approach combines quantitative and qualitative data to not only analyze what’s going on at Cisco, but also how people feel and what they are saying about it. Madison points out that her team owns just one piece of the data puzzle; they combine data sources from many stakeholders within the company to answer business problems such as attrition. Start With WhyGreg says that finding early stakeholder engagement is key. It’s important to know what is the burning question you want to answer with the data, because it’s tempting to want to look at everything. Start with the Why and let that guide your mobilization of resources, Greg advises. Madison adds that you need to make good decisions about how to spend finite resources to make the biggest impact. Also, make sure that you have the sources of data to answer the questions you have. Going FishingOne of the two modes of research Greg and his team uses is Hypothesis Generation. They don’t know which question to ask, but they know which area to look in. This exploratory nature of analytics leads to flashes of insight, he says. Madison calls this type of research going fishing. She says you go fishing expecting a salmon, and sometimes you catch a flounder. The questions you ask when you find these happy surprises may lead you to present your insights in different ways and to a different audience. Leveraging the DataEach company is at a different point in how they use analytics. Some companies like Cisco have their own advanced infrastructure and teams in place, while other companies partner with other businesses to carry out the analytics function. Greg applauds the democratization of data: it’s easier than ever for any company to have access to resources. Madison says that leveraging data starts with data fluency. You must understand the difference between good and bad data, the business context as well as how to support leaders in making the right decisions using the data. It’s possible to leverage data even in small companies. There is a lot of insight in small data, Greg says. Just start where you are: your resources will grow as you prove the value of analytics.ResourcesNeuroleadership InstituteMadison Beard on LinkedInGreg Stevens: Workhuman Analytics and Research Institute | LinkedIn
Author and speaker Nataly Kogan joins hosts Todd Schnick and Mike Todd to talk about happiness at work. Nataly came to the US from Russia as a refugee at age 13, feeling that she had been given a huge gift and that she in turn had to make something of herself. She realized that she felt happy when she achieved something, so she pushed herself to achieve more and more. She mentions that she saw happiness as something you earned as a prize for a life well lived. On the outside, she seemed to have it all, but every time she made an achievement, the happiness she was seeking only lasted for a moment. After 20-plus years, she burned out. She shares how she stumbled upon research on happiness and how it led her to her calling to help others thrive at work through The Happier Method. Happiness Is Not a PrizeThe first core shift that Nataly had to make was to realize that happiness isn't a prize we get for doing certain things. Happiness is not an output of a life well-lived; it's actually one of the inputs into enabling us to do our best work. If we cultivate our emotional health we perform best at the things we care about. Happiness Is a SkillAnother core principle Nataly teaches is that happiness isn't something you feel, it's something you do. It's a skill, and like any other skill, you get better at it by practicing more. When we practice these skills intentionally we build our emotional health, and our teams build a healthy culture so that we can thrive. Two Core PracticesTodd asks Nataly what steps employees and companies can take to start feeling and being happy. She talks about 2 of her favorite practices:Gratitude - There are more than 11,000 studies that prove that when you consistently practice gratitude as a skill, it makes you happier, more productive, more motivated and more resilient. Gratitude makes meetings more bearable and helps build more authentic relationships at work, which leads to more collaborative teams.Intentional Kindness - When you experience rudeness at work, you reduce your work effort by 50%, and when your quality of work is reduced, you are 50% less likely to come up with creative ideas, and 90% more likely to retaliate. Kindness is the antidote. Kindness makes you feel good; it is contagious; you are more likely to do something kind when you see or experience an act of kindness; and teams with a culture of kindness are more productive, energized and engaged. Practicing kindness intentionally creates an uplifting team atmosphere, a fabric of connection and psychological safety. People are open to sharing mistakes and failures which helps everyone improve. Changing the CultureIn response to Todd’s question, Nataly explains how she convinces company leaders to embrace employee happiness as a way to improve innovation, creativity and productivity. Nataly’s MissionTodd shares how looking through his gratitude journal helps him realize the good things that happen in his life. We have a negativity bias, Nataly says, so our brain is naturally attracted to what is negative. Gratitude is so powerful because it reverses the negativity bias and helps us focus on the positive and not take it for granted. Happiness is a lifelong practice but you also feel an immediate boost. The more you practice happiness, the stronger your long-term emotional health. Nataly stresses her mission is to democratize happiness. It's not just a nice idea, it's accessible to all of us and the only thing required is to change how we think about it and practice it. ResourcesHappier.comNataly’s book: Happier Now - How to Stop Chasing Perfection and Embrace Everyday Moments (Even the Difficult Ones)
In this episode of WorkHuman Radio, hosts Todd Schnick and Mike Wood chat with Addie Swartz, CEO of reacHIRE, and Lauren Zajac, Chief Legal Officer at WorkHuman. They discuss the challenges women face in advancing their careers, as well as some innovative ways to address these challenges. The Challenges Start Early for WomenThe McKinsey research last October showed that even though equal numbers of men and women start as individual contributors, men get promoted to manager 21% more. This illustrates that the challenges for women start right out the gate. If you're a woman of color, Addie says, it's twice as bad. She questions, If we can't get women to start up the pipeline, how can we expect them at middle management and senior levels? Lauren is often asked if the pay equity issue won’t be solved simply by bringing in more women. She answers that it starts there, but the problem needs to be addressed all the way through to the executive level, or else the problem will perpetuate across the board. How Men Can HelpTodd asks what men can do to help invert the problem. Addie and Lauren list several ways men can help:Support women in their career journey;Build better companies;When a woman has a great idea, reiterate that idea as hers;Jobs shouldn’t be gender-specific;Senior executives should mentor more women. Reducing the StigmaMike says that there is a stigma that you’re not supposed to rest or take a vacation as a man. You're just supposed to work, work, work. Many men are afraid to take paternity or vacation leave because they may be viewed as less committed. He asks how can men get around this stigma. Addie shares an example of a Silicon Valley company which allows its employees to divide their leave up into chunks spread over four to five months. Lauren adds that this cool idea also solves the idea that women who take leave are not as committed. Exciting New Things at WorkHumanWorkHuman has a new initiative which is very exciting. Lauren is the executive sponsor of the Women’s Network, the company’s first employee resource group. Within months the participation has exploded: the dialogue that opened up and the relationships formed amazes Lauren. The executive team conceived the idea, but they asked employees to assume responsibility for the group since they didn’t want the initiative to feel mandated or top-down. The executive team listens to the group and takes action on their suggestions. Lauren sees the Women’s Network as the blueprint for future employee resource groups. ResourcesAddie Swartz: reacHire.comLauren Zajac: WorkHuman.com
In today’s show, Mike Wood chats with Tamara Rasberry, one of the Humans of HR, about improving diversity and inclusion at work. Tamara has been an HR practitioner for almost 20 years, primarily in the nonprofit sector. She is a passionate advocate for inclusion, diversity and overall good experiences in the workplace. The Most Pressing IssueThe most pressing issue in regards to diversity and inclusion in the workplace is to get the leadership team to understand the difference between diversity and inclusion, and that a diverse workforce goes beyond race and gender. Tamara says that leaders must be intentional about creating an inclusive environment for their people. How to Ensure an Inclusive WorkplaceCompanies should value everything that every person brings to the table. We all come to the workplace with a unique mix of backgrounds, experiences, and talents to contribute. Therefore, companies should utilize inclusive behavior at various different touch points throughout the organization, such as in recruitment, onboarding, and in staff meetings. Everyone should feel valued and have the opportunity to make a contribution. Tamara suggests several things organizations can do to make every voice be heard. Once feedback is given, the highlighted issues should be worked on. Communication is KeyMike remarks that communication is one of the biggest ways to address any problem in an organization. If you talk to people, and give them a chance to speak up about their issues without repercussions, you can improve a lot of things. Measuring Diversity and InclusionMike asks, beyond recruitment metrics, how can companies measure the effectiveness of their diversity and inclusion programs? Tamara responds that their promotions and professional development opportunities can be a good measuring stick. Once employees are in the door, do they have the same opportunities to get promoted or to have training and development? She remarks that not everything is going to be numerically quantifiable. However, you can see the progress you’re making based on feedback and people's actual experience in the company. The Present Situation in the CountryMike and Tamara share their thoughts on the current state of race relations in the country. Tamara feels that people are more comfortable expressing their biases and racism today. Racism is fundamentally about power dynamics, so change to ingrained institutions and policies that favor one people over others, must start at the top. The most individuals can do is change their own behavior and mindset. Mike comments that if we just talk to each other, we can dispel the fear: more communication and less division will help. We need to be open to learning about other people and cultures to break down the barriers, Tamara says. Resources:Tamara Rasberry on Twitter: @tmrasberry
Sr. Director of Demand Generation at Workhuman, Jill Crawford, joins Mike Wood on WorkHuman Radio for this week’s episode of Humans of Workhuman. They chat about company culture, her Frenchies and homebrewing. Jill’s Tenure at WorkhumanJill joined the company almost two years ago after responding to a job post for Director of Global Programs on LinkedIn. She felt that she could do the job and interviewed for the position. She was even more impressed with the company since a friend who worked there only had good things to say. When she was subsequently hired, she fit right in and fell in love with the company culture right away. Take Care of YourselfMike tells Jill that he admires her sense of humor, because just like him, she cracks a joke whenever there is tension in the room. Jill agrees that humor is needed and how great it is that their company advocates bringing your whole self to work. The official company policy is to take care of yourself: do what is best for yourself and your family. Both Mike and Jill share stories of how their managers insisted that they take care of themselves during difficult family situations. They felt supported and cared for by the company in those stressful times, and Mike can’t wait to get back to work. Fun With FrenchiesMike asks Jill about her French bulldogs. She shares funny stories about their antics and many ailments. She agrees with John Mulaney of SNL that having a Frenchie is like having a toddler that’s in your grandmother’s body. Her dogs are her children: she tells Mike about celebrating Fugsy’s 4th birthday party and having movie nights with her husband and their 4 dogs. An Award-Winning HomebrewerMike congratulates Jill on brewing this year’s Workhuman beer. He asks her about her homebrewing hobby. Jill is President of New Hampshire’s oldest homebrew club, Brew Free or Die. She relates the fun they have brewing, going on field trips and hosting competitions. She and her husband even constructed a replica of Old Man in the Mountain and added a mechanical arm so that he appears to be sipping a homebrew. Jill is also an award-winning homebrewer. She Brew is a competition for female amateur brewers. She entered with her own recipe 11 years ago, and won the category. She continues to enter each year, and continues to refine her recipe each time. WorkHuman LiveMike reminds listeners to join them at WorkHuman Live next May. ResourcesJill Crawford on LinkedIn | Workhuman Live | Brew Free or Die
Joe Whittinghill is the Corporate VP of Talent, Learning and Insights at Microsoft, and one of the creators of Microsoft’s Leadership Principles. He joins hosts Todd Schnick and Mike Wood to talk about leadership and change management at Microsoft in this episode of WorkHuman Radio.
Microsoft's 3 Leadership Principles The Microsoft model of leadership is aligned with neuroscience. The most important things leaders need to do to drive the company forward, are distilled into three simple and memorable principles. These are:Create clarityGenerate energyDeliver successDelivering Success To deliver success, Joe points out that it is key to give leaders proper guidance. This is because they are very busy and may confuse activity with results. It’s necessary therefore to be very clear on your expectations of them. He goes on to share two practices under the Deliver Success principle. Translating Microsoft Globally Mike asks Joe how Microsoft successfully rolls out a policy across the world, with different cultures and different people. Joe jokes about the ‘98052 bubble’ and then explains how the company makes sure that what is good in Redmond works all over the world. Creating Clarity It's very hard to create clarity but it's one of the most essential skills leaders need to have. Joe describes creating clarity as the ability to synthesize the complex and to ensure shared understanding across cultures. You must make sure that all members of the team have the same understanding and share the same goal. Mike adds that team members must also trust that their leader is not setting them up to fail. Generating Energy Todd asks Joe how Microsoft brings humanity to such a large and global workforce. Joe explains that Microsoft's mission statement is about helping everyone else win.Generating energy speaks to the mission statement because it is about building organizations that are stronger tomorrow than they are today. He shares an interesting example of how the company deals with failure but admits that they have even more work to do in this regard. Working Human at Microsoft In response to Mike’s question about what working human means to Microsoft, Joe explains that he believes the modern workplace is not a place anymore, but a change in mindset. How organizations support creativity of growth will determine how successful they are in the future. If you help your workers to find their personal purpose and align it with the organization's mission, you allow them to bring their full authentic self to work. Managing Change Humans are averse to change; however, effective change management happens with empathy and inclusion. We need to realize that people are in different positions and we must be more careful of how we help them to learn and grow through change. Giving examples of how the other side of change can result in a better life, may help others to embrace change. Mike adds that showing them that even if things don't work out for the better, that they are still ok and moving on. Viewing things this way can also help them to fear change less. Resources You can find Joe on LinkedIn.
In another episode recorded live during this year’s Work Human Conference, Todd Schnick and Mike Wood are joined by Mary Faulkner, a senior advisor at IA HR and Matthew Stollak from St. Norbert's College, for a fun and fascinating conversation about pop culture, the impact of technology on modern workplaces and whether or not there really is something different about Millenials. What does Pop Culture have to teach us?Because Mike loves Twitter, and because Mary and Matthew are both very active on the platform, they start with a discussion of one of social media’s favorite topics: pop culture. Mary talks about the movie Office Space, and how she wants all of her teams to see how ridiculous it is to be using jargon, to be letting policy and procedure take the place of human interaction and that not too many people really care about Hawaiian-shirt day. She goes on to say that the idea of one person walking into a company and saving everyone from bad management just isn’t realistic. Has Technology Changed Us?Matthew works at a college and has plenty of access to the next generation of new employees. He talks about the impact technology has on how we interact with each other, bringing up the all-too-familiar example of a phone on the table when you’re talking to someone. Mike shares an example about long meeting days, and how people need to work while they’re in meetings to get everything done, and Mary questions the management decisions that lead to that kind of behavior. Matthew brings things back to reality telling us that there has always been new technology, and people have always worried about the impact it has on workplaces and relationships. Does Generation Make a Difference?Matthew points out that in a classroom of 18 to 22-year-olds, you’re going to see a diversity of outlook, interest, dedication, priorities, and motivations - just like you would in any group of people who have nothing in common other than the year they’re born in. Mary talks about what this means in terms of recruiting and creating benefits packages that will appeal to different people - making assumptions about what someone wants or needs based on their birth year isn’t practical - the real differentiating factor is where people are in their lives and what they want for themselves. Having a Shared PurposeTo build a strong company culture, you have to have a shared purpose, and the people working for an organization need to have aligned values. It’s that, more than anything else that will dictate how successful a company is. Mary shares an example of a water utility company she once worked at, and adds that over time, people and companies change - what was once a great fit may not always be. You don’t need a perfect value alignment - but you should be aware of what level of deviance from your own values you can tolerate. What Should Employers Be Doing?Todd asks Mary and Matthew what is the one thing that employers, managers, and owners should be doing to make work human?Matthew says they should be listening to people and fostering a culture of respect and authenticity. Mary agrees and adds that if you’re going to be asking for feedback - you need to act on it, or genuinely explain why you can’t. Otherwise, it seems like just so much fluff. ResourcesConnect with Matthew Stollak on Twitter @AkaBruno or by emailConnect with Mary Faulkner on Twitter at @MFaulkner43 or by email
Feedback is often seen as punitive rather than joyful. Today’s guest on WorkHuman Radio, Joe Hirsch, Author of The Feedback Fix joins Todd Schnick and Mike Wood to talk about how to change how your whole organization views feedback. The Problem with Performance ReviewsMost people hate performance reviews because everything being discussed is in the past - it’s over, there’s nothing they can do about it anymore. Any criticism is too late to really be useful, and that causes discomfort and fear. It removes the psychological safety you need to be your best. So why do we expect our team members to remember and be able to respond to things that happened weeks or even months ago? We don’t have great recall for what we decided, thought or felt that long ago, so basing all of our feedback on things that happened so long ago doesn’t actually do what we want it to. Feed ForwardJoe talks about how managers don’t usually feel great about the feedback they’re giving - both the delivery of the feedback and how people receive it. There’s a tension between supporting and encourage people while also meeting business goals. Feed Forward is a new approach to thinking about performance. Instead of looking at the past that can’t change - look at the future that you can still do something about. It comes down to engagement, and that is often much more about what employees do for themselves than what managers or leadership does for them. We are Not Empty VesselsPeople are suited to be agents of their own change and improvement - they just need time and space. Mike talks about one of the tools developed by WorkHuman that is designed to give immediate, real-time feedback. Joe talks about how this kind of real-time engagement can sound impossible to a lot of managers - giving feedback all the time. Joe points out that you can either spend the time now or spend a lot more time later. He goes on to talk about how critical empathy is to the process and how it can be learned. Empathy is the foundation of trust, and trust is what makes feedback actually work. Building on a Foundation of Trust Many workplaces are reporting a serious lack of trust, and fixing that isn’t easy, but there are proven strategies that allow the trust factor to be raised. Joe goes through some of these, like changing your mindset to being focused on learning rather than knowing, helping managers feel comfortable with being vulnerable and focusing on strengths instead of deficits. It’s much easier to talk about things that are wrong - but dealing with strengths is ultimately more effective. Joe shares an example of the kind of discussion, and the three key topics (Peak, Trek and Scale) that lead to deep insight into what helps people work well. The Critical ElementsEngagement, transparency and trust are critical for organizations who want to improve the way feedback works - and ultimately enhance the performance of their teams. When employees can be open and transparent with their managers and leadership, there is more total presence and brainpower on every issue - this can make a huge difference in engagement. That engagement between colleagues and between different levels of the organization. To be your best, you often need someone to hold up a mirror for you and show you how others perceive what you’re doing. These can be challenging conversations, but hugely beneficial ones. Joe talks about when this happened for him - and what the outcome of it was. ResourcesJoeHirsch.me
In this episode of WorkHuman Radio Todd Schnick and Mike Wood talk to Liane Davey, the Principal and founder of 3 Coze, and three-time author who helps people create productivity when there’s messy people stuff in the way. They get into what conflict means in an organization, why it’s important, and how to manage it successfully. Embracing ConflictHow does bringing your best self to work align with embracing conflict? Liane thinks that being your best self means being willing to fight for things you believe in, whether it’s your customer, a different decision, difficult relationship or situation. When we avoid things that are difficult, like conflict, we don’t feel good about ourselves. Productive Conflict Liane talks about how trying to keep everything happy and harmonious when the reality just isn’t, means you don’t have the ability to actually deal with situations that will inevitably arise. Avoiding conflict builds stress levels. Productive conflict is healthy, it gets us talking about issues and moving beyond them. It happens when there is a problem to be figured out, and you actually get somewhere. Contrast that to an unproductive conflict which is often personal and sometimes vicious. Validating Emotions - a Simple FormulaTodd mentions that where there are humans, there is conflict. Liane agrees, and laughs at the idea of “keeping emotions out of things.” We just can’t do that. People have feelings, feelings are part of conflict, and we need to understand that and think about practical ways to be effective while being emotional. Liane talks about how to create outlets for emotions to minimize their impact on decision making or conflict resolution. When people feel validated for their feelings, they’re much more likely to be invested in finding a solution. Liane provides a simple formula you can use in conflict conversations. Changing MindsetsOften executives shy away from the word conflict - but they shouldn’t. Liane talks about a strategy to help identify the different areas of interest and concerns amongst different members of a leadership team. By understanding what other people care about or have to pay the most attention to, leaders are much more understanding of why people are the way they are, and where conflict is likely to be coming from. Many roles are supposed to be in tension with one another - it’s necessary for growth. Todd mentions that the words in this conversation are scary - conflict, tension and so on - but they’re valuable and necessary. Mike compares it to playing music - the build-up, then the resolution of tension. Liane explains how this ties back to feeling tension about being your best self and also having conflict - just like in music, when tension builds and is resolved, it’s satisfying - and beautiful! Conflict Debt There are so many conflicts we haven’t resolved - they build up and weigh people down. When conflict doesn’t get resolved, we fight, and we end up spreading everything - money, time, and people - too thin. Then we don’t get ROI, the culture suffers, and projects flounder. This is usually attributed to failure to prioritize, but what it really is is conflict debt. Liane tells how, at the end of the day, we all basically want the same things, and we all want work to be a better contribution to people’s lives. Work and humans can add so much to each other. Resources:The Good Fight | LianeDavey.com/WorkHuman | 3 Coze
Today, Mike Wood is joined by Lauren Brown and together, they’ll be interviewing Sally Thornton, the founder of Forshay, who is an entrepreneur trying to make work better. Not every entrepreneur has the self-awareness to understand that they’re part of the problem - but when Sally started her company, she knew she was guilty of overworking and prioritizing work above all else. She designed her company to be different and today she shares the critical areas in which they do that. Work-Life Balance is the Wrong TermThe traditional model in the western world is to grow up, get educated, get a job, work really hard, then retire. But a much better model is to learn for your whole life and work for your whole life, and critically - take care of yourself and have leisure time for your whole life, too. When we call that work-life balance, we get the wrong idea - work and life shouldn't be competing forces at all. Advice for a Recovering WorkaholicSo many people are working too much - but more and more people want to learn how to step back a little. Getting enough sleep is something we could all do a little better. Sally talks about how most of us are tired because we’re not getting the sleep we need. No one would drive drunk - but driving tired is almost as dangerous! She has an interesting tip you can use to get in the habit of getting to bed on time! We also need to exercise more - but it doesn’t have to be a dedicated workout session - getting in little bits of activity throughout the day can do wonders for your mood and energy levels. If you’ve got 7 minutes - you’ve got the time to get a little movement in. Mike shares a story about how challenging it can be to have time for yourself and your own self-care when you live with an exceptionally energetic 3-year old in the house. Sally talks about how to combine your different activities to accomplish more of your goals at one time, like community service with friendly hangouts, or exercise and hanging out with your kids. We’re Communicating MoreSally talks about how important it is to communicate and express our desires about what we want in our lives. She thinks millennials are particularly good at doing so - but it’s something that’s valuable for everyone. No one really wants to be nothing but the perfect worker - so why do we talk about work as if it were true? There are some generational differences in terms of practicing good self-care, and the perceived need to be constantly productive. Dealing with ageism in the workplace is an issue as well. We have norms and beliefs in our culture that will tell you all sorts of things about age and gender that bear no real resemblance to reality. By taking the human approach - that people want interesting work and to feel valued - has informed the growth of Forshay. Sally mentions that keeping a learning mindset helps you stay current as you get older. Take the time to explore your interests, the more you learn, the more it will spill into the other areas of your life.If you take anything away from this episode - keep learning, and keep finding ways to do more of the things you want to do each day, as well as the things you need to do. Resources: Forshay | Multipliers by Liz Wiseman | Sally on LinkedIn | And on Twitter
In the last couple of years, you’ve probably been hearing more about the trans community than you ever have before. More and more trans people are coming out at work, and elsewhere in their lives, and many people are wondering how they can best learn about the trans experience and support their colleagues, friends, and families. Natalie Egan (pronouns: she / her / hers), CEO and founder of Translator is championing diversity and inclusion through technology at scale. How can HR support the trans community?4-5% of the population is somewhere on the trans spectrum - and when you think about them and their families, it’s a huge segment of the population. The first thing HR departments should do is get educated on the specific needs of the trans community. Often the first person who comes out as trans at work has to take on the burden of educating the rest of the workforce - so HR departments can take on the work of being proactive with inclusive and supportive policies. Getting quality informationThe movable middle is composed of people who are open and interested, but unsure about where to get good quality information about the trans experience. Most information comes from the media - and that’s not always the best thing. You need to be intentional about seeking out information, and you shouldn’t be making assumptions about their lifestyle or intentions. Because trans people ARE in your community. Being an ally is an ongoing jobBeing an ally is way different than being a fan - allyship is active. It means being consistent, and doing the work of being an ally whether or not the trans person is in the room or not. It’s not hard to support someone who is transitioning, although it can feel awkward - there’s one simple thing you can say when someone tells you they are trans, or that they’re using another name or different pronouns: congratulations! You can also ask if there are any ways you can support your colleague, friend or family member. Although you may be tempted - it is not the time to ask a lot of detailed questions. If you’re curious - research! Treat your trans colleagues as humans - and have a little humility about the situation. Being self-aware is the first stepThe first step in real empathy is self-awareness, and understanding why we are the way we are, and how we got to where we are. Natalie talks about how growing up in a bubble of white male privilege meant they were disconnected from other people, and how lived experiences are different for everyone. Assimilation and homogenous culture is a liability. Diversity hedges risk - it’s true in investing and it’s true in communities - work-based or otherwise. Resources www.translator.company@NatalieJEgan National Center for Transgender Equality https://transequality.orgTrans Toolkit for Employers https://www.hrc.org/campaigns/trans-toolkit
If you give your employees more freedom, that means you lose control, right? Wrong. In today’s WorkHuman Radio, we talk with Gary Hamel, professor at the London Business School, about the revolutionary way of looking at modern work that allows control and freedom to co-exist, and more importantly, innovation to thrive.
Workhuman CEO Eric Mosley joins us at the 5th Workhuman Live to talk the history of Workhuman, what we’re working on next, and crowdsourcing innovation in this special edition of Workhuman Radio!
Monica Lewis is Head of Product for LinkedIn Jobs, and today, we’re talking about what it’s like working for an organization that plays a pivotal role in the HR environment, recruiting, connection, and community. We also talk about how to handle what’s coming in the future - specifically, artificial intelligence. Artificial Intelligence and the Future The robots ARE coming, but they’re coming in a good way. Automation and AI is often equated with disappearing jobs, but research has shown that it will actually lead to MORE jobs. How is that possible while keeping workplaces more human? Monica points out how automation is taking the repetitive, soul-sucking tasks off people’s plates, which means that abstract thinking and more ‘human’ tasks are set to increase. In other words, artificial intelligence will clear the way for employees to use uniquely human skills to help themselves and their organizations succeed. Should Recruiters be Worried About AI? There’s a significant portion of the HR community who worry that the advent of AI is going to threaten their jobs. It’s not true, according to Monica. Consider how much time you spend on scheduling. If that were automated, then you could spend more time focusing on hiring the right candidate rather than the tasks surrounding that main goal. In effect your job becomes easier and more closely aligned with what you love: connecting with people. In addition to that, having a more efficient recruitment process changes the candidate experience. When candidates have a great experience during the recruitment process, you’re more likely to be able to hire the best talent for the position. The AI component comes in with personalization. Monica talks about how LinkedIn Jobs creates a customized experience for every candidate. For example, an engineer is looking for different things than a marketing professional, and if you can provide relevant information to the candidate from the very beginning, their experience with your company is immediately positive. Artificial intelligence isn’t the only consideration for the future. There’s also automation, which can help your team be more efficient and productive, and you don’t need AI for that. The Connection with Purpose Monica shares why she does what she does at LinkedIn. It comes down to a strong connection with her personal purpose, a growing trend with people who are looking for more meaningful work. She’s really excited about solving the problems around work, specifically the qualitative and quantitative issues that arise. Think about it: we spend 40 or more hours a week in a building with other employees. Monica wants to answer the question: How do we make it a good experience? Where is WorkHuman Going? With the openness and curiosity of the people in the group, Monica feels a lot of hope for the future of work. She reminds us to think first about the community and how we can learn from, grow with, and help each other, especially with the big changes technology is bringing to the workforce. LinkedIn Features You Should Be Using When you have some spare time, Monica share some LinkedIn features you might not know about or haven’t started using yet. First, connect with others to whom you can add value. You never know where the next opportunity will be. Second, provide enough information on your profile to help yourself be found by others who want to connect with you. Finally, if you're looking for a job, LinkedIn has tens of thousands of jobs listed. The best part of that is you can see who in your network is connected with the places you’re interested in applying, which means you can get meaningful referrals. Resources Monica on LinkedInLinkedIn Jobs
Workhuman Live keynote speaker Kat Cole joins us in Nashville to talk about her journey from Hooters waitress to Chief Operating Officer of Focus Brands.
What goes on in the mind of a leader? On this episode of WorkHuman Radio, we are joined by Jacqueline Carter, the International Partner and North American Director of Potential Project and the author of The Mind of the Leader. Tune in as we talk about her surprising findings on leadership, how to motivate your employees, and why a good people strategy is a good business strategy.
How can we make navigating careers much easier? Joining us on this special edition coverage recorded live from Nashville, Tenn., is Kathryn Minshew, founder & CEO at The Muse and author of “The New Rules of Work.” What is The Muse? And how can technology help us create better experiences — for both employers and employees?
We chat with our Director of Human Resources, Sarah Hamilton, as she shares her non-traditional approach to HR, why she friends co-workers now, and what she hopes for the future of work.
Studies show that having an emotionally resilient team increases the ROI of business success. So how do we build that resilience? Join us on this episode of WorkHuman Radio with Christine Comaford of the SmartTribes Institute as she talks about the Seven Steps of Building Emotional Resilience and how we can apply it in the real world.
Best-selling author and global thought leader Cy Wakeman rejects traditional approaches to employee engagement (“that’s co-dependency”) and offers a new mindset for leaders and individual contributors to get to a place of shared accountability and business success.
On this episode of WorkHuman Radio, Robin Schooling and John Baldino talk about how our workforce leaves older people behind, and why we shouldn’t take them for granted, if we want our businesses to succeed.
Tim Sackett and Chris Bailey join us live from Workhuman 2019 in Nashville to talk about the #MeToo movement in the Caribbean and, of course, hugging in the workplace.
LinkedIn's Chief People Officer Christina Hall and happiness researcher Amy Blankson join us to discuss the latest research on employee happiness around the world.
On a scale of 1 to WorkHuman, how supportive is your company? Lynne Levy is our product evangelist and storyteller, joining us for another installment of our Humans of WorkHuman series. Lynne shares about being a late bloomer, her thoughts on artificial intelligence, and, incredibly, going to work with stage 3 cancer. The mission Lynne’s dad hated his job. He would come home every night anxious, stressed out, angry, or overwhelmed because he worked in a toxic environment. He worked there for 40 years, and the whole family would be impacted by how he came home. Now Lynne is on a mission to make sure no human or their families have to go through working in that type of awful atmosphere. When you work in a toxic environment, it impacts your productivity, innovation, health, family — everything. It’s mind-boggling how organizations can assume it’s okay to be nasty to people. It doesn’t make human sense and it doesn’t make business sense. A change of heart Lynne had been in tech her whole career, always looking to improve processes and automate as much as possible. When she hit her early 40s, she grew tired of building software that would put people out of work. There are two ways to make people productive: you can automate, or you can create an awesome environment where they love what they do. Lynne chose the latter. And in her 40s, she went back to school and got her master’s degree, and began her new career as a product manager who’s been in software, but with an academic background in engagement, communication, and leadership. The human element and the future of work We’re built as a tribal community. We’re built to interact with people. It’s part of our nature. It’s part of who we are. We need connection, and Lynne hopes that as a race and global community, we will reach our tipping point and set limits for artificial intelligence. The big C Lynne was diagnosed with stage 3 cancer about six months into working with WorkHuman. But what was so special, she says, was that she considers working at WorkHuman as part of her treatment. She was surrounded by a community of people who cared: people who would say, “Lynne, you look great today,” (even if she felt swollen and pale), “Lynne, you got this,” or even, “Lynne, what can we do to help?” Her leaders gave her a great workload that wasn’t too much or too little. She chose to work because it helped keep her distracted and motivated, and it was the one thing in her life that would allow her not to think about cancer. She felt productive and useful while going through treatment, and it made a huge difference. Takeaway You don’t know what life has in store for you. Do what you love. Work at awesome companies where you’re valued and treated like a human being, and just embrace the moments. Resources LinkedInWebsite
How can you take your employee training to the next level? Morgan Mercer is the founder and CEO of Vantage Point, the next frontier in immersive enterprise training. They use virtual reality to bring situations to life and create truly meaningful and impactful training around topics that matter. How it works The biggest downfall of existing training is that it’s impossible to truly convey feelings through a 2D video or a coaching session. The biggest thing about virtual reality is that it’s experiential. When you put on the headset, you’re immersed in another environment. You can form relationships with the characters and truly feel what it’s like to have that elephant in the room where somebody says something uncomfortable and tie those feelings directly to your actions. What did you do? What will you do? The program is also able to leverage things commonly seen in the gaming community, like positive reinforcement and negative reinforcement, as well as user agency where the environment and story unfold based on the actions you take. It’s a more true-to-life way to learn. You can step into somebody else's shoes, see what they see, and experience in real-time how your actions affect your environment. The program’s origins Morgan shares how she made a joke that inadvertently hurt someone close to her. It was the first time she had been called out and it caused her to think: Why would I say this and hurt somebody that I care about, knowingly or unknowingly?How do I form my opinions, and how does that play out and manifest itself in the way I treat other people? And she realized that it’s not that problems like sexual harassment and gender-based violence and racism don’t exist — it’s that we need to have personal experience with the problem to want to learn about it. And creating that relationship with the problem is what virtual reality can do. Find out more Vantage Point is deployed right now across the United States and in Europe. If you’re curious, go to their website at www.tryvantagepoint.com and submit a request for a demo. Resources Morgan Mercer (LinkedIn) Vantage Point
Grateful people eat healthier, exercise more, and get better sleep. Now imagine the impact a culture of gratitude could have across an organization. We learn more from gratitude expert Dr. Emmons.
There's no shortage of articles and buzz about AI. Is AI going to take our jobs? Or can it help humans flourish at work and address longstanding issues of bias and inequity? We have an engaging discussion with analyst, author, and WorkHuman 2019 speaker Ben Eubanks.
WorkHuman 2019 speaker Tayo Rockson grew up on four different continents. He's uniquely qualified to talk about how to communicate effectively across cultures, opening up dialogue and finding common ground between people who share completely different values and belief systems.
One hundred years after passing women’s right to vote, we still have a long way to go in protecting human rights. Will the next frontier for advocacy and change happen in the workplace? WorkHuman 2019 speaker Jessica Childress talks about the important role men have in responding to #MeToo and how to fight cultures of silence and harassment with empowerment, respect, and advocacy.
This week we chat with Marissa Afton, client solutions director at Potential Project. A mindfulness practitioner for the past 25 years, she shares one easy way to instantly become more mindful at work and other tips for bringing more mindfulness to performance discussions.
We chat with WorkHuman 2019 speaker Tamra Chandler on fixed vs. growth mindset, why peer feedback matters, and how to avoid the feedback sandwich.
WorkHuman 19 speaker Dr. Kelly Monahan suggests the future of work will be about team performance, and that we need to start measuring the equivalent of "assists" in the workplace.
We’re doing something a little different this 2019. Each month, we’re highlighting a specific human from Globoforce and learning all about their stories. Today, we have Laury D'Oliveira, our Office Manager and all-around cultural energizer. She’s sharing what it’s like to be the support system of the company, and will robots be taking over our jobs soon? Early life Laury grew up in Central Massachusetts as the middle child of seven kids, from a family of very strong women. When she was younger, she wanted to be a lawyer because she felt there were injustices in the world that she could help fix. She was always taking care of everybody, and it’s carried through her entire life. In college, she took up Psychology at Fitchburg State University. Family life She met her first husband when she was younger and they had two boys. After they decided to move on from one another, she was a single mom for a while. Laury shares how the support she had from her mother in raising her kids meant never needing a babysitter outside the family. Daniel, her eldest, was a marine. He’s presently a personal trainer and hopes to open a gym where he can help veterans. The youngest, Jordan, is a teacher’s assistant and works with boys from difficult backgrounds. She met her second husband, Paul, through work, even though she wasn’t looking for a relationship at the time. He never shied away from taking on the responsibility of raising her two boys, and she now introduces him as their father. How did you start working for Globoforce? The engineering firm she was working for was closing, and she came across a listing for a payroll administrator. She threw in her résumé and got the call to interview about the position. The interview began typically, but at one point it had transformed into a warm conversation. It was the best interview she’d ever done. Her interviewer even told someone, “Don’t bother interviewing anyone else. We have who we need.” Two days later, she was offered the job. What does your role here look like? Laury started as the payroll person, but as she became familiar with how the company functioned, what was needed where and who needed what, she was asked if she wanted to be the Office Manager. Naturally, he said yes. At its core, it’s a job that helps people do their jobs better, and that’s just who she is. If someone at the office has something going on in their lives, they can come to her about it. She (and Globoforce) believe that if they can help people in their outside lives, what they do during their time working will be much more productive because they can give so much more of themselves. Helping them deal through life and navigate doctors’ appointments and after-school activities just makes sense. What is your biggest accomplishment? Her children. They love giving back and understand that service to others and supporting each other is important. They’re caring human beings who aren’t afraid to fight for what is right: they’re not going to see someone struggling and say, well, that’s not my problem. It is. It’s all of our problems.
What do you see work becoming like in the next couple of years, especially with AI and robots coming in? Globoforce will always have humans. There’s something to be said about eye contact, interacting with one another, and actually caring about each other’s days. A connection with another human being will always make things better, and despite all the negativity in the world today, we can — and must — be the light. ResourcesLaury D'Oliveira (LinkedIn)
According to author and WorkHuman speaker Dr. Sunnie Giles, the new desired leadership trait is not charisma or deep technical expertise. It’s about providing safety, connection, and growth at work.
This week we chat with WorkHuman speaker Erica Keswin. Her new book, “Bring Your Human to Work,” is packed full of tips for designing a workplace that’s good for people and great for business.
Meetings are the bane of our existence at work. WorkHuman 2019 speaker Dr. Steven Rogelberg thinks we can do better. Learn his science-backed tips for running more efficient meetings.
WorkHuman 2019 speaker and author David Lapin worked alongside Nelson Mandela to build an inclusive democratic society in South Africa and helped draft one of the world’s first formal codes of corporate ethics. We chat with David on what he's learned working with such diverse groups - from the LAPD to a global real estate trust.
In addition to her favorite Thanksgiving dish, we chat with WorkHuman 2019 speaker Cy Wakeman on the differences between accountability and engagement and how to change your perspective when it comes to internalizing feedback.
How will robots and humans interact in the future? Which steps can HR take to make people feel more empowered at work – and hack their way to a more human workplace? In in the final episode of our series with Gary Hamel, we talk about his predictions for the workplace in 2019 and beyond.
No matter which party you're voting for today, we can all agree our democracy - and our workplaces - operate much more efficiently and effectively when mutual respect is appreciated and demonstrated. Take a listen to our chat with Georgetown professor Christine Porath on how harmful incivility can be to workers and how to put aside our differences to get work done.
Beyond removing “cascade” from your vocabulary, Gary shares other tips like how to give employees more control of their work and their compensation and how to take the politics out of performance management.
In advance of his keynote at WorkHuman 2019, we spoke with Gary at length about the origins of bureaucracy, the financial toll it takes on organizations, and how HR as a profession can start to distance itself from bureaucratic waste.
Where did the WorkHuman movement originate? We chat with Eric on how the conference has grown, his steadfast commitment to the #MeToo movement, and why he believes the command and control way of leadership is so detrimental to employee performance.
Maya Raghu, senior counsel and director of workplace equality at the National Women's Law Center, gives context on the laws surrounding sexual harassment and the steps HR and men need to take in order to fix this systemic issue.
Bonnie's right leg was amputated at the age of five, yet she went on to become the first African American to win medals in a winter Olympic competition. Bonnie has made it her life mission to help other people find their purpose and passion in life – and build habits to help make them more successful.
What happens when a multinational company of 9,000 employees undergoes a complete strategy re-design? How does a change in company strategy impact people strategy? We chat with Donna about her experience at Citrix and why company values and D&I are so important moving forward.
We chat with Rosette Cataldo, vice president, performance & talent strategy at Globoforce, on why recognition and positive feedback are so important in making the transition to continuous performance development.
We chat with Holger on what the future of work might look like. Beyond A.I. and big data, the sweet spot will be the intersection of technology and humanity making work more efficient and productive.
We chat with Rajeev, WorkHuman 2018 speaker and CEO of Iclif Leadership and Governance Center, on the value of crowdsourcing leadership, feedback, and even pay. We also discuss the similarities and differences in Eastern and Western management philosophies.
We chat with Robin about her leadership style, why D&I should be a priority for everyone in the organization, and why she’s planning to take her team to WorkHuman 2019.
Pay equity legislation is changing at a dizzying pace. Tom McMullen from Korn Ferry Hay Group breaks down global stats and shares ways companies can adopt more transparency in compensation.
We recently spoke to Tom McMullen, senior client partner at Korn Ferry Hay Group, to get his take on what it takes to attract and retain talent today and how CHROs and CEOs are rethinking the ROI they get from traditional compensation strategies.
At WorkHuman 2018, we sat down with Victorio Milian, Tamara Rasberry, and Meko Lawson to talk about how to support and empower minority employees. Learn how uncomfortable conversations help us move forward as a society.
On too many occasions, leaders and HR practitioners assume the worst in people. We chat with Robin Schooling about the mindset shift that could help shift this approach in your company.
Next year in Nashville we will celebrate five amazing years of WorkHuman. We chat with WorkHuman’s Associate Creative Director Jen Perry for the inside scoop on how the event comes together and a sneak peek at what the creative team has in store for attendees in 2019.
We chat with Stacey Rodgers, program manager of leadership & organizational effectiveness at WestJet, on how recognition is helping WestJet build engagement and connections across a diverse and distributed workforce.
The happiness researchers discuss the human range of emotions, and how anger, sadness, and loneliness can inspire the transition to a positive state of mind. By embracing all of your emotions, you can retrain your brain to scan the world for positivity.
Jason Lauritsen, keynote speaker and employee engagement expert, argues that we should be thinking of the employee experience more intentionally and less reactively by designing workplaces around the science of human behavior.
Finding and hiring the best talent doesn’t have to involve complex algorithms and fancy marketing campaigns. In fact, organizations that want to impress applicants and candidates these days should consider taking a bit of an ‘old school’ approach and add some ‘human’ into the hiring process.
Steve Pemberton’s journey – from a horrific foster care experience, to Boston College graduate, to the first-ever chief diversity officer position at an internet company, to his role as the CHRO at Globoforce – brings to light the power of perseverance and the lifeblood of community.
When it comes to HR technology, are you getting the most out of your data? What kind of data should you benchmark against? How are the best HR organizations thinking about data and analytics?
Learn how Whirlpool is engaging employee advocates (“winfluencers”) and how the company is using employee recognition to reward employees for sharing company updates on their social networks.
The C-Suite holds the keys to changing the relationship between HR and every member of the company’s workforce. Digital transformation alone will not change perceptions of HR, says Dr. Patti Fletcher.
What would happen if HR practitioners had access to a robust network of peers all around the world who were implementing progressive and innovative practices – and willing to share exactly why and how they did it? That was a driving question that led Lars Schmidt to create the HR Open Source initiative.
Workplace happiness has a direct link to a company’s bottom line. And few people know how to cultivate happy employees better than WorkHuman 2018 speaker Alexander Kjerulf, founder and chief happiness officer at Woohoo inc.
Assistant professor Ryan Fehr from the University of Washington shares research on how to build more gratitude into your organizational culture.
We chat with Lynne Levy, director of product management at Globoforce, to learn how performance development is changing and how to build a culture of trust that allows for true employee growth.
Bob Schultz, the GM of Talent Management Business at IBM, and Grant Beckett, VP of Global Product Strategy at Globoforce, discuss how technology and cognitive data provides a holistic view of the employee lifecycle, eliminating the silos within HR.
What kinds of stories are being told in your organization? Do these stories lift people up or criticize and belittle? How can storytelling be used to help teams perform better and even reduce employee stress? We chat with professor Julia Lee on new research.
China Gorman, the board chair at Universum Americas, shares her experience growing high-performing, mission-driven organizations and how organizational leadership can create a culture that values all.
Onyeagoro, president and chief strategy officer, Great Place to Work, shares the core elements that help companies around the world become great places to work. She makes recommendations on how to unlock the full potential of all employees to improve business results.
Burnout is real. It’s chronic and becoming nothing short of an epidemic. So what’s the antidote? One answer – creating a more human workplace. A workplace that’s transparent – where employees understand the “why” of the organization’s mission.
Chuck Blakeman, entrepreneur and founder of the Crankset Group, proposes that people get back to their roots – back to the kind of original thinking and problem-solving that existed before the industrial revolution wrecked the way we work.
HR Bartender’s Sharlyn Lauby, author, writer, speaker, and consultant, discusses the need for better manager onboarding and training and how a principled foundation allows for creative, new approaches in HR.
If you’re working at a company with a not-so-great culture, you still have hires to make. Robin Schooling and Bill Boorman say you need to focus on truth-telling and hiring employees, not just bringing applicants in the door. Your relationship with those employees is what stands the test of time.
Do you work with someone who doesn't believe in employee recognition? We chat with Chris French, Globoforce's vice president of customer success, who shares new research on turnover from the WorkHuman Research Institute that will turn the Recognition Science Deniers into Believers.
Pandit Dasa founded Conscious Living, LLC during his 15 years living as a monk in the Lower East Side of Manhattan. Dasa discusses the importance of mindful leadership and how recognizing your strengths and weaknesses leads to finding your true self.
Adam Grant, best-selling author and Wharton professor, and Greg Stevens, lead researcher at the WorkHuman Research Institute, discuss ways companies can drive innovation by fostering a culture that’s inclusive of diverse ideas.
According to Cy Wakeman, best-selling author and international speaker, we waste a lot of time on drama at work. She shares tips for letting go of your ego to be more productive and how to improve giving and receiving feedback.
Derek Irvine, VP of strategy and consulting at Globoforce, discusses five of the six megatrends changing the face of HR and business
We chat with Lee Burbage, WorkHuman speaker and chief people officer at The Motley Fool - consistently named a top place to work - about recruiting employees for life, coaching, and creating a test-and-learn culture.
Job candidates and employees expect their workplace experience to resemble their experience with Amazon, Apple, or Netflix. And they have the power to provide instant feedback on their workplace experience, where former, current, and prospective employees rate a company’s culture and management just as they rate a book, a computer, or a movie. Learn more in our interview with author and WorkHuman speaker Jeanne Meister.
Is HR more about feel good moments or hard metrics? It’s a little bit of both, according to HR influencer and WorkHuman speaker John Baldino.
Georgetown professor and WorkHuman speaker Christine Porath shares the three fundamentals of civility and why peer recognition is the most valuable - and often underused - form of recognition we can use at work.
If leaders really want to empower their employees, they’ll stop thinking of it as an initiative and recognize that it, like engagement, is a natural outcome of a workplace that functions with trust. People will be “empowered” to make decisions at work. They will be “empowered” to speak up with new ideas. Employees will also be “empowered” to act when the integrity of the organization is at stake.
There is a force in your life that is profoundly important and likely invisible to you. It’s the effect on your life of the relationships you have (or don’t have) with other people. We call this force “social gravity.”
In part one of our interview with Adam Grant, we talked about why it’s important to hire for cultural contribution as opposed to cultural fit – especially if you want to stamp out groupthink. Once you have the right people in place to contribute original ideas, what role does continuous feedback play in improving performance across your organization? How can you create an environment that not only promotes gender equality, but also psychological safety and belonging? We discuss these topics and more in part two of our interview with Adam Grant.
We recently talked with Adam Grant about his new book, "Originals: How Non-Conformists Move the World." In the first part of our conversation below, we discuss procrastination, combatting groupthink, and why you should start hiring for cultural contribution as opposed to cultural fit.
In honor of Employee Appreciation day, we chatted with Globoforce’s HR director, Sarah Hamilton on ways you can appreciation employees all year long.
Susan Cain and Globoforce continue their talks about what it means to be an introvert, why introverts are exceptional leaders, and how to reward introverts on your team.
Susan Cain talks about what it means to be an introvert, why introverts are exceptional leaders, and how to reward introverts on your team.
In this short 20 minute segment we define what is and is not recognition and you’ll learn the secret to making it most effective and resonant.
After writing the best seller “Your Brain at Work” as well as “Quiet Leadership” and “Coaching with the Brain in Mind,” a textbook, we asked David what motivates good employees, when to give feedback, and how to approach performance management in the modern workplace.
Tony is a former New York Times reporter and has written five books, including the bestsellers “The Power of Full Engagement” and “The Way We’re Working Isn’t Working.” He’s also delivered keynotes and trainings to leaders of companies around the world, from Google to the National Security Agency.
A global movement is taking place in the C-suites of thousands of progressive organizations like Marriott, Starbucks, and LinkedIn. The question the leaders of these organizations ask themselves is, “How can we create more human leadership and people-centered cultures where employees and leaders are more fulfilled and more fully engaged?”
At Harvard University, Amy Edmondson sought to explore how organizations learn. In doing so, she realized the key to any organization’s ability to learn lies in its teams and in the quality of the collaboration across teams.
As a New York Times bestselling author and former Buddhist monk, Christine Comaford has more than 30 years of experience helping both businesses and individuals navigate growth and change. She uses neuroscience techniques to help leaders around the world see their blind spots and more effectively manage teams.
We like to pretend that business is just business and niceties like “thank you” don’t matter. But what differentiates great companies that attract and keep extraordinary talent willing to give it their all – to put their heart and soul into what they do – is that they recognize the human investment being made. Listen to our interview with Kimberly Davis.