Insights - An Employee Engagement Show: Recent Episodes

Emplify

Insights is an original series from Emplify that explores extraordinary advances in people performance and business outcomes through workplace science and...well, insights.

You’ll learn from Emplify CEO and Co-Founder Santiago Jaramillo as he discusses culture and engagement - and takes a deep dive into the specific questions that are top of mind for people-first leaders.

Nicole MacLean, Director of Relationship Marketing at Emplify, will be your guide as we learn from Santiago on how to breakdown culture myths, redefine employee engagement, and give perspective on how to implement and measure change - helping you achieve real business results.

The goal of this series is to give you new ways to think about your people, culture, engagement, and all the other buzzwords that get thrown at you in today’s workplace.

In this brief final episode of #Insights, Santi shares about the acquisition of Emplify by 15Five, and how you can join him and Adam on Episode 18 of the HR Superstars Podcast to learn all about it...

Adam, Santi, and 15Five cofounders, David Hassell and Shane Metcalf, will share about how they successfully joined two founding teams, two complimentary products, and two cultures to create more engaged and higher performing workplaces for thousands of organizations.

You can listen by visiting 15Five.com/podcast or by searching for "HR Superstars" on the platform where you’re listening right now.

Please subscribe for access to this and other phenomenal interviews with people leaders from companies like Siemens USA, Eventbrite, and Twitter.

Thank you for listening and we hope you’ll join us on HR Superstars!

As the end of this year draws to a close, we are taking time to review our most listened to episodes of 2020.

On one Bite-Size Insights this year, we talked high-level about what people need to do their best work. For many, a barrier for achieving a high level of engagement is burnout. The data supporting this statement came from the employee engagement trends report we launched in January. Fast forward a few months and employees are still struggling with burn out yet, the stressors and solutions look vastly different. While 2020 hasn’t gone as planned one thing remains true, the people closest to executing your company’s strategy are often the ones at risk or who already are experiencing burnout.

How does this understanding of burnout impact us in today’s environment? And what do people actually need to be successful at work whether it’s at home or in an office? Helping unpack these questions is Jeff Smith, a psychologist and the Director of 15 Five's Best Self Academy and our Santiago Jaramillo, CEO of Emplify.

As the end of this year draws to a close, we are taking time to review our most listened to episodes of 2020.

This year has been a year like no other and one many of us could have anticipated. As leaders, we have had to be agile both in our plans for the year as well as adapting to what our employees Earlier this year, we launched our employee engagement trends report showcasing data that explained what drivers employees cared about the most.

Earlier in the year, we revisited this data asking, “Is what we thought to be true then still true today? Joining the discussion is Kevin Kruse, New York Times Best Selling author and CEO of LeadX, along with Santiago Jaramillo, CEO of Emplify.

As the end of this year draws to a close, we are taking time to review our most listened to episodes of 2020.

The only thing certain right now is change. The way we work, the way we live are going to continue to change and adapt. We’ve heard from many leaders who are trying to foster resilience, which is the capacity to recover quickly from challenges. Think 90’s classic, “I get knocked down, but I get up again”. No matter who we are, we have all faced difficulties over the past few months.

As leaders look to develop re-entry strategies and update their policies and procedures, the word resilience can’t be ignored. It’s the trait that gives us the ability to keep going when the light at the end of the tunnel may not be clear.

Earlier this year we had two guests share their thoughts on what this means to leaders: Hakemia Jackson, a cultural strategist, an executive coach, and partner with Bravely, and Jeff Smith, a psychologist and the Director of 15 Five's Best Self Academy.

As the end of this year draws to a close, we are taking time to review our most listened to episodes of 2020.

As organizations start to re-open their offices, leaders are looking for answers on the best ways to approach their re-entry strategy. The reality is the right approach can look different day-to-day with a focus on being flexible in responding to employee feedback.

Hollie Delaney, Chief People Strategist of Zappos.com joined earlier this year to share the various elements she thinks leaders should consider when developing a re-entry strategy. With over 12 years of experience, she’s been instrumental in providing Zappos.com as the best place to work for all employees. In helping answer the question around re-entry, Adam Weber also weighs in sharing why he thinks the term re-entry may be the wrong word choice altogether.

As the end of this year draws to a close, we are taking time to review our most listened to episodes of 2020.

We’ve all had to become digital leaders in a myriad of ways. Earlier this year we asked Santiago Jaramillo, Emplify’s CEO, and Adam Weber, Emplify’s Chief People Officer to provide us with practical insights around availability as leaders look to stay in front of their team and the organizations while being remote.

While Santiago and Adam share their recommendations, Sam Yoder joins again to provide some perspective to those leaders who are maintaining social distancing yet may be in an industry where remote working isn’t one hundred percent feasible.

What have you found to be successful in keeping your culture and people connected while you’re physically apart?

On this bite-size, we’re discussing the workplace trends leaders can expect to see going into 2021. Joining us to share his insights and predictions is Emplify’s Co-Founder and Chief People Officer Adam Weber.

On this bite-size, we’re joined by Emplify CEO and CoFounder Santiago Jaramillo to discuss the new way of thinking about talent development. Employees don’t leave companies, they leave managers. Yet, managers tend to be one of the most under-resourced and under-supported roles in the company. Santi is here to help us understand how companies can develop truly excellent managers.

On this bite-size we’re joined by one of Emplify’s fabulous People Insights Consultants, Dustin Goeglein. Dustin was an early remote employee at Emplify, long before the pandemic made it the new normal. He’s the perfect person to help us answer the question, how can leaders foster engagement in remote work environments?

On this Bite-Size, we’re digging into the ways HR leaders can make a business case for employee engagement and other people initiatives. Getting the resources you need can be a challenge, especially when businesses are trying to cut as much expense as possible. Helping us break it down is Bonnie Curtis, formerly of Procter & Gamble and currently Chief Human Resources Officer at Castellini Group.

On this special Bite-Size, we aren’t exactly answering a question. Rather we are thinking about what it means to practice gratitude.

Emplify’s Co-founder and Chief People Officer Adam Weber does an amazing job of practicing gratitude in his daily routine and incorporating that into team meetings and the culture at Emplify. He joins to discuss the impact gratitude has on his life and share a few tactical insights to help you add it into your routine.

On this Bite-Size, we’re going deep on one the most important tools for managers: the 1:1. Specifically, how can leaders run effective one-on-one meetings? Helping us share some tactical insights are two Emplifiers, Chris Sego, People Insights Consultant, and Christi Pendarvis, Senior Director of Customer Success.

As we continue to navigate the strains and challenges of the new work environment, one group that we don’t talk about enough is parents. On this bite-size, we’re focusing on what leaders can do to encourage working parents and improve their engagement during this time.

Joining us to offer her expertise on this topic is Megan Nail, VP of Total Rewards Practice at our friends, FirstPerson Advisors.

Every leader wants their team to perform well, but with so many teams working from home, encouraging productivity can be challenging. On this Bite-Size, we’re tackling the question, how can leaders build highly -productive remote teams?

Joining us to offer his expertise on this topic is Emplify’s Co-founder and Chief People Officer, Adam Weber.

On previous episodes of Insights, we’ve spent a lot of time talking about burnout; what causes it, how to recognize it, and why it’s been more prevalent in recent months. Since it’s probably not going anywhere any time soon, we wanted to take the opportunity to talk about how to avoid it.

Joining us to offer some actionable steps leaders can take is Emplify’s Co-founder and Chief People Officer, Adam Weber.

As leaders, we expect a lot of ourselves. As humans, we’re going to make mistakes. Sometimes those mistakes hurt the team. Hopefully, you’ve built enough trust that when hiccups happen, they feel comfortable pointing them out to you.

On this bite-size, Emplify’s Kham Msiska joins us to share his insights on how leaders should respond when receiving negative feedback.

If you’ve listened to the show before, then you’re probably familiar with the 17 drivers we use to measure engagement. Each one offers a different insight into the state of your team that can create an action plan for how to improve engagement. When working to engage the diverse people groups in your organization, there are a few of these drivers that really stand out.

On this bite-size, we’re breaking down those KPIs and showing how you can use them to drive engagement. Back again are Kham Msiska, Controller at Emplify and Gabby Van Alstine, Director of People Ops at Emplify.

As leaders driving engagement, it’s our responsibility to have difficult conversations with our team members. So how can leaders start those conversations? Joining us to offer their insights are Kham Msiska, Controller at Emplify and Gabby Van Alstine, Director of People Ops at Emplify.

On this bite-size, we’re breaking down an engagement metric called the Belonging Score. It’s a great tool to gain insights into the engagement on your team, especially when it comes to minority and underrepresented people groups. Joining us to share more about this metric is Adam Weber, Emplify’s Co-founder and Chief People Officer.

On today’s bite-size, we’re wrapping up a two-part episode from Sarah Nodarse of The Zone, a global culture consultancy on a mission to make organizations more human. In part one, Sarah broke down the meaning of diversity and inclusion, and shared a unique approach to these concepts. In this episode, she’ll discuss the meaning of equity and why it matters.

On today’s Bite-Size, we’re starting part one of a two part episode where we break down three of the most commonly, and poorly, interchanged words: Diversity, Inclusion, and Equity. So often these words just get thrown out, but do we truly understand the nuance of each and the importance of achieving all three?

To help us better understand these nuances, we’re joined by Sarah Nodarse of The Zone, a global culture consultancy on a mission to make organizations more human.

Resources

Keys to Unlock Collective Intelligence in Your Meetings

We’ve reached the end of our step-by-step breakdown of becoming a more human leader. Step six is about using data to understand the state of your workforce. Without data, managers and leaders must rely solely on their gut instinct to make decisions, and they often end up promoting broken processes or ignoring major problems in their business.

In this episode, you’ll hear how data gives you a clear picture of engagement levels in your organization so you can make better decisions for your company and your people.

To guide us on this last stage of the journey, we’ll hear from Christine Kaszubski, Chief People Officer at Pindrop Security. Christine has over 30 years of experience in the HR or people operations space, and she joins Emplify’s Co-founder and Chief People Officer, Adam Weber to discuss the importance of using data to measure employee engagement.

After You Listen:

Order Lead Like A Human on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Lead-Like-Human-Practical-Building/dp/1642251704/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=lead+like+a+human&qid=1596485558&sr=8-1:
Connect with Christine: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chriskaszubski/
Connect with Adam: https://www.linkedin.com/in/meetadam/
Connect with Nicole: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicolemmaclean/

As a leader, are you making time for your employees to pursue learning and development during the workday?

For this week’s bite-size, Shannon Ferguson, Head of People at BlueBoard, joins us to share ways leaders can encourage their people to develop new skills and explore new interests in their company.

We’re in the home stretch of our step-by-step breakdown of becoming a more human leader. Step four is about setting goals to motivate and engage your teams while step five, takes a deeper look into what happens after those goals are accomplished. This step is all about continual improvement.

Continual improvement is the consistent pursuit of self-development, and it starts with you, the leader. In a workforce, this focus on personal development drives radical growth and innovation for the business.

To guide us on the journey, we’ll hear from Jason Treu, a Chief People Officer who works with teams all around the world on leadership and management training. Jason is an expert on creating a winning culture, and he joins Emplify’s Co-founder and Chief People Officer, Adam Weber to discuss the impact of continual improvement.

After You Listen:

Order Lead Like A Human on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Lead-Like-Human-Practical-Building/dp/1642251704/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=lead+like+a+human&qid=1596485558&sr=8-1:
Connect with Jason: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasontreu/
Connect with Adam: https://www.linkedin.com/in/meetadam/
Connect with Nicole: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicolemmaclean/

On this week’s bite-size, Emplify Co-founder and Chief People Officer Adam Weber joins us to share some tactical insights for activating your company’s core values.

Setting goals seems like an overdone topic, yet we find leaders are approaching it like another to-do or worse...a to-don’t. Often focusing too much on tasks or if they get to goal-setting at all, they’re not focusing on helping their team tie those goals to the individual’s personal why.

On this episode of Insights, we’re talking about setting goals with your team, step four in learning to Lead Like A Human. Joining us on our journey is Chris Evans, Senior Account Executive at Emplify. He was on the original team who experienced Adam’s techniques of goal setting first hand. He’s here to share his story.

After You Listen:

Order Lead Like A Human on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Lead-Like-Human-Practical-Building/dp/1642251704/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=lead+like+a+human&qid=1596485558&sr=8-1:
Connect with Chris: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrisevans03/
Connect with Adam: https://www.linkedin.com/in/meetadam/
Connect with Nicole: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicolemmaclean/

Welcome to a very special episode of Bite-Size Insights. Hopefully you’ve been following along with our latest season, Lead Like a Human, where we take a deep dive into the content from Emplify’s Chief People Officer and Cofounder Adam Weber’s first book of the same name.

Today we’re excited to announce that Lead Like A Human is officially live! You can get your copy at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Target, or anywhere else great books are available.

On today’s Bite-Size, we’re celebrating the release of Lead Like A Human by asking various leaders to share their perspective on what it really means to lead like a human.

In the journey of your company, you can think of the company purpose as the North Star: it’s the guiding light giving direction towards the greater company vision. Core values are the vehicle that will take you there.

On today’s episode of Insights, we’re talking about defining your core values, step three in learning to lead like a human. Along the way you’ll meet Lois Weinblatt, Founder of True North Visionaries, as she discusses the importance of establishing your core values so you can pursue your company purpose.

After You Listen:

Pre-order Lead Like A Human on Amazon:
Connect with Lois: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lois-weinblatt-6766b01a
Connect with Adam: https://www.linkedin.com/in/meetadam/
Connect with Nicole: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicolemmaclean/

On today’s Bite-Size, you’ll hear from Adam Weber, Emplify’s Co-founder and Chief People Officer. He joins to discuss ways leaders can connect a company’s long term vision with short term success.

Do you know why your company exists? The answer goes beyond your mission statement or your brand promise. While both of these are necessary, they don’t dig deep enough to answer the “why” question, and they won’t inspire your people or drive an engaged culture.

On today’s episode of Insights, we’re talking about purpose, the next step in learning to lead like a human. Along the way, you’ll meet Josh Driver, CEO and Co-founder of Selflessly, as he shares his passion and commitment to living out his company’s purpose.

After You Listen:

Pre-order Lead Like A Human on Amazon:
Connect with Josh: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshuadriver/
Connect with Adam: https://www.linkedin.com/in/meetadam/
Connect with Nicole: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicolemmaclean/

On today’s Bite-Size, you’ll hear from Adam Weber, Emplify’s Co-founder and Chief People Officer. He joins to discuss the cause of burnout and why we’ve seen an uptick during the pandemic.

You can read all the leadership books and listen to every podcast, but many of the tactics will fall short until you work on yourself. Adam calls this centeredness, and it’s the step he finds most important in learning to lead like a human.

On today’s episode of Lead Like a Human, you’ll meet Jim Marsden, Principal and Coach with Reboot. Jim has been a huge influence on Adam’s journey towards centeredness and will be giving us his insights on the topic.

After You Listen:

Pre-order Lead Like A Human on Amazon:
Connect with Jim: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leanin
Connect with Adam: https://www.linkedin.com/in/meetadam/
Connect with Nicole: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicolemmaclean/

Each season of Insights, we break down a new topic - looking at it from all sides and bringing on experts to provide different opinions and perspectives. This season is no different, and we’re excited for what’s to come.

Adam Weber, Emplify’s Co-founder, Chief People Officer, and Insights regular, is releasing his first book, Lead Like A Human. This season, we’re diving deep into that content and unveiling his book step by step, giving you practical tools to build engaged teams. Each week you’ll hear from the author himself and guests, giving you their expertise to activate each step.

Are you ready to find out what it means to lead like a human? Subscribe now, so you don’t miss an episode and be sure to pre-order your copy of Lead Like a Human on Amazon.

After You Listen:

Pre-order Lead Like A Human on Amazon:
Connect with Adam: https://www.linkedin.com/in/meetadam/
Connect with Nicole: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicolemmaclean/

As the work environment continues to shift to either remote or adherence to social-distancing guidelines, we’ve received questions around the drivers of engagement.

One of the drivers emerging as more important than ever is autonomy. It may seem like an obvious one at first, but autonomy touches so many factors.

So what do leaders need to know about autonomy to increase engagement? That is what this week’s bite-size is addressing. We asked Sam Yoder, Employee Engagement Coach at Emplify, and Gerry Praysman, Senior Director of Sales Development at SalesLoft to help us understand more on the subject.

We’re all probably tired of hearing it, but there’s no denying it: So far, this year has had a profound impact on businesses, possibly more than we are even aware of right now. One of those areas of impact is on our goals–business, personal, and those we set with our employees. We have had questions around measuring success when so much has changed, especially with such extreme circumstances causing stress to be high.

As a leader, how should you measure success in light of all that’s happening?

In this week’s bite-size we’re addressing the question of how leaders are evaluating goals with thoughts from Sam Yoder, Emplify’s first Employee Engagement Coach.

If you’ve traveled on any airline, you’re undoubtedly familiar with the monotonous but occasionally entertaining monologues about safety procedures. You know, exits located in the front and back of the plane, there’s a flotation device under your seat, and...in case of an emergency...“Put on your own oxygen mask before assisting those around you.”

Hopefully, you’ve never been in this position but the reasoning behind this policy also applies outside of an airplane. Clearly you can’t help someone else if you’re incapacitated and without oxygen.

In this week’s bite-size, we are asking leaders to put their oxygen mask on first and learning how they can encourage self-care for themselves and their teams. Sharing their thoughts are Hakemia Jackson, a cultural strategist, executive coach, and partner with Bravely, Jeff Smith, a psychologist and the Director of 15 Five's Best Self Academy, and Santiago Jaramillo, CEO of Emplify.

One of the first things discussed when the pandemic hit was the health of the business. For many, that measure of health focused on two stakeholders: existing customers and current employees. Yet, the reality is often times the customer experience is at odds with the company’s culture. As you can imagine, this can have a ripple effect detrimental to an organization’s success.

Imagine how a disengaged employee interacts with a customer who needs something resolved. Or imagine your customer getting wind of internal turmoil due to poor culture. As we continue to tighten budgets and evaluate every expense, exceptional customer experience cannot be jeopardized due to a lack of engagement.

In this week’s bite-size we’re talking about breaking down the silos between these two foundational aspects of any business. Sharing his thoughts is the CEO of Emplify, Santiago Jaramillo.

In the last episode of Bite-Size Insights, we talked high-level about what people need to do their best work. For many, a barrier for achieving a high level of engagement is burn out. The data supporting this statement came from the employee engagement trends report we launched in January. Fast forward a few months and employees are still struggling with burn out yet, the stressors and solutions look vastly different. While 2020 hasn’t gone as planned one thing remains true, the people closest to executing your company’s strategy are often the ones at risk or who already are experiencing burn out.

How does this understanding of burnout impact us in today’s environment? And what do people actually need to be successful at work whether it’s at home or in an office? Helping unpack these questions is Jeff Smith, a psychologist and the Director of 15 Five's Best Self Academy and our Santiago Jaramillo, CEO of Emplify.

The only thing certain right now is change. The way we work, the way we live are going to continue to change and adapt. We’ve heard from many leaders who are trying to foster resilience, which is the capacity to recover quickly from challenges. Think 90’s classic, “I get knocked down, but I get up again”. No matter who we are, we have all faced difficulties over the past few months.

As leaders look to develop re-entry strategies and update their policies and procedures, the word resilience can’t be ignored. It’s the trait that gives us the ability to keep going when the light at the end of the tunnel may not be clear.

Joining us to share their thoughts on what this means to leaders is Hakemia Jackson, a cultural strategist, an executive coach, and partner with Bravely, and Jeff Smith, a psychologist and the Director of 15 Five's Best Self Academy.

There are many things on our minds as we think about the state of the workforce post COVID. Questions asked center around three key themes: re-entry, future of remote, and strategies to continue maximizing remote productivity.

We have Hollie Delaney, Chief People Strategist at Zappos.com, to help answer those questions. With over 12 years of experience, Hollie is instrumental in providing Zappos.com as the best place to work for all employees. Also joining the conversation is Ron Lovett, a well-known people first entrepreneur, and Adam Weber, Emplify’s Chief People Officer.

If there’s anything you want us to provide insights on please visit emplify.com/questions.

After You Listen:

Have questions for us? Send them our way: https://emplify.com/questions

As organizations start to re-open its offices, leaders are looking for answers on the best ways to approach their re-entry strategy. The reality is the right approach can look different day-to-day with a focus on being flexible responding to employee feedback.

Hollie Delaney, Chief People Strategist of Zappos.com joins this week’s bite-size to share the various elements she thinks leaders should consider when developing a re-entry strategy. With over 12 years of experience, she’s been instrumental in providing Zappos.com as the best place to work for all employees. In helping answer the question around re-entry, Adam Weber also weighs in sharing why he thinks the term re-entry may be the wrong word choice altogether.

Recruitment feels like a weird word right now. Some companies can’t find enough employees while others have had to go through a reduction in force. No matter which camp you’re in, focusing on the employees you have now by taking good care of their needs and building a strong employer brand will position your company for long term success.

To anchor our conversation, I want to also remind us of what employee engagement means. Santigo Jarrimillo, Emplify’s CEO, defines it as an employee's intellectual connection, the head, the emotional connection, the heart, and how those two things come together to affect daily work, and then hands, the actual work. In this episode, you’ll hear from Santiago and Seth Morales, President of Morales Group as they share key employee engagement insights as you lead your people.

If there’s anything you’re learning or looking to understand more please reach out to us at podcast@emplify.com.

After You Listen:

Have questions for us? Send them our way: https://emplify.com/questions
Connect with Santiago: https://www.linkedin.com/in/santiagojaramillo/:
Connect with Nicole: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicolemmaclean/

In this season, we’ve all had to become digital leaders in a myriad of ways. This week we asked Santiago Jaramillo, Emplify’s CEO, and Adam Weber, Emplify’s Chief People Officer to provide us with practical insights around availability as leaders look to stay in front of their team and the organizations while being remote.

While Santiago and Adam share their recommendations, Sam Yoder joins again to provide some perspective to those leaders who are maintaining social distancing yet may be in an industry where remote working isn’t one hundred percent feasible.

What have you found to be successful in keeping your culture and people connected while you’re physically apart?

The last few days have been grief-filled in our city and country. People are hurting. Hearts are crying for change. This episode is an honest reflection from Emplify’s CEO Santiago Jaramillo.

As many of us have embraced a flexible work environment many questions have emerged. Specifically, questions around engagement drivers. These drivers provide leaders with insights on how employees feel from their work to the organization itself.

The need to understand engagement drivers is heightened as people are taking on additional stressors. In this episode, you’ll hear from Emplify’s Sam Yoder, Adam Weber, and Michael Vasey highlighting what leaders should be paying the most attention to according to the data.

Over the last few episodes, we’ve heard a lot of tips, initiatives, and perspectives for what employees need during uncertainty. Why guess when you can use data to make informed decisions?

In this installment of Insights, Emplify CoFounder and Chief People Officer, Adam Weber, is back and joined by Sam Yoder, Employee Engagement Coach at Emplify, and Dr. Josh Hammonds, Professor and Data Science Consultant. Join the experts are peeling back the curtain on employee feedback from the past few weeks and providing data-driven recommendations for leading teams.

If there’s anything you’re learning or looking to understand more please reach out to us at podcast@emplify.com.

After You Listen:

Have questions for us? Send them our way: https://emplify.com/questions
Connect with Adam: https://www.linkedin.com/in/meetadam/
Connect with Nicole: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicolemmaclean/

Over the last few months, leaders have been asked to make decisions at lightning speed. These decisions have a long-lasting impact on both their organizations and individuals on their team.

Adam Weber, Chief People Officer and Co-founder of Emplify spent time identifying four ways he approaches making decisions to put him in the best mindset when making tough calls. Being a leader doesn’t always come with a handbook to making the right decisions.

This week we are leaning into the topic of how to lead with empathy and transparency with some of the tactical insights. On the panel we’re featuring Adam Weber, Emplify’s Chief People Officer and Co-Founder, Christine Kaszubski, Chief People Officer at SalesLoft, and John Grover Chief People Officer at Endsight.

While there is no handbook for the times we are in, these seasoned people leaders share their experiences and examples to help you navigate. The conversation shared in this episode was recorded live. If there’s anything you’re learning or looking to understand more please reach out to us at podcast@emplify.com.

After You Listen:

Have questions for us? Send them our way: https://emplify.com/questions
Connect with Adam: https://www.linkedin.com/in/meetadam/
Connect with Nicole: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicolemmaclean/

When faced with unprecedented time, leaders are forced to pull back and prioritize. This bite-size insights is looking at how employee engagement should be examined during those times of uncertainty. Specifically, why leaders should care about employee engagement, both now and in the future, and why it should be on your list of strategic investments.

You’ll hear Santigo Jaramillo, Co-Founder and CEO of Empilfy share the three things leaders are thinking about right now along with Seth Morales, President of the Morales Group.

This episode dives into equipping strategic people leader on how to lead during times of uncertainty. You’ll hear from three amazing leaders. Adam Weber, Emplify’s Chief People Officer and Co-founder; Andrew Appel, the CEO and President of Gregory and Appel; and Steve Baker, the Vice President of the Great Game of Business.

In the lead up to our conversation, we had a lot of questions around communication, empathetic and authentic leadership, and how to foster engagement in remote workforces. You’ll hear the discussion center on these key topics.

The conversation shared in this episode was recorded live. If there’s anything you’re learning or looking to understand more please reach out to us at podcast@emplify.com.

After You Listen:

Have questions for us? Send them our way: https://emplify.com/questions
Connect with Adam: https://www.linkedin.com/in/meetadam/

Connect with Nicole: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicolemmaclean/

This week’s bite-size insights feature Emplify’s Co-Founder and Chief People Officer, Adam Weber. He posted a status update on LinkedIn that went unexpectedly viral, receiving nearly 3 million views.

Clearly his content struck a chord. How did he come to this decision? What does it mean to show up for your team? For Adam, we are in a season that calls for bold leadership. Hear how it’s showing up for him.

See Adam's post: https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:6663140458190958593/

Today we are going to be talking about a topic that unfortunately we are all living through, which is ‘how to manage through a crisis.’ While we are all hopefully starting to see a light at the end of the tunnel, it’s safe to say the lessons learned during this time are ones we won’t quickly forget.

One thing we want to make sure you hear is that it’s okay to be human. No matter what level you are in your career or your title we are all in this together.

This episode features Roland Siebelink sharing what he calls the C.R.I.S.I.S framework. The presentation shared in this episode was recorded live. If there’s anything you’re learning or looking to understand more please reach out to us at podcast@emplify.com.

After You Listen:

Have questions for us? Send them our way: https://emplify.com/questions
Connect with Adam: https://www.linkedin.com/in/meetadam/
Connect with Nicole: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicolemmaclean/

Insights is a show powered by Emplify to empower Executives, HR professionals, managers, and leaders of all kinds with the best in class information to help your employees unlock their true potential.

The reality is, right now you have questions. We all do. We’re in uncharted territory while our social feeds, news stories, and inboxes are full of blogs, webinars, videos aimed at providing you with answers. There has to be an easier way to get our questions answered quickly without having to comb through the masses of content available. At least, that’s what we thought, which is why we are introducing ‘bite-size insights.’

We’ve turned to our community to fuel this new series with questions sourced from you.

For the first episode in our series we’re answering our most asked question over the last few weeks: communication.

You’ll hear Adam Weber, Chief People Officer and Co-Founder of Empilfy along with Nicole MacLean dialoguing around the what, how, and when for communicating with your team.

Among all the reports created and research conducted, the reality stands: your workforce is not as engaged as you think. What’s the impact of this lack of engagement for your organization?

According to Employee Benefit News, it costs employers about 33% of an employee’s annual salary to replace them. If you have 500 employees making $45,000 a year and 165 of them leave it will end up costing $2.5 million.

The impact goes beyond financial. This week’s episode shares insights on other ways engagement (or lack thereof) can cost an organization. Listen in to hear John Grover, Chief People Officer and Co-Founder of Endsight, and Adam Weber, Chief People Officer and Co-Founder of Emplify.

Download Emplify’s 2020 Trends Report on Employee Engagement: https://emplify.com/trends
Connect with Adam: https://www.linkedin.com/in/meetadam/
Connect with John: https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-grover-9932572/
Connect with Nicole: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicolemmaclean/

Do you have a false sense of security when it comes to your employees? In our research, we found we found that 72.7% of people are "currently open to a new career opportunity” And those who are open could be the very people you thought were highly engaged.

This week we are bringing back Nick Smarrelli, CEO of GadellNet Consulting Services along with Adam Weber, Chief People Officer and Co-founder of Emplify to discuss the impact turnover can have on an organization.

Now before you think, “well this doesn’t apply to us.” Our research found that 63% of people who have been at their current employer for 10+ years are open to a new opportunity. While 77% of people who have been with their current employer for less than 1 year and are looking for another opportunity. So no matter where you fall - this could definitely be impacting you. Let’s hear what insights Nick and Adam have to share.

Download Emplify’s 2020 Trends Report on Employee Engagement: https://emplify.com/trends
Connect with Adam: https://www.linkedin.com/in/meetadam/
Connect with Nick: https://www.linkedin.com/in/smarrelli/
Connect with Nicole: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicolemmaclean/

In this special edition of Insights we are providing tips on how to manage a remote workforce.

If you're looking for more information, you can register for our upcoming webinar this Thursday, March 19th from 2-3 pm EST.

We’ll have a panel of experts, including our own Adam Weber talking through how to lead in times of uncertainty and answering audience questions. You are not going to want to miss this.

Register to attend webinar: http://emplify.com/uncertainty

This week we are discussing a serious issue: burnout. To share his insights we are joined by Nick Smarrelli, CEO of GadellNet Consulting Services along with Adam Weber, Chief People Officer and Co-founder of Emplify.

Why is burnout such a serious issue? From the research we’ve conducted an alarming 62.2% of people report experiencing burnout at work and of that 62.2 % the burnout is happening as often as daily - and the larger the company, the more employees reporting burnout.

This data shows that more than half of employees today may have negative feelings toward their job or be less productive because of burnout. The impact of burnout is more than just disengagement from their role it’s also both physical. Ultimately, this does result in high performers leaving companies.

Take a listen to this episode to learn how you can address burnout in your organization.

Download Emplify’s 2020 Trends Report on Employee Engagement: https://emplify.com/trends
Connect with Adam: https://www.linkedin.com/in/meetadam/
Connect with Nicole: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicolemmaclean/
Connect with Nick: https://www.linkedin.com/in/smarrelli/

Do you describe yourself as a Strategic People Leader? If not, you probably should. In this episode, we dig into what that role entails. Along with Adam Weber, we have Jill Felska, Director of People and Culture at Limelight Health, on the show to help shed light on some common terms that are misunderstood. These terms aren’t new rather their potentially overused.

If you’re still unsure of what it means to be a Strategic People Leader and how that role embraces a new era of Human Resouces, then take a listen. We guarantee it will help you think differently.

Download Emplify’s 2020 Trends Report on Employee Engagement
Connect with Adam
Connect with Jill
Connect with Nicole

In the first episode of Season 4, we are getting to know Adam Weber, Co-founder and Chief People Officer at Emplify. The role of Chief People Officer is a newer appointment within the company as well as many other organizations across the nation. In the introductory conversation with Adam, we explore why this role is important, what it entails, and when companies should consider filling it.

You can expect to learn from Adam, over the course of this season, all the missteps, successes, and insights he’s gained since taking on this position.

Download Emplify’s 2020 Trends Report on Employee Engagement
Connect with Adam
Connect with Nicole

Santiago Jaramillo, CEO of Emplify, shares what you can expect this season on Insights. We’ll be digging into what it means to be a Strategic People Leader while introducing you to one of our own, Adam Weber, Chief People Officer, and Co-founder.

In our four-part series, Adam will share his perspective on the latest employee engagement trends, effective feedback strategies, turnover risks, and how engagement (not satisfaction) is the key and a true driver of business performance.

We have created additional resources and tools to help take our conversations to the next level. Subscribe to the series and help your employees do the best work of their lives.

Download Emplify’s 2020 Trends Report on Employee Engagement
Connect with Santiago
Connect with Adam

“If we can focus on creating incredible, engaging managers who build cultures of high engagement and high performance, we will have thriving teams.”

We have spent Season 3 of Insights focusing on manager development and the impact that has on employee engagement.

A year from now, what will it look like for organizations that put an emphasis on manager development and employee engagement versus those that don’t?

Listen in to this special bonus episode as Nicole MacLean, Director of Relationship Marketing at Emplify, interviews Emplify CEO and Co-Founder Santiago Jaramillo about what he foresees in the coming year.

Find out why Santiago is calling 2020 “The Year of the Manager” on Insights.

Download Emplify’s Manager Report here: http://emplify.com/report
Connect with Santiago: https://twitter.com/santiagojara
Connect with Nicole: https://twitter.com/nicolemmaclean
Learn more about Emplify: https://emplify.com/

When we talk about managing feedback and enacting a true employee engagement strategy, it really does include everyone. But what does involvement look like from the executive level?

In this episode of Insights, Emplify CEO and Co-Founder Santiago Jaramillo explains why there can’t be layers of an organization with no access to data and no involvement in the process. Without the buy-in from the top layers of an organization, even the best employee engagement insight or idea might go unnoticed and fail to be acted upon.

Listen in as Marcus Hall, President and Partner at California Closets, and Matt Rolfsen, President of Renovia, share why when we open ourselves up to feedback, engage our employees, and invest in our managers, everyone benefits.

How can we reprogram our leadership? It’s never too late to take the first step.

Download Emplify’s Manager Report here: https://emplify.com/report
Connect with Santiago: https://twitter.com/santiagojara
Connect with Nicole: https://twitter.com/nicolemmaclean
Learn more about Emplify: https://emplify.com/
Connect with Marcus: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcushall/
Learn more about California Closets: https://www.californiaclosets.com/
Connect with Matt: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthew-rolfsen-3558b810
Learn more about Renovia: https://renovia.com/

It’s a saying that comes up often: ‘If it was easy, everyone would be doing it.’

We have spent the course of Season 3 of #Insights talking about our managers. How to help them get the most out of their employees, how to focus on their professional development, and how to build trust throughout an organization. But it’s one thing to know what to do and another thing to actually figure out how to do it. So, what now?

In this episode, Emplify CEO and Co-Founder Santiago Jaramillo (@santiagojara), shares the importance of giving our managers data and doing this in a timely fashion. How can you be open about data? And how can you buy into this data as something that can truly improve the lives of our managers and employees?

You’ll also hear from Jennifer Stauffer, a leadership consultant who currently leads the Manager Coaching arm at Emplify, and Angie Redmon, President of striveHR, about what to do next after we have identified areas of opportunity in our organizations around employee engagement.

Spoiler alert: It has to start from the top down.

Do you want to move from satisfaction to the kind of engagement that makes people stick around? You’ll want to listen in to this episode of #Insights.

Download Emplify’s Manager Report here
Connect with Santiago
Connect with Nicole
Learn more about Emplify
Connect with Jennifer
Connect with Angie
Learn more about striveHR

We ask a lot of our managers. But when we flip things around, are we delivering on our end of the deal?

This week on #Insights, Emplify CEO and Co-Founder Santiago Jaramillo (@santiagojara) is digging into feedback. As he says, we often ask the wrong questions of our managers. So, how can we start asking the right ones?

You’ll also hear from Haley Aust, Vice President of Human Resources, and Carmen Price, Regional Property Manager, at Birge & Held. They are both keenly aware of how vital managers are to their organization, and you’ll hear why in this episode.

Listening involves being proactive. What do we need to know in order to equip our managers with what they need? And tactically, how do we gather that information and then measure it to know if we are making progress?

If you want your people striving to be a ‘next level manager,’ you’ll want to tune in to this episode of #Insights.

Download Emplify’s Manager Report here
Connect with Santiago
Connect with Nicole
Learn more about Emplify
Connect with Haley
Learn more about Birge & Held

“People don’t leave companies, they leave managers. And trust is a big part of this equation.”

In this episode of Insights, we’re taking a closer look at trust. What does it mean to develop trust with our managers? What does it look like in practice?

Listen in as Emplify CEO and Co-Founder Santiago Jaramillo (@santiagojara) dives into how you can make building trust a priority when coaching and developing your managers [and how this spills out to your other employees].

You’ll also hear from Levi Schrock, of Custom Concrete, and Jennifer Orozco, a certified transformational life coach and leadership consultant, as they discuss some of the challenges that managers face today when it comes to transparency.

Spoiler alert: when trust becomes a core theme throughout an organization, your best employees are far more likely to stick around. Hear why on Insights.

Download Emplify’s Manager Report here
Connect with Santiago
Connect with Nicole
Learn more about Emplify
Connect with Levi Schrock
Learn more about Custom Concrete
Connect with Jennifer Orozco

In this first episode of Season 3 of Insights, we’re diving into managers and how we can invest in them.

Managers have a hard job. They often don’t know where to go to get answers to hard questions. So, how can we empower our managers to grow and lead in a way that both captures the mission from the executive level while meeting the needs of our employees on the frontlines? That’s what this season of Insights is all about.

In this episode, you’ll hear from Emplify CEO and Co-Founder Santiago Jaramillo (@santiagojara) on why your best employees want to lean in, and be engaged, challenged, and developed. How can they do this? [Hint: They need managers who are also being engaged, challenged, and developed.]

You’ll also hear from Kevin Kruse (@kruse), Founder and CEO of Lead X, a company that offers AI-powered digital coaching for managers who are trying to improve employee engagement and the effectiveness of their teams.

Having a great relationship with a manager is certainly something that matters to employees, but it is far from the only thing. Hear why as we kick off Season 3 of Insights.

Download Emplify’s Manager Report here
Connect with Santiago
Connect with Nicole
Learn more about Emplify
Connect with Kevin Kruse
Learn more about Lead X

Throughout this season of #Insights, we’ve made an effort to go beyond the buzzwords, digging deep to understand how to truly build a winning employee engagement strategy. Along the way, we talked with industry experts about how to deconstruct these buzzwords and get to the root of the issues.

Now, it’s time to break down the buzzwords. What do we do once we’ve identified them? How do new understandings help transform our organizations?

You’ve heard Emplify CEO and Co-Founder Santiago Jaramillo (@santiagojara) sprinkle in his ‘insights’ when it comes to employee engagement. Now, listen in as we tie our findings together.

Download the first chapter of Santiago’s book, Agile Engagement
Connect with Santiago
Connect with Nicole
Learn more about Emplify

Let’s be honest: Some of us love getting feedback. While others hear this phrase and have nightmares. The same goes for the giver. It always feels good to give someone feedback for a job well done, but when it comes to delivering critical feedback, it can riddle even the strongest leaders with anxiety.

In this episode, you’ll hear from Chris Bittinger (@c_bittinger), President of Open Pivot, Inc. Chris explains why it’s important to view feedback as an ongoing conversation between both parties to reduce the anxiety that comes with event-based feedback, in which employees find themselves bracing for what they’re about to hear.

Listen in as Emplify CEO and Co-Founder Santiago Jaramillo (@santiagojara) discusses why moving toward a new understanding of feedback is a necessary step for leaders who want to empower their top talent and create the type of culture where everyone thrives.

Connect with Santiago
Connect with Chris
Learn more about Open Pivot, Inc.
Learn more about Emplify

This week on #Insights, we’re tackling the buzzword “employee wellness.” You know, things like ping pong tables, relaxed dress codes, kombucha on tap! Wait, are those things actually wellness related?

According to Liesel Mertes (@lieselmertes), Founder of Handle with Care HR Solutions, wellness is about what an employee experiences during disruptive life events. It seems simple, but why are organizations unprepared to support their employees in times of crisis? How can we learn to navigate those situations in a way that truly sees our employees as human.

Listen in as Emplify CEO and Co-Founder Santiago Jaramillo (@santiagojara), shares how the most disengaged employees in an organization are often the ones we listen to the least and what we can do to elevate their voice and re-imagine what employee wellness really means.

Connect with Santiago
Connect with Liesel
Learn more about Emplify

This week on #Insights, we’re digging into that set of buzzwords ‘talent war’ and understanding what it means to have employees who are connecting their work with their head, heart, and hands.

As leaders, our goal isn’t to provide satisfaction for our employees. It’s to help them unlock their own potential. One-on-ones are a small step in that direction, according to Bobbie Shreiner, President of Progression Partners.

In this episode, you’ll hear Emplify CEO and Co-Founder Santiago Jaramillo (@santiagojara), explain why your people want to hear from you. So, how can you spend time helping them develop and grow?

Connect with Santiago
Connect with Nicole
Connect with Bobbie
Learn more about Progression Partners
Learn more about Emplify

In this first episode of Series 2 of Insights, we’re diving into how to actually build a winning employee engagement strategy [while killing the buzzwords]. Spoiler alert: It’s much bigger than a paycheck.

So, what are we missing? What is it that people - the talent - are craving?

In this episode, Carla Taylor, a leadership and development coach, discusses Ikigai, the reason for being. You’ll also hear from Emplify CEO and Co-Founder Santiago Jaramillo (@santiagojara), who recently spoke at Emplify’s Live Insights event in Indianapolis on employee engagement.

Listen in to how Santiago defines the reason for being, what success is, and how organizations can communicate more effectively to increase productivity.

Connect with Santiago
Connect with Nicole
Connect with Carla
Learn more about Emplify

With years of stereotypes blocking change, what can an HR professional say to get a seat at the table and help inform the CEO on making the right people, culture, and engagement decisions?

To complete our first #Insights series, Santiago Jaramillo (@santiagojara) dives into how companies are more than just vehicles for creating revenue - they should be a place for transformational growth where people can unlock their true potential.

You’ll also hear about how the C-Suite and HR professionals can foster collaboration from Craig Anderson, owner of Craig P. Anderson and Associates, and Jennifer Hodnett, VP of Human Resources at Nolan Transportation Group.

Long story short: CEOs can give more opportunities to the HR leaders by involving them on the business side. The HR leaders can then lean in to better understand the company’s goals, and ensure that what they recommend aligns.

This episode of #Insights, by Emplify, highlights a new way to think about employee engagement, and also how you - whatever your role - can drive organizational change to impact the lives of your people in real and meaningful ways.

Connect with Santiago
Connect with Nicole
Connect with Craig Anderson
Connect with Jennifer Hodnett
Learn more about Nolan Transportation Company
Learn more about Emplify

How can we help our employees find purpose and meaning in their work, and engage them as people?

This week on #Insights, Santiago Jaramillo (@santiagojara) walks us through how you can define meaning - driven from the top-down - at your organization. The reality is, people find meaning in different ways. For some, it’s working together as a team, for others it could be solving problems or delivering amazing customer service.

Listen in as Santiago discusses the five sources of meaning and how you can bring in the right type of people who value it.

You’ll also hear about employee engagement from Craig Anderson, owner of Craig P. Anderson and Associates, and Jennifer Hodnett, VP of Human Resources at Nolan Transportation Company.

The bottom line is, engagement starts with leaders. If the CEO isn’t part of these efforts and initiatives, it simply won’t work.

Imagine saving your company $100,000 just by reducing turnover. Craig tells us his story when it comes to ROI and investing in engagement, and Jennifer discusses how working closely together with her C-suite through the business lens can create win-win outcomes.

Meaning can help YOUR team members. Find out how on this weeks #Insights, a series by Emplify.

Connect with Santiago
Connect with Nicole
Connect with Craig Anderson
Connect with Jennifer Hodnett
Learn more about Nolan Transportation Company
Learn more about Emplify

This week on #Insights, we’re diving into employee engagement - how it’s evolved [especially in the past couple of years] and how this evolution has impacted the relationship between human resources leaders and the C-Suite.

Listen in as Emplify CEO and Co-founder Santiago Jaramillo (@santiagojara) takes us on a journey into the past - because before we can talk about where things are today, we need to understand where we’ve been.

Data from workplace review sites such as GlassDoor now tell us that the first six reasons people leave [or stay] at companies have nothing to do with compensation and benefits. Surprising, right? Or is it?

You’ll hear Santiago discuss company purpose - and how you can create systems and cultures to engage the full heart and mind of a person. Yes, it’s important to hit company goals and objectives, but it’s equally as important to provide employees new and increased opportunities to grow.

Also featured is Eric Christopher, CEO, and Founder, and Julie Barker, VP of Talent at SaaS company Zylo, who early on aligned together to establish a culture with values in mind. You’ll also hear the duo’s advice on how to foster trust between HR leaders and CEOs.

How can a CEO create organizations that are sustainable, profitable endeavors while also delivering meaning and fulfillment to the people who are giving so much time and energy?

Find out on this week’s #Insights, a series by Emplify.

Connect with Santiago
Connect with Nicole
Connect with Julie Barker
Connect with Eric Christopher
Learn more about Zylo
Learn more about Emplify

In this first episode of Insights, we’re exploring some of the biggest issues we face in today’s workplace with Emplify CEO and Co-founder Santiago Jaramillo (@santiagojara).

First, how do you understand what your people actually need? And second, why should the CEO care?

It all begins with the employee experience and understanding where that story starts.

In this episode, you’ll hear from Roberta Matuson, (@Matuson), President of Matuson Consulting, a former human resources (HR) director who now runs her own firm.

Roberta stresses that HR can no longer be an afterthought - if a CEO wants to create a people-first organization then they have to invite HR to the table. [And the seat can’t just be CEO-mandated, it has to be CEO-supported.]

How can a CEO empower a team to be more strategic when thinking about the HR role? How does the HR team then, in tandem, support the company goals?

Find out on this week’s episode of Insights, a series by Emplify.

Connect with Santiago
Connect with Nicole
Connect with Roberta
Learn more about Matuson Consulting
Learn more about Emplify

Introducing #Insights, an original series from Emplify, that explores extraordinary advances in people performance and business outcomes through workplace science and...well, insights.

You’ll learn from Emplify CEO and Co-founder Santiago Jaramillo (@santiagojara) as he discusses culture and engagement - and takes a deep dive into the specific questions that are top of mind for people-first leaders.

Nicole MacLean (@nicolemmaclean), Director of Relationship Marketing at Emplify, will be your guide as we learn from Santiago on how to breakdown culture myths, redefine employee engagement, and give perspective on how to implement and measure change - helping you achieve real business results.

The goal of this series is to give you new ways to think about your people, culture, engagement, and all the other buzzwords that get thrown at you in today’s workplace.

Connect with Santiago
Connect with Nicole
Learn more about Emplify