The BragWorthy Culture Podcast: Recent Episodes
Jordan Peace
The stories behind America’s best places to work.
Welcome to the BragWorthy Culture Podcast, where people leaders share how they’ve created a company so incredible their employees tell their friends about it.
In this week’s episode, Jason and Jordan discuss all things data and how people teams must use data insights to speak the executive team’s language. They explore the pitfalls of many companies’ data systems and offer up a solution to help HR people sell their executives on people programs.
Word of the day: Assuage
Timestamps: (0:00) Intro (1:53) HR people need to be able to sell people programs (3:21) The gap between people who represent the needs of an org and executives having to make business decisions (8:24) Companies claim to be data-driven, but are they? (11:54) HR people treat humans less like resources than non-HR people (15:09) Data is useless if you don’t do anything with it (16:57) In many organizations, asking for budget is a zero sum game (19:45) The C-Suite at your company is not all-knowing (22:37) Why companies are drowning in so-called ‘data lakes’ (26:15) The mistake so many companies make (29:40) People are more similar than they are different (30:55) Understanding people and communicating how they work is essential to presenting to executives
Connect:
Are you an HR/People Leader wanting to learn more? https://www.fringe.us/talk-to-our-team
People Data & Insights Report: https://fringe.my.salesforce.com/sfc/p/#1U000000tSl7/a/4X000000ouMw/9lixakNDHeXoFyinZ5hmod6GeWRUmxBtAhVd3oCgDmg
Jason’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasonatfringe/
Jordan’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jordan-peace-fringe/
How Fringe works: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9NiAGyFut6E&t=2s
In this episode, Jordan and Jason discuss another challenge people teams are facing today: being charged to do more with less resources. They explore areas where HR teams can improve efficiency and consolidate their people stack. Jordan ends with a charge for executives to have a clear vision for their employee experience.
Word of the day: Sashay
Timestamps: (0:00) Intro (3:49) HR teams are being charged to do more with less (5:11) In order to do more with the same, we must maximize efficiency (7:31) The rise of SaaS companies has led to innovation, but has also led to siloed solutions (8:52) Startups typically do one thing very well, but that leads to an overloaded tech stack (10:03) Consolidation is top of mind for people teams (12:06) Bridging the gap between solutions not only is good for the business, but provides a better employee experience (16:16) The proliferation and consolidation of streaming services (19:05) How do you justify a benefit that only 2% of the company is using? (22:31) There are too many tools, but still a need for more sufficient ones (25:26) The source of the decline of sentiment metrics (32:58) An encouragement to executives, from executives
Connect:
Are you an HR/People Leader wanting to learn more? https://www.fringe.us/talk-to-our-team
People Data & Insights Report: https://fringe.my.salesforce.com/sfc/p/#1U000000tSl7/a/4X000000ouMw/9lixakNDHeXoFyinZ5hmod6GeWRUmxBtAhVd3oCgDmg
Jason’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasonatfringe/
Jordan’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jordan-peace-fringe/
How Fringe works: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9NiAGyFut6E&t=2s
In this episode of How People Work, Jordan and Jason define a holistic view of the employee experience. They discuss what the ideal employee experience looks like and how it has evolved over time with market changes and new generations entering the workforce. Jason and Jordan also examine what means to intrinsically belong somewhere, especially in the context of work which is traditionally a merit-based belonging.
Key ideas and highlights:
Employee experience is holistic and revolves around this idea of belonging.
People seek belonging at work more than they ever have before.
Employers need to have both entitlement-oriented and merit-based belonging in order to promote belonging and self-actualization.
The employee experience has evolved over time, and it’s up to both employers and employees to have the ideal employee experience.
Word of the Day: Obstinate
Timestamps: (0:00) Intro (2:04) Here are the greatest challenges HR professionals face today (3:24) What do we mean when we talk about the employee experience? (5:39) Does employee experience only matter in an employees’ market? (8:42) Why our product flopped with some of our customers (10:18) What human beings need universally in order to have a positive employee experience (12:08) What it means to belong somewhere (13:48) Entitlement-oriented vs. merit-based belonging - which is better in the workplace? (19:20) Can we really do anything we put our minds to? (20:06) People seek belonging at work more than they ever have before (25:11) It’s not just on the employer to create a satisfying employee experience (25:40) Our advice to HR leaders
Connect:
Are you an HR/People Leader wanting to learn more? https://www.fringe.us/talk-to-our-team
People Data & Insights Report: https://fringe.my.salesforce.com/sfc/p/#1U000000tSl7/a/4X000000ouMw/9lixakNDHeXoFyinZ5hmod6GeWRUmxBtAhVd3oCgDmg
Jason’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasonatfringe/
Jordan’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jordan-peace-fringe/
How Fringe works: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9NiAGyFut6E&t=2s
In this episode of How People Work, Jordan and Jason dive into more of the research they conducted last year with HR professionals. This week, they discuss what HR leaders have expressed as being the most difficult part of their job — gaining executive support. Jason and Jordan give an executives’ perspective on how HR can communicate the ROI of people programs effectively and obtain executive sponsorship, driving success for both the HR function and the organization as a whole.
Key ideas and highlights:
The most difficult part of the HR function is gaining executive support.
Executive support is key to the success of the HR function at any organization.
HR leaders must understand how people programs fit into key business objectives and how to communicate the ROI effectively.
Word of the day: Yips
Timestamps (0:00) Intro (1:56) How the perception of HR’s greatest challenges differs from reality (4:43) The disconnect between HR leaders and executives when communicating the value of people programs (5:34) There’s just not enough authority being given to HR. (6:24) How HR leaders can effectively command authority (7:40) Sometimes the executive team doesn’t know what good looks like in terms of people programs (10:51) HR must align with business objectives in order to gain executive support (13:16) How to speak to executives about the ROI of people programs (17:51) The value of people programs is more recognized by Millennials than any other generation (22:08) Supportive executive teams are essential to HR’s success (24:05) Why some of the best HR leaders come from the operating side of the business (25:52) The benefits and culture at your company point directly to your values
Connect:
Are you an HR/People Leader wanting to learn more? https://www.fringe.us/talk-to-our-team
People Data & Insights Report: https://fringe.my.salesforce.com/sfc/p/#1U000000tSl7/a/4X000000ouMw/9lixakNDHeXoFyinZ5hmod6GeWRUmxBtAhVd3oCgDmg
Jason’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasonatfringe/
Jordan’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jordan-peace-fringe/
How Fringe works: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9NiAGyFut6E&t=2s
In this episode of How People Work, Jordan and Jason dive into the changing role of HR and its massive impact on a company's success. HR leaders have the opportunity to create an environment where employees can thrive. HR is so much more than handling administrative and compliance-related tasks, but rather game-changers that shapes the employee experience. Listen in as Jordan and Jason note the challenge that HR leaders face in managing expectations from company executives and communicating the importance of their role in driving the organization's mission, vision, and values.
Word of the Day: Satiates
Timestamps: (0:00) Intro (2:53) Our own research on what the role of HR should be (5:38) What has been the traditional role of HR teams? (7:12) HR’s role goes far beyond the job description (12:19) Companies either get it or they don’t (17:01) The average length of time a company remains in the Fortune 500 (18:56) The importance of understanding what and who people are (22:42) As companies grow, the bad things get worse (24:04) Our networks are growing at a rate larger than our capacity for relationship (27:23) Empathy is not an unlimited resource (30:35) Culture(s) at a large company
Connect:
Are you an HR/People Leader wanting to learn more? https://www.fringe.us/talk-to-our-team
People Data & Insights Report: https://fringe.my.salesforce.com/sfc/p/#1U000000tSl7/a/4X000000ouMw/9lixakNDHeXoFyinZ5hmod6GeWRUmxBtAhVd3oCgDmg
Jason’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasonatfringe/
Jordan’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jordan-peace-fringe/
How Fringe works: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9NiAGyFut6E&t=2s
Key ideas and highlights:
Those regarded as the greatest player in their sport of all time almost always have completely different playing styles. So why do we often fall into the fallacy that excellence is objective?
People often don’t know what their strengths are, especially the younger generation. It’s their managers’ job to help them figure it out.
Excellence is idiosyncratic. We must train up our people in a way that forces them to ask: “what does good look like for me?”
“We need to unlearn that we must become someone else to be excellent.” — Jordan Peace
Word of the day: Cordial
Timestamps: 0:00 Intro 2:10 Recap of Episode 16 3:42 The Theory of Excellence - is performance universal or idiosyncratic? 4:45 Sports as an example of the fallacy of excellence 11:30 Excellence cannot necessarily be taught 13:06 How do you define the ideal candidate? 14:02 How to train up your people 16:44 You need to figure out what your people’s strengths are, especially your younger people 18:27 We need to unlearn the fallacy that we must become someone else to be successful 21:14 The idiosyncrasies in excellence force us to ask: “What does good look like for me?” 22:04 The right way to develop your people is by the language you use 24:09 What’s wrong with just saying, “good job!” 27:34 Why you should teach your people to think strategically 32:00 How pointing people back to their past successes will help them succeed in the future
Connect:
Are you an HR/People Leader wanting to learn more? https://www.fringe.us/talk-to-our-team
People Data & Insights Report: https://fringe.my.salesforce.com/sfc/p/#1U000000tSl7/a/4X000000ouMw/9lixakNDHeXoFyinZ5hmod6GeWRUmxBtAhVd3oCgDmg
Jason’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasonatfringe/
Jordan’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jordan-peace-fringe/
How Fringe works: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9NiAGyFut6E&t=2s
In this episode of How People Work, Jordan and Jason delve into various aspects of the feedback fallacy and its impact on personal and professional growth. The introduction sets the stage, highlighting the significance of managers in determining the health of an organization. The discussion then shifts to the common claim that everyone wants direct feedback, questioning its validity. The podcast explores how well-intentioned attempts to help others learn might inadvertently limit their growth, raising questions about conventional wisdom that encourages working on weaknesses. Instead, Jason and Jordan argue to reject this claim and focus on strengths. People hinder their own growth by fixating on weaknesses, and Jordan advocates for a shift in perspective. Great managers are highlighted as those who prioritize leveraging the strengths of their team members when building their teams. Jason challenges the belief that others are more aware of our weaknesses than we are, emphasizing the of self-discovery over feedback, suggesting that personal exploration yields greater benefits.
Word of the Day: Rarefied
Timestamps: (0:00) Intro (2:14) Managers determine the health of an organization (4:02) Everyone says they want direct feedback. But do they really? (5:30) 50% of your rating of someone else is really just reflective of your own characteristics (8:23) Receiving feedback from someone you trust may help you accept and internalize it more, but you can only promote growth beyond that set point (11:21) You could be limiting your people's growth in the way you're going about trying to help them learn (12:06) Humans learning as an empty vessel vs. buds on a branch (14:45) Conventional wisdom tells us to work on our weaknesses. Why we should reject that claim (16:59) People are stifling their growth by focusing on their weaknesses (18:25) Great managers focus on the strengths of their people when building their teams, not the weaknesses (22:07) Others are not more aware of your weaknesses than you are (29:59) We are hardwired to make up stories of why something might be when we don’t understand something (35:18) Self-discovery is more valuable than feedback
Connect:
Are you an HR/People Leader wanting to learn more? https://www.fringe.us/talk-to-our-team
People Data & Insights Report: https://fringe.my.salesforce.com/sfc/p/#1U000000tSl7/a/4X000000ouMw/9lixakNDHeXoFyinZ5hmod6GeWRUmxBtAhVd3oCgDmg
Jason’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasonatfringe/
Jordan’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jordan-peace-fringe/
How Fringe works: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9NiAGyFut6E&t=2s
In this episode, Jason and Jordan further explore the concept of wellbeing in the workplace and how it is a collaborative effort between employers and employees. They discuss the importance of establishing boundaries and responsibilities for employees to experience wellbeing. Furthermore, they delve into the influence of our childhood experiences on our relationships with responsibility in the workplace and share personal stories from their childhood. Creating an environment where individuals can thrive is crucial, as it allows employees to bring their authentic selves to work. As companies grow, we discuss strategies for scaling wellbeing initiatives to ensure continued success. We also emphasize the connection between a sense of acceptance and having responsibilities within the organization. A company's ideals for its employees should be rooted in its core values, aligning the organization's mission with the individual's sense of purpose. Lastly, we emphasize that when choosing a company to work for, factors such as salary and benefits should not be the sole determining factors. Instead, it is essential to consider the overall culture, values, and support for employee wellbeing.
Key ideas and highlights:
There is so much more to work than a transaction.
Wellbeing is the responsibility of both the employee and employer.
We are messy, complicated, flawed individuals. Employers must allow employees to bring their full selves to work.
A company’s expectations for their employees should stem from their values.
Word of the day: Carouse
Timestamps: (0:00) Intro (2:35) Wellbeing is a coordinated effort between employer and employee (6:53) Employees need two things to experience wellbeing: boundaries and responsibilities (9:11) How our childhood affects our responsibility relationships in the workplace (15:33) An environment where people can thrive allows them to bring their whole selves to work (17:33) How companies can scale wellbeing as their teams grow (19:26) A feeling of acceptance comes with responsibility (21:20) A company’s ideals for their employees should stem from their values (23:10) The difference between humility and arrogance (25:56) Choose companies based off values not salaries (26:35) Work is more than transactional
Connect:
Are you an HR/People Leader wanting to learn more? https://www.fringe.us/talk-to-our-team
People Data & Insights Report: https://fringe.my.salesforce.com/sfc/p/#1U000000tSl7/a/4X000000ouMw/9lixakNDHeXoFyinZ5hmod6GeWRUmxBtAhVd3oCgDmg
Jason’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasonatfringe/
Jordan’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jordan-peace-fringe/
How Fringe works: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9NiAGyFut6E&t=2s
In this episode of How People Work, Jason and Jordan explore the role of leadership in employee wellbeing and delve into the qualities and strategies that define exceptional managers. They cover a range of topics, including the impact of managers on employee retention, the essential traits of successful leaders, the perils of micromanagement and undermanagement, and the challenges faced during the transition to a managerial role. Jordan and Jason share personal stories of their experiences in leadership and managing a startup. They discuss the significance of trust, the importance of both EQ and IQ in leadership, and the best practices for developing other leaders.
Key ideas and highlights:
Leadership and organizational structure are key determinants of employee wellbeing.
One can be a compassionate but incompetent leader.
The transition from individual contributor to people leader is a difficult one. How to set yourself up for success.
Word of the day: Equivocal - Jason wins this week!
Chapters: (0:00) Intro (1:35) Deloitte Study Recap (5:25) What it means if people leave a company because of a manage (7:54) What the role of a manager needs to be (10:52) Wellbeing is a shared responsibility (11:33) Which is worse: micromanagement or undermanagement? (13:03) The binary of leadership styles (16:55) Why the transition from an individual contributor to a people manager is so hard (18:17) How trusting your people is one of the most important things you can do as a leader (20:07) Which matters more in being a leader: EQ or IQ? (22:59) Here’s what the best leaders do to develop other leaders (25:57) Here’s what we actually love receiving from people
Connect:
Are you an HR/People Leader wanting to learn more? https://www.fringe.us/talk-to-our-team
People Data & Insights Report: https://fringe.my.salesforce.com/sfc/p/#1U000000tSl7/a/4X000000ouMw/9lixakNDHeXoFyinZ5hmod6GeWRUmxBtAhVd3oCgDmg
Jason’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasonatfringe/
Jordan’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jordan-peace-fringe/
How Fringe works: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9NiAGyFut6E&t=2s
On this episode, Cassandra speaks with Rick Hammell, CEO at Atlas. Atlas helps innovative companies to employ whomever they want, wherever the talent exists. They help onboard talent, manage compliance and pay a global workforce without the need for a local entity or multiple third-party providers. They are currently in over 160 countries and offer a platform that improves user experience and provides self-service capabilities.
Rick shares how the idea for Atlas evolved out of a problem he was experiencing while working on a government contract in a foreign country. It was a nightmare to get people paid. The pain those contractors felt has always been front and center for Atlas and has informed the way it has built its platform: optimized for the customer experience, ensuring that employees don’t have to worry about pay or benefits. Rick is never satisfied. He believes that if you think you’re doing your best, you can always do better.
Looking to build your own BragWorthy Culture? Fringe can help. Fringe is the number one lifestyle benefits platform. Give your people the power of choice and save a ton of administrative headaches by consolidating existing vendors and programs into a simple, automated platform. Contact us at Fringe.us.
#bragworthyculture #peoplefirst #digitalwork #employeeexperience #employeeengagement #hr #bestplacestowork #workculture #employeebenefits
On this episode, Cassandra speaks with Michael Katz, CEO and Co-Founder at mParticle. mParticle makes it easy to holistically manage customer data along the entire product and customer lifecycle. This helps organizations deliver great customer experiences and accelerate growth.
As Michael reflects on the changes in digital marketing in the last decade, particularly with the current emphasis on privacy, he notes that companies that want to stay relevant and successful have to be willing to evolve and change with the times, even at the risk of contradicting themselves. He also feels that a looming recession will reveal organizations that do not have strong business fundamentals. Companies that wish to survive an economic downturn will need to focus on fundamentals and “build a real business.”
Looking to build your own BragWorthy Culture? Fringe can help. Fringe is the number one lifestyle benefits platform. Give your people the power of choice and save a ton of administrative headaches by consolidating existing vendors and programs into a simple, automated platform. Contact us at Fringe.us.
#bragworthyculture #peoplefirst #digitalwork #employeeexperience #employeeengagement #hr #bestplacestowork #workculture #employeebenefits
On this episode, Cassandra Rose talks with Eveline Jaynes, Director of Talent Acquisition and Management at Laserfiche. Laserfiche provides intelligent content management and business process automation by using workflows, electronic forms, document management and analytics. Team members at Laserfiche empower customers and help them reimagine how technology can impact organizations and individuals.
Eveline reflects on changes in the workplace during and after the pandemic and on reasons employees leave companies. One of those reasons is a lack of opportunity for personal growth, and one way that Laserfiche encourages that growth is by paying for volunteer time off. Eveline says that “AQ (adaptability quotient) and EQ (emotional quotient) eat IQ for breakfast,” particularly in remote environments where people want to be seen and appreciated for their efforts.
Looking to build your own BragWorthy Culture? Fringe can help. Fringe is the number one lifestyle benefits platform. Give your people the power of choice and save a ton of administrative headaches by consolidating existing vendors and programs into a simple, automated platform. Contact us at Fringe.us.
#bragworthyculture #peoplefirst #digitalwork #employeeexperience #employeeengagement #hr #bestplacestowork #workculture #employeebenefits
On this episode, Cassandra Rose speaks with Lee Kirby, Chairman & Co-Founder at Salute Mission Critical. Salute Mission Critical is a data center services company that deploys, manages and decommissions data center sites with high-quality results and military precision. Salute is dedicated to pulling from a labor pool of veterans — a disciplined, adaptable and trainable group.
Lee shares details of his 36 years in the military and explains why he was inspired to help veterans when he learned that unemployment for that group was over 25%. He also discusses what makes veterans attractive hires, the hidden jewels of the military community and how diversity in hiring works hand-in-hand with hiring veterans.
Looking to build your own BragWorthy Culture? Fringe can help. Fringe is the number one lifestyle benefits platform. Give your people the power of choice and save a ton of administrative headaches by consolidating existing vendors and programs into a simple, automated platform. Contact us at Fringe.us.
#bragworthyculture #peoplefirst #digitalwork #employeeexperience #employeeengagement #hr #bestplacestowork #workculture #employeebenefits
On this episode, Cassandra Rose speaks with Inna Kuznetsova, CEO at ToolsGroup. ToolsGroup helps organizations achieve their target service levels while optimizing inventory. In today’s world organizations need to predict more behaviors, protect against surprises and perform more efficiently. ToolsGroup helps companies like Absolut, BP and Harley-Davidson do all this and more.
Inna shares with us her fascinating rise to the C-suite. She started her career training as a scientist before moving on to IBM where she received sales, management then executive training. Inna talks through the risks she’s taken at different stages of her career and explains why publishing your company values on a wall isn’t necessarily very helpful and she explains what she wants her leadership legacy to be.
Looking to build your own BragWorthy Culture? Fringe can help. Fringe is the number one lifestyle benefits platform. Give your people the power of choice and save a ton of administrative headaches by consolidating existing vendors and programs into a simple, automated platform. Contact us at Fringe.us.
#bragworthyculture #peoplefirst #digitalwork #employeeexperience #employeeengagement #hr #bestplacestowork #workculture #employeebenefits
On this episode, Jordan talks with Savina Perez, Co-Founder and Chief Customer Officer at Hone. Hone is a market leader in offering remote live learning at scale to create behavior change, connection and personal development.
Long before the pandemic forced remote culture on many companies, Hone was remote-first, both as a company and product, giving them access to talent from multiple sources. This remote-first thinking has continued to influence proactive moves to optimize content both across time zones and across cultures. Savina shares a tactic she’s used for finding some of her most trusted advisors.
Looking to build your own BragWorthy Culture? Fringe can help. Fringe is the number one lifestyle benefits platform. Give your people the power of choice and save a ton of administrative headaches by consolidating existing vendors and programs into a simple, automated platform. Contact us at Fringe.us.
#bragworthyculture #peoplefirst #digitalwork #employeeexperience #employeeengagement #hr #bestplacestowork #workculture #employeebenefits
On this episode, Jordan talks with Ganesh Shankar, CEO and Co-Founder of RFPIO Inc., about start-ups and small businesses. RFPIO is the market leader in response management software to help create and manage sales proposals, and resolve inefficiencies rooted in decentralized and inaccessible content and knowledge.
Ganesh discusses the acquisitions of former competitors and how RFPIO is guided by its company values, including “see something, say something,” and “don’t mess with customers” (Ganesh doesn’t want RFPIO to be a problem for customers when they already have so much on their plates). These company values were not imposed from above but emerged organically as the team reflected on their work.
Looking to build your own BragWorthy Culture? Fringe can help. Fringe is the number one lifestyle benefits platform. Give your people the power of choice and save a ton of administrative headaches by consolidating existing vendors and programs into a simple, automated platform. Contact us at Fringe.us.
#bragworthyculture #peoplefirst #digitalwork #employeeexperience #employeeengagement #hr #bestplacestowork #workculture #employeebenefits
On this episode, Cassandra Rose speaks with Kendall Holbrook, CEO at Dev Technology Group. Dev Technology offers mission-critical applications and systems to governmental organizations such as the Departments of Homeland Security, Defense and State, as well as the National Guard and others. They offer full-stack application development, biometrics and identity management, cloud and infrastructure optimization, IT and legacy modernization, and data management.
Kendall shares what it was like to be part of quadrupling the number of employees at the company, how working with the government is very much a long game and how Dev seeks to not just be a different type of government contractor but also one that puts their clients and employees first. She also shares how Dev crowdsourced their company values from their team members and how integral those values are to their daily decision-making processes.
Looking to build your own BragWorthy Culture? Fringe can help. Fringe is the number one lifestyle benefits platform. Give your people the power of choice and save a ton of administrative headaches by consolidating existing vendors and programs into a simple, automated platform. Contact us at Fringe.us.
#bragworthyculture #peoplefirst #digitalwork #employeeexperience #employeeengagement #hr #bestplacestowork #workculture #employeebenefits
On this episode, Jordan speaks with Alex Frommeyer, Founder and CEO at Beam Benefits. Beam is all about modernizing employee benefits through its intuitive digital platform, self-service tools and AI-powered underwriting. That combination offers a simple experience for brokers, employers and members.
When Alex last appeared on The BragWorthy Culture, he discussed how Beam was setting itself apart from other companies in the space. On this episode, that narrative extends to talking about how culture develops in a growing company. Far from running from the phrase, “the culture has changed,” Alex insists that culture has to change as a company grows through different phases. Some of those phases include bad market conditions, but even there Alex sees great opportunities to build culture. “When something terrible in the business happens,” he notes, “there’s always a way to take advantage.”
Looking to build your own BragWorthy Culture? Fringe can help. Fringe is the number one lifestyle benefits platform. Give your people the power of choice and save a ton of administrative headaches by consolidating existing vendors and programs into a simple, automated platform. Contact us at Fringe.us.
#bragworthyculture #peoplefirst #digitalwork #employeeexperience #employeeengagement #hr #bestplacestowork #workculture #employeebenefits
On this episode, Cassandra talks with Lucas Haldeman, Founder and CEO at SmartRent. SmartRent offers smart home automation to property managers and renters. Whether you develop, own or manage multifamily communities, SmartRent can help you control all the smart devices in your properties through an app.
Lucas talks about how SmartRent developed, as so often happens in entrepreneurial stories, from a solution they were searching for to something they decided to develop themselves. Lucas believes that entrepreneurialism, at its core, is naturally curious, and that curiosity leads to problem-solving. Lucas also explains how the decision to keep his team fully employed during the initial stages of the pandemic led to SmartRent’s being able to keep up with demand when restrictions were lifted.
Looking to build your own BragWorthy Culture? Fringe can help. Fringe is the number one lifestyle benefits platform. Give your people the power of choice and save a ton of administrative headaches by consolidating existing vendors and programs into a simple, automated platform. Contact us at Fringe.us.
#bragworthyculture #peoplefirst #digitalwork #employeeexperience #employeeengagement #hr #bestplacestowork #workculture #employeebenefits
On this episode, Cassandra speaks with Vishal Sunak, Co-Founder and CEO at LinkSquares. LinkSquares uses AI to help legal teams manage contracts. This gives customers what they need to write better contracts, analyze existing ones and execute them quickly. Using AI, companies save hundreds of hours and thousands of dollars by eliminating manual contract processes and reducing the need for outside counsel.
Vishal begins with how the company got started: by asking companies what they needed and learning as they went, the LinkSquares team could pioneer a space that didn’t previously exist.
Vishal also shares some of the secret sauce that makes LinkSquares a great place to work, from having a thoughtful job application process, through onboarding that gives new team members access to subject matter experts from around the company, to a program that shouts out employees and a genuine openness to constructive feedback.
Looking to build your own BragWorthy Culture? Fringe can help. Fringe is the number one lifestyle benefits platform. Give your people the power of choice and save a ton of administrative headaches by consolidating existing vendors and programs into a simple, automated platform. Contact us at Fringe.us.
#bragworthyculture #peoplefirst #digitalwork #employeeexperience #employeeengagement #hr #bestplacestowork #workculture #employeebenefits
On this episode, Jordan talks with Temy Mancusi-Ungaro, CEO at Reachdesk. Reachdesk helps companies deliver moments that matter throughout the entire customer lifecycle, at scale, globally. It does this through gifts and direct mail that build deeper connections with customers, prospects and employees at the click of a button.
Temy speaks about the power of physical gifts and how maximum impact can be achieved when those gifts are personalized. Gifting can be a tool in the “Great Recognition” that Temy wants to lead against the “Great Resignation.” Temy wants to create a culture of gifting at businesses, because ultimately that can lead to a mindset of generosity that lifts everyone. Reachdesk also cares about sustainability in gifting, and Temy shared some of the efforts the company is putting forward to make sure they are doing their part in that area.
Looking to build your own BragWorthy Culture? Fringe can help. Fringe is the number one lifestyle benefits platform. Give your people the power of choice and save a ton of administrative headaches by consolidating existing vendors and programs into a simple, automated platform. Contact us at Fringe.us.
#bragworthyculture #peoplefirst #digitalwork #employeeexperience #employeeengagement #hr #bestplacestowork #workculture #employeebenefits
On this episode, Jordan speaks with Sheri Kelleher, Senior Vice President, People Success at Incorta. Incorta provides unified data and analytics software that makes it fast and simple to unlock the full potential of data from multiple complex source systems. It makes data instantly ready for analysis by eliminating traditional data transformation, modeling and aggregation steps.
Sheri talks about the changes the company has made since Covid, which include not just meeting people where they are, allowing for remote work, but also continuing what Incorta has always done, which is to focus on top talent and find out what makes them happy and engaged.
Sheri also walks listeners through Incorta’s recent process of simplifying core values, which included naming “love” as a company core value. That love isn’t just expressed in caring for team members, but for the greater community.
Looking to build your own BragWorthy Culture? Fringe can help. Fringe is the number one lifestyle benefits platform. Give your people the power of choice and save a ton of administrative headaches by consolidating existing vendors and programs into a simple, automated platform. Contact us at Fringe.us.
#bragworthyculture #peoplefirst #digitalwork #employeeexperience #employeeengagement #hr #bestplacestowork #workculture #employeebenefits
On this episode, host Cassandra Rose speaks with Roisin O’Hagan, Vice President of Human Resources at Unosquare. Unosquare provides custom software development in the fields of healthcare, financial services and tech. During Roisin’s time at Unosquare, the company has grown from 400 to 800 team members.
Roisin shares what she loves about the culture at Unosquare: company town halls that offer transparency, ask-me-anythings with the CEO, revamping of core values and the whole company coming out of Covid stronger. Roisin also reminds listeners that the strength of the culture can form new team members. If that culture is weak, the new team members will form the culture, for better or worse.
Looking to build your own BragWorthy Culture? Fringe can help. Fringe is the number one lifestyle benefits platform. Give your people the power of choice and save a ton of administrative headaches by consolidating existing vendors and programs into a simple, automated platform. Contact us at Fringe.us.
#bragworthyculture #peoplefirst #digitalwork #employeeexperience #employeeengagement #hr #bestplacestowork #workculture #employeebenefits
On this episode, Cassandra talks with Dr. Alex Gapud, Cultural Anthropologist at scarlettabbott, an employee engagement and communications consultancy that believes in purpose-driven and productive worlds of work. One way they help achieve this is to send someone like Dr. Gapud into an organization to obtain a map of the company culture. This is then used to help leadership see what’s working and what isn’t.
When Dr. Gapud goes into these companies, he likes to keep this quote in mind: “Numbers have faces and statistics have stories.” By gaining the trust of those working on the ground and sharing uncomfortable truths with those at the C-level, Dr. Gapud and his team can help make real breakthroughs in work environments.
Looking to build your own BragWorthy Culture? Fringe can help. Fringe is the number one lifestyle benefits platform. Give your people the power of choice and save a ton of administrative headaches by consolidating existing vendors and programs into a simple, automated platform. Contact us at Fringe.us.
#bragworthyculture #peoplefirst #digitalwork #employeeexperience #employeeengagement #hr #bestplacestowork #workculture #employeebenefits
On this episode, host Cassandra Rose sits down with Matt Oxley, Co-Founder at Opal. Opal offers a personal marketing platform that helps its users see their work through the eyes of their customers. Opal works with brands like Airbnb, Microsoft and even NASA.
Matt shares some of the changes that Opal made post-pandemic, including deciding to permanently close some offices and make its teams fully remote. This decision ties together with an overall effort from Opal to give its employees both permission and support to find their own balance in this new world of work. Matt also shares the power of using in-person gatherings to build camaraderie and fellowship, noting that, “there’s only so much you can do on Zoom and Slack.”
Looking to build your own BragWorthy Culture? Fringe can help. Fringe is the number one lifestyle benefits platform. Give your people the power of choice and save a ton of administrative headaches by consolidating existing vendors and programs into a simple, automated platform. Contact us at Fringe.us.
#bragworthyculture #peoplefirst #digitalwork #employeeexperience #employeeengagement #hr #bestplacestowork #workculture #employeebenefits
On this episode, Cassandra sits down with Brian Litvack, CEO and Co-Founder at LeagueApps. LeagueApps is the operating system and community for youth and local sports leaders. It provides them with the technology and professional network they need to succeed.
Brian talks about changes in culture and company objectives as a result of the pandemic and the move to a hybrid work environment. He also discusses the pros and cons of being a mission-driven company and why it’s important to make values front and center in an organization — every decision leadership takes will affect company culture and, ultimately, the company’s profitability and success.
Looking to build your own BragWorthy Culture? Fringe can help. Fringe is the number one lifestyle benefits platform. Give your people the power of choice and save a ton of administrative headaches by consolidating existing vendors and programs into a simple, automated platform. Contact us at Fringe.us.
#bragworthyculture #peoplefirst #digitalwork #employeeexperience #employeeengagement #hr #bestplacestowork #workculture #employeebenefits
On this episode Jordan talks with Vadim Yasinovsky, Co-Founder & CPO at airSlate / PDFfiller.com. AirSlate helps users design, integrate, and automate document workflows using a single, no-code platform.
Among other astonishing facts on the ground, Vadim shares how he and his team evacuated airSlate’s workforce from Ukraine. Roughly 70% of the team was located there in February 2022. Those same team members continued to deliver at work, despite being bombed. Even more inspiringly, they helped deliver humanitarian aid during the hours they weren’t working, putting in long work shifts at night after delivering that aid.
Looking to build your own BragWorthy Culture? Fringe can help. Fringe is the number one lifestyle benefits platform. Give your people the power of choice and save a ton of administrative headaches by consolidating existing vendors and programs into a simple, automated platform. Contact us at Fringe.us.
#bragworthyculture #peoplefirst #digitalwork #employeeexperience #employeeengagement #hr
#bestplacestowork #workculture #employeebenefits
On this episode Jordan talks with Max Yoder, CEO & Co-Founder of Lessonly. Lessonly had been building training software to help teams learn, practice, and do better work until it was recently acquired by Seismic, another player in the same space. Max has also authored two books, including To See It, Be It, which is full of notes on business and life.
Max shares his philosophy on how companies can strive to work more thoughtfully. He wants more love and compassion in the workplace, meaning a willingness to be vulnerable and greater understanding when those around us make mistakes. But he cautions against empathy as its own end: while it can be useful, it wears down people’s batteries.
Looking to build your own BragWorthy Culture? Fringe can help. Fringe is the number one lifestyle benefits platform. Give your people the power of choice and save a ton of administrative headaches by consolidating existing vendors and programs into a simple, automated platform. Contact us at Fringe.us.
On this episode Jordan talks with Meredith Bronk, CEO and President at Open Systems Technologies, Inc. OST is an integrated, cross-functional business technology firm that brings together strategy and insights, digital experiences, connected products, data center transformation and enterprise managed services.
Meredith has been with OST almost from the beginning and has much to share about its growth and values. So much so, that she has a blue card printed with the company values right on her desk and with her whenever she’s engaging with her team. The company was living its values long before they were formally codified; she talks about the importance of not taking that living of values for granted. She addresses the importance of constantly embodying those principles and avoiding what she calls cultural hypocrisy. She also reflects on the notion that values remain the same while culture may change.
Looking to build your own BragWorthy Culture? Fringe can help. Fringe is the number one lifestyle benefits platform. Give your people the power of choice and save a ton of administrative headaches by consolidating existing vendors and programs into a simple, automated platform. Contact us at Fringe.us.
In this episode, Jordan talks with Chris Sullens, CEO at CentralReach. CentralReach provides a complete software and services platform that helps children and adults diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and related intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) — and those who serve them — achieve better outcomes and live more independent lives.
Chris shares an important strategy in change management: acknowledging what has been done so far and demonstrating your willingness to learn. That willingness to learn also extends to identifying bad hires and exiting them quickly before they can demoralize the team. Chris also emphasizes the importance of management being involved in the interview process, not brushing it off as “something the team can handle.” Chris advocates for shining lights on certain topics, even if they aren’t the easiest to discuss.
Looking to build your own BragWorthy Culture? Fringe can help. Fringe is the number one lifestyle benefits platform. Give your people the power of choice and save a ton of administrative headaches by consolidating existing vendors and programs into a simple, automated platform. Contact us at Fringe.us.
On this episode of The BragWorthy Culture podcast, Jordan talks with Laura Bowden, Vice President of People at Tessitura Network. Tessitura is a nonprofit tech company focused on CRM, that works exclusively with arts and cultural organizations.
Laura explains how the organization came into existence when the Metropolitan Opera of New York was trying to integrate various systems into one unified program. Laura goes on to discuss how most of the team have either worked in arts or culture or are artistic themselves and how “living the culture” influences the way the company grows. One of the ways that companies in the arts can grow is in terms of increased diversity and inclusion, and Laura reminds listeners that when companies are silent, they’re still saying something.
Looking to build your own BragWorthy Culture? Fringe can help. Fringe is the number one lifestyle benefits platform. Give your people the power of choice and save a ton of administrative headaches by consolidating existing vendors and programs into a simple, automated platform. Contact us at Fringe.us.
On this episode of the BragWorthy Culture Podcast, Jordan talks with Arnie Malham, Founder/President of BetterBookClub.com. Better Book Club is an innovative approach to company-sponsored learning. It uses a cloud-based platform to allow companies to recognize and reward team members for reading.
Long ago, Arnie discovered that instead of telling people what to read, huge rewards could be reaped from simply encouraging a culture of reading. That culture leads to stronger leadership, which in turn leads to stronger team members. Arnie discusses his own leadership journey and the role that books played in helping him to develop. Part of what drives him is getting to know others through what they think and those conversations are often driven by asking others about the books that they’ve recently read.
Looking to build your own BragWorthy Culture? Fringe can help. Fringe is the number one lifestyle benefits platform. Give your people the power of choice and save a ton of administrative headaches by consolidating existing vendors and programs into a simple, automated platform. Contact us at Fringe.us.
On this episode of the BragWorthy Culture Podcast, Jordan talks with Jonathan Siddharth, Founder and CEO of Turing. Turing is on a mission to help unleash the world’s untapped human potential by offering the best remote engineers to companies worldwide. Not concerned with technical skills only, Turing also vets engineers’ English skills and remote-working capabilities.
Jonathan has already been part of a successful acquisition in Silicon Valley. The need for engineers to build his last startup led him to look at remote options which opened up great possibilities. Jonathan also talks about the challenges of remote work and what Turing has built to deal with these challenges. In the last part of the episode, Jonathan turns the tables and asks Jordan about what Fringe is doing to take care of its team members.
Looking to build your own BragWorthy Culture? Fringe can help. Fringe is the number one lifestyle benefits platform. Give your people the power of choice and save a ton of administrative headaches by consolidating existing vendors and programs into a simple, automated platform. Contact us at Fringe.us.
On this episode of the BragWorthy Culture Podcast, Jordan talks with Jonathan Siddharth, Founder and CEO of Turing. Turing is on a mission to help unleash the world’s untapped human potential by offering the best remote engineers to companies worldwide. Not concerned with technical skills only, Turing also vets engineers’ English skills and remote-working capabilities.
Jonathan has already been part of a successful acquisition in Silicon Valley. The need for engineers to build his last startup led him to look at remote options which opened up great possibilities. Jonathan also talks about the challenges of remote work and what Turing has built to deal with these challenges. In the last part of the episode, Jonathan turns the tables and asks Jordan about what Fringe is doing to take care of its team members.
Looking to build your own BragWorthy Culture? Fringe can help. Fringe is the number one lifestyle benefits platform. Give your people the power of choice and save a ton of administrative headaches by consolidating existing vendors and programs into a simple, automated platform. Contact us at Fringe.us.
On this episode of The BragWorthy Culture Podcast, Jordan talks with Pamela Mattsson, SVP of People and Organizational Development at Outreach. Outreach is the first and only sales execution platform helping revenue teams bring AI into workflows to unlock visibility across the entire revenue cycle and to create forecasts with greater confidence.
Pamela shares her passion for making sure we are looking at “human beings” and not just “human doings” within a company. Part of how she achieves this at Outreach is through having the employees’ backs: not just celebrating successes and owning failures but being honest and transparent as much as possible. She also talks about how her team has doubled down on awareness of unconscious bias to perform better when hiring remotely. Pamela is big on values and culture being expressed in processes and procedures as well as in interviews and mission statements. That means that those who best reflect the company values and culture should be targeted for promotion.
Looking to build your own BragWorthy Culture? Fringe can help. Fringe is the number one lifestyle benefits platform. Give your people the power of choice and save a ton of administrative headaches by consolidating existing vendors and programs into a simple, automated platform. Contact us at Fringe.us.
On this episode of the BragWorthy Culture Podcast, Jordan talks with Emil Sayegh, President and CEO at Ntirety Inc. Ntirety is the only company that embeds compliant security throughout all your systems, applications, and devices and does so using easy, affordable subscription pricing for every budget.
Emil discusses the importance of culture as a competitive advantage. He illustrates this through his own experiences, in recessions (including the Great Recession) and more recently, in the pandemic. He and Jordan also discuss some winning principles to successfully guide a company through a merger, which he did recently with Hostway and Hosting.com. One of those principles is transparent communication, which includes ensuring that leaders have the courage to mentor those around them who lack confidence despite showing outstanding talent.
Looking to build your own BragWorthy Culture? Fringe can help. Fringe is the number one lifestyle benefits platform. Give your people the power of choice and save a ton of administrative headaches by consolidating existing vendors and programs into a simple, automated platform. Contact us at https://www.fringe.us/.
On this episode of the BragWorthy Culture Podcast, Jordan talks with Mahim Mishra, President and CRO at TalentQuest. TalentQuest provides a hire-to-retire Talent Management and Development platform that automates traditional processes, leverages behavioral science, generates prescriptive insights and guidance, and allows organizations to shift to a more individualized approach to talent management and development.
Mahim discusses the importance of employee centricity (not just having it as a logo on a wall), how TalentQuest dealt with Covid (no layoffs, no pay cuts), and why employees need to bond together, even though remote working is becoming more popular (it’s one of the best ways to get everyone on the same page about vision).
Looking to build your own BragWorthy Culture? Fringe can help. Fringe is the number one lifestyle benefits platform. Give your people the power of choice and save a ton of administrative headaches by consolidating existing vendors and programs into a simple, automated platform. Contact us at https://www.fringe.us/.
On this episode of the BragWorthy Culture Podcast, Jordan talks with Mark Ralls, President and COO at Invicti Security. Invicti has been an Applications Security leader for more than 15 years and enables organizations in every industry to continuously scan and secure all of their web apps and APIs, regardless of platform. Invicti provides proof of any vulnerabilities so the client doesn’t have to spend time verifying them. Invicti’s HQ is in Austin, Texas, and it serves more than 3,500 organizations.
Throughout his career, Mark has had the opportunity to build and manage teams and coax great work out of them. He shares hiring tips (he loves candidates that are “his kind of crazy”), the importance of diversity (“the more diverse your team is, the better performing it will be”), what Covid-19 triggered for Invicti (revealed that they were true to their values), and why he thinks it should be called the Great Reckoning, not the Great Resignation.
Looking to build your own BragWorthy Culture? Fringe can help. Fringe is the number one lifestyle benefits platform. Give your people the power of choice and save a ton of administrative headaches by consolidating existing vendors and programs into a simple, automated platform. Contact us at https://fringe.us/
On this episode of The BragWorthy Culture podcast, Jordan sits down with Clint Oram, Co-Founder & Chief Strategy Officer at SugarCRM. SugarCRM offers sales force automation, marketing campaigns, customer support, collaboration, mobile CRM, social CRM, and reporting.
Clint starts the discussion by sharing his love for his company and what he does. That love has made him a “non-serial” entrepreneur — he’s simply focused on Sugar. At the heart of his discussion with Jordan is Clint’s passion for customer-centricity. Of course, a company that makes a CRM is going to be under a particular type of spotlight when it comes to how it interacts with customers. But Sugar leans into that, sometimes bending “too far” to accommodate customers, confesses Clint. Yet with all that accommodation, boundaries and rest matter too, and Clint shares how he and his team have prioritized time with family and recharging.
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Looking to build your own BragWorthy Culture? Fringe can help. Fringe is the number one lifestyle benefits platform. Give your people the power of choice and save a ton of administrative headaches by consolidating existing vendors and programs into a simple, automated platform. Contact us at Fringe.us.
On this episode of the BragWorthy Culture podcast, Jordan talks with Brandon Sammut, Chief People Officer at Zapier. For those who don’t already know, Zapier is a no-code tool to help automate repetitive tasks between two or more apps. This mission is so deeply embedded in Zapier’s DNA that it reveals itself not only in how they work with their clients, but how they develop their employees.
Brandon shares the why behind Zapier: offering a powerful technology that is normally expensive and/or difficult to use, at an affordable price and in a user-friendly format. Brandon also discusses why Zapier values remote work (and always has) and the possible end of their delocation program. Brandon also talks about the importance of transparency at Zapier, which carries into a program that helps team members find growth and opportunity at Zapier, or elsewhere!
One of Jordan’s favorite quotes from this episode is: “Let’s be worthy of attracting talent.” Enjoy the episode!
On this episode of the BragWorthy Culture podcast, Jordan talks with Larry Dunivan, CEO of Namely. Namely provides a user-experience-focused platform for HR, payroll, benefits, and talent management.
Larry talks about how he had always wanted to be a CEO in HR Tech in NYC, and how a few months after he ticked that achievement off his bucket list, a pandemic hit. He shares how Namely navigated that challenge, what it means to live and retain company values, the dangers of calling employees “family,” and the financial pressures of retaining your best talent.
Looking to build your own BragWorthy Culture? Fringe can help. Fringe is the number one lifestyle benefits platform. Give your people the power of choice and save a ton of administrative headaches by consolidating existing vendors and programs into a simple, automated platform. Contact us at Fringe.us.
On this episode of The BragWorthy Culture podcast, Jordan talks with CJ Przybyl, Co-Founder & CSO of Snapsheet Inc. Snapsheet offers cloud-based claim processing technology, both in a transactional model and in SaaS form. Snapsheet was remote-ready and paperless long before it became a standard to aspire to in this industry. It has led to explosive growth in the last two years, particularly as the whole industry is rushing to be as remote and virtual as possible.
CJ talks about adjustments Snapsheet has made during Covid-19 and what it’s like to grow a business from a handful of team members to hundreds. He also dives into their focus on training and developing leaders, why culture is so important (and should sometimes be overemphasized in the early days), and what he sees for the future of work, post-pandemic.
Looking to build your own BragWorthy Culture? Fringe can help. Fringe is the number one lifestyle benefits platform. Give your people the power of choice and save a ton of administrative headaches by consolidating existing vendors and programs into a simple, automated platform. Contact us at Fringe.us.
On this episode of the BragWorthy Culture podcast, Jordan talks with Joey Price, Founder and CEO of Jumpstart:HR. Jumpstart offers HR outsourcing and consulting services for start-ups and small businesses. Joey also hosts the Business, Life and Coffee podcast, which focuses on personal development and success tips for entrepreneurs.
Joey talks about how and why he developed Jumpstart:HR, who his typical clients are and what industry those clients are in, along with how he sees their challenges when they come to Jumpstart. He discusses the themes of management and culture, what he thinks is often overlooked that hurts a company, and he also shares Jumpstarts’ values. Joey mentions how companies can come out on top after various changes like hybrid workplace and the “Great Resignation.”
On this episode of the BragWorthy Culture podcast, Jordan talks with Alex Frommeyer, Co-Founder and CEO of Beam Dental. Beam Dental is the first — and only — digital, native insurance company.
Alex talks about how Beam Dental started and what it’s been like trying to modernize an industry like dental insurance. He discusses the hardware he and his team built and what else they’ve created that’s been so revolutionary to set them apart from other companies. Alex also mentions how kids are included in Beam’s wellness program, and he speaks on having to navigate a growing company while taking care of the people within it. He talks about the roots of the company and what will stay consistent throughout someone’s entire work journey at Beam. Alex talks about how he transitioned from “HR-in-a-box” to adding culture, recruiting and other elements to the company, and he also mentions the top characteristic he looks for in an applicant.
On this episode of the BragWorthy Culture podcast, Jordan talks with Dr. Miriah Steiger. Miriah is the Director of Global Research for Wellness and Resiliency at TaskUs. Her title happens to match up perfectly with the title of her dissertation, “Building A Resilient Workforce.” One of her passions and initiatives is to keep pushing the limits of research to improve employee care.
Miriah talks about what she does in her position and what resiliency means for TaskUs. Jordan and Miriah dive deeper into employee resilience and developing a resilience baseline in the workplace. She speaks on the response from her people after rolling out resilience programs and skill acquisition courses. She also touches on how COVID transitions disturbed aspects that people were once successful in, like social support. She mentions how her company tries to create “water cooler talk” virtually and how that looks for different people. She also discusses compassion fatigue, who is more susceptible to it and how people can maintain empathy for other people with everything going on in their own lives. Lastly, Miriah talks about how people can set their company and employees up for resiliency.
On this episode of the BragWorthy Culture podcast, Jordan talks with Dr. Alex Gupad. Alex is an internal communications consultant for Scarlett Abbott in York, UK. He has his Ph.D. in Philosophy with a concentration in Social Anthropology.
Alex talks about his time in Scotland, his educational background and his love for dancing. He dives into what cultural anthropology means and what his job entails. He discusses the relationship between employer and employee, how that dynamic shifted over the years and where the new expectations employees have for employers developed. Jordan and Alex discuss that where a person works impacts their identity and what that means when it comes to selecting jobs. Alex discusses how much progress has actually been made on helping employees feel comfortable revealing their mental health status, its connection to psychological safety when it comes to people putting their mental health first and leadership’s impact on people feeling okay to talk about their mental health.
On this unique episode of the BragWorthy Culture podcast, Jordan talks with Troy Vincent, Founder and CEO of Navigate, and Jason Murray, Co-Founder and Head of Growth & Strategy at Fringe. Troy and Jason recently struck up a partnership between their two companies to provide a powerful tool to help organizations build and maintain a bragworthy culture.
Troy talks about Navigate’s story and how they found Fringe to form a partnership, and Jason shares what Fringe does and how it got to where it is today. Jason discusses why Fringe partnered with Troy and his team at Navigate, and Troy described what he hopes to gain from the partnership. Troy also states feedback about the partnership from his employees. Jason and Troy mention the employee appreciation and importance of employee benefits and wellness programs as well as where they see the potential clients landing in regards to hanging on to the premium differentials or expanding focus to pursue recruiting and retention gains that are available. To wrap up, Troy and Jason state what advice they would give about recruiting and retaining top talent.
On this episode of the BragWorthy Culture podcast, Jordan talks with Colin Mincy, the Chief People Officer of Human Rights Watch. Human Rights Watch recently elevated the role purposefully to demonstrate the commitment to implement diversity, equity and inclusion strategies and ensure a resilient and thriving staff. As CPO, Colin sits on the executive team and oversees recruitment, hiring, international comp and benefits, performance management, L&D and more.
Colin shares about his personal life, including how his love for music came about. He discusses what Human Rights Watch (HRW) does on a daily basis, and why HRW moved to the c-suite area and how that was received. He also touches on what the highest compliment HRW could receive would look like and mentions the issue of burnout in different organizations. He talks about how learning other people’s triggers can build strength, and how to help people stay resilient and deal with stressors. He discusses HRW’s approach to going back into the office, and the importance of trust and choice between employees and employers during the process.
On this episode of the BragWorthy Culture podcast, Jordan talks with Shannon Arens, Wellbeing Consultant with Sequoia Consulting Group. She helps leaders from the most innovative tech companies design their wellbeing strategies. She began her career as a child and family therapist and spent a number of years supporting LinkedIn’s Domestic Wellness program before becoming a consultant.
Shannon talks about what inspired her to start a career in wellness, her background before becoming a wellbeing consultant and what she has taken from the early part of her career into her current job. She discusses how Sequoia breaks down wellbeing and what Sequoia’s client base is like. She mentions how the pandemic has impacted wellbeing and specific challenges people face in July 2021 regarding the transition from working remotely to working in the office. She touches on the topic of self-care vs self-soothing, along with how CEOs are supporting wellbeing now compared to years ago and budget changes over the last year.
On this episode of the BragWorthy Culture Podcast, Jordan talks with Jerryl Ewing from G2 Insurance Services. Jerryl is responsible for human resource initiatives including onboarding, communication, training and assisting with career mapping and pathing for all associates. While pursuing his doctorate in psychology, he also enjoys helping employees develop their careers and bring their best selves to the workplace.
Jerryl talks about how his field of study is applied in the HR world and how his people are dealing with the pandemic and the new work environment. He discusses what resources are utilized with virtual work and common emotions employees feel during this novel time from a psychological standpoint. He mentions company decisions that were made due to the pandemic and why taking time off is so important for employees. He speaks on what the organization plans to do as people are re-entering the office, along with what types of candidates they look for when hiring. He touches on how companies are now competing on flexibility and remote scheduling when it comes to hiring and shares his opinion on if organizations will open more offices to support the non-hub remote workers.
On this episode of the BragWorthy Culture podcast, Jordan talks with Jennifer Bailey, the Chief Administration Officer at Cognosante. Jennifer oversees the strategic HR functions, such as talent acquisition, talent management and total rewards. She also leads company culture and belonging initiatives. She has more than 20 years of experience to share on people leadership, culture building and more.
Jennifer talks about how her background intersected with people and culture, along with her current involvement with Cognosante and her role there. She speaks about the process of building company culture, the importance of surveys and how they navigated through COVID from various perspectives. She discusses what their pitch is to prospective employees, along with what characteristics they look for when hiring new people to join their team. She mentions how the process works for deciding what is best for employees and how to consider that before making decisions. She offers advice for others on how to lead with compassion and what she thinks are the most important qualities to embrace as a leader.
On this episode of the BragWorthy Culture podcast, Jordan talks with Andrew Bartlow, founder and managing partner of Series B Consulting. He helps businesses articulate the people strategy and accelerate their growth while navigating rapid change.
Andrew starts by talking about his experience of writing a book and how he narrowed down the information despite having so much to share. He discusses companies that succeed in spite of themselves and what it’s like working with hyper scaling organizations, like Masterclass. He mentions details on developmental programs and Scaling for Success. He shares insights on HR development, the importance of people leaders, how to implement them in the space and what to look for when hiring a people leader. He touches on what the 2021 strategy for HR looks like, and what is the biggest factor people leaders are facing in 2021. He discusses how people leaders need to address the performance management side while balancing the wellness side as well, and what the core needs are for employees.
References:
- Scaling for Success
On this episode of the BragWorthy Culture Podcast, Jordan speaks with Heidi Lynne Kurter. Heidi is a workplace culture consultant and leadership coach at Heidi Lynne Consulting LLC, which serves startups and small businesses. Heidi is also a senior contributor for Forbes, where she writes about workplace culture and leadership strategy.
Heidi talks about how she got involved with Forbes and how her journey with workplace culture started. She mentions how she comes across her clients, why people want her help and the importance of communication within a business. She offers insights on how she remains an objective third party when telling people how to improve, along with what personally and professionally motivates people to create a positive work environment. She states what blocks companies from creating an inclusive culture and how leaders should go about getting honest feedback from employees. Heidi also discusses the blind spots leaders have when creating a culture, and how they should educate themselves. She opens up on how culture will be built as we enter a hybrid work environment and states what her favorite culture-building activity is.
On this episode of the BragWorthy Culture Podcast, Jordan talks with Daniel Fuller from FullStack. Daniel’s background with FullStack includes coaching global entrepreneurial leaders and Indianapolis mission-driven organizations. He is also a podcast host on his show Savage to Sage, where he explores entrepreneurial leadership and how those leaders create cultures for team members to be challenged, grow and thrive.
Daniel talks about what PEOs (professional employer organizations) are all about, the growth of the PEO market and employee experience, and how the two go hand-in-hand. Daniel touches on how he found himself in the world of entrepreneurship and why he is dedicated to investing in people. He discusses what brought him to Full Stack, along with how he can tell when clients really care about their employees and when they are just checking boxes off a list. Jordan asks why Daniel works with the people he does, and what themes Daniel has seen from clients in terms of how they approach benefits. Daniel shares insights on what the space is doing with returning to the office and notable differences he is seeing as we are coming out of COVID.
On this episode of the BragWorthy Culture Podcast, Jordan speaks with Jen Paxton, VP of People at Smile.io. Jen was the previous VP of People and Talent at Privy, an e-commerce marketing platform that helps small and growing brands get from $0 to $1 million in online sales. Jen works on building a company that employees and candidates love.
Jen talks about her Master’s degree in opera, what that experience translates to today and how she shifted from opera to her current field. She discusses what Privy is all about, why she loves working there and what their mission, vision and values look like. She shares how Privy’s employees are doing amidst COVID and how they get feedback on employee satisfaction. Jen also talks about how to guide people towards taking time off and the benefits of mental health programming. She and Jordan discuss the potential link between the predicted upcoming turnover and cultural experience, along with how Privy plans to provide equity for people working in and out of the office. Lastly, Jen offers advice for people new at hiring employees to ensure that those planted seeds will fully blossom over time.
On this episode of the BragWorthy Culture Podcast, Jordan speaks with Chloe Lipp Wellman, the Associate Director of Culture Transformation at Sprinklr. Sprinklr is the world’s leading unified customer experience management (Unified-CXM) platform. They help companies deliver a more unified and human experience to every customer, every time, at once-impossible scale. Headquartered in New York City with 2,500+ employees globally, Sprinklr works with more than 1,100 of the world’s most valuable enterprises — global brands like Microsoft, P&G, Wells Fargo, and Samsung and more than 50% of the Fortune 100.
Chloe talks about her journey with well-being, where people tend to fall short with well-being and how leadership has been leading the drive for it in the company. She touches on how to prevent burnout in COVID times, how people at Sprinklr are doing and what resources Sprinklr used during the pandemic. Chloe discusses the challenges for women in the workforce today, as well as tips on providing specific messaging and strategies to support women in the workplace. She mentions Sprinklr’s plans for going back to the office, how they will provide an equitable experience for all employees, both remote and not, and what leaders should do to create a positive company culture.
On this episode of the BragWorthy Culture Podcast, Jordan speaks with Madison Murdock, HR Specialist with gigRonin. GigRonin is a company that provides a white-label app to staffing agencies to increase sales, promote recruiter efficiency and support client retention by deploying contingent workers' jobs to opportunities with an intuitive, user-friendly mobile experience.
Madison talks about what gigRonin is all about, how COVID has impacted the industry and what COVID has produced creatively for gigRonin. She discusses her main roles, where her true passion lies and how she and her team have cared for one another during the past year. She speaks on what tools have been helpful for efficiency, how to transition new people into the team and thoughts on getting back in the office. Madison mentions goals for company values, why people should check out gigRonin and where the company is going next in terms of hiring.
On this episode of the BragWorthy Culture Podcast, Jordan speaks with Tammy Bjelland, Founder and CEO of Workplaceless. Workplaceless is a training company that improves remote and hybrid team effectiveness by developing the capabilities that workers, managers and executives need to succeed in distributive environments. With a background in higher education, publishing, EdTech, e-learning and corporate training, Tammy is committed to driving and supporting the future of work by developing people.
Tammy discusses how Workplaceless launched and what remote work involves. She talks about the differences in normal remote work versus remote work during a pandemic and what her opinions are regarding post-covid work decisions. She touches on building equity for employees that work both in and out of the office, along with good ideas she’s seen come from the pandemic. She mentions the importance of asynchronous communication, what else is happening in the industry and how empathy plays a large role in a positive working environment. Tammy speaks on company culture, and she advises on how to develop people.
On this episode of The BragWorthy Podcast, Jordan speaks with Andy Racic, current Senior Director of Enterprise at Seismic and former Head of Sales at Tango Health. Tango Health is a leader in the employee benefits decision support and engagement space. Andy has 10 years of progressive sales experience within the HR realm, ranging from talent acquisition, headhunting, payroll and HCM, and decision support.
Andy talks about what Tango does to help clients, how they drive recommendations and how working from home has changed the workspace for Tango. He also discusses the importance of engagement and inclusivity, along with what he’s done to prevent burnout. He touches on what Tango expects regarding going back to the office and recruitment strategies after COVID, and what Tango has done to create togetherness during the shutdown. Andy speaks on what engaging with other leadership looks like, where he has seen great leadership outside of Tango and what he is passionate about in the employee benefits workspace.
On this episode of The BragWorthy Culture Podcast, Jordan talks with Tim Flanagan Jr. and Amanda Kramer of MassMutual Carolinas. Tim took over as General Agent of MassMutual Carolinas in 2004, and Amanda supports the firm's purpose of helping people win in all aspects of life by creating an environment of success, trust and belonging.
Tim and Amanda talk about the value of balance through COVID times along with everyday life, and how their other core values play a vital role in their company. They touch on the importance of mental health and why allowing the mind, body and spirit to be healthy in both a work setting and personal life is beneficial. Jordan asks them about ideas that came about during the pandemic and their thoughts on blending remote employees with in-person employees as things start to return to a state of normalcy. They also discuss their opportunities for recruitment and what an ideal review would be from someone working for MassMutual.
On this episode of the BragWorthy Culture Podcast, Jordan speaks with Fay Manolios, the Head of Total Rewards for Capital One. Capital One is on a mission to help customers succeed by bringing ingenuity, simplicity and humanity back to banking. Fay has held a variety of leadership positions across HR at Capital One. She was named Head of Total Rewards in 2017, and her role includes compensation, recognition, benefits global mobility, and TR marketing and associative experience for more than 50,000 associates worldwide.
Fay speaks on what led her down the path of HR and why she started in the field. She talks about how she listens to the needs of so many people and responds to them at such a novel time in history. She touches on the importance of listening to people and hearing their individual needs, along with how being flexible with those needs is important. She discusses how organizations should think differently about desired traits in future employees after COVID times, and she shares her perspective on the shift of hiring people for not what they know, but what they can learn on the job. She also talks about what Capital One plans to do post-COVID. She gives insight on how equity can be brought to people in and out of the office, what will happen from a compensation standpoint, the shift toward part-time work and how organizations can achieve their vision and aspirations.
On this episode of the Bragworthy Culture Podcast, Jordan meets with Cassandra Rose, Partner at Meritarc and former Global Benefits Director at Sprinklr. Cassandra has held roles in multi-billion dollar global brands and unicorn startups, and she often speaks on the topics of benefits literacy and centering the BIPOC employee journey for transformative employee engagement.
Cassandra explains how the concept of belonging is brought up and how belonging is different from inclusion, along with recommendations regarding how to ask questions about belonging and how that is approached in surveys. She talks about how people notice a rich company culture and how the media plays a role in that. She also gives advice to those learning how to communicate representation and belonging, as well as advice for people getting involved with people strategy who are starting to build a culture. She explains how to create a common language, how to talk through employee benefits and what benefit equity is. She gives insight into what organizations should aspire to be and the importance of reviews. She gives her perspective on how the COVID-19 environment presented opportunities for growth and reset, along with her opinion on the ease of transforming the culture of an older company versus a new one.
Mentions/Links:
- LinkedIn article
On this episode of the BragWorthy Culture Podcast, Jordan talks with Brandon Wood from Maestro Health. Brandon is the COO at Maestro and has over 20 years of experience in the benefits space. He joined Maestro to deliver a world-class experience through their self-funded solution. He has been in and around the benefits world for a long time and has been a leader at ADP, WageWorks and PayFlex.
Brandon explains what self-funded solutions are, how COVID has impacted the benefits space and how the benefits world will function after COVID. He touches on the importance of telehealth, and he speaks on the mental health data and evaluations that have been gathered in the past year. Brandon mentions how gig work benefits are changing due to more people picking up different jobs in their free time.
He also discusses how Maestro has been taking care of their employees, how they have been virtually connecting through the pandemic and how cultural values come into play. While discussing the unique qualities Maestro brings to the workers, Brandon also speaks on their recruiting process and how they plan to expand in the next 12 months.
On this episode of the BragWorthy Culture Podcast, Jordan speaks with Lorie Boyd, CPO at Turo, the largest car-sharing marketplace. Lorie is in charge of everything people and places.
Lorie tells Jordan about the best ideas that came out of COVID when the company was forced to figure out many challenges, such as supporting people while working remotely. She talks about how meaningful and rewarding it was to help people in the past year. She also talks about Turo’s employees and how engagement survey feedback has helped her be tuned in with employees. There are many types of feedback, and Lorie discusses how to identify which ones are essential to address. She gives insight into organizations’ perspectives that can be detrimental and what young entrepreneurs need to look out for. Lorie also mentions why people-strategy is essential and looks at the changes being made to people-strategy and employee brand these days. She talks about the next steps at Turo when COVID starts to turn around, along with advice on avoiding mistakes and creating a positive brand and culture.
On this episode of the BragWorthy Culture podcast, Jordan talks with Erica McMannes, COO and Co-Founder of InstantTeams and the InstantTeams Academy. InstantTeams builds high-quality customer support and operation teams for companies with military-connected talent, located globally and in every time zone, enabling 24/7 support. Erica has been an active-duty Army spouse for 19 years and found the mobility and freedom as a remote professional to be something she wanted to replicate for more people.
Erica discusses how COVID has impacted her and the InstantTeams employees and how the pandemic has opened the company up geographically. She touches on how her journey as a founder of a company and Instant Teams got started. She talks about the topic of mental health during the pandemic and alleviating the tendency of people overworking from home. Erica also mentions the importance of feedback and the InstantTeams’ recruiting process compared to other remote companies. She discusses the InstantTeams culture, their unique policy programs and how they get to know other coworkers while remaining remote. She ends with advice for young entrepreneurs, as well as the benefits of growing emotional intelligence.
On this episode of the BragWorthy Culture Podcast, Jordan talks with Kimberly Morgan, the COO of LendUp. Kimberly’s mission is to evolve the company's operations to match the growing needs and goals of the organization. With over two decades of experience driving operational excellence, she is smashing barriers by building high-performing, diverse teams that focus on cultural awareness to increase communication and collaboration through human connection.
Jordan and Kimberly talk about the challenges and ideas that COVID brought to the table, and how her conversations and expectations about COVID have changed within the year. Kimberly shares how she checks on her people, ensuring that she monitors behavior in addition to listening to how they are feeling via employee surveys. She mentions what feedback has been the most helpful during the pandemic, along with how they have turned feedback into action, creating trust between management and employees. Kimberly also discusses how to create an environment where people won’t omit critical feedback and tips on developing a work-from-home people-strategy as well as a self-serve workplace.
On this episode of the BragWorthy Culture Podcast, Jordan talks with Jennifer Garrison, Tinuiti’s Chief People Officer. Her talents lie in empowering culture and scaling organizations. Over the past 6 years, Jennifer has grown Tinuiti from a small agency of fewer than 100 employees to over 700.
Jordan and Jennifer discuss the impact of COVID-19 on the business and what ideas were produced during the pandemic. Jennifer says that people are focusing more on mental health and how creating a safe space for employees to share feelings is defeating the stigma. Jennifer speaks about how important employee feedback is and how creating fun activities where employees can interact over Zoom is a great way to come together. She also mentions how important equality is in the workforce and why creating a safe culture where employees also feel passionate about their work is important to her. She gives her input as to what’s coming next in the HR space and discusses her desire to get back to in-person work, as well as offering advice to start-up companies.
On this episode of the BragWorthy Culture Podcast, Jordan talks with Paul Hughes, the Senior Director of Employee Engagement at Noble Network of Charter Schools. Noble is a non-profit organization that runs 17 charter public high schools and one middle school in Chicago.
Jordan and Paul discuss how the business learned how to function during COVID-19 and ideas that have come out of pandemic times. Paul talks about the unique challenge of having to work over the internet and how to foster a positive environment virtually. They touch on why people would want to work at Noble, what he looks for when hiring new people and the importance of company culture for employees. Paul states how essential employee feedback is and how that feedback needs to be collected, heard and responded to. Paul also discusses what he has done since the pandemic to bring teachers and the Noble community together, and shares advice for people and new organizations trying to establish their goals and missions.
On this episode of The BragWorthy Culture Podcast, Jordan speaks with Karishma Patel Buford, the CPO at OppLoans. OppLoans powers banks to help middle-income, credit-challenged consumers gain access to credit. Karishma is responsible for setting up long-term visions, missions and an employee brand that will shape culture and fuel the next stage of business growth.
Jordan and Karishma talk about powerful ideas that came out of COVID-19 and how the pandemic highlighted the importance of flexibility and maintaining positive mental health. Karishma shares her interview and recruiting techniques, along with insight on creating and implementing an employee brand. They touch on how to deal with toxic traits in the workplace and how to create a genuine image of a company that includes both triumphs and downfalls. Karishma discusses how consumers care about how a company treats its employees and shares insight on how employees should be viewed as customers. She also mentions how important it is for a company to establish values and embed them through various parts of the company.
References:
Radical Candor Training
On the first episode of The BragWorthy Culture Podcast, Jordan talks with FarWell’s Head of Employee Experience, Nick Lombardino. Aside from employee experience, Nick has had multiple roles in marketing operations and client solutions, and he is also the co-founder of CultureCon.
Jordan and Nick talk about building and developing a positive company culture and environment, and how to thoughtfully include company attributes and values into experiences. They talk about how COVID-19 has impacted employee and company creative experiences and how to navigate through change without sacrificing company values. Nick also touches on the importance of employees utilizing restorative properties so work energy and efficiency can remain elevated.
References:
Side Kick