Honest HR

October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month, so in this episode of Honest HR, host Monique Akanbi sits down with Jhillika Kumar, CEO and Founder of Mentra—a neurodiversity employment network—to discuss how HR professionals can support neurodiversity in their workplaces. Jhillika offers insight into the value of hiring neurodiverse employees, as well as common misconceptions around ne...

Host Monique Akanbi sits down with culture architect Tony Moore to discuss what makes a good boss. Tony offers insights into the best mindset for leading a team and what leaders at every level can do to set their employees and business up for success. This podcast is approved for 0.5 PDCs toward SHRM-CP and SHRM-SCP recertification. Listen to the complete episode to get your activity ID at the end...

Host Wendy Fong is joined by Sonia Aranza, Global Diversity & Inclusion Strategist and International Speaker, to discuss the loneliness epidemic and belonging in the workplace. They uncover the biggest contributing factors to the loneliness epidemic, the importance of a human-centered mindset, and how a sense of belonging is key to business success. Episode transcript Earn 0.5 SHRM PDC for listeni...

During a contentious election year in the United States, political activity in the workplace has become a gray area for many working professionals. Host Amber Clayton and SHRM Knowledge Advisors Jennifer Chang and Rue Dooley discuss how to navigate these potentially tumultuous waters both as an employer and employee. Episode transcript Earn 0.5 SHRM PDC for listening to this podcast; all details p...

Host Wendy Fong discusses open enrollment season and benefits trends with Lois Glasgow, compensation manager at TerrAscend, who has over 25 years of experience in global employee benefits and compensation. Lois offers insights into which benefits are in-demand and provides expert advice on how to prepare for open enrollment season as an HR professional.  Episode transcript Earn 0.5 SHRM PDC for li...

In the midst of an election year, political tensions are running high everywhere, and the workplace is no exception. Employees are likewise coming to work with their political views top of mind, which they don’t always share or express with civility and respect. In this episode of Honest HR, host Amber Clayton is joined by SHRM Chief of Staff, Emily M. Dickens, and SHRM Senior Researcher Derrick S...

If your organization is open for business, acquiring and retaining talent is a perpetual concern, and the benefits, resources and experiences available to your employees all play a part determining whether they stay or go. In this episode of Honest HR, host Amber Clayton speaks with Rose Ann Garza, CHRO of Texas restaurant chain Kerbey Lane, about the practical approaches the restaurant group util...

Body odor. Bad breath. Toenail clippings. While these examples are all part of being human, they sometimes find their way into the world of work, and bringing with them uncomfortable, disruptive scenarios that encroach on the workplace as a professional environment. While there are no laws or regulations for addressing these kinds of issues, in this episode of Honest HR, host Amber Clayton is join...

If you haven’t already heard, Ted Lasso star Jason Sudeikis is joining the Main Stage at SHRM’s Annual Conference and Expo in Chicago, June 23rd through 26th. In anticipation of the event, motivational speaker and Ted Lasso super fan Jeff Harry joins host Monique Akanbi for a discussion of the show and accompanying takeaways for creating positive workplace cultures on topics including leadership s...

Employee mental health is a subject that has been top of mind since the pandemic, but both employers and employees frequently have questions about how to best accommodate mental health conditions in the workplace. In this episode of Honest HR, host Amber Clayton is joined by Melanie Whetzel, principal consultant with the Job Accommodation Network (JAN), to provide answers to some of the most frequ...

Empathy is the ability to understand and share the feelings, perspectives, or experiences of another person, and for workplace leaders, empathy is a communication skill that helps transform debates into conversations premised on understanding of shared experiences. In this episode of Honest HR, host Monique Akanbi is joined by workplace consultant and Ellequate founder/CEO Nicole Armstrong to disc...

Civility is a cornerstone of workplace culture that allows people and businesses to thrive by fostering respect and empathy among everyone. However, according to SHRM research, U.S. workers report that incivility is increasingly prevalent in their workplaces. In this episode of Honest HR, host Wendy Fong speaks with TrainXtra Chief Civility Officer Sejal Thakkar about her framework for helping org...

AI represents the next wave of technological advancement for society, and is expected to transform how work gets done across every industry. In this episode of Honest HR, SHRM CHRO Jim Link, SHRM-SCP, joins host Monique Akanbi to discuss everything HR professionals and business leaders should know about AI and integrating it into their organizations. Earn 0.75 SHRM PDC for listening to this podcas...

Workplace romance: It’s complicated. But it happens, and employers need to know how to deal with it. In this episode of Honest HR, host Amber Clayton is joined by SHRM researcher Casey Sword to present the findings from her work on SHRM’s latest research in the area of workplace romance, share real stories related to romance in the workplace, and discuss how HR professionals should handle them. Ea...

We live in the age of data, and everything important to an organization’s people management function gets measured. In this episode of Honest HR, host Wendy Fong speaks with Dr. Milton J. Perkins, Senior Vice President at ActOne Government Solutions, about the transformative potential of people analytics, their role in helping HR professionals create workplaces where employees genuinely want to be...

In this episode of Honest HR, hosts Amber Clayton, Wendy Fong and Monique Akanbi come together to look back on the biggest HR and workplace trends of 2023, and look ahead with their expectations for 2024. Earn 0.5 SHRM PDC for listening; details on claiming your credit are provided in-episode. Episode transcript

In this episode of Honest HR, host Amber Clayton and SHRM Knowledge Center Advisors Robyn Hopper and Rue Dooley continue with Part 2 of their two-part mini-series of listener-submitted stories of bad bosses, give more advice on handling problematic people managers, and close out the session with a set of redeeming stories of outstanding bosses who were there for their employees in amazing ways. Ea...

If you’ve ever had a bad boss, not only did they make work miserable, but also probably gave you a good story to tell later on. In this episode of Honest HR, host Amber Clayton is joined by SHRM Knowledge Center Advisors Robyn Hopper and Rue Dooley to read listener-submitted stories of bad bosses, identify their problematic behaviors, and give advice on solving for them in your workplace. Earn 1.2...

As both laws and attitudes toward marijuana continue to change, the question for employers is likewise, “Then how does my organization’s HR and approaches to people management need to change?”. In this episode of Honest HR, host Amber Clayton is joined by Holland & Knight attorneys Dana Feinstein and Travis Nelson, who provide insights and guidance for employers navigating the complex issues surro...

Generative AI programs (like ChatGPT) have tremendous potential to deliver new efficiencies and capabilities to the workplace, but what do these new tools mean for HR, both in using them, and the myriad of concerns they raise? In this episode of Honest HR, host Wendy Fong speaks with Karl Ahlrichs, Senior Consultant at Gregory & Appel, on how HR professionals can use AI ethically and responsibly,...

Known for their focus on providing quality educational experiences to adult learners, the University of Phoenix wanted to learn more and provide resources to another core group of enrolled students: Individuals with disabilities.  In this episode of Honest HR, host Wendy Fong speaks with Kelly Hermann, Vice President of Accessibility, Equity & Inclusion at the University of Phoenix, to discuss:  ...

Previously brought to the spotlight by the pandemic, organizations’ prioritizing employee mental health and wellness reflects its ongoing importance to employers and employees alike.   But what does the work of creating workplace cultures of mental health and wellness actually entail?  In this episode of Honest HR, host Amber Clayton speaks with Rich Safeer, M.D., Chief Medical Director of Employe...

A good mentor/mentee relationship creates a safe, nonjudgmental space to provide guidance and advice, and that’s just as true for mentorships dedicated to the HR profession. In this episode of Honest HR, host Monique Akanbi is joined by Sheila Thomas and Firdosh Bhathena, a real-life HR mentor/mentee pair, to share their HR mentorship story, discuss why mentorship is important in an HR career, and...

Occurrences of unequal pay between employees with the same qualifications, experience and job responsibilities continue to have a problematic presence in the workplace, and likewise reflect longstanding wage gaps between men, women and people of color. In this episode of Honest HR, host Amber Clayton speaks with SHRM CHRO Jim Link about the importance of pay equity and ensuring fair and equal pay...

Managing employee attendance is challenging: Employers and people managers need to know not only if employees are showing up to work, but also what to do if they don’t. In this episode of Honest HR, host Amber Clayton speaks with SHRM Knowledge Advisors Barbara Holland and Julie Schweber about handling scenarios such as fishy doctors’ notes, no call/no shows, and above all, the importance of getti...