Honest HR

How can you tell if you or a colleague is suffering from burnout? How do you then recover from and prevent it? Host Monique Akanbi dives into these questions with Deidre Gestrin, Founder at Abundant Wellness Essentials, Wellness Consultant, Author, and Trainer. From the individual to organizational level, Deidre shares actionable insights on how to manage burnout.  Episode Transcript This podcast...

Be a champion of change. Host Amber Clayton and Heather Hansen, CEO, Advocate to Win, discuss the three Cs of advocacy and how to wield the tools of a trial attorney to win over your leaders and colleagues to enact change.  Episode Transcript This podcast is approved to provide 0.5 PDCs toward SHRM-CP and SHRM-SCP recertification. Listen to the complete episode to get your activity ID at the end....

Equip yourself with the tools to handle microaggressions in the workplace whether you were the recipient, witness, or perpetrator. Hosts Monique Akanbi and Amber Clayton sat down with Eden-Reneé Hayes, CEO and Owner, Pluralism Solutions, at SHRM INCLUSION 2024 to dive into what microaggressions are, why it’s so important to combat them, and what HR professionals can do to minimize them.  Episode T...

Gen Z, the latest generation to enter the workforce, stands out from other generations. Hosts Wendy Fong and Monique Akanbi sit down with Keri Mesropov, Founder, Spring Talent Development, at SHRM INCLUSION 2024 to discuss considerations for Gen Z at work, the value they bring, and how HR professionals and leaders can best integrate them into the workforce. Episode transcript This podcast is appro...

All three Honest HR hosts Amber Clayton, Monique Akanbi, and Wendy Fong sit down at SHRM’s 2024 INCLUSION conference in Denver, Colorado to discuss their experiences, as well as their key takeaways and insights. Register for SHRM INCLUSION 2025 here. Episode transcript This podcast is approved for .5 PDCs toward SHRM-CP and SHRM-SCP recertification. Listen to the complete episode to get your activ...

The discussion around FMLA continues as host Amber Clayton and Helen Applewhaite, Director, Division of FMLA and Other Labor Standards, U.S. Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division, dive into specific scenarios and whether they qualify for FMLA. They also cover how the U.S. Department of Labor can help you stay in compliance with FMLA. Watch part one here. Episode transcript This podcast is ap...

Get answers to your most common FMLA questions from an expert. Host Amber Clayton and Helen Applewhaite, Director, Division of FMLA and Other Labor Standards, U.S. Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division, discuss what scenarios qualify for FMLA, certification requirements, how to stay in compliance with FMLA, and pitfalls to avoid. Episode transcript This podcast is approved for 0.5 PDCs towar...

For Domestic Violence Awareness month, host Wendy Fong sits down with Carmen Aliber, Director of HR at Dexter Southfield, to discuss how domestic violence and abuse can affect both employees and employers. Carmen defines abuse, dispels misconceptions, and offers insights and strategies as to how HR professionals can prevent, identify, and address domestic violence and abuse in the workplace.  This...

On this special episode of Honest HR, Hosts Amber Clayton and Wendy Fong discuss “HR Horror Stories” directly from SHRM’s Knowledge Center. From natural disasters to harassment to cybersecurity and more, learn how to navigate some of these spooky situations.  Episode transcript This podcast is approved for 0.5 professional development credits toward SHRM-CP and SHRM-SCP recertification. Listen to...

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