The HR Hub

Too often, people blame workplace problems on another generation. Baby Boomers won't change. Gen X is disengaged. Millennials are needy. Gen Z won't work hard. I have always wondered if this was mostly wrong. And... it is. Generational researcher Cam Marston has spent decades studying how different age groups work together, and he joined me to bust some myths. In this conversation, we get into wha...

Are reference checks worth the effort? Most HR professionals have never actually changed a hiring decision based on a reference check. So are we wasting our time, or are we doing wrong? James Lord has spent 10 years in the reference checking industry and argues we're missing the point entirely. Instead of using references to confirm decisions we've already made, he explains how to turn them into a...

As an HR Consultant I'm commonly asked "how much severance should I pay?" and the answer is it depends and maybe you should consult a lawyer. This episode is for Americans. I spoke with employment lawyer Leah Stiegler from Woods Rogers who outlined what drives severance decisions in America. We cover the critical difference between what you're legally required to pay (often nothing) and what makes...

Have you ever wondered why payroll seems so inflexible? Even annoying? Or why they seem to get upset over minor things? I certainly have. Steven Van Alstine from the National Payroll Institute joined me to break down the typical relationship between HR and payroll departments. And, of course, give us advice. In this episode: The hidden complexity behind what looks like "just pressing a button" Why...

The hybrid work debate isn't going away, so we need to consider the research. Most companies sent people home during the pandemic and didn't do much to support a different work style. And they haven't fixed this post-pandemic either. Spoiler alert: it's not working. Dr. Peter Cappelli, Director of Wharton's Centre for Human Resources, and workplace strategist Dr. Ranya Nehmeh joined me to discuss...

Is AI in recruiting revolutionizing or just hype? Matt Alder, talent acquisition futurist and host of the top 1.5% Recruiting Future podcast, separates fact from fiction in this conversation about what AI can actually do for your hiring process right now. If you've been wondering whether the hype is worth paying attention to - or if you're tired of vendors promising AI will solve all your hiring p...

Is AI going to replace your entire workforce or transform how we perform talent management. To some degree? The answer is more nuanced than the extreme hype would suggest. Dr. Reece Akhtar, organizational psychologist and CEO of Deeper Signals, cut through the hype to talk about what's actually happening in talent management. As someone who teaches at NYU and writes for Forbes and Harvard Business...

60% of people have been in a workplace romance - and 43% of those apparently end in marriage! So maybe we shouldn't be trying so hard to prevent them? But we should take precautions. Management-side attorney Leah Stiegler from Woods Rogers joined me to discuss the messiest workplace romance situations she's encountered (think: affairs, stalking, and executives caught on video with prostitutes). Mo...

I always wondered if my workaholic dad's habits were healthy. Or if he was driven by the urge to be a dedicated provider? Turns out there's a big difference between working hard and being a workaholic - and workaholics could be costing organizations. Dr. Catherine Connelly from McMaster University is shared more eye-opening research on an HR topics - this time workaholism and the connection to wor...

So I just learned about PEOs (Professional Employer Organizations) and these are so well established in the USA but news to me! Paul Aemisegeo from Payroll Mart gave me the straight talk on what PEOs actually do versus what they promise to do. If you're a smaller organization dealing with expensive health insurance, multi-state compliance headaches, or just trying to offer competitive benefits wit...

Most retention strategies are just expensive band-aids. This week I spoke with Dr. Roger Gerard, who spent 23 years as Chief Learning Officer in healthcare and has a refreshingly simple perspective on how to keep people around. Roger breaks it down to five promises that leaders need to make - and more importantly, keep. Those promises have to do with listening with respect, helping people grow, he...

How does HR impact a company's sale price? Lindsay Osmond, former VP of HR and current business optimization expert, discusses the role HR plays in making companies 'sellable'. From employment contract liabilities to cultural red flags that derail deals, Lindsay explains what buyers really look at when they are making a decision. The information she shares can help position you as a strategic busi...

You've invested in coaching training for your managers. You've rolled out the initiative company-wide. So why does it still feel like you're pushing a boulder uphill? HR consultant Debbie Pearmain has spent 25 years watching organizations struggle with this exact problem. In this episode, she reveals the uncomfortable truth: most coaching cultures fail because companies are only training half the...

Is your organization ready for the impact of AI? In this both reassuring and alarming episode I spoke with Ross Sparkman, Senior Director of Workforce Strategy at Walmart and author of "Strategic Workforce Planning," to address one of the biggest concerns facing HR at the moment. Ross brings his wealth of experience from roles at Meta and Nike to shed light on how AI will transform the workplace—n...

Should you abandon DEI? A research-based perspective on navigating current pressures. Companies are being told to cancel DEI programs, wipe them from websites, and pretend structural barriers don't exist. But what if you believe these initiatives are important for your hiring market and your values? Dr. Catherine Connelly, HR professor and researcher, joins me to discuss the real-world pressures H...

We've been thinking about motivation all wrong in HR. After 23 years as a Chief Learning Officer in healthcare, Dr. Roger Gerard reveals why traditional motivation tactics actually backfire - and shares what leaders should do instead. If you've ever wondered why your recognition programs aren't working, why throwing money at retention problems doesn't stick, or how to actually engage your team wit...

You've been asked to facilitate a meeting? Chances are you learned by trial and error (like most of us)! In this episode, I sit down with professional facilitator Robin Parsons of Parsons to demystify what makes group discussions actually work. Robin shares how she spends 1-2 hours preparing for EVERY hour of facilitation—proving that great facilitation isn't magic, it's methodical. We dig into th...

After 4.5 years of hosting the HR Hub and hitting nearly 10,000 subscribers, I'm sharing a few insights that have shaped how I think about HR practice. This solo episode breaks down seven critical lessons I've learned from interviewing over 150 HR experts - and some of these might challenge how you practice! From the hard truth about why HR programs get cut to the business development skills you a...

Are your engagement initiatives actually working? In this refreshing and funny take , HR consultant Debbie Pearmain cuts through the fluff and reveals what actually moves the needle on employee engagement after 25 years in the field. Discover why your managers have an 80% impact on engagement success, why third-party surveys show dramatically different results than internal ones, and the science b...

Ever notice how we train leaders to give feedback but rarely teach them how to receive it? Also: did you know 70% of people feel uncomfortable receiving feedback, and 37% avoid it altogether? If you've ever felt that pit in your stomach when someone says "Can I give you some feedback?" you know what I am talking about. This episode got personal because I am definitely in the 70%. Pam Schmidt and O...

Feeling overwhelmed by workplace challenges? This episode delivers practical resilience strategies for HR professionals juggling strategic initiatives with daily operational demands. Resilience expert Beverly Beuermann-King breaks down her SOS framework (Situation, Ourselves, Support) and shares 10 key traits that help you bounce back from setbacks. Learn to identify your specific stress triggers,...

Ever had an employee claim they're underpaid compared to the market? In this episode, I chat with compensation expert Carolyn Kildare about the nuts and bolts of effective salary benchmarking. We dive into how to respond when employees bring outside salary data to you, where to find reliable compensation surveys, and how to build credibility in your benchmarking process. Carolyn shares practical w...

Is your L&D team flying blind? In this episode, I sit down with edtech strategist and author Lori Niles-Hofmann to unpack why data-driven learning design is a game-changer for HR professionals. Lori reveals how borrowing tactics from marketing can transform training effectiveness and explains her practical "duct tape approach" for organizations without perfect data systems. We explore everything f...

Let's plan for 5 years down the road with a thousand moving pieces - many of which you have zero control over. That's strategic workforce planning. I have had a growing interest in workforce planning with the rise of AI. I don't want to be doing miserable HR - like mass layoffs when you didn't plan for the shift in 30% of tasks to AI. My guest this week, Ross Sparkman, has literally wrote the book...

80% are just fine, 15% skirt the edges, and 5% are evil. The latter 20% explain why compliance is such a big thing in HR. Anyone who follows my show closely knows I am interested in understanding the impact of power. I spoke with Dr. Catherine Connelly who is an expert in HR and in Canada's temporary foreign worker (TFW) program. The TFW program, arguably, represents one of the greatest power imba...