Good Morning, HR

In episode 276, Coffey talks with Scott Cawood, president and CEO of WorldatWork, about how work has changed and what leadership must do in response. This conversation happened before an executive track audience at The HRSouthwest Conference on October 13, 2026. ________________________ NEW! Read the Good Morning, HR Thursday News Brief for a quick rundown of HR-related news items that caught Mike...

In episode 275, Coffey talks with Amy McDowell and Sasha Vaikhman about resolving workplace conflict before it grows into a complaint, a resignation, or a lawsuit. ________________________ NEW! Sign up for the Good Morning HR Thursday News Brief to get a quick rundown of HR-related news items that caught Mike’s attention and read his take. Read this week’s and sign up for it here. ________________...

In episode 274, Coffey talks with Matt Taylor about how employers can use the data already sitting in their HR and payroll systems to reduce turnover, manage risk, and make better decisions. They discuss how HRIS platforms, automation, and AI have made workforce analytics accessible to employers with as few as 25 employees; the compliance failures and costly employee turnover that most often convi...

In episode 273, Coffey talks with Karissa Pfeffer about how perimenopause and menopause quietly drive attrition among experienced women and what employers can do to recognize, support, and retain them.   – HRSOUTHWEST October 11-13, 2026 – Good Morning, HR listeners can use the promo code 2026-CoffeyGMHR-100 to save $100 on an HRSouthwest full conference registration at https://hrsouthwest.com !  ...

In episode 272, Coffey talks with Amie Fox about inclusive recruitment as a skills-first strategy — and why getting disability inclusion right across the hiring lifecycle unlocks better outcomes for all types of diverse talent.   – HRSOUTHWEST October 11-13, 2026 –   Good Morning, HR listeners can use the promo code 2026-CoffeyGMHR-100 to save $100 on an HRSouthwest full conference registration at...

In episode 271, Coffey talks with Mallory Herrin about recent workplace news stories involving AI note-takers, executive accountability, sex discrimination, and performance feedback. –HRSOUTHWEST October 11-13, 2026 – Good Morning, HR listeners can use the promo code 2026-CoffeyGMHR-100 to save $100 on an HRSouthwest full conference registration at https://hrsouthwest.com!  _______________________...

In episode 270, Coffey talks with Mollie Campbell about how domestic abuse silently impacts the workplace and employers’ moral and business case for addressing it.  – HRSOUTHWEST October 11-13, 2026 –  Good Morning, HR listeners can use the promo code 2026-CoffeyGMHR-100 to save $100 on an HRSouthwest full conference registration at https://hrsouthwest.com !  ____________________________________ ...

In episode 269, Coffey talks with Clint Pulver about what 11,000 undercover employee interviews revealed about why people stay, why they leave, and what separates managers who are merely tolerated from the ones employees call mentors.  –  HRSOUTHWEST  October 11-13, 2026 –   Good Morning, HR listeners can use the promo code 2026-CoffeyGMHR-100 to save $100 on an HRSouthwest full conference registr...

In episode 268, Coffey talks with Jeff Lay about what it means to build a conflict-capable organization, why artificial harmony is more dangerous than open disagreement, and how leaders can develop the skills and culture needed to handle difficult conversations before they become expensive problems.  –  HRSOUTHWEST  October 11-13, 2026 –   Good Morning, HR listeners can use the promo code 2026-Cof...

In episode 267, Coffey talks with Catherine Clifton about AI-generated employee grievances, another lawsuit arising from a DEI training program, a Walgreens race and age discrimination case, and a Reddit scenario involving FMLA leave and workplace gossip.  They discuss the rise of AI-generated employee grievances citing nonexistent laws and containing factual errors, and how employers should respo...

In episode 266, Coffey talks with Brandon Sammut about how Zapier built its AI transformation from the inside out — and what HR leaders can learn from a fully remote, AI-native company that decided people and AI strategy belong in the same hands.    They discuss the evolution of the Chief People Officer role into a Chief People and AI Transformation Officer and why HR is uniquely positioned to lea...

In episode 265, Coffey talks with John Singleton about HR's long-standing identity crisis, the strategic skills the profession must develop to stay relevant, and how AI is reshaping both the work of HR and the way work itself gets done.    They discuss HR's decades-long reputation as a bureaucratic gatekeeper — from the 1996 Fortune critique through the 2025 revisit of "Why We Hate HR" — and what...

In episode 264, Coffey talks with Timothy State about the science of workforce wellbeing, why middle managers are the most at-risk population right now, and how AI-powered life quality companions are transforming the way organizations understand and support thriving at scale.    They discuss the five core dimensions of human wellbeing — physical and mental health, relationships, security, and mean...

 In episode 263, Coffey talks with Jimmy Taylor about the state of return-to-office, AI's real impact on workforce participation and HR practice, and why proactive networking and skills-based hiring matter more than ever.    They discuss CBRE data showing peak office utilization reaching 80% and the factors driving successful return-to-office adoption; the hidden financial costs employees bear whe...

In episode 262, Coffey talks with Randy Anderson about the critical differentiators for human performers in an AI-driven workplace.    They discuss AI's inevitability and its impact on task elimination versus full job replacement; the enduring human advantage in relational and interpersonal transactions that AI cannot replicate; emotional intelligence as a two-sided competency — reading others and...

For HR teams who discuss this podcast in their team meetings, we've created a discussion starter PDF to help guide your conversation. Download it here https://goodmorninghr.com/EP261     In episode 261, Coffey talks with Bernadette Jones about how leaders can identify, triage, and resolve workplace issues before they escalate into legal and cultural crises.    They discuss leader avoidance of diff...

In episode 260 Coffey talks with Gerald Maatman Jr. about reducing employment litigation risk in an increasingly complex legal environment.    They discuss the realities and limitations of at-will employment in modern workplaces; litigation avoidance strategies for business owners and HR leaders; how employers should evaluate settlement versus defense decisions; reverse discrimination and evolving...

In episode 259, Coffey talks with Meg Delp about workplace mental health, burnout prevention, and how employers can create psychologically safe cultures that support employee wellbeing and performance.    They discuss the growing awareness of workplace mental health and its impact on business outcomes; generational differences in expectations around employee wellbeing and psychological safety; car...

In episode 258, Coffey talks with Blair Doran about the “Great Flattening” of middle management, AI adoption in HR, and the thawing job market's impact on employee retention.    They discuss the Great Flattening and the causes of middle management cuts; the risk of losing institutional culture and coaching capacity when middle managers are eliminated; poor selection criteria for promoting individu...

In episode 257, Coffey talks with Elizabeth Ledoux about talent considerations in business succession planning.    They discuss why most succession plans fail because leaders ignore employee emotions and organizational culture; how owners and successors can align around a shared vision for the future of the company; the importance of involving employees early in transition conversations to reduce...

For HR teams who discuss this podcast in their team meetings, we've created a discussion starter PDF to help guide your conversation. Download it here https://goodmorninghr.com/EP252    In episode 256, Coffey talks with Leslie Speas about developing high-retention managers who improve employee engagement, accountability, trust, and workplace culture through intentional leadership habits.    They d...

In episode 255, Coffey talks with Teri Chilcoat about navigating and recovering from toxic workplace environments while building healthier organizational cultures.    They discuss defining toxic workplace dynamics beyond legal thresholds and into lived employee experience; recognizing psychological and physical symptoms of chronic workplace stress and burnout; understanding the toxic triangle of l...

In episode 254, Coffey talks with David Miklas about rapidly changing employment law trends surrounding DEI programs, EEOC enforcement priorities, workplace discrimination claims, AI risks in HR investigations, and the evolving legal landscape employers face in 2026.    They discuss the EEOC’s proposal to eliminate EEO-1 reporting requirements and how demographic data impacts systemic discriminati...

In episode 253, Coffey talks with Anthony Sork about how emotional attachment during onboarding shapes employee engagement, retention, and organizational performance.    They discuss the difference between employee attachment and employee engagement; how onboarding experiences create long-term emotional bonds with organizations; the role frontline managers play in employee retention and discretion...

In episode 252, Coffey talks with Beverly Parker about how recruiting and talent acquisition are evolving and why relationship-based recruiting still matters.    They discuss the shift from newspaper job ads, to Monster, to today’s AI-powered recruiting platforms; why “post and pray” or “post and spray” recruiting fails to attract high-quality passive candidates; how recruiters use professional ne...