Good Morning, HR

In episode 36, Coffey talks with psychiatrist Brian Dixon about the pandemic’s ongoing impact on employee mental health. They discuss the difference between a family doctor, a psychiatrist, and psychologist, and a bartender; medical practice entrepreneurship choices; the surprising benefits of delivering psychological services over the internet; the psychological impact of the pandemic’s prolonged...

In episode 35, Coffey talks with Leslie Scott of Mother Parker’s Tea and Coffee about Covid’s ongoing impact on the manufacturing environment. Throughout the pandemic, Mother Parker’s was unique in that they never had to shut down a worksite. Coffey and Leslie discuss the components of Mother Parker’s crisis management planning and how it has evolved over the past two years, including how they pra...

In episode 34 of Good Morning, HR, Coffey talks with Kara Kelley about how medical and dental practice management has changed during the pandemic. They discuss initial responses to Covid, the challenges of implementing new safety protocols, employee retention, and operating medical practices on significantly reduced margins. They also discuss how practices can address employee retention challenges...

In episode 33, Coffey talks with Ira Wolfe about the pandemic’s ongoing impact on recruiting and retaining employees, which Ira calls the “never normal.” They discuss what successful employers did early in the pandemic and where others struggled; how technology has helped and hurt employer-employee relationships; the importance of workforce adaptability in the future; preparing for continuing labo...

In episode 32, Coffey talks with Jonathan Goldhill about the challenges and strategies of managing family-owned businesses. They discuss the entrepreneurial journey; transitioning ownership of businesses to the next generation; leadership challenges family-owned businesses often face; the importance of systems and processes and the Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS); the role of disruptive suc...

Coffey talks with executive coach and consultant Richard Medcalf about strategy, leadership, and purpose. They discuss the the three components of leadership; the commitments required for successful teams; leadership as a skill, not just an inherent trait; strategy vs. “smatergy”; keeping leaders focused on strategy rather than “managing infinity,” and four conversations every leadership team need...

Coffey talks with HR consultant and author Mallory Herrin about terminating employees; the problems with delaying the decision; the importance of documentation; and how to prepare for and carry out the termination conversation. Good Morning, HR is brought to you by Imperative—premium background checks with fast and friendly service . For more information about our commitment to quality and excelle...

Coffey discusses public-sector HR management and how it differs from the private-sector with attorney Julia Gannaway. They discuss the impact of the Fourth and Fifth Amendments to the US Constitution; drug testing of government employees; and federal employment laws that don’t apply to public-sector employers. They also discuss documenting employment actions in an environment where most records ar...

Coffey visits with attorney Vianei Braun about Texas’ revised handgun law’s implications for businesses. They discuss the history of Texas’ handgun license-to-carry statutes; the amended law, which no longer requires a license to carry a handgun in the state; reasons why individuals may still choose to obtain a license; signage requirements for businesses who wish to control who carries a handgun...

Coffey discusses workplace mentor relationships with Garrett Mintz, a drug dealer-turned-business leader who works with companies to build their culture. They discuss the impact of mentors in Garrett’s life; his unique definition of “mentor”; what industrial psychology reveals about how to create effective mentor relationships; why mentor relationships based on hierarchies are often ineffective; h...

Johnette Van Eeden and Mike Coffey discuss how employers’ attitudes toward employee wellness has changed over the last two decades due to changes in financial incentives, regulations making outcome-based programs more difficult for employers to implement, and healthcare reform. They also talk about how an employer can establish a baseline for measuring their employee population’s health and interv...

Understanding a business’ finances is fundamental to being a successful leader. In this conversation with Greg Crabtree, author of Simple Numbers and Simple Numbers 2.0, Coffey explores the key concepts business leaders—and especially human resources leaders—need to understand in order to measure financial success. They discuss what Greg calls “the most important number in business” (more importan...

With all the talk of the Great Resignation, some companies are actually laying off people and today’s guest, Brian Hinchliffe, helps those professionals navigate the recruitment landscape. In his conversation with Mike, Brian asserts that, at least in the case of his job-seeker clients, expectations haven’t changed: they are looking for positions where they can grow professionally. They talk about...

Coffey visits with Kristi Spaethe about having awkward but necessary conversations in the workplace.   They discuss the challenges leaders face in giving honest feedback, ways to manage the fears such conversations bring, the mistake of being too nice in these conversations, and the trap of sandwiching feedback with compliments.   They also talk about the importance of addressing issues a timely m...

In this episode, Coffey and Cheri Garcia, who runs Cornbread Hustle--a staffing firm specializing in helping former offenders find work--discuss hiring individuals with criminal histories. They discuss how Cheri's own experience with substance abuse led to her own downfall, how she turned her life around, and what employers can learn from her experience and the successes of other employers who've...

Diversity is a hot topic for employers today. Not only are businesses trying to diversify their employee population, they’re trying to develop services and products for specific demographics of their consumer population, as well. Our guest today insists that a diverse employee population will help a business serve a diverse consumer population. About our Guest: In 2020, Dion was announced to be th...

Many managers often have WTF moments.  We give someone instructions as to what we want them to do and then, though some sort of ninja-esque mental gymnastics, they manage to do something completely different than what we expected. What are they thinking?!  Are they really that stupid? My guest today says this behavior—on both the part of the manager and the employee—is a common part of our wiring...

The last couple years have been full of monkeys flinging poo at businesses’ reputations. Companies’ response to Covid last spring – do we go remote or do we stay in the office? How do we coordinate our decision with customers, employees, and other stakeholders? Do we make commitments to returning to the office? Then, George Floyd was murdered on May 25th. Many companies rightly condemned his killi...

If there is one thing that almost all employees and managers agree is broken in many workplaces, it is performance management. In many organizations, the lack of mutually understood expectations, inconsistent feedback, performance improvement plans, and the dreaded annual performance review often hinder rather than facilitate individual’s success. Beyond that, poor performance management is often...

In this episode, Mike talks to personal security expert Jeff McKissack about violence inside and outside of the workplace and a few simple tools employers can share with employees to help them avoid violent crime and exploitation. They discuss the leading source of violence in the workplace, the importance of situational awareness, and what employers should be doing to mitigate some of the damage...

Today I discuss workplace investigations with employment law attorney Dan Stern. We discuss when a complaint warrants an investigation, how to determine who should conduct an investigation, and dealing with complainants, witnesses, and the accused. It is an interesting conversation with takeaways for those conducting their first investigation and seasoned workplace Columbos. About our Guest: Dan S...

Given the hot mess that 2020 delivered, perhaps it is no surprise that 2021 has been the year of the Covid vaccine controversy. Some employees are afraid to work alongside unvaccinated coworkers while others are refusing to get vaccinated. In this episode, Mike talks to employment law attorney Paul Simon about Covid vaccine mandates, addressing vaccine hesitancy, and potential employer liability f...

More than ever, employers are struggling with employee engagement.  Some businesses claim that remote employees are harder to manage and many surveys indicate that remote employees feel disengaged from their peers and their companies. But when they’ve tried to return to in-person workplaces, they’ve received pushback. Since the beginning of the pandemic, I’ve argued that organizations with effecti...

On September 1, 2021, three major changes to the Texas Commission on Human Rights Act went into effect. These changes give those who have been the victims of sexual harassment in the workplace many more litigation options under Texas law.  Previous Good Morning, HR guest attorney Jim Zadeh calls these changes "gold" for plaintiffs. Today's guest agrees that these changes will necessitate changes t...

In this episode, we continue to explore the hot topic of what the workplace will look like in the coming months and years.  Many business leaders are making decisions based on their past experiences, their individual leadership styles, and their beliefs about what the world of work SHOULD look like. In other words, they’re “following their gut.” But in doing so, it seems to me that they risk makin...