Good Morning, HR

In episode 86, Coffey talks with Dobrina Ustun about the nuts and bolts of sponsoring an employment visa and common challenges employers face. They discuss the considerations for sponsoring a work visa; misconceptions about hiring foreign employees; the process for employers to recruit foreign talent; the paperwork for lottery registration and the next steps once the employee is selected; the rule...

In episode 85, Coffey talks with Janette Levey about the intersection between the Americans with Disabilities Act and mental health. They discuss employers' responsibilities under ADA; the definition of "disability"; what constitutes "essential functions" and "reasonable accommodation"; important guidelines when inquiring about conditions or disabilities; the importance of following up with employ...

In episode 84, Coffey talks with Michael Kalt about the California labor law landscape and its influence on the rest of the US. They discuss the differences between California laws and the rest of the US; the California legislative cycle; what happened in 2022 that will roll out this year and how companies should prepare for it; bereavement leave; legal marijuana usage; paid sick leave; changes in...

In episode 83, Coffey talks with Dr. Jason Jones about what behavioral neuroscience teaches us about leadership. They discuss the role and definition of an organizational psychologist; what leaders need to understand about behavioral neuroscience; the three key areas of the brain for decision-making and thought processing relevant in the workplace; three behavioral principles for leaders to practi...

In episode 82, Coffey talks with Diane Gallo about people considerations for successful mergers and acquisitions. They discuss the inevitable change of culture that comes with a merger or acquisition; questions leaders in the acquiring company should ask; the importance that leaders acknowledge change; when and how to communicate with teams during a merger or acquisition; conversations to help ide...

In episode 81, Coffey talks with Christina Harbridge about storytelling as a tool for leaders to create engaging communication. They discuss the importance of authentic storytelling; the role of physiology in storytelling; the correlation between soothing mechanisms and innate talent; why leaders should engage in meaningful conversations and how to prepare for them; and the purpose of storytelling...

In episode 80, Coffey talks with Randy Anderson about confronting and managing underperformance. They discuss the spectrum of underperformance; managing underperformance; engagement and fulfillment in the workplace; how leaders can elevate employees; the importance of establishing job expectations early; which factors affect performance; the difference between skill and talent; the correlation bet...

In episode 79, Coffey talks with Deb Calvert about improving succession planning to identify and prepare future leaders. They discuss the problems with the 9-box model for succession planning; the challenge of objectively measuring potential; the risk of developing and losing talent;  how to improve the 9-box model; and effective ways to communicate succession planning to employees.  Read more abo...

In episode 78, Coffey talks with Matt Abel & Tommy Simmons about the 88th Texas Legislature’s possible impact on employers in Texas. They discuss the Texas Legislature’s calendar and the process of creating new laws; the Texas Association of Business’ role as the chief advocate for Texas businesses before the legislature; Tommy’s essential bill-tracking file and the role of the office of Aaron...

In episode 77, Coffey talks with Patrick Richter about paying your employees fairly and legally. They discuss significant changes in employment in the past three years; common mistakes employers make when it comes to exempt vs. non-exempt employees; the Hewitt v. Helix Fair Labor Standards Act case and other overtime pay regulations; the impact of non-delegation cases and challenges to the Chevron...

In episode 76, Coffey talks with Christopher Antone about preventing employment-related litigation. They discuss management's obligation to preserve a positive work relationship with employees;  "wrongful hiring" as a result of a rushed hiring process; the importance of engaging in performance conversations regularly; how to set expectations during the orientation period; retraining, coaching, and...

In episode 75, Coffey talks with Tony Bridwell about understanding culture from a perspective of storytelling to create a positive place to work. They discuss the most simple definition of culture; the do/get principal; how culture is constantly evolving; how organizational habit reflects culture; the importance of storytelling in defining and communicating culture; three questions to assess a com...

In episode 74, Coffey talks with Suzanne Lucas about the evolution of HR through the last three years and how to ask for what it needs in 2023. They discuss how the past three years, facing the pandemic and now a recession, have affected HR roles; the current influence of finance in HR; the correlation between transactional and strategic HR; how to build a business case for increasing HR investmen...

In episode 73, Coffey talks with Lisa Blanton about succession and career development planning for organizations of all sizes. They discuss the importance of long-term leadership planning to ensure successful transitions; what a succession plan looks like; why building a plan around the organization instead of building around roles is beneficial for the company long-term; how to identify talent wi...

In episode 72, Coffey kicks off a year-end series of conversations on New Year’s resolutions for people leaders. This week, he talks with Richard Medcalf about making time for strategic thinking throughout 2023. They discuss the difference between tactics and strategy; the challenges leaders face in setting aside time to think about strategy; Richard’s #1 key performance indicator for leaders; Ric...

In episode 71, Bruce Waller interviews Coffey on Bruce’s podcast, Life in the Leadership Lane. They talk about Coffey’s early career; the value of failure; understanding what is within our control; the value of mentors; the ingredients of success; second chance hiring; the importance of organizational values; the importance of being involved in professional associations; the value of surrounding y...

In episode 70, Coffey talks with Matt Zemon about the workplace implications of the use of ketamine and other psychedelics. They discuss the therapeutic use of ketamine; ongoing research on psychedelics’ effect on well being;  what employers should understand about ketamine and other psychedelics; what ketamine therapy entails; and the future of psychedelics as therapeutic tools. Good Morning, HR...

In episode 69, Coffey talks with Kevin Lashus about employment-based immigration. They discuss the relationship between education-based immigration and employment-based immigration; the most common types of employment-related visas; US annual limitations on work visas and the political reasons those limits haven’t increased since 1990; immigration’s impact on wages; how prevailing wages are determ...

In episode 68, Coffey talks with Shannon Duvall about the performance and cultural benefits of encouraging employees to pursue their philanthropic passions. They discuss employee's increasing interest in giving back to the community; aligning philanthropic activities to the organization's culture; different strategies to measure employee engagement and participation; how to respond and navigate ar...

In episode 67, Coffey talks with Jon Hyman about the reinvigorated union movement in the US. They discuss the main factors causing a renewed focus on unionization; how Gen-Z has been energized to pursue safe and fair workplace environments; the signs that employees are ready to unionize; the best way that employers can avoid unionization; actions employers should take when faced with an organizati...

In episode 66, Coffey talks with Dr. Whitnee Boyd about the power of identity and sense of belonging in the workplace. They discuss the differences between organizational culture and community; the role of identity in the workplace; how diversity and inclusion lead to a sense of belonging; the correlation between building a community and increasing productivity; how leaders can empower employees t...

In episode 65, Coffey talks with David Miklas about employers’ concerns about employees’ off-duty conduct. They discuss first amendment protections; protected concerted activity; addressing an employee’s Only Fans, social media, or other content that may “distract” coworkers; employer concerns with moonlighting; competing rights in the workplace; employee arrests; due process rights; the importanc...

In episode 64, Coffey talks with Mary Ann Fulgium about the legal and cultural implications of remote work. They discuss the value of collaboration and how it affects remote work environments; why employers are opting for hybrid work; what "hot desking" means; how recruiters are finding remote work a big condition for prospective employees; how remote work adjusts to exempt and non-exempt employee...

In episode 63, Coffey talks with Catherine Mattice about bullying and turning "toxic" management into successful leadership. They discuss the definition of a toxic work environment; the legal difference between bullying and harassment; different types of bullying behaviors; the importance of self-awareness and perception for leaders; how leaders can identify "fight or flight" behaviors in their em...

In episode 62, Coffey talks with Catherine Clifton about the link between new-hire orientation and employee engagement and retention.   They discuss the importance of the new-hire orientation; the role of HR during the onboarding process; adapting orientation to the organization; involvement and training of leaders in performance management; which issues are essential to discuss in new hire orient...