Primal HR Podcast

What happens when HR professionals drop the script and just have some fun? In this season one finale, Terry Smith and Leslie Lulham take a break from traditional HR topics and dive into a candid, fast paced conversation that highlights the human side of work. This episode features a mix of workplace insights, personal stories, and rapid fire questions that reveal how HR leaders really think about...

Is artificial intelligence shaping hiring decisions more than companies realize? In this Primal HR HOT TAKE , Terry Smith and Leslie Lulham break down a major legal case involving Workday and what it could mean for the future of hiring. The conversation centers on a lawsuit alleging that AI driven applicant tracking systems may be screening out candidates, particularly older applicants, without me...

Should your company hire an in-house HR leader or work with a fractional HR consultant? Terry Smith and Leslie Lulham break down the differences, costs, and real world use cases to help businesses make the right decision. For many small businesses and startups, hiring a full-time HR leader may not be necessary or financially practical. Fractional HR offers an alternative, giving companies access t...

Do exit interviews actually matter, or are they just a formality on the way out the door? Terry Smith and Leslie Lulham break down how exit interviews and exit surveys really work and why honest feedback can make a difference. Exit interviews are designed to capture feedback from employees who are leaving an organization. In theory, they offer a valuable opportunity for HR teams to understand what...

Why does HR have a reputation as the villain in the workplace? Terry Smith and Leslie Lulham break down where that perception comes from and what HR professionals are actually responsible for behind the scenes. HR teams are often the ones delivering difficult conversations, including performance feedback, policy enforcement, and employee terminations. These moments shape how employees view HR, but...

In this episode of Primal HR, Terry Smith and Leslie Lulham dig deeper into the risks and blind spots of artificial intelligence in the workplace and why HR leaders must approach AI with caution. While AI tools can be powerful, they lack human context, cultural understanding, and nuance. Terry and Leslie discuss how bias shows up in prompts and outputs, why AI sometimes fabricates convincing but f...

In this episode of Primal HR, Terry Smith and Leslie Lulham explore how artificial intelligence is actually being used in HR and where teams need to slow down and proceed with caution. AI can dramatically speed up work like writing job descriptions, drafting policies, analyzing HR data, researching compensation, and creating employee communications. But it also comes with real risks, including hal...

In this episode of Primal HR, Terry Smith and Leslie Lulham tackle one of the most widespread and least openly discussed challenges in today’s workplace: loneliness and mental health. Loneliness affects every generation in different ways and has a direct impact on productivity, engagement, and overall well-being. Terry and Leslie explore why this issue accelerated during the pandemic, how remote a...

In this episode of Primal HR, Terry Smith and Leslie Lulham continue the networking conversation by breaking down how to build professional connections without feeling awkward, transactional, or fake. Why do so many outreach messages get ignored? Why does networking feel uncomfortable for most people? And what actually makes someone respond? Terry and Leslie share practical, human-first strategies...

In this episode of Primal HR, Terry Smith and Leslie Lulham break down what the 2026 job market really looks like — and why traditional online applications aren’t working for most job seekers. With thousands of applicants per role, overwhelmed recruiters, and AI-driven screening tools, simply submitting resumes is no longer enough. Terry and Leslie explain why referrals remain the most reliable pa...

In this Primal HR Hot Take , Terry Smith and Leslie Lulham react to SHRM’s $11.5 million lawsuit involving harassment, discrimination, and wrongful termination inside its own organization. They unpack the hypocrisy, leadership failures, Glassdoor reviews, and what this moment means for HR credibility, culture, and accountability.

In this episode of Primal HR , Terry Smith and Leslie Lulham move beyond the doom and gloom of return-to-office mandates and focus on what actually works. They explore practical benefits, flexible policies, commuter support, office amenities, and people-first strategies that can make RTO more humane, effective, and sustainable for both employees and employers.

In this episode, Terry Smith and Leslie Lulham explore why return-to-office mandates are failing, how they impact employee experience, and what HR leaders need to consider when shaping RTO policies that actually work.

Hosts Terry Smith and Leslie Lulham introduce Primal HR , a new podcast focused on HR, leadership, and workplace culture from the human side. In this pilot, they explain the show’s purpose, their perspectives, and what listeners can expect in upcoming episodes.