The Employee Help Desk with Susan Mahaffee

This episode is part of a special series tied to Susan Mahaffee’s bestselling book, When People Rise: HR Secrets for Small Business Growth, Success, and Legacy (now available on Amazon). The book features 21 experts sharing stories and practical tools to help leaders build stronger, people-centered workplaces. This series highlights each co-author’s perspective and how their insights can be applie...

This episode is part of a special series tied to Susan Mahaffee’s bestselling book, When People Rise: HR Secrets for Small Business Growth, Success, and Legacy (now available on Amazon). The book features 21 experts sharing stories and practical tools to help leaders build stronger, people-centered workplaces. This series highlights each co-author’s perspective and how their insights can be applie...

This episode is part of a special series tied to Susan Mahaffee’s bestselling book, When People Rise: HR Secrets for Small Business Growth, Success, and Legacy (now available on Amazon). The book features 21 experts sharing stories and practical tools to help leaders build stronger, people-centered workplaces. This series highlights each co-author’s perspective and how their insights can be applie...

This episode is part of a special series tied to Susan Mahaffee’s bestselling book, When People Rise: HR Secrets for Small Business Growth, Success, and Legacy (now available on Amazon). The book features 21 experts sharing stories and practical tools to help leaders build stronger, people-centered workplaces. This series highlights each co-author’s perspective—focusing on how their insights can b...

This episode is part of a special series tied to Susan Mahaffee’s bestselling book, When People Rise: HR Secrets for Small Business Growth, Success, and Legacy (available on Amazon). The book features 21 experts sharing stories and practical tools to help leaders build stronger, people-centered workplaces. This series highlights each co-author’s perspective, focusing on how their insights can be a...

This episode is part of a special series tied to Susan Mahaffee’s Amazon Best Seller, When People Rise: HR Secrets for Small Business Growth, Success, and Legacy (now available on Amazon). The book features 21 experts sharing stories and practical tools to help leaders build stronger, people-centered workplaces. This series highlights each co-author’s perspective—focusing on how their insights can...

This episode continues a special series tied to Susan Mahaffee’s upcoming collaborative book, When People Rise: HR Secrets for Small Business Growth, Success, and Legacy (available April 21, 2026). The book features 21 experts sharing stories and practical tools to help leaders build stronger, people-centered workplaces. This series highlights each co-author’s perspective—focusing on how their ins...

This episode is part of a special series tied to Susan Mahaffee’s upcoming collaborative book, When People Rise: HR Secrets for Small Business Growth, Success, and Legacy (available April 21, 2026). The book features 21 experts sharing stories and practical tools to help leaders build stronger, people-centered workplaces. This series highlights each co-author’s perspective—focusing on how their in...

This episode continues a special series tied to Susan Mahaffee’s upcoming collaborative book, When People Rise: HR Secrets for Small Business Growth, Success, and Legacy (available April 21, 2026). The book brings together 22 experts, each sharing a story and practical tools to help leaders build stronger, more people-centered workplaces. As the lead author, Susan partnered with voices across HR,...

This episode kicks off a special series tied to Susan Mahaffee’s upcoming collaborative book, When People Rise: HR Secrets for Small Business Growth, Success, and Legacy (available April 21, 2026 on Amazon and Kindle). The book features 21 experts, each sharing a personal story and practical tool to help leaders build stronger workplaces. As lead author, Susan brings together voices across HR, lea...

Many small business owners start their business because they're great at what they do—but no one prepares them for the people side of leadership. In this episode of The Employee Help Desk, Susan breaks down why employee challenges often become the biggest obstacle for growing businesses. From unclear expectations to avoiding hard conversations, many leaders find themselves overwhelmed by the const...

Yes, it's March. And yes — I'm still saying Happy New Year. Because if you're a business owner, you know the calendar doesn't run your life. In this episode, I'm sharing what I see coming in 2026 for small businesses and leaders: AI acceleration, increasing automation, manager pressure, declining psychological safety, rising workplace conflict, and renewed compliance crackdowns — especially around...

This summer gave me an unplanned leadership reset — from a once-in-a-lifetime trip overseas with my family, to unexpected foot surgery, to a piña colada moment in Jamaica that outed me on a client call. Each experience reminded me how much perspective and time management matter when it comes to leading with clarity. 🔑 What You'll Learn: Why pauses — forced or chosen — are critical to leadership c...

Promoting someone doesn't make them a leader. And waiting until you need someone to lead is too late. In this episode of The Employee Help Desk, we're talking about the high cost of skipping leadership training — and why investing in new and emerging managers is the #1 thing you should be doing to protect your people, performance, and culture. I'll share practical tools, real data, and one simple...

Today's episode is inspired by a listener-submitted question—and wow, it's a juicy one. You may have seen the viral moment at a Coldplay concert that turned into a full-blown HR scandal. Yes, this really happened. And yes, this is why The Employee Help Desk exists. We're unpacking the moment that sent shockwaves through the business and HR worlds—and pulling out powerful lessons for leaders, entre...

When your business or nonprofit grows, the way decisions get made can't stay the same—but shifting from group input to clearer leadership calls isn't always easy. People get left out. Feelings get hurt. And if you're not careful, things start falling through the cracks. In this episode, we're breaking down exactly how to lead that shift without losing trust—and how tools like RACI charts can help...

Somebody comes to you and says, "I heard that…" or "So-and-so told me…"—and now it's in your lap. Welcome to the world of running a business with employees. Is it gossip? Is it something serious? What do you do when you didn't actually witness the situation yourself? In this episode, we're breaking down exactly how to handle secondhand reports, complaints, or concerns without jumping to conclusion...

If you've ever wondered why all the leadership advice out there sounds good but doesn't always help in the moment, this one's for you. In today's episode of The Employee Help Desk, Susan gets real about what leadership actually looks like in 2025—not the poster quotes, not the jargon, but the practical skills you need to lead people right now. 💡 You'll learn: Why most leadership training misses t...

Easy ways to improve employee relationships—even the tough ones. You know the feeling. Someone on your team is off. There's tension. Things are getting weird. You hope it'll pass—but spoiler: it usually doesn't. In this episode of The Employee Help Desk, I'm sharing simple, effective ways to deal with people problems early—before they turn into drama, resentment, or turnover. No formal HR process...

If you've got employees, you've probably wondered why some teams just click—and others feel like pulling teeth. In this episode, we're breaking down exactly what it takes to build a team that doesn't just get work done—but works well together. Forget the trust falls and expensive team retreats. This is about practical, real-world strategies that actually improve collaboration, communication, and a...

If you have employees, you're a leader—whether you meant to be or not. But what kind of leader are you? And more importantly… is it working? In this first episode of The Employee Help Desk, I'm digging into the core of everything: your leadership style. Not the buzzwords. Not the theory. But the real, everyday way you show up—and how it shapes your team, your culture, and your results. I'll introd...

Welcome to The Employee Help Desk—the podcast for small business owners who are great at what they do… but never signed up to manage people. Hosted by HR pro and executive coach Susan Mahaffee, this podcast delivers straight talk, real fixes, and all heart when it comes to the people side of your business. Each week, Susan answers the real questions you're asking about employee situations—what to...