The HR Hub

Should you abandon DEI? A research-based perspective on navigating current pressures. Companies are being told to cancel DEI programs, wipe them from websites, and pretend structural barriers don't exist. But what if you believe these initiatives are important for your hiring market and your values? Dr. Catherine Connelly, HR professor and researcher, joins me to discuss the real-world pressures H...

We've been thinking about motivation all wrong in HR. After 23 years as a Chief Learning Officer in healthcare, Dr. Roger Gerard reveals why traditional motivation tactics actually backfire - and shares what leaders should do instead. If you've ever wondered why your recognition programs aren't working, why throwing money at retention problems doesn't stick, or how to actually engage your team wit...

You've been asked to facilitate a meeting? Chances are you learned by trial and error (like most of us)! In this episode, I sit down with professional facilitator Robin Parsons of Parsons to demystify what makes group discussions actually work. Robin shares how she spends 1-2 hours preparing for EVERY hour of facilitation—proving that great facilitation isn't magic, it's methodical. We dig into th...

After 4.5 years of hosting the HR Hub and hitting nearly 10,000 subscribers, I'm sharing a few insights that have shaped how I think about HR practice. This solo episode breaks down seven critical lessons I've learned from interviewing over 150 HR experts - and some of these might challenge how you practice! From the hard truth about why HR programs get cut to the business development skills you a...

Are your engagement initiatives actually working? In this refreshing and funny take , HR consultant Debbie Pearmain cuts through the fluff and reveals what actually moves the needle on employee engagement after 25 years in the field. Discover why your managers have an 80% impact on engagement success, why third-party surveys show dramatically different results than internal ones, and the science b...

Ever notice how we train leaders to give feedback but rarely teach them how to receive it? Also: did you know 70% of people feel uncomfortable receiving feedback, and 37% avoid it altogether? If you've ever felt that pit in your stomach when someone says "Can I give you some feedback?" you know what I am talking about. This episode got personal because I am definitely in the 70%. Pam Schmidt and O...

Feeling overwhelmed by workplace challenges? This episode delivers practical resilience strategies for HR professionals juggling strategic initiatives with daily operational demands. Resilience expert Beverly Beuermann-King breaks down her SOS framework (Situation, Ourselves, Support) and shares 10 key traits that help you bounce back from setbacks. Learn to identify your specific stress triggers,...

Ever had an employee claim they're underpaid compared to the market? In this episode, I chat with compensation expert Carolyn Kildare about the nuts and bolts of effective salary benchmarking. We dive into how to respond when employees bring outside salary data to you, where to find reliable compensation surveys, and how to build credibility in your benchmarking process. Carolyn shares practical w...

Is your L&D team flying blind? In this episode, I sit down with edtech strategist and author Lori Niles-Hofmann to unpack why data-driven learning design is a game-changer for HR professionals. Lori reveals how borrowing tactics from marketing can transform training effectiveness and explains her practical "duct tape approach" for organizations without perfect data systems. We explore everything f...

Let's plan for 5 years down the road with a thousand moving pieces - many of which you have zero control over. That's strategic workforce planning. I have had a growing interest in workforce planning with the rise of AI. I don't want to be doing miserable HR - like mass layoffs when you didn't plan for the shift in 30% of tasks to AI. My guest this week, Ross Sparkman, has literally wrote the book...

80% are just fine, 15% skirt the edges, and 5% are evil. The latter 20% explain why compliance is such a big thing in HR. Anyone who follows my show closely knows I am interested in understanding the impact of power. I spoke with Dr. Catherine Connelly who is an expert in HR and in Canada's temporary foreign worker (TFW) program. The TFW program, arguably, represents one of the greatest power imba...

If you do any meeting or workshop facilitation, this video will make it easier! It provides an overview of facilitation and many tactical insights which I plan to apply at my next facilitation. You never need fear that guy who slouches in his seat with his arms crossed ever again. My guest for this was Robin Parsons. Robin owns a facilitation company called Parsons Dialogue. She has been doing thi...

What if your employees had the willingness and ability to respond quickly and flexibly to changing business needs? Sounds a little like a fairytale. Maybe not. There are things you can do to build resilience in the workplace. This whole conversation with Beverly Beuermann-King about building resilience in the workplace was a revelation. Beverly talks about resilience a lot at conferences as well a...

This is a special episode and is part of podcasthon. Podcasthon is a global movement bringing podcasts and channels together in service of all the AMAZING not-for-profits out there. This discussion revolves around doing HR in this kind of organization. There are so many great NFPs out there, but I am on the board of Trinity Place Foundation of Alberta. They provide housing for people who are hard...

HR is often shouldering the burden and leadership around the impact of societal shifts. We have to ensure the organization is prepared to respond, culture is aligned and any risks around the shift are mitigated. So we need to think about the future of work. I was delighted to have this conversation with Anthony Ariganello, CEO of CPHR Canada and President of the World Federation of People Manageme...

You can build psychological safety pretty fast - note I didn't say 'easily'. And, actually, it's not that hard either, but it does require a little adventurous spirit and bravery to keep doing it long enough to see improvement. BUT THE BENEFITS! Psychological safety has been proven to have so many business benefits. Think about it. How well do YOU perform when you feel like you have to bite your t...

A compensation philosophy is our north star for our compensation plans. It's a statement that outlines a company's approach to employee compensation. It helps align our comp practices with business goals so a business makes the most of it's biggest cost: labour. I love a good guiding philosophy so was happy to have this discussion with Carolyn Kildare. Carolyn is the owner of Cadence Compensation...

Are you trying to do HR in a toxic work environment? That's haard. You might see that things are not right and see that people aren't being held accountable for awful behaviour. Perhaps you feel a bit trapped in your job and can't switch and yet you don't have the power to really do anything about the problem. At this point, it's probably a long game and my guest has so much great advice. So much....

Microaggressions in the workplace continue to be hard to understand. I was involved in an investigation a while back alleging microaggressions and I was uncertain. So when I had the opportunity to clarify I did. I spoke with Sara Taylor who has been a DEI expert for a long time. She started her company, deepSEE Consulting in 2002. She has authored two books including, recently, 'Thinking at the Sp...

Has a wellness program ever had a positive effect on your well-being? To what degree? I participated in wellness programs - pilates and a free gym. But I was already so active, that the impact was meagre at best. It would be hard to say I was more well after that. What about you? That was the subject this week in my discussion with Tim Borys - fitness enthusiast, coach, wellness expert, author, an...

This episode was supposed to be about upskilling and reskilling exclusively... but we quickly talked about the skills-based organization because that is where upskilling and reskilling start. You have to know what skills you are trying to build! I had THE best person for this discussion IMO. My guest was Lori Niles-Hofman. Lori hosts an upskilling course on LinkedIn Learning. She describes herself...

HR is often asked to help increase accountability in the workplace. Because people just aren't doing their jobs they way they are supposed to! We often think it's because they don't care. Sometimes that's the case, but other times they just don't care about the impact they're having on others. I spoke to Mitch Warner, Managing Partner of the Arbinger Institute. Things got a little uncomfortable fo...

I figure we are mostly looking for the truth. And while 'truth' is hard to find, some things bring us closer. Like research. Also it's 2025. What HR debates are we still working through in our hunt for truth? This was the focus of my discussion with Dr. Catherine Connelly. Catherine is a leading HR researcher with a passion for research. When I asked Chat GPT for a 'future of HR' expert, her name...

Happy end of 2024! I learn so much from the guests on my show. And so does Angela Nguyen of the Leadership Within Podcast. So we joined forces to discuss what we learned this year! We reflected on the challenges and things we learned including: - How hard it is to create content week after week - Qualities we both appreciate more: curiosity and perseverance - Thoughts on DEI as I continue to refle...

The #1 reason hiring fails? Not treating recruitment like the project it really is. So project mistake are you guilty of maybe: Not revisiting the job description? Forgetting to ask the client if they'll be on vacation (I've done this one)? Not pushing back when client says the want the talent but don't want to pay? Mostly we just need to treat recruitment like a project. Meet with the client, set...