The HR Hub

"Celebrate all diversity." In this case we were mostly talking about cultural diversity - as in from different countries. This used to be something we talked about a lot and then we stopped. It's still relevant though. Some peoples have different priorities or beliefs that come into our workplaces or we're part of a multinational firm. So, with some personal trepidation that we might veer off into...

"Being in person doesn't mean you are present." On one hand, many employees love remote work while, on the other, many companies want employees in person. Where do you sit on the subject? The debate rages in my household. I'll state the obvious: it's hard for any of us to be objective. I spoke with Kaleem Clarkson, COO of BlendMe, a consultancy focused on supporting remote and hybrid workplaces. R...

In a small or medium business (or NFP) you need to do a little bit of many things - learning and development is no exception. So, as part of my series on HR for SMBs, we are talking about L&D in that environment. Our expert guest for this episode was the exceptional James Aird, an L&D specialist with a Master's of Education from Harvard. James has a unique perspective, having honed his skills in c...

I was tired of hearing about 'fast-paced change' ten years ago. And now the pace is even faster. The World Economic Forum's 'Future of Jobs Report', estimates that by 2025, 85 million jobs may be displaced by a shift in the division of labor between humans and machines, while 97 million new roles may emerge. That's since 2020! That's next year! My guest, Michelle Ellis, brings a wealth of knowledg...

Thinking about running a 360 program to provide feedback to employees? For some reason, one of the few things I remember from university was a project I did on 360's. Even then, it seemed so much more valid and potentially insightful that a regular review. To explore this, I reached out to Jo Ayoubi, co-founder of Track 360 Feedback. Jo is a consultant and they have a 360 software platform so she...

Worried about a leadership shortage? Or are you a new leader and... OMG it sucks?? This week I talked about building leaders with Corina Walsh, a seasoned leadership coach and host of the "People and Culture Success Show". Corina has considerable knowledge and practical advice to help HR identify, nurture, and accelerate leadership within an organization. She shed light on the common mistakes new...

Are you worried about your labour supply? Well... there are places you might find it, if you're open-minded. In this episode of The HR Hub, we dive into the world of older workers, their potential, and the myths surrounding them. I spoke with Laura Tamblyn Watts, CEO of CanAge, Canada's national seniors advocacy organization. She is a researcher, teacher, speaker... and well qualified to participa...

Are you grappling with the complexity of pay transparency? We all want compensation to be fair and equitable, but transparency opens up even more questions about compensation as comparisons are made. And there were a lot of questions to start with! If you might be affected by pay transparency laws, watch this discussion with Sally Loftis. Sally is the Managing Director of Loftis Partners. She spec...

If I was going to listen to one episode of my own show this year, this would be the one. There is something I love about all of them, but this was next level. It may be appropriate considering the guest: Dr. Peter Cappelli. He is a professor of Management and Director of the Center for Human Resources at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. He is the author of numerous Harvard Bus...

Cat owners need not apply! I promise it's unfortunately real and relevant. We even spent a couple minutes talking about how analytics might enable discrimination on factors that seem to have no bearing on performance like whether you love cats vs dogs. This kind of data is part of the trend towards creepy analytics. I spoke with Dr. Salvatore Falletta who just wrote a book entitled 'Creepy Analyti...

Where do you stand on the performance appraisal debate? Some say it's just too hard to do well and, when not done well, it does more harm than good. Others say it's essential and we just have to get better at it. What do you think? I'm genuinely interested!! Many companies still do them though so I was curious and reached out to Sue Ingram of Converse Well to talk about it. She is certainly a wond...

So do you have problem or underperforming employee? Can't quite pin it down? These are hard for anyone to deal with for so many reasons - complex laws, reasons, emotions running high... But I try to help you sort it out in this episode including clarifying when you really should get expert help. This is the third in my series for small and medium business owners and NFP execs. I'm an HR consultant...

Are you frustrated with your presentation skills? For some it's total fear. For others like me, I'll do it, but there are many other things I would rather do. In this episode of The HR Hub, I explored how to use storytelling in presentations. My guest, Jilliane Yawney, is a speaking coach who turns scientists and engineers (and HR) into confident speakers and storytellers. Jilliane is not just a s...

Navigating HR compliance can feel daunting for HR professionals nevermind for business owners or NFP execs! Today's episode is here to provide an overview of the rules and laws that may affect how you hire, manage, and pay employees. This is the second in the series for SMBs aiming to help small and medium business owners and NFPs navigate people issues and avoid some of the major pitfalls. In thi...

Do you think about things you learned years ago but didn't really learn? This is one those for me - that is, the 'transfer of learning'. Michelle Ellis was my partner in this exploration. She's an expert in L&D - currently a director for Intellum, which is an learning management software company. She was also a L&D leader at Disney! Before that, she was a school teacher and has her PhD. She knows...

Hey podcast listeners. I am adding something to my interview series... a series for small and medium sized businesses and not for profits (SMBs). And I'm doing them myself! In this episode I am talking to anyone involved in HR for an SMB, but especially leaders who may not have in-house HR. I delve into how to starting your HR function. When you start HR is a passing thought. As you grow, you'll d...

I don't know about you, but AGE is one aspect of DEI that I hardly ever hear anything about. And, yet the impact of ageist policies on older workers is profound. Are you thinking something like "but it's time for those boomers to get out the way so I have a chance!"? Well, I asked Laura Tamblyn Watts, the CEO of CanAge about that. CanAge is Canada's Seniors Advocacy organization and, she says whil...

We say 'training and development' all the time. Or learning and development. But we rarely stop to understand the difference between them and the impact those differences have on strategy. I never did anyhow except at a surface level. I spoke with James Aird about this. James is an L&D consultant with a Master of Education from Harvard. Interestingly, he learned the trade in conflict areas like Ir...

The push-pull of remote versus in-office continues. You CAN make remote work well, but there's skills and clarity to develop. A thoughtful policy is a good place to start so you get the advantages of remote without losing all the spark of in-person. If you are trying to articulate an effective remote work policy... here you go! I sat down with Kaleem Clarkson, the Chief Operations Officer for Blen...

Have you been involved in 360 feedback? It sounds both informative and exposing. But better than a performance appraisal from a leader who may not be totally objective. I sat down with Jo Ayubi, the CEO of Track 360 Feedback. Jo's expertise in feedback consultancy and their software platform made her the perfect guide for 360 feedback. It's a powerful tool. Here's a sneak peek into our conversatio...

Compensation is getting scrutinized. Pay transparency and job board policies (like Indeed's) are ensuring it gets a lot of attention. Sally Loftis of Loftis Partners has expertise in Organizational Development and social justice and particularly pay equity. She brings a unique perspective to our discussion breaking down the concept of pay equity, its importance, and why organizations sometimes uni...

There's well over 60,000 books on Amazon about leadership. It sometimes feel like there's a new trend to concern ourselves about every time you go on LinkedIn. My guest this week, Corina Walsh, is keeping it real! She's a leadership coach and host of the People and Culture Success Show. She trains leaders and has a fresh perspective on the leadership trends and their implications for HR. In this e...

Three questions: What makes your organization remarkable? How does this connect to its mission, vision and values?  Most important, how would you rate the alignment of your work and culture with the mission, vision and values?   This was what I spoke with Britni Eisenman, the founding principal of Stoke Fire about. Britni brings a unique perspective to the table, having transitioned from social wo...

This week's topic might make some of us break into a cold sweat - fostering healthy conflict at the workplace. I spoke with Kate Otting about this - as a mediator, she's adept at handling conflict. Kate is the head of Interaction Management Associates, specializing in mediation. She has an impressive career portfolio, having worked in South Africa, served as the Director of Mediation for the Iowa...

How much have you thought about the ethical implications of AI in HR? It’s not alarmist to think that AI will enable HR to discriminate more and in new ways! After all, Amazon had to scrap their recruitment and selection AI because it was biased against women. This week I, again, spoke with Megan Marie Butler about AI in HR. She speaks plainly and is quite practical in her assessment of AI in HR....