Transform Your Workplace

Mindfulness has been a buzz word these past several years. But what is it in practice and how can it impact the workplace? Will it truly make a difference in productivity? And how might we get started? Pearl Waldorf, licensed professional counselor, joins the podcast to share her own perspectives on the impact of practicing mindfulness and walks us through how we can be mindful.    Give us a revie...

Resilience, stamina, a determination to continue on against all odds - we've all heard how important this is to achieving our goals, whether personal or professional. But how do we do it? Is the ability to persevere, is grit, innate? Can we grow and develop it in ourselves? How do we establish and structure our goals? Tyler Meuwissen, Xenium's Compensation & HR Analyst, returns to join Brandon Law...

How do we live our happiest lives, even throughout pain, suffering, and loss? How do we capitalize on the good of life, and achieve and enjoy our happiest lives? Mark Jaffe, a former senior executive at The Walt Disney Company , joins the podcast to discuss his book, Suitcase of Happyness. He shares techniques and pathways to a deeply and broadly happy life, and how to bring those methods and atti...

As technology has shifted a lot of our work to screens, more companies are creating opportunities for employees to work from home. Craig Bryant is a founder of several companies which have nearly transitioned to a fully remote workforce throughout the past five years, with employees spread all across the country. Craig Bryant, Founder of Kin HR and Co-Founder of We Are Mammoth joins the podcast to...

Email has become one of our chief methods of communication in the workplace, yet one of the biggest thorns in our side in terms of productivity. Several companies are experimenting with limiting email usage, or attempting to do away with email altogether. Is this a progressive choice that represents what's next in the world of work, or would it do more harm than good? Should we view email as eithe...

Lacey Halpern, Sr. HR Business Partner at Xenium and frequent podcast guest, joins us for a special episode to discuss how she landed in the HR industry after graduating college with a psychology degree, the challenges and rewards of being a working mom, memorable and challenging moments from working in HR with a variety of organizations, her experience working with millennials, and where she find...

How do you approach a coworker or friend with a concern about their body odor? Or negative feedback about their work or attitude? The prospect of an uncomfortable conversation has a tendency to set our heart beating a mile a minute - but it doesn't have to if we take a few simple steps to establish openness and honesty within our relationships, whether professional or personal. Tyler Meuwissen , X...

Communication is key in many areas of life, most chiefly the workplace. An office of clashing employees not only makes for unpleasant feelings amongst the employees, but can impact the overall effectiveness and productivity of our employees. But what are some tricks of the conflict resolution trade that can smooth the path to a calm and productive workforce? Laura MacLeod, licensed social worker a...

Worksite wellness programs are often launched with very employee-centric goals in mind. But what about employees' families, and the benefits that could result from intentionally involving an employee's family in your wellness & health initiatives? How do you appropriately design your wellness program to be legally compliant and not unlawfully require too much of family members? What are some pract...

As an HR professional, how do you jump into conversations about the business side of your organization, particularly when it's about finance, marketing and operations? How do you learn what's truly keeping your CEO up at night, and how you can become an even greater asset to the organization in your HR role? Lori Kleiman, author of Taking Your Seat at the Table – Being a Strategic Executive Creati...

Picture a workplace free of micromanagement—where responsibility in the hands of many and everyone is empowered to do their best. That's the goal of holacracy. But how do you go from a traditional structure to this self-management model? Megan Leatherman, HR consultant and author of The Integrated Workplace, joins us to discuss the benefits and challenges of holacracy. We'll talk through the think...

Today we're talking brand promise, that elusive but essential vision that affects every element of a business—from customer experience to employee attitudes to HR practices. Rick Thomas, business advisor at Pilot Wealth Management, joins us to discuss the ins and outs of brand promise. We'll cover everything from what exactly a brand promise is and how to develop one, to how you can use it to make...

What does a baby boomer do when he finds himself the fish-out-of-water at a tech startup? Well, if you're Dan Lyons, you write about it and expose a side of startup culture that we don't usually see in the news. Xenium's Brandon Laws leads a discussion with Tyler Meuwissen of Lyon's latest book, Disrupted: My Misadventure in the Start-Up Bubble . We'll touch on all the hot topics, from "unicorns"...

When it comes to business, great leaders aren't born, they're made. So how do we ensure we're doing what we can to empower our employees? Deb Calvert, bestselling author and president of People First Productivity Solutions, joins us to discuss the importance of leadership development in your business. We'll cover all the latest trends in training and development—from engagement to productivity to...

How can asking questions lead to being an effective leader? Let's find out. Michael Bungay Stanier, author and founder of Box of Crayons, joins us to discuss his latest book , The Coaching Habit: Say Less, Ask More & Change the Way You Lead Forever . Known for his coaching programs that help time-crunched managers develop their coaching skills in 10 minutes or less, Michael breaks down his coachin...

The Department of Labor has officially updated the overtime regulations of the Federal Fair Labor Standards Act, or the FLSA. These updates are going to affect over 4 million workers in the United States—and by extension, their employers. Molly Kelley, Sr. HR Business Partner of Xenium, is our resident expert on the subject. She joins us to explain the current guidelines, break down the new langua...

Whether it's the office note-leaver or the backhanded compliment master, everyone has witnessed passive aggressive behavior in the workplace. But why does it happen? And what can we do about it? Berry Kruijning of Crowning Communications joins us for a candid talk about passive aggressive behavior. We'll discuss how to spot it, why it happens and how it can impact the workplace. Finally, we'll go...

It’s clear that the wearable trend is here to stay. From counting steps to interrupting our sedentary habits—wearable technology helps us make healthier choices—and give us a nudge when we’re not. So, what about bringing it to the workplace?  Benjamin Prinzing, CEO of Kadalyst, joins us to discuss the trends and challenges around wearable programs in the workplace—who’s doing it well, things to lo...

Have you ever determined whether you are better at completing tasks in the morning or evening? Do you prefer starting a new project or opening something new, or do you prefer finishing projects and seeing things through to the end? These are questions Gretchen Rubin helps readers answer in the book Better Than Before: Mastering the Habits of Our Everyday Lives . Tyler Meuwissen joins Brandon Laws...

Why is the human resources department often seen as overhead by the leaders of organizations? Lacey Halpern joins the podcast to discuss why the perception of the HR department has actually shifted from overhead and the department of "no" to a function that can significantly impact the growth of an organization . Lacey and Brandon discuss the many ways that HR professionals have become more strate...

During a panel discussion at the Leadership and Economic Summit on November 4, 2015 in Portland, Oregon, three business leaders discuss some of the unique ways they are attracting and retaining talent for their business, given the tight labor market for talent. The panelists discuss the topics of recruiting and finding talent, hiring for culture fit, and offering unique benefits tailored to each i...

Scott Beebe of the Business on Purpose podcast joins Brandon Laws to discuss why business leaders and HR professionals should be operating business with very clear vision, mission and values statements and how to best integrate those into their business and people practices. Scott and Brandon also discuss why lack of employee training is one of the biggest gaps in business. Lastly, Scott shares hi...

Tyler Meuwissen of Xenium HR joins Brandon Laws for a discussion of the book The Go-Giver: A Little Story About a Powerful Business Idea by Bob Burg and John David Mann. During the discussion, they discuss the five laws taught in the book and summarize what they thought of the message.  Looking for additional HR & Leadership content? Subscribe to Xenium's It's About People podcast for a round tabl...

Lacey Halpern of Xenium HR joins Brandon Laws on the Human Resources for Small Business podcast to discuss employee assistance programs (EAPs). Lacey shares how employers can leverage an EAP program to retain talent and do right by employees by offering this unique benefit. Lacey also shares common ways employees use the EAP in certain life circumstances.

Katherine Thomas of Xenium HR joins Brandon Laws for a discussion on emotional intelligence (EQ) in relation to IQ and why people, including employers, should start putting more emphasis on EQ in the workplace. During the episode, Katherine and Brandon discuss what makes up emotional intelligence, how to determine if someone has a high EQ, how people can develop their EQ, and how businesses can be...