NOW of Work

Consider this unprecedented scenario: the workforce now encompasses five distinct generations simultaneously. There's a pervasive market obsession with Gen Z, assuming their candidate and workforce expectations are uniquely special. Is this assumption accurate or merely a misconception?

In the quest to attract workers spanning five generations, the question arises: is it necessary for employers to tailor experiences for each generational persona, or could this approach be characterized as over-engineering, perhaps even stereotyping? Can GenAI and storytelling authenticity truly coexist? In an era where scalability makes fabrication effortless, how does a brand remain faithful to its ethos?

Our special guest, Summer Baruth, Head of Global Employer Brand & Talent Attraction at AECOM, brought her extensive expertise in employer branding and diverse candidate experiences across multiple industries and multiple generations to join Jess Von Bank and Jason Averbook in unraveling these intricacies and navigating the evolving landscape together.

So much of the innovation happening in the HR Tech space is about new ways of working. You can't just "shop for AI" and get the organization on board overnight. You can't download a skills ontology to automagically change the way your company hires and promotes people. Please don't buy a CRM just because you're having a hard time competing for talent. These are all TOOLS. Tools build what you tell them to. Don't leave the drawing board until you know the outcomes you need; then you'll know the right tools.

HR Tech providers are driving a ton of innovation, and it's all way ahead of their buyers' ability to consume it all. Should they slow down? Nope. But it does change how they go to market, how they position and sell to you, the incremental value they demonstrate and the change support they offer to help you get there. For the reallllly bright shiny stuff, it means providers have to train and educate the market more than they have before. 

Michael Johnson has dedicated a career to driving revenue and growth strategies for some of the most innovative HR technologies in the industry. He weighs in with Jason and Jess on how HR Tech providers can win the market in 2024. 

Did anyone pay attention to the HR Technology Conference & Exposition's Pitchfest winners?
The big winner digitally consolidates 401(k) plans. You know, rather than manually. That's how much basic blocking & tackling we still have left to do when driving innovation for business and making all of our work lives better.
 
Another winner we loved is CollabWORK, who also addresses a pretty fundamental talent problem. We all love hiring referrals, but we don't think outside the box when it comes to connecting with the seven degrees of separation of our high performers and hard-to-source talent.
Summer Delaney, CEO and Founder of CollabWORK explains their community-based hiring approach. Yes, they use AI, but that wasn't the big story. In fact, they might have won because they take a pretty cautious but intelligent approach.

Tune in!

Before you listen to this epsidoe, give yourself 5 minutes to read an incredible story. 
One of the defining moments of the Afghanistan War occurred in a mere second inside a single battle that raged for 7 hours. Then 37-year-old United States Army Captain Will Swenson found himself a commander in what would become known as the Battle of Ganjgal. An early morning meeting connecting the Afghan government with native elders in the Ganjgal Valley near the border of Pakistan turned into a brutal ambush of Swenson's 100-person coalition. Surrounded by as many as 60 well-armed Taliban fighters unleashing a barrage of rocket-propelled grenades, mortar, and machine gun fire, repeated calls for overheard artillery support were denied for fear of civilian casualties. Denied all day, in fact, while Swenson and his men fended for themselves under unrelenting artillery fire. 
Rare helmet-cam footage from a medical evacuation team caught much of the extraordinary scene. Including Swenson repeatedly waving a bright orange flag to guide a military rescue helicopter into a safe landing zone to retrieve the injured and pull out the dead. Swenson waved the brightly colored flag throughout the day, making himself a highly visible target to enemy fighters but ensuring the helicopter could load injured and dying men to receive medical attention. 
At one point, we see Captain Swenson loading Sergeant Kenneth Westbrook into the chopper. Westbrook, a father of three, had been shot in the neck and was bleeding heavily. He also had four broken ribs, a punctured lung, and a shattered left shoulder. He would die 29 days later from these injuries. But this day, Swenson hoped he could be saved. He is seen carrying Westbrook onto the helicopter, and the GoPro camera on the med evac's helmet captured another fleeting moment almost no one would have seen. Swenson is seen leaning into the helicopter and giving Westbrook a kiss on his cheek before the helicopter side door closes. A moment never intended to be captured on film. A moment Swenson himself hardly remembered. A moment of true leadership.

Swenson's kiss on a battlefield was a catalyst for Dr. Kirstin Ferguson to write her latest book, Head & Heart: The Art of Modern Leadership. Our own Jess Von Bank met Dr. Ferguson at Oracle CloudWorld just weeks ago. Dr. Ferguson was fresh out of books that afternoon after a successful book signing, so she sent one to the restaurant to be handed to Jess later at dinner. Jess carried the book all over Las Vegas that night, dying to tear into its pages, and today they finally bring this conversation to the Now of Work community. 
ON THIS EPISODE, WAIT UNTIL YOU MEET Dr. Ferguson. Former Flying Officer in the Royal Australian Air Force herself, she went on to become a PhD in Organizational Psychology, CEO of a global consulting firm, and best-selling global leadership expert on the impact of leading from the head and the heart.

Jason Averbook and Jess Von Bank are back in action and they were so happy to catch up with our Now of Work community.

The past couple of months of conference season have been a whirlwind of innovation, thought-provoking conversations, and valuable connections and we are eager to share our experiences and check in with all of you. 

And in this episode, Jason poses a critical theory: that skills may be considered more valuable than credentials. Along with the amazing insight and ideas form our live attendees in the chat, Jess and Jason break down their own thoughts on the value that employees bring to the workforce and how the future of work is molding to be more human-centric.

Tune in!

UNLEASH World is a wrap, and it was a vibrant display of community, learning and innovation. Teeming with content, rich with innovative voices, and a spectacle of creative solutions from some of the best HR technology providers in the world, the show was just that: A SHOWING OF WHAT IS POSSIBLE when it comes to people and work.

UNLEASH World was emceed by David Green and our own Jess Von Bank, and for this episode, David is Jess' special guest co-host. They shared everything they learned and observed of the event circuit, where the brightest minds and problem solvers came together to shape the future workplace.

Tune in to our conversation with Marc Coleman, Founder and CEO of UNLEASH, to learn all about the behind the scenes of UNLEASH conferences.

A platform that gives employees the freedom and flexibility to choose the type of benefits that they want to fit their own personal needs? Sign us up! We can't wait for you to listen to our chat about employee experience, the data behind diversifying benefits, and the how Compt is changing the NOW and future of work with Amy Spurling, CEO and Founder of Compt

Compt's mission is simple. They help companies build and scale flexible employee perks, stipends, and rewards that delight teams. Named the Innovative HR Platform of the Year in 2021, Compt supports global teams with fully customizable HR Tech software to fit a company's needs. Whether it's a health and wellness stipend, student loan stipend or equipment stipend, they believe that benefits should and can align with an employee's life stage. In this new world of work Compt believes that "Fair pay and health insurance are merely table stakes. To truly support your team, remain competitive, and retain top talent, you must offer meaningful benefits to every lifestyle."

Their CEO, Amy's experience as a former three-time CFO and two-time COO managing Finance and HR fuels Compt's belief that companies and employees can achieve much more together when employees are fully supported. 

We talk a big game when it comes to workforce experience, culture, and employment opportunities. But for vast portions of the world's potential labor market, getting a job depends on getting TO a job. Transportation itself is a vehicle to opportunity. 

Meet Boyd Reid and Erich Ko, two sons of immigrant families, the co-founders of Hop In Technologies, who understood this when they decided to solve the problem of work by solving the problem of accessible work. Oh, and there's a silver lining, too. 

By solving for mass transit to major employers, we can make a collective dent in ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) initiatives. It's a win-win: increasing employment and quality of life by getting more people to work, raising the economic viability of more of our communities, creating community by taking better care of people where you live, and addressing a really common recruiting and retention problem in sectors like manufacturing, retail, hospitality, and healthcare. 

Headed to HR Technology Conference on Oct 10-13? Still on the fence? Reason #117 to go (you could say #1 reason): The Women in HR Technology Summit is included in your premium pass, and it's the only conference program like it.

Jeanne Achille is the Program Chair for Women in HR Tech, and she covered the origins of this powerful summit with my co-host, Jess Von Bank! HR is dominated by women, even at executive levels where the numbers normally skew toward men. So why this summit and these topics?

Jess and Jeanne also discussed the programming for Women in HR Tech, which includes six sessions and keynotes designed to provide valuable insights into topics that impact everyone in the workforce, including how to generate new leadership opportunities for women, and how to build cultures of trust. 

In this episode, you'll get an exclusive sneak peek of the speakers and content from Heather Bussing, Jennifer Dole, Marilyn Pearson Hendricks, and Sarah J. Rodehorst. They all popped into our Now of Work community meetup to preview conversations around technology-supported gender equality, driving organizational change, the power of culture, and pay equity.

Everyone is talking about AI– how to use it, what jobs it might do, and who or what tasks it might replace. Like any tool, it has the potential to fundamentally change the nature of work, and it will absolutely reshape the skills people need to be successful.
That's why we were excited to have two special guests join us on this episode of the Digital Meetup! Jess and I welcomed Katarina Berg, CHRO of Spotify, and Dr Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic, Chief Innovation Officer of ManpowerGroup, to our Now of Work Community. We talked about the impact of #AI on skills in the workplace, how AI is changing the nature of work, plus the risks and opportunities for the human side of the equation.
Katarina led the Spotify's talent transformation when they grew from a startup to an international company. She excels at reinventing processes to establish an environment where creative people can thrive. We loved talking with her about the impact of AI and organizational reengineering, and how to achieve great business results during times of great change.
In addition to his role at ManPower Group; a global staffing and recruitment firm, Dr. Tomas is a social scientist and associate at Harvard’s Entrepreneurial Finance Lab. He's written 12 books, including his latest: I, Human: AI, Automation, and the Quest to Reclaim What Makes Us Unique. We picked his brain for his thoughts on AI, the psychology of talent, and how science-based tools can improve an organization's ability to predict performance.

On today's Digital Meetup, we talked about the Perceptyx and Hum acquisition and what it means for the future of the employee experience. Jess Von Bank and I were so excited to welcome Lisa Sterling, Perceptyx's Chief People Officer, to our live broadcast!

Perceptyx is a top employee listening and manager effectiveness platform. Humu is a tech tool that uses science-based ‘nudges’ to influence positive behavior change and improve business performance. With this acquisition, Humu is poised to solve a big challenge when it comes to employee listening.

"Perceptyx will integrate Humu’s extensive library of behavior nudges in its People Insights Platform, allowing organizations to deliver personalized nudges to both leaders and employees, customized to the behavior each individual or team wants to improve. Perceptyx will be the first company to enable a 'nudge' process that engages the entire workforce to take action and make work better," they shared in their press release.

Our special guest, Lisa Sterling, is a listening expert exclusively focused on EX, with a deep portfolio of listening tech and intellectual capital. "This acquisition will change the game for Perceptyx, our people, our customers and their people," she explained.

"My parents were born to sharecroppers in Southern Georgia. (They) would have to miss school to pick cotton during harvest season. I saw these messages of bias, racism, and oppression, even as a child...Whatever environment you're in there's a label that is either thrust upon you or that you cling to for recognition. So, I've always been intrigued by this work. When you’re imbued with empathy… when you see injustice around you, you can either be part of the solution or part of the problem. And my goal is to be part of the solution."

Marc is the SVP of Racial & Social Equity and Culture at California Life Sciences. His goal is to make the life sciences industry more diverse and equitable. He also spearheaded the first DEI program at Vail Resorts, creating an intentional cultural shift within their employee and customer experience efforts, to create a more inclusive space for their workforce and clientele.

Kate Graham joined us as our special guest co-host on this episode of our NOW Digital Meetup. Kate has an incredible track record providing clear voice and a healthy perspective on the trends, challenges, and innovations relevant to people, work, and technology. 

We loved following her work at Fosway Group and UNLEASH. Now it's time to check in on Kate's recent move back to the vendor side (what a win for Cornerstone OnDemand!). She had some really fantastic advice for both HR Tech vendors AND consumers. It has to do with transparency, being realistic, and better storytelling. Kate and I can't wait to bring this fresh conversation to the community. 

BTW, where's Jess Von Bank? She checked in from the course during our Meetup to share their progress! If you've been following us for a while, you know Jess loves to race. During this epsidoe, Jess began a 200-mile Ragnar Relay from the Canadian border (Blaine, WA), running along the glacial Cascade and Olympic Mountain ranges, Deception Pass, and Puget Sound before she crossed the finish line with her team on Whidbey Island, sometime in the afternoon. Go, Jess! 

Driving transformation in any organization is a journey, even an uphill battle. Driving transformation in an industry absolutely begging for disruption is uniquely challenging. Healthcare is one of those industries -- HR is constantly challenged with talent shortages, workforce burnout, demands for improved well-being and workforce experience, lagging innovation, and evolving measures of success for consumer satisfaction and patient delivery outcomes.

Designing an effective, inspiring, caring workforce experience matters a LOT in healthcare. That's the job of Tobias Washington at CHRISTUS Health, and he shared his story and their organization's journey on this episode of the Now of Work Digital Meetup.

Tobias is the System Director of Digital Employee Experience & Digital HR Transformation at CHRISTUS Health. He is an amazing leader working in the healthcare space, that is truly transforming how HR and work is done. 

Wonder what the future of work holds? Nela Richardson, Chief Economist at ADP and co-head of the ADP Research Institute, alongside Marcus Buckingham, shared her predictions during our Digital Meetup!

In my opinion, Nela Richardson is one of the best researchers in the world on the economy, jobs, and work. If you are thinking about the workforce, job trends, HR, or HRTech, listen to this interactive chat with Jess Von Bank, Nela Richardson, and I. 

the global economy, work and labor market trends, the impact of Generative AI on the job market, and what the future holds. Nela also dives into what ADP is doing to prepare HR for the changing world of work. Understanding the Future of Work is to understand macro trends in the global economy and labor market. So far, 2023 checks the box on a lot of macro trends, including slowing global growth with advanced economies contributing the least, the return of inflation, rising wages in pockets, but a decline in productivity and a smaller labor force. 4B people now have access to the internet, or half the world population. That's four times what it used to be, illustrating a growing digital economy. 

Do you read every email you get from your employer and HR department? Imagine if you got a text notification instead at the beginning of your shift? Because they know when your shift starts and that you’re primarily mobile. Or imagine if you were a salesperson who spends most of your time in Salesforce, so that’s where personalized communications go for you! Right in the newsfeed in the system where you spend most of your time.
In other words, imagine if your employer really knew you and met you where you are? Instead of spamming the workforce with everything you might possibly need but can’t possibly read? 
Intelligent communication has the power to shape and create exceptional, frictionless Employee Experiences. This not only boosts efficiency and productivity, making it easier for employees to perform, but also demonstrates care and empathy during critical moments that matter.
Jess Von Bank and I loved chatting with Nicole Alvino, CEO of Firstup and Sabra Sciolaro, their CPO, on our Digital Meetup. Nicole and Sabra joined us in discussing: how organizations can make intelligent communication an integral part of your Employee Experience plan, their highlights from our recent webinar, and their newly launched white paper.

We welcomed Adam Binnie, Visier's Chief Product Officer, to our Digital Meetup! Visier unleashed some amazing new product announcements recently, and Jess Von Bank and I can't wait to dig in!
Team Visier is always pushing the envelope on innovation and their newly released HR Tech products illustrate that drive. They are on a mission to make an impact on AI with the launch of 'Vee,' a powerful new generative AI digital assistant, designed to make people analytics accessible to everyone. It allows users of all proficiency levels to ask questions about their workforce, explore available datasets, and drive action after finding critical insights.
Adam will shares details about Visier's 'Smart Compensation' launch, another new product designed to take the complexity out of compensation planning with a simpler, data-driven approach. The new tool is designed to address challenges like pay transparency, retention, and pay conversation preparation.
We are honored to have Adam join us to share the excitement around the world of data analytics, generative AI, and HR analytics. This is one of the most important areas that HR can focus on today, and will continue to gain momentum moving forward.

I welcomed Luc Hédou, CEO of Workaxle, to discuss the latest innovation in Workforce Management. Innovation in Workforce Management? It's true! A shift is happening. When it comes to improvement to Workforce Experience, Workforce Management (WFM) makes a MUCH BIGGER DENT than your Core HR. Trust me.

In fact, we’re seeing WFM shift to Phase I transformation work more and more often. We’re seeing scheduling solutions make a world of difference to productivity and retention, and we’re seeing significant experience payoffs when organizations invest in WFM. Yes, Workforce Management is time and attendance. It’s also demand forecasting, scheduling and rostering, leave and absence management, and on-demand wages. These are make-or-break moments that matter when it comes to day-to-day workforce experience. That’s why a little goes a long way when you double down on Workforce Management, and it’s also why starting here can be the trigger for changing your entire HR Tech stack.
In the Now of Work, time and talent are at a premium and waste is expensive. Leveraging the power of your WFM solution is key, especially if you want to impact Employee Experience in an measurable way. How else can organizations increase efficiency, meet customer demand with talent supply, and change the way people work?

Today my co-host, Jess Von Bank and I discussed the industry news of the week during our live, unscripted show. We will also checked in with our amazing audience and their questions about HR, HR Tech, employee experience, work-life balance, leadership, and humanizing work during our open Q&A on all things Now of Work. 
The Now of Work is a movement to better serve humanity by humanizing work. This movement represents the humanization and digital disruption of work during the most historic labor market and business cycles we’ve seen in modern times. People are calling the shots, and we’re calling them differently. 

Are you craving community and inspiration? Jess Von Bank and I talk all things HR, HR Tech, and humanizing work. We also had a little surprise in store for our listeners... On today's episode, Amanda Hahn, Chief Marketing Officer of HireVue surprised us live!

HireVue is an organization that helps global enterprises gain a competitive advantage in the modern talent marketplace with video interviewing software, conversational AI, and pre-hire assessments. Together we chat about getting the full view of PEOPLE while leveraging tools that HireVue uses to transform the way companies discover, hire, and develop talent. By combining video interviews with predictive, validated IO science and artificial intelligence (AI), HireVue augments human decision-making in the hiring process and delivers higher quality talent, faster.

Together Jess, Amanda and I discuss the utilization of talent acquisition tech platforms and how they help to better evaluate skills, capabilities, and future potential in the hiring process.

The new Now of Work is constantly changing. With people at the heart of the workforce, they make global work and productivity churn at a rapid pace. Inclusion is a big part of that. "DEIB is always evolving and I try to stay immersed in what’s happening and what’s next," Brook Sims tells us. Brook is the COO of MAC Diversity Recruiters and we are excited for you to hear more from our chat with her.
You may remember that we featured Brook's company on our social media channels a few months ago, as one to watch, and their growth is proof. MAC provides recruiting services to large companies in fields like engineering, investment banking, and information technology. They believe that a diverse workforce powers the future and that employers should be reflective of the communities in which they exist and serve. Their mission is to "lead the transformation of the workforce by being the bridge that provides access and opportunity to the most exceptional talent and helps clients achieve increased profitability, innovation, and success."
MAC recently launched their sister company, MAC Digital, which specializes in Marketing, eCommerce, and Software talent recruitment with a focus on AI, and ensuring that AI is implemented in an inclusive way.
Before leading MAC, Brook was an Executive Recruiter and Head of Diversity at JPMorgan Chase & Co. and First United Bank. Jess and I can't wait to chat with her about the changes she's seeing in DEIB, what happens when AI is added to the mix, and what steps leaders can take to ensure a more inclusive future. 

"Human Capital is not some subset of 'HR.' It’s less about process and more about people, the culture they desire, and a vested commitment to the development of their skills."  
Jess Elqmuist is the CHRO and Chief Evangelist at Phenom, a company whose mission is to help 1 billion people find the right job. Their Talent Experience platform bridges people, data, and interactions to great experiences, using AI and automation, so that leaders can hire faster and retain their employees. What Jess enjoys most is helping C-suite leaders maximize the potential of their team.
"My best days are when I’m bringing solutions to CEOs and CHROs that help their workforces run at peak performance. And I do it from the perspective of a people and workplace culture executive who believes in the power of human capital to help organizations thrive."
Jess Von Bank and I welcomed our Special Guest: Jess Elmquist, to talk about putting the HUMAN back into HR and how leaders can find, develop and retain the best talent using 3-Ps: Purpose, People & Process.

There is no shortage of leadership coaches, keynote speakers, motivational platforms, and business books teaching us about how to better connect with and inspire the workforce. We're not even a stranger to the idea of EMPATHY, but is anyone truly putting this into practice in a meaningful way? In business? With measurable impact?
Eric M. Bailey digs deeper into the concept of UNCONDITIONAL EMPATHY and illustrates what it looks like in practice with a leadership and communication methodology grounded in brain science and psychology.  
Eric is an innovative leader and the President of Bailey Strategic Innovation Group, which helps organizations unlock their full potential-fast. He has worked with companies like Google, been featured in Forbes and HuffPost, and hosts a 2-minute YouTube series on leadership called The Walking Meeting. 

This latest episode was recorded on March 31, International Transgender Day of Visibility. It is also the day that our friend, Sarah Reynolds, a leader and incredible marketer, was formally announced as HiBob's new Chief Marketing Officer. What a day to celebrate Sarah, and what a day to celebrate trans and non-binary people in our workforces and everywhere!
Sarah (they/them) is non-binary and transgendered. They are well-versed in the power of bringing your full, authentic self to the workplace. Everyone wins when diversity is not only welcomed but infused in talent, solution, and experience design.
We're proud of our Now of Work community for the space we've created for humanity to thrive at work!

Progress in the making: McDonald's commitment to diversity has stretched for decades. They went international in 1967. In 1968, their first restaurant owned by an African-American person opened their doors. The same year McDonalds allowed women to work as crew members in company-owned restaurants, for the first time. 

Fast forward to the 1980s, when one of their Hispanic franchise owners launched the scholarship fund that's awarded $32M in funds to date. In 1986, they launched the "Silent Persuasion" campaign, becoming the first quick service restaurant with a commercial in American sign language.

In 2000, McDonald's was named named Fortune magazine’s Most Admired Company for Social Responsibility. In 2004, they formed their first Global Diversity Advisory Council, and just last year that council engaged our own Jess Von Bank to coach them on new ways to view talent and remove barriers.
Jess and I introduce you to Reginald Miller, Chief Diversity Officer at McDonald's, and the mastermind behind ALL of this since he joined McD's executive ranks in 2020. Hear about his progress since then and his ongoing plans for approaching Career, Culture and Care from a DEI perspective.

Fun fact: Reggie also claims to know more about Star Wars than almost anyone!

It's all about the green. Jess Von Bank and I are joined by two industry experts: Jason Corsello, Founder and General Partner at Acadian Ventures, and Scott Berg, Managing Director, Sr. Research Analyst at Needham & Company. Together, we dove into last week's financial collapse of Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank and how this impacts the HR and HR Tech industry. We explained our expectations for short and long term impacts!

All industry professionals passionate about HR, the HR Technology vendor community, and where we go from here are encouraged to listen. The world is at a crossroads again around banking, investing, and how innovation continues to be funded in the world of HR and HR technology. Let's learn together!

As leaders we might be okay alone, but we're much more powerful when we work together. We started our Friday Digital Meetups in 2020 to do just that, build community at a time when we needed togetherness. Three years later, that sentiment still holds true. To thrive in today's rapidly changing Now of Work, we need each other and we need to be REAL about our wins and challenges, to move forward. 

Today, Jess Von Bank and I hosted a 'Community Be Real Session' on our Digital Meetup! We held an open, honest and unscripted discussion about being human. Our listeners shared their wins and challenges at work and at home. Together we discussed the support we each need most as leaders to thrive and humanize our workforce experiences.

James Ellis is a world-renowned expert on employer brand on a mission to create 1 million employer brand thinkers! It would take a former digital marketer and inbound audience expert to understand how brands can better connect to talent; this is why James does a brilliant job connecting digital marketing to talent marketing.

Jess Von Bank and I had a TON of questions for James. We asked him questions like:

- Why does employer branding only matter in a candidate-driven market? 
-How can we keep marketing to talent once they’re hired? 
-It’s Black History Month, soon to be Women’s History Month, then Mental Health, Autism Awareness, Pride. How can brands and employers authentically align corporate values to social values without looking like they’re just following the social media calendar? 

...And why are we still calling all of this employer branding? The brand is the brand is the brand — doesn’t really matter if I’m a job seeker, an employee, part of your supply chain, an alumni, or a customer — does it? 

There was so much to unpack in one of the most chaotic (JVB would say disrespectful) candidate markets we’ve seen in a while.