Voices of HR

A 2022 survey by Indeed found more than a third of working women have thought about quitting their jobs because of burnout and the demands of family life. To help you retain the women in your workforce, and attract more top female talent, we’ve turned to Kate Muzzatti, Chief People Officer at Maven Clinic.

Highlights

[2:21] The State of Employer Family Health Benefits

[4:40] Employer attitudes about reproductive health benefits

[6:40] Where are potential family support/reproductive health benefits gaps? 

[10:07] Benefits ripe for investment

[11:43] Tips for advancing a more equitable family support/reproductive health benefits package

[14:06] Gauging how employees feel about existing benefits

[19:00] Demographics-based benefits inclusivity

[20:56] Do family benefits trends impact men in the workplace?

[22:01] Success tip for new CHROs

[24:31] Tying people strategy to business strategy

Guest Bio

Kate Muzzatti, Chief People Officer, Maven Clinic

Prior to joining Maven Clinic, the world’s largest virtual clinic for women’s and family health, Kate Muzzatti served as Chief People Officer at Babylist and has held people and human resources leadership positions at M.M.LaFleur, Blue Apron, and Gilt Groupe. Kate received her B.S. in Psychology from Santa Clara University. She lives in New York City with her husband and two children.

Thanks to Gen Z, workplaces must view employee life, work and health through a different, more meaningful lens. Radina Walsh, founder, trainer and talent manager of Vox Advisory shares some insights and strategies for recruiting and retaining the best this generation has to offer.

Highlights [2:17] HR’s link to psychology

[4:34] Why is Gen Z exciting?

[7:08] What do Gen Z workers expect from their employer?

[11:38] What kinds of bosses will Gen Z workers thrive under?

[15:30] Advice for leaders of Gen Z talent

[16:07] Gen Z’s workplace mental health

[24:25] The evolution of employer attitudes about employee mental health

[25:58] What Gen Z valuing work-life integration looks like

[31:26] A global look at cultural attitudes toward DEI

[38:42] What can employers do to be more diversity-minded?

Guest Bio

Radina Walsh, Founder, Trainer, and Talent Manager, Vox Advisory

Originally from Bulgaria, Radina Walsh is a remote talent advisor, virtual lecturer, LinkedIn trainer and psychologist based in Ireland.

After 10 years in the corporate world, working in executive search and in the global recruitment teams of LinkedIn and Airbnb, she set up her own remote consultancy, Vox Advisory, in 2019.

Radina is on the advisory board of several rising startups and collaborates with international organizations in setting up their talent strategy, as well as training the hiring teams and supporting the human capital function.

Links

https://www.linkedin.com/in/radinawalsh/?trk=pulse-article_social-details_comment_actor-image&originalSubdomain=ie

https://adamgrant.net/podcasts/

A traditional health plan is outdated for a workforce that may include up to five generations. It could result in you having an expensive, disjointed program with dozens of underutilized services and dissatisfied employees.

Jason Parrott, Senior Vice President of Enterprise Growth and Partnerships at Vida Health, says the key to improving your benefits strategy, communication and employee health outcomes is a tech-enabled, yet human-centric approach.

Highlights 

[4:00] Benefits engagement and utilization amid multiple health apps

[8:45] What do employees want from their employer health benefits?

[13:16] Why should employers re-assess their health and wellbeing benefits?

[17:07] What should HR leaders do after the listening process about benefits?

[21:28] Desirable proactive health tools 

[26:36] Changes you might consider for your pharmacy benefits program 

[29:40] Health benefit trends to watch over the next 12-18 months

[33:33] Healthy perks, care benefits and company culture

[38:06] The health benefits package as an employee retention and recruiting tool

[40:18] Patient experience

Guest Bio

Jason Parrott is SVP Enterprise Growth & Partnerships at Vida Health, a San Francisco-based health technology company.

Previously, Jason led the Healthcare & Well Being Strategy of The Boeing Company, the world’s largest aerospace company and top U.S. exporter.

Before that, Jason led the benefits strategy for AT&T, the world’s largest telecom company. He was Chairman of the Board for Midwest Business Group on Health, and a board member of Employer Health Innovation Roundtable, Integrated Benefits Institute, and Pharmacy Benefit Management Institute. Jason earned an M.B.A. and M.S. in Organizational Behavior from Benedictine University, and Bachelor of Science degree from Illinois State University.

Links https://www.linkedin.com/in/jason-parrott-57a47a2/

Creating an environment where employees can deliver your company strategy and goals - and feel good about it - is crucial. It requires data, listening and some expert analysis. Lisa Sterling, the Chief People Officer at Perceptyx, has a few pointers on what to look for, what to listen for, and who to listen to, to create a healthy work ecosystem.

Highlights

[4:00] Employee experience as everybody’s responsibility 

[5:35] Customer experience vs. employee experience

[10:05] Where to start with employee experience

[13:10] Listening strategy

[15:30] “Listening” with data

[20:10] Other ways to “listen”

[22:58] Is it necessary to have an employee experience framework?

[31:54] Working with all the key leadership stakeholders

[37:26] State of Employee Listening Study

[1:41] Getting comfortable with being uncomfortable

Guest Bio

Lisa Sterling, Chief People Officer, Perceptyx

Lisa Sterling has been disrupting the business and HR landscape to create cultural and organizational performance excellence for the past 20 years. Lisa led one of the most radical cultural transformations for a fast-growing, high-tech company. She has now joined Perceptyx and is leading the growth and transformation of their culture, as well as serving as a thought leader to HR and tech professionals and global organizations as their Chief People Officer. She has navigated people and organizations through successful IPOs and served as an advisor, mentor, and coach to CHROs and up-and-coming HR leaders across the globe. She is also an angel investor, public speaker, and an ordained minister.

Lisa’s efforts and contributions have been recognized by top industry awards such as:

TA Tech 100 Most Influential Thought Leaders

Top 100 HR Influencer

Top 100 HR Tech Influencer

HRO HR Superstar

Top Corporate Leader (over 35), and

300 Women in Tech Worth Watching.

Links

https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisamsterling/

www.perceptyx.com

https://go.perceptyx.com/research-the-state-of-employee-listening-2023

Today, companies need to be adept at developing their current and next-gen leaders. HR's ability to identify these individuals with progressive skill sets and talents, and set them up for success is key to ensuring that your organization remains competitive and sustainable. To help you take the strategic reins in cultivating your company’s high-performers, we've called in Dr. Renee Booth, President of Leadership Solutions.

Highlights

[4:04] Becoming a trusted advisor

[9:02] What HR needs to keep in mind for 12-18 months into the future

[11:13] Tests to identify high-performing talent

[14:26] Convincing the C-suite that talent development is necessary

[16:33] The need for new senior-level talent to have coaching

[20:51] Adjusting to the mindset of being a senior leader

[26:11] Women leaders wanting to “have it all”

[29:35] CHRO to CEO transferable skills

[32:00] Top characteristics HR should be tracking in new talent

[36:12] Courage to handle the tough stuff 

Guest Bio

Dr. Renee Booth, President, Leadership Solutions Inc.

The founder of boutique leadership consulting firm Leadership Solutions, Dr. Renee Booth has dedicated her career to helping executives and organizations find their potential to change their lives, their companies, and the world.

She is an organizational psychologist and a trusted advisor to Fortune 500 companies, educational institutions, and leading not-for-profit organizations.

Renee was the Eastern Regional Practice Leader for the HumanCapital Group of Watson Wyatt Worldwide. She also served as Senior Vice-President of Corporate Human Resources of financial services company ADVANTA Corporation, and spent more than a decade in senior positions with Hay Management Consultants.

Renee serves on the Board of Directors at Vishay Intertechnology Inc., one of the world's largest manufacturers of discrete semiconductors and passive electronic components, and is also a member of the Compensation Committee. Renee is a Board of Trustee member at the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia, where she serves on the Executive Committee. She serves on the Board of Trustees of Vanguard Charitable Trust and Thomas Skelton Harrison Foundation. 

Links

Almost three out of every four companies are implementing permanent hybrid work models this year. What kind of impact will that have on company culture, productivity, and employee mental health and well-being? Amy Freshman, Senior Director of Global HR for ADP - who has worked remotely long before the pandemic - shares her ideas on what HR can do to drive positive outcomes in these areas.

Highlights: 

[3:23] Strategic approach to going hybrid

[6:21] Addressing the downside risks of a post-pandemic hybrid environment

[10:44] The risks of mandating daily commuting to the office again 

[13:11] What about employees who thought pandemic remote work changes were permanent?

[20:15] ADP’s “Month of Wellness”

[25:25] Preparing managers to have conversations about mental health

[27:26] HR’s support for managers

[32:08] Check-in conversations

[36:12] The future of hybrid work

[40:13] Measuring whether hybrid work/flexible work is a good thing

Guest Bio

Amy Freshman, Senior Director of Global HR, ADP

After 17 years in various sales roles, Amy joined the HR organization at ADP to head the company’s flexible work arrangements program in 2012. Her duties have since expanded to include HR lead on all merger and acquisition activities within the company, in partnership with ADP’s strategy organization. She leads critical programs and events, including an HR summit focused on learning and connection among ADP’s global HR team members, and an annual companywide Month of Wellness that provides sessions and engagement activities related to wellbeing. She earned her SHRM-SCP certification in 2021.

Links

Diversity hiring and DEI initiatives are challenging to implement and leverage in a lot of organizations. In some cases, it can take decades to get right. Michael Watson, Head of Global Customer Evangelism at Eightfold, offers innovative ways to use Artificial Intelligence to better understand what could be holding your company back from becoming the kind of diverse, high-performing organization needed to remain competitive in today’s marketplace.

Highlights

[2:27] Getting started with, or advancing, diversity initiatives

[7:15] Support for DEI change management

[10:30] Do jobs really need an education requirement?

[13:03] Takeaways Michael picked up from spending time at “best places to work”

[22:13] What are your diversity objectives?

[24:51] HR advocating for DEI buy-in

[29:10] What can HR do to protect diverse individuals from targeting and bullying?

[31:07] How hiring process consistency and AI can help move the diversity “needle”

[34:48] Hiring manager bias toward workers already in a role

[35:46] Warm/cold passive talent

Guest Bio

Michael Watson, Head of Global Customer Evangelism, Eightfold

Michael is a talent acquisition expert and artificial intelligence enthusiast who is dedicated to using cutting-edge technologies to revolutionize the world of work. 

Michael believes that AI has the potential to help individuals find fulfilling and meaningful work, and he is dedicated to ensuring that everyone has access to the right career opportunities. He is passionate about helping individuals find work that aligns with their unique skills and interests, and he believes that AI can be a powerful tool to help people achieve their career goals.

He is the author of two books: “Career AI: Navigating the Job Market in the Age of Artificial Intelligence” and “The AI-Powered HR Professional.” He is a frequent speaker and writer on topics related to AI, talent acquisition and career development, and he is always looking for new and innovative ways to use technology to improve people's lives.

Links

Former Nutrisystem CEO Dawn Zier shares her insights on how to lead a company through transformation, and how HR leaders can play a critical role in its success by developing the strategic acumen needed to drive business results and business value.

Highlights: [1:37] Trends CHROs and CEOs need to pay attention to over the next one to three years

[4:06] “FRAME” the strategic process

[6:23] Essentials for anyone with C-suite aspirations

[8:53] Transforming to a high-performance culture

[11:40] Hiring “culture enhancers”

[14:30] Handling “damaging leaders” and “cultural detractors”

[18:59] “Successfully managing life in a career”

[22:50] Taking advice from younger generation

[25:11] Getting in touch with purpose, talents and skill sets for career development

[27:49] Mentoring and sponsorship opportunities for women

Guest Bio

Dawn Zier,  independent board director, C-suite mentor and speaker

Dawn is an accomplished CEO best known for engineering a  turnaround of Nutrisystem. During her six years as CEO, she created a multi-brand strategy focused on digital transformation and innovation that doubled revenues and resulted in a seven-fold increase in operating income. Dawn has served on multiple public company and private company boards throughout her career and enjoys connecting the dots across industries. She currently is Chair of the Board for The Hain Celestial Group and also serves on the Board of Directors for Spirit Airlines.

Links

Although some companies may be enjoying lower turnover rates, employees and leaders are still leaving companies at a rapid rate - often because of a lack of recognition for their contributions. Jason Lindstrom, CEO at Bucketlist Rewards, says when people are deeply aligned around meaningful purpose and vision, and are acknowledged for living your culture and values, you can lower your turnover rate by  20%, 30% or 40%.

Highlights:

[3:12] Where do companies tend to go wrong with their culture?

[6:04] Introducing prospective employees to your culture

[6:58] Bringing values alive with a peer-to-peer recognition program

[8:53] Culture and brand

[11:08] Keeping everyone in sync with your culture, even if a staffer isn’t living your values

[15:38] Wrong and right ways to do employee recognition

[23:07] Identifying the need for a new or augmented recognition program 

[27:18] How do your people want to be rewarded?

[30:37] Could culture and peer-to-peer recognition be used as measuring sticks for leadership succession planning?

[33:10] Working around executive pushback responses to rewards and recognition programs

Guest Bio:

Jason Lindstrom, CEO, Bucketlist Rewards

Jason Lindstrom is the founder and CEO of Bucketlist Rewards, a leading employee recognition platform. Jason believes in the importance of employee appreciation that helps companies create success by motivating people to grow and thrive. He has worked with hundreds of organizations, helping them roll out effective recognition programs. He’s worked with companies like the NBA’s Orlando Magic, Royal Bank of Canada, University of Texas Arlington, and Stamford Hospital.

Finding, recruiting and retaining the right high-performing candidates is key to company success. When companies are hunting for an elite, needle-in-the-haystack kind of executive, they’ll hire an expert. That's when they call in executive recruiter Vivian Kessler of Search Innovations. She talked with us about a variety of strategies related to C-suite recruiting and succession, and why HR leaders are good CEO candidates.

Highlights: 

[1:48] Transitioning from the legal field to recruiting

[6:08] What job candidates and employers are looking for right now 

[8:00] Interview questions that tell you how a candidate gets things done

[10:54] Appropriately matching candidates with organizations

[12:44] In-demand executive skills post-pandemic

[16:23] CHROs as trusted advisers to senior leadership

[18:05] CHROs as CEO candidates

[20:09] Diverse executive job candidates

[28:13] Talking to the C-suite about diversity

[31:31] Identifying “fake leaders” before they get entrenched in your organization

Guest Bio:

Vivian Kessler, President, Search Innovations

Vivian Kessler founded Search Innovations in 1995. She leads the overall execution of the firm’s searches, from inception to close. Her expertise in executive searches was first cultivated during her tenure as a vice-president at a retained boutique search firm, The Beam Group, in Philadelphia. Prior to joining Beam, Vivian was an attorney representing corporations in mergers and acquisitions. She is active in local politics and is an amateur watercolorist.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/vivian-kessler-a95316/

www.searchinnnovations.com

One of the toughest things employers have to define and redefine is benefits strategy - especially with employee retention being so challenging right now. ArmadaCare CEO Ed Walker has learned from experience that the right benefits strategy isn’t one-size-fits-all for all companies, especially with five different generations in the workforce. So it’s up to HR to take the pulse of the organization with quantitative and qualitative data.

Highlights

[9:56] The impact of workplace DEI

[10:41] Age diversity in the workplace

[14:51] What DEI and the ACA have in common

[16:05] How excepted benefits can help different employee populations

[21:35] Top things for retaining employees

[22:50] Mental healthcare benefits

[26:18] Gathering metrics and pivoting your employee retention strategy

[32:19] The link between employee and client Net Promoter Scores

[36:06] Using benefits as a “levelizer”

[40:56] Personalization of benefits

Guest Bio:

Ed Walker, CEO, ArmadaCare

With over 30 years of executive experience, Ed Walker genuinely understands the value of his employees and has established a culture where everyone feels inspired to use their innovative spirits. Because of this, he’s watched his company grow from only serving the C-Suite to focusing on the entire wellbeing of each and every employee. He’s an avid world traveler, outdoorsman and endurance athlete, most recently finishing the IronMan Kona.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/ehwalker3/

Links

www.armadacare.com

https://officevibe.com/guides/employee-net-promoter-score

The Great Resignation is still subsiding very slowly. Millions of workers leaving their jobs every month creates a daily challenge for HR pros to keep their organizations fully staffed. Consultant Rob Dubin, who works with companies to turn burned out employees into engaged employees, shares his ideas for helping your people better connect with the things that lead to true happiness.

Highlights

[5:51] Where feelings of unfulfillment driving the Great Resignation are coming from

[9:38] Happiness vs. “mis-wanting”

[13:48] Re-thinking good benefits and compensation as the key to happiness

[16:02] Can happiness be taught?

[19:15] Happiness, relationships with others and remote work

[21:21] Would four-day workweeks make people happier?

[23:05] Getting the C-suite to care about improving employee engagement

[26:14] What HR can do to promote more happiness within the company

[28:58] Happiness, productivity and profits

[30:54]  Some things scientific research has found about happiness

Guest Bio:

Rob Dubin was an award-winning filmmaker who traveled the world making  commercials and TV programs for Fortune 500 companies. At the age of 42 Rob and his wife sold their home, moved onto a 40-foot sailboat, and spent 17 years sailing around the world studying human happiness and fulfillment. Today Rob gives back by teaching courses in employee happiness which increase engagement, reduce resignations and combat quiet quitting. Rob combines lessons learned while sailing around the world with the science of human happiness to deliver strategies for building team engagement. 

The once-a-year rate and rank review system of the past no longer serves employees, managers, HR, or the organization. John Smith, Director of SMB Solutions, Global Business Applications from Quisitive, joins the podcast to make a case for implementing iterative approaches to employee performance management that the modern workforce will appreciate.

Highlights:

[1:45] Where companies are going wrong with talent identification, valuation, and retention, and how performance appraisal is changing

[6:14] Performance management changing with generational shifts in the workforce

[8:50] One of two camps HR will be in when it’s time to modernize performance management

[10:25] Why performance management process change is particularly tricky for an HR department of one

[11:44] One of four kinds of companies when it comes to performance management: Which one are you?

[17:53] A real-life example of re-tooling the performance management process

[22:51] Should you separate discussions with employees about performance and compensation?

[25:21] Quarterly conversations to keep employees motivated

[29:11] Where organizational objectives fit in

[30:17] Channeling a high-performing or high-potential  employee’s ambition and purpose to retain them

Guest Bio:

John Smith,  Director of SMB solutions in Global Business Applications, Quisitive

John works with senior management to ensure their talent management solutions fit both their short- and long-term needs. His career spans both strategic human resources and finance, including two decades of consulting experience - both domestic and international. 

Even if employees aren’t feeling connected to their company’s values, employee experience specialist Tanya Fish, Manager of Employee Experience at ITA Group, says it’s possible to make those workers feel like they truly belong. But you have to ask the right questions and take action.

Highlights:

[5:09] When there’s a disconnect between the perception of company culture and the actual culture

[9:49] When HR needs buy-in from leadership that the pulse of the culture needs to be taken

[13:07] Utilizing surveys to gain insights into employee experience and feelings

[14:29] Using the authentic words of employees when defining brand and values

[15:22] Questions you need to be asking your people now

[16:58] Segmented employee engagement strategy

[18:14] Potential speed bumps in demonstrating values across the organization 

[21:13] Marketing and HR working together to optimize brand and employee satisfaction

[25:43] Emulating PetSmart for relatability and sustainability of values  

[33:15] The impact of employee and customer net promoter scores

Guest Bio:

Tanya Fish is the Leader of Employee Experience Solutions for ITA Group. She drives the insights, strategy and evolution around employee experience for the organization while offering advice for client engagement and employee programs. Tanya loves inspiring passion in people, something she believes impacts the individual, the organization and the community. Tanya’s past work and studies on organizational leadership in business, employee health and well-being, culture and health insurance guide her unique perspective on organizational health and success. Tanya is energized by achievement, learning and empowerment and balanced by time with family and friends and being outdoors. Bonus points if it’s by a body of water. 

With approximately 10 million job vacancies and maybe 5 million people available to fill them, the onboarding experience needs to start much earlier in the recruitment process. Senior HR consultant Chrisanne Bowden explains how onboarding these days starts with the job post, and is also continuous - especially among women and other diverse candidates.

Highlights:

[01:26] How to get great candidates to consider your company and engage in the hiring process

[03:26] Why recruiting outside of your industry is a huge opportunity right now

[09:01] The strategic value of conducting a “stay” interview with a really good new hire

[10:15] Tips for reviewing job ads and resumes, personalizing recruiting efforts, and engaging with top applicants

[14:27] Strategies for retaining diverse employees

[16:00]  Why we should stop saying, and focusing on, culture fit - and what to do instead

[21:20] “Broken rung” syndrome

[34:41] HR analytics vs. culture 

[35:43] Companies with great company-culture HR practices

[37:25] Getting HR a seat at the senior leadership table

Guest Bio:

Chrisanne Bowden, Senior HR Consultant, iHire

Chrisanne has nearly three decades of experience in a wide variety of human resources and management roles. She has worked in an HR leadership capacity in multiple industries, where she has been a catalyst for growth, positive change, and continual improvement. Chrisanne currently supports small businesses without in-house HR and larger employers working on special projects.