Rebecca Taylor sits down with Miriam Chan, Head of Global People Operations at Marrow, to unpack one of the most current employee relations scenarios in HR: moonlighting in the AI era, when the side hustle is legal, the policy doesn't exist, and "loyalty" isn't a policy violation.

In this episode:

• Why the first question isn't about the employee, it's about the manager's motivation
• The acceptable use policy problem: most were written before AI tools existed
• What "loyalty" and "distraction" actually mean when there's no performance issue
• How to build a moonlighting policy with a product manager's mindset: discovery first, then define the problem
• Why moonlighting almost always signals an unmet need: skills, compensation, or a career pivot
• The double-dipping line: when side work touches your company's customers

Sometimes the employee broke no rule and the company still has a real problem. This episode is about closing the gap before it becomes a conflict.

HR Voices is a scenario-based podcast from AllVoices. Real workplace dilemmas, experienced HR and People leaders, no script.

🔗 Learn how AllVoices helps HR teams manage employee relations: https://www.allvoices.co

💬 Have a scenario you want us to tackle? Drop it in the comments.

Takeaways

• Navigating workplace tensions
• Impact of off-duty political expression

Chapters

• 00:00 The Political Yard Sign
• 06:22 Addressing Employee Concerns
• 11:51 Impact on Company Culture
• 17:41 Employee Dialogue and Resolution
• 30:48 Challenging Assumptions About HR

Summary

Feeling the pressure to do more with less while AI reshapes work?

Tanya Moore, Chief People Officer at West Monroe, shares how she’s evolving HR from an administrative function to a strategic architect of business outcomes.

Leading people strategy for a 2,000+ person business and technology consultancy, Tanya breaks down a practical AI playbook: raise AI literacy across the org (they now have ~100 super users), reinvent core workflows, and keep humans firmly in the loop.

She details how West Monroe built client-ready offerings like Intellio Hopper to modernize data 80% faster, and how her team uses AI to compress M&A diligence—from sifting thousands of documents to delivering faster, higher-quality insights.

Tanya also offers concrete advice for HR leaders: separate HR operations from strategy, focus on fewer, high-impact priorities, and “leapfrog” with technology instead of moving step-by-step.

She closes with how leaders should model usage, prioritize workflow pilots, and foster continuous learning (including her own 8–10 hours per week) so talent stays employable and energized. Hear the frameworks, tools, and mindset shifts any people leader can apply now.

Timestamps

[00:52] – CPO scope and West Monroe overview (2,000+ employees; business and tech consulting)

[01:50] – The new HR mandate: do more with less while elevating employee experience

[02:49] – From admin to strategic architect: partnering with the C‑suite and board

[04:31] – Balancing urgent and strategic: split HR ops, focus ruthlessly, and leapfrog with tech

[07:41] – Building AI literacy: ~100 super users and offerings like Intellio Hopper (80% faster data modernization)

[10:54] – Human‑in‑the‑loop: pairing judgment with AI to improve speed and quality

[11:56] – Workflow reinvention: AI‑accelerated M&A diligence to deliver insights faster

[16:47] – Model the behavior: leadership usage, workflow priorities, and a culture of continuous learning

Takeaways

- Elevate HR from process owner to strategic architect by aligning people strategy to business outcomes.

- Separate HR operations from strategic work to reduce reactivity and create focus.

- Focus on a few high-impact priorities; ship value, then iterate.

- Leapfrog with technology to compress timelines—don’t always move step‑by‑step.

- Build AI literacy org‑wide, cultivate super users, and redesign end‑to‑end workflows with human‑in‑the‑loop.

- Model continuous learning at the top and make experimentation a visible, regular practice.

Sponsor

AllVoices brings all your employee relations work together in one place. No more jumping between spreadsheets, emails, and legacy systems just one place to document and manage reports, cases, investigations, and performance conversations. It helps you run a more consistent process, takes busywork off your plate with AI, and makes it easier to spot trends early, so you can work proactively, not just put out fires.

See a demo at ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.allvoices.co/

Summary

When production volumes swing and electrification reshapes the auto industry, how do you keep frontline teams informed, confident, and aligned?

Paula Slater, Chief Human Resources Officer at International Automotive Components (IAC Group), a Tier 1 interiors supplier with 12,000 employees across North America and Europe, shares a practical playbook for leading through uncertainty.

She explains why supervisors—not slide decks—are the true carriers of culture, and how IAC is building manager communication muscles with high-touch development, clear behavioral expectations, and accountability that cascades from the C-suite to the plant floor.

Paula details how onsite leadership reinforces a safety-first foundation and recognition habits that stick. She also breaks down AI in manufacturing—back-office vs. in-process applications, why clean data and parameters matter, the ROI in quality and scrap reduction, and the realities of funding and cybersecurity.

The conversation closes on trust, reskilling, and why HR’s human skills—empathy, listening, and emotional intelligence—are the differentiator in the AI era, plus a reminder to put on your own oxygen mask first.

Timestamps

[00:45] – IAC overview: Tier 1 interiors supplier, global footprint, and workforce makeup

[02:25] – Electrification and unstable volumes: why over-communication is essential

[06:30] – Reaching non-desk workers: supervisors as primary communicators and culture carriers

[08:50] – Building manager capability: high-touch supervisor development and cascading accountability

[10:43] – Onsite presence that matters: safety as culture bedrock and recognition on the floor

[12:59] – AI in manufacturing: back-office vs. in-process, data quality, and ROI in quality outcomes

[15:58] – Speed vs. security: funding constraints, university partnerships, and cybersecurity guardrails

[18:12] – Trust, reskilling, and HR’s evolving role: leading with empathy amid constant change

[22:44] – Parting advice: self-care for HR leaders—the oxygen mask principle

Takeaways

- Over-communicate context and repeat messages through supervisors—the most trusted channel for frontline teams.

- Cascade culture via modeled behaviors and clear accountability from executives to plant leaders.

- Build supervisor capability with high-touch development: standard core content, local facilitation, and real feedback loops.

- Make safety the non-negotiable foundation and recognize visible wins during onsite visits.

- Pilot AI where data is strongest; define parameters, measure quality ROI, and balance speed with cybersecurity.

- Lead reskilling with transparency and empathy; strengthen emotional intelligence—and protect your own capacity first.

Sponsor

AllVoices brings all your employee relations work together in one place.

No more jumping between spreadsheets, emails, and legacy systems just one place to document and manage reports, cases, investigations, and performance conversations.

It helps you run a more consistent process, takes busywork off your plate with AI, and makes it easier to spot trends early, so you can work proactively, not just put out fires.See a demo at ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.allvoices.co/

Acquisitions are messy unless you have a plan to keep culture, talent, and momentum intact. Kathleen Weslock, former CHRO at Ansys (now part of Synopsys), employment lawyer, and ex-Mercer consultant, shares the playbook her team used to navigate a multibillion-dollar deal with low turnover and high trust.

She explains how to run HR like a Swiss train during M&A, from 1,000+ employee listening sessions to identifying “critical roles” (including hidden gatekeepers) and deploying global equity to retain top engineers. Kathleen details the leadership development her team built for turbulent times resilience, change management, and DISC-informed coaching plus why HR must align every dollar to business outcomes and avoid “shiny AI” distractions.

She also calls out broken talent acquisition practices (ghosting, premature references) and how to fix candidate experience fast, then makes the case for people analytics and labor economics as core CHRO skills.

Expect practical guidance on CEO alignment, speaking in ROI, and protecting culture while accelerating results.

Timestamps

[00:45] – Guest intro and the Ansys/Synopsys acquisition: mission, culture, and CHRO mandate

[05:25] – The M&A playbook: keep HR ops steady; use 1,000+ focus groups to build trust

[06:55] – Protecting critical talent: skills mapping, contingency chains, comp and global equity

[08:30] – Equipping leaders: resilience and change management, “above/below the line” coaching

[10:25] – 2026 outlook: align to business impact; spend wisely; avoid shiny-AI syndrome

[12:35] – Bespoke L&D that scales: HiPo development on a dime and DISC-based change programs

[14:30] – Fix TA first: stop ghosting, elevate candidate experience, and pulse employee sentiment

[16:40] – What trips CHROs up: subject-depth gaps, comp fluency, CEO alignment, and speaking ROI with data

Takeaways

- Run HR like a Swiss train in M&A keep core ops humming while increasing employee listening.

- Map critical roles and skills; create bespoke retention plans using fair comp and global equity.

- Equip managers with resilience, change management, and DISC-informed leadership tools.

- Align every HR investment to business outcomes; skip “shiny” tech unless it solves a defined problem.

- Repair talent acquisition now: end ghosting, treat candidates like customers, and protect your brand.

- Speak the CEO’s language with data build people analytics, labor economics, and compensation expertise to influence decisions.

Sponsor

AllVoices brings all your employee relations work together in one place. No more jumping between spreadsheets, emails, and legacy systems just one place to document and manage reports, cases, investigations, and performance conversations. It helps you run a more consistent process, takes busywork off your plate with AI, and makes it easier to spot trends early, so you can work proactively, not just put out fires.

See a demo at ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.allvoices.co/

On HR Voices, Rebecca Taylor and guest Stacy Winsett, Chief People Officer at RATP Dev USA, work through a termination scenario that collapses into a six-figure settlement. A manager fires an employee after a heated call, then backdates the performance notes, and metadata in discovery exposes it. Stacy argues the real failure runs deeper than the firing: a manager carrying two open headcount gaps and fourteen direct reports was never flagged as a risk. The conversation moves from documentation discipline to psychological safety to workforce planning. Essential listening for HR and people-ops leaders who want to prevent these failures, not just clean them up.

Chapters

00:00 Welcome and the shortcut termination scenario

02:15 Why missing documentation is the biggest risk

04:20 Where the investigation begins: prove up everything

07:45 De-escalation in the heat: let's talk tomorrow

10:05 The code word that buys psychological safety

12:05 Cultural blind spots and folk legalisms

14:45 Metadata and the moment the case collapses

16:45 Workforce planning and span of control

24:00 Over-functioning, boundaries, and the cost

27:45 One HR assumption that needs challenging

Takeaways

1. An undocumented termination is legally a non-event, and backdated notes caught by metadata destroy credibility entirely.
2. Documentation the employee never received barely counts; fair process means they had a real chance to improve.
3. Psychological safety is risk management, because fear pushes stretched managers to fire first and document later.
4. Span of control is a leading risk indicator that belongs in regular workforce planning, not at the bottom of the list.
5. Over-functioning managers get rewarded until the workload comes due; someone has to ask if they're okay.

Connect with the Guest

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stacywinsett/

Website: https://www.ratpdev.com/en/usa/

Sponsor

AllVoices brings all your employee relations work together in one place. No more jumping between spreadsheets, emails, and legacy systems — just one place to document and manage reports, cases, investigations, and performance conversations. It helps you run a more consistent process, takes busywork off your plate with AI, and makes it easier to spot trends early, so you can work proactively, not just put out fires.

See a demo at https://www.allvoices.co/

Summary

How do you integrate 16 acquisitions at once without losing the soul of each local business?

Chelle O’Keefe, Executive Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer at Associa—the largest property and community management company in North America—shares a practical playbook for scaling culture while honoring local identity.

With 30,000+ communities and 4 million homeowners across the U.S., Canada, and Mexico, Associa grows primarily through M&A. Chelle explains how her team balances standardization with autonomy, why new acquisitions with seller-owners need a different glide path, and how reframing “loss of control” as “evolving identity” changes resistance into buy-in.

She details a bottom‑up approach to AI—automating painful, repetitive work first—and a real-world example of using AI to model 401(k) scenarios that saved significant cost.

Chelle also breaks down Associa’s succession strategy in a niche industry, including a new tool pushing frontline leaders to develop their replacements and maintain high internal promotion rates.

Expect candid insights on titles, urgency traps, and building leaders who can thrive through constant change.

Timestamps

[00:45] – Associa overview: largest in community management, acquisitive growth, scale across North America

[01:23] – Integrating 16 companies at once: standard platforms vs. local differentiation in employee experience

[03:13] – Managing “branch presidents”: core branches vs. new acquisitions with seller-owners

[05:46] – From control to identity: why titles matter and creating space during integration

[09:28] – Escaping the urgency trap: learning, networking, and the realities of HR’s “lonely” role

[12:02] – Bottom‑up AI: start with painful, repetitive work instead of forcing AI into processes

[14:58] – AI case study: modeling 401(k) scenarios, validating with providers, and saving money

[17:42] – Succession at scale: promoting from within, frontline ownership, and a new succession tool

Takeaways

- Lead integrations through identity alignment—don’t erase local culture; evolve it.

- Define two playbooks: one for core branches and one for newly acquired, seller-led teams.

- Slow down where it matters—acknowledge title changes and create space for employees to be heard.

- Apply AI from the bottom up: automate repetitive, low‑value tasks before redesigning everything.

- Pilot AI on real business problems, then validate with experts to ensure accuracy and trust.

- Push succession planning to the frontline—develop replacements to enable upward mobility and retention.

Sponsor

AllVoices brings all your employee relations work together in one place. No more jumping between spreadsheets, emails, and legacy systems just one place to document and manage reports, cases, investigations, and performance conversations. It helps you run a more consistent process, takes busywork off your plate with AI, and makes it easier to spot trends early, so you can work proactively, not just put out fires.

See a demo at ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.allvoices.co/

On this episode of HR Voices, Rebecca Taylor and Julianne Galli, VP of People at Kindbody, work through a fabricated but painfully familiar scenario: a 61-year-old senior director is retitled "Director of Special Projects," stripped of his reports, and files an age discrimination complaint eight months before his pension vests. They argue the real risk isn't the age claim, it's that the decision was made with no HR in the room. Julianne shares the four-word tactic she uses to insert friction without becoming the obstacle, and the two draw a hard line on what AI can and can't do in an investigation. Essential listening for HR and people leaders who are tired of being brought in as cleanup.

Chapters

00:00 Why HR can feel like Groundhog Day

02:30 The scenario: The Demotion That Wasn't

04:15 The real red flag isn't his age

06:00 Left out by accident, or on purpose?

08:30 "Have you considered?" and useful friction

10:30 Order of operations: legal, leader, employee

14:00 You can't move people like chess pieces

17:15 Why AI can't run the investigation

21:00 Evidence over intentions, and slow to go fast

Takeaways

1. The riskiest fact in a role change is often "no HR involvement," not the protected-class detail everyone fixates on.
2. Reframing friction as "have you considered?" lets HR challenge a decision without becoming the obstacle.
3. AI can organize documentation and surface prior cases, but the witness conversations and the judgment stay human.
4. The same facts can read as discrimination or as clumsy succession planning; partnership and clear communication are what separate them.
5. In a dispute, only documented evidence counts, so build the paper trail and partner early.

Connect with the Guest

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/julianne-galli-m-s-ed/
Website: https://kindbody.com/employer-benefits/

Sponsor

AllVoices brings all your employee relations work together in one place. No more jumping between spreadsheets, emails, and legacy systems — just one place to document and manage reports, cases, investigations, and performance conversations. It helps you run a more consistent process, takes busywork off your plate with AI, and makes it easier to spot trends early, so you can work proactively, not just put out fires.

See a demo at https://www.allvoices.co/

Handling Viral Misconduct: Due Process, Deepfakes, and Franchisee Realities
Summary
When a customer films a frontline worker spewing racist slurs and the clip explodes online, how do you protect your brand without abandoning due process? 
Amrita Bhaumik, VP of HR at Team Car Care—the largest Jiffy Lube franchisee—shares a clear, defensible playbook for high-stakes, high-speed incidents. Leading a large employee relations function across a distributed retail network, Amrita explains how to investigate quickly and fairly when social pressure is peaking and deepfakes muddy the truth. 
She breaks down who to interview first (and who to avoid to prevent “telephone game” distortions), why suspension beats same-day termination, and how to authenticate video using in-store footage and anti-deepfake checks. 
You’ll also hear how to handle customer outreach, when to make a public statement, and the most common ER mistakes that sink cases later. 
Finally, Amrita clarifies ownership in a franchise model and the training, policy, and hiring practices that prevent incidents in the first place—from social media governance to de-escalation and selecting for customer orientation.

Timestamps
[00:01] – Show intro and today’s headline-inspired scenario
[01:58] – Brand risk vs. due process: reacting fast without cutting corners
[06:09] – Investigation plan: who to interview, what to avoid, and rigorous documentation
[07:46] – Verifying evidence in the deepfake era; leveraging in-store footage
[09:11] – Interim steps: suspend vs. terminate; outreach to affected customers
[11:49] – Common ER pitfalls: bias, skipped steps, weak records
[13:39] – Decision-making frame: values, legal, operations, and precedents—at speed
[23:51] – Franchisee vs. corporate: who owns the call and how to equip local leaders

Takeaways
- Establish and follow an investigation SOP—document every step and source of evidence.
- Use suspension pending investigation; avoid same-day terminations driven by public pressure.
- Authenticate digital evidence with store footage and deepfake checks before acting.
- Proactively communicate with affected customers while deferring public statements until facts are verified.
- Train frontline managers on de-escalation and social media policy; reinforce with real scenarios.
- Clarify franchise vs. corporate decision rights and equip franchisees with templates, legal guidance, and comms playbooks.

Sponsor
AllVoices brings all your employee relations work together in one place. No more jumping between spreadsheets, emails, and legacy systems just one place to document and manage reports, cases, investigations, and performance conversations. It helps you run a more consistent process, takes busywork off your plate with AI, and makes it easier to spot trends early, so you can work proactively, not just put out fires.
See a demo at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.allvoices.co/⁠

🎙️ Follow our guest: 
On Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amrita-bhaumik-hr/
Their website: https://www.jiffylube.com/

Follow AllVoices
→ https://www.linkedin.com/company/allvoicesco/
→ https://www.instagram.com/allvoices/
→ Or visit: https://www.allvoices.co

🎤 Follow Rebecca Taylor
→ https://www.linkedin.com/in/rebeccataylor2/

Summary

How do you align a frontline-heavy workforce while preparing for AI, labor shortages, and shifting leadership aspirations?

Trent Savage, Chief Human Resources Officer at Mountain America Credit Union—the eighth largest credit union in the U.S. with 3,700 employees, 100 branches across five states, and $22B in assets—shares how his team is building a skills-based, AI-ready organization without losing sight of member-centric service.

Trent explains why flexibility must be defined by role, how rotating talent through branch roles deepens empathy and performance, and why workforce planning must be tightly integrated with talent pipelines.

He details a six-pillar employee experience model tied directly to engagement metrics, a dynamic skills ontology to power internal mobility, and a transparent approach to AI that blends social and technical systems.

Expect practical guidance on moving beyond AI dabbling, upskilling for problem-solving work, and preparing leaders and employees for the 2026 shift from pilots to productivity.

Timestamps

[00:45] – Guest intro: Mountain America’s footprint, growth, and member-centric culture

[02:56] – Frontline vs. corporate: role-based flexibility and rotating talent through branches

[05:47] – Leadership pipeline shifts: Gen Z aspirations, retirements, and looming labor shortages

[07:55] – Workforce planning meets talent management; AI strategy and the socio-technical lens

[11:11] – Upskilling now: automating transactional work and elevating HR as thought partner; change management for 2026

[16:51] – Operationalizing EX: six-pillar blueprint, linking engagement to manager action, and journey mapping pain points with IT/facilities

[20:49] – Building a skills ontology: AI-enabled benchmarking, role-based learning paths, and transparent internal mobility

[22:21] – Closing advice: get out of the transactional and into strategy, org design, capabilities, and change

Takeaways

- Define flexibility by role and rotate leaders through member-facing work to build empathy and performance.

- Integrate workforce planning with talent management; know your pipeline health and readiness for critical roles.

- Move beyond AI dabbling: set a clear strategy, over-communicate, and balance tech with culture using a socio-technical approach.

- Upskill now for problem-solving, holistic thinking, and collaboration as automation removes transactional work.

- Operationalize employee experience with a clear, manager-owned EX model tied to engagement data and journey-mapped fixes.

- Build a skills-based organization: invest in a dynamic skills ontology, use AI to benchmark, and connect skills to learning and mobility.

Sponsor

AllVoices brings all your employee relations work together in one place. No more jumping between spreadsheets, emails, and legacy systems just one place to document and manage reports, cases, investigations, and performance conversations. It helps you run a more consistent process, takes busywork off your plate with AI, and makes it easier to spot trends early, so you can work proactively, not just put out fires.

See a demo at ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.allvoices.co/

Summary

When your organization is the primary destination for critical care, how do you support the people who support patients—without breaking under pressure?

John Petrov, Chief Human Resources Officer at UAB Medicine, leads HR for a 1,300+ bed academic medical center and a statewide health system employing 37,000 people.

He shares what HR looks like in the second-most regulated industry in the U.S., from building rock-solid frontline leader relationships to removing roadblocks that delay care.

John reframes “housekeeping” as infection prevention, breaks down why volume and environment shape patient experience, and details how UAB equips caregivers through rigorous onboarding, ongoing competencies, wellness incentives, and 24/7 support.

He also unveils “Applause,” a system-wide recognition platform, and the feedback engine behind 83% engagement survey participation.

Finally, John explains how UAB is using Phenom’s AI to automate recruiting workflows, accelerate candidate connections, and free teams to focus on the human moments that matter closing with two simple leadership principles that travel across industries.

Timestamps

[00:45] – UAB Medicine’s footprint: academic medical center, statewide hospitals, and CHRO scope

[03:00] – High-stakes reality: healthcare as the #2 most regulated industry and why it matters

[05:02] – Supporting caregivers: frontline leader relationships, clearing barriers, and EVS as infection prevention

[08:01] – Collaboration challenges: personalities, ER volume, and the ripple effects on patient experience

[11:15] – Nurturing the workforce: onboarding, annual competencies, EAP, and wellness incentives

[13:20] – Recognition that sticks: launching “Applause” for peer-to-peer points and milestones

[15:40] – Real feedback loops: 83% engagement, action plans, town halls, and transparent “not now”

[19:25] – AI in talent acquisition: Phenom to source, schedule, and speed up candidate connection

[21:55] – What AI changes: less transactional work, more time to sell mission, values, and culture

[23:53] – Parting advice: do all you can for your people; make a positive difference

Takeaways

- Strengthen frontline leader-caregiver relationships and remove barriers that delay care.

- Treat environmental services as critical infection prevention, not just “housekeeping.”

- Close the feedback loop: drive high engagement, publish action plans, and explain the “why” behind decisions.

- Incentivize preventive health to boost wellbeing and contain benefit costs.

- Recognize often and publicly—use a scalable, peer-to-peer platform tied to values and milestones.

- Automate recruiting workflows with AI to accelerate candidate engagement and redirect recruiter time to high-impact conversations.

AllVoices brings all your employee relations work together in one place. No more jumping between spreadsheets, emails, and legacy systems just one place to document and manage reports, cases, investigations, and performance

conversations. It helps you run a more consistent process, takes busywork off your plate with AI, and makes it easier to spot trends early, so you can work proactively, not just put out fires.

See a demo at ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.allvoices.co/

Summary

When your company is transforming fast, how do you keep people aligned, energized, and ready for what’s next?

Einav Lavi, Chief Human Resources Officer at EnterpriseDB (EDB), shares how she’s steering a high-velocity shift from a database services company to a sovereign data and AI platform—without losing the human center.

With a background in finance and 20+ years in PE-backed transformations, Einav breaks down the CEO–CHRO partnership, why HR must be both data-savvy and deeply empathetic, and how AI frees teams to focus on meaningful conversations.

She details EDB’s change playbook: a company-wide growth mindset program, “framing memo” with a five-year plan, flat access to leaders, and manager-first enablement.

Expect specifics—quarterly talent reviews driven by predictive attrition insights, AI-powered sourcing that reduced five sourcers to zero, and EQ training for managers—plus a practical ritual for balancing business results with employee care.

Timestamps

[00:45] – What EDB does and its shift to a sovereign data and AI platform

[01:58] – Einav’s path: finance to CHRO, PE transformations, and a 7-hour CEO interview

[04:15] – The CEO–CHRO pact: balancing ROI with empathy in rapid change

[05:46] – Beyond “I love people”: AI handles admin so HR can focus on careers and culture

[07:26] – Managing change: over-communication, growth mindset, and the 40-page “framing memo”

[11:48] – Manager-led change: quarterly talent reviews, predictive attrition, and generous equity

[14:33] – Freeing time for real conversations: EQ programs and AI that removes busywork

[16:41] – Fit-for-purpose orgs: what roles to automate vs. where humans are essential

[21:59] – AI as augmentation, not replacement—and Einav’s weekly reflection practice

Takeaways

- Operationalize clarity with guiding principles, flat access to leaders, and a five-year “framing memo.”

- Equip managers to lead change: run quarterly talent reviews, use predictive attrition data, and develop EQ.

- Automate the busywork: use AI for sourcing, survey analysis, and note-taking; redeploy time to high-value conversations.

- Design for human–machine partnership: ask every function which roles can be automated and which require creativity/strategy.

- Make change personal: pair corporate transformation with growth mindset training and clear “what this means for me.”

- Balance business acumen with empathy—schedule regular reflection to stay anchored on both.

Sponsor

AllVoices brings all your employee relations work together in one place. No more jumping between spreadsheets, emails, and legacy systems just one place to document and manage reports, cases, investigations, and performance conversations.

It helps you run a more consistent process, takes busywork off your plate with AI, and makes it easier to spot trends early, so you can work proactively, not just put out fires.

See a demo at ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.allvoices.co/

On HR Voices, host Rebecca Taylor sits down with Chad Thompson, Chief People Officer at LanzaTech, to work through a scenario every people leader will recognize: a manager discloses an employee's performance improvement plan in a team meeting, and a confidentiality complaint follows. The conversation opens into the bigger questions underneath it. Is HR confidentiality even real? How do you balance being an employee advocate and a business partner at the same time? And why does HR keep getting cast as the policeman instead of the strategist? Chad makes the case that HR's credibility problems are largely self-inflicted, and fixable. This one is for HR and people ops leaders who are tired of being blamed first and valued last.

Chapters

00:00 Intro

00:45 The broken confidentiality scenario

03:15 Why most PIPs are given reluctantly

07:05 The confidentiality promise HR can't keep

10:50 Scapegoats, linemen, and the HR tightrope

14:30 Who you talk to first in a complaint

18:30 When to involve legal, and the harassment flag

20:00 A PIP is redeeming the investment you made

24:00 The benched quarterback: failing in public

29:30 The assumption about HR that needs to die

Takeaways

1. Once a rating is in the performance system, confidentiality is largely fiction, so set honest expectations instead of promising secrecy you can't keep.

2. A PIP, done right, is the most genuine attempt to redeem a hire you spent real money to make, not a shortcut to firing.

3. The core skill of HR is holding two opposing loyalties at once: employee advocate and business partner.

4. Public failure, like a visible PIP, can make a fair evaluation more possible, not less, because it ends the pretending.

5. HR earns its strategic seat by bringing a business point of view, not by running process and waiting to be valued.

Connect with the Guest

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chad-thompson-b200028/

Website: https://lanzatech.com

Sponsor

AllVoices brings all your employee relations work together in one place. No more jumping between spreadsheets, emails, and legacy systems, just one place to document and manage reports, cases, investigations, and performance conversations. It helps you run a more consistent process, takes busywork off your plate with AI, and makes it easier to spot trends early, so you can work proactively, not just put out fires.

See a demo at https://www.allvoices.co/

Summary

What does it take to steer a 25-year-old tech company through going private while raising the performance bar?

David Hanrahan, SVP of People Success at SolarWinds, shares how his team is navigating culture integration with a data-driven parent company, reorganizing HR for impact, and using AI to modernize performance.

With 2,100+ employees and deep tenure across the business, SolarWinds is balancing “what’s worked” with a sharper go-to-market focus. David explains why he shifted HRBPs from site-based support to functional teams (GTM, R&D, G&A), how he built trust quickly across global sites, and why HR must solve revenue problems—starting with hiring and retaining top “native sales” talent.

He also opens up about building an attrition prediction model (and what they learned when v1 missed), plus how AI writing assistants can free managers to be coaches, not scribes.

He closes with a research-backed principle: managers who truly understand their team’s work dramatically boost performance, engagement, and retention.

Timestamps

[00:45] – SolarWinds overview: going private, observability software, and the change agenda

[02:17] – Balancing long company history with Turn/River’s speed and data-orientation

[04:42] – Rewiring HRBPs: from site-based coverage to functional alignment (GTM, R&D, G&A)

[07:19] – Earning trust fast: global site visits, human updates, and building rapport remotely

[11:44] – HR as business problem-solver: zeroing in on “native sales” talent to drive bookings

[14:06] – Attrition prediction model: partnering with IT and learning from first-pass misses

[15:06] – AI in performance: writing assistants, meeting people where they are, manager as coach

[22:13] – The performance multiplier: managers who truly understand the work

Takeaways

- Align HRBPs by function, not just site, to strengthen partnership with global business priorities.

- Build trust quickly through intentional face time and human touches—even in remote-first contexts.

- Aim HR at revenue levers: hire and retain top “native sales” talent to fuel bookings growth.

- Treat analytics as experiments: iterate on models that miss and learn from actual attrition drivers.

- Use AI to handle synthesis and writing so managers can coach, set trade-offs, and elevate performance.

- Make “manager understanding of work” a habit—it doubles high performance and slashes attrition.

Sponsor

AllVoices brings all your employee relations work together in one place. No more jumping between spreadsheets, emails, and legacy systems just one place to document and manage reports, cases, investigations, and performance conversations. It helps you run a more consistent process, takes busywork off your plate with AI, and makes it easier to spot trends early, so you can work proactively, not just put out fires.

See a demo at ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.allvoices.co/

Summary

How do you unify a national, largely exempt workforce while navigating AI and rapid growth?

Debulina Bose, Chief Human Resources Officer at CoBank, shares how a mission-first approach—serving rural America and strengthening food security—drives hiring, development, and culture across 1,400 associates. As a cooperative, CoBank makes long-term people decisions, not quarter-by-quarter tradeoffs.

Debulina details how her team uses Gallup StrengthsFinder to build diverse-by-thinking teams, why empathy, listening, and judgment will differentiate talent in an AI-enabled workplace, and where AI fits today—from HR chat assistants for FAQs to Copilot for tone and productivity. With 40% of employees new in the last three years, she outlines CoBank’s 2026 priority: building an intentional, co-created culture that matches the mission and the moment.

Expect practical ideas for hiring for purpose, applying the “five whys,” and using AI as a thought partner—while keeping humans firmly in the loop.

Timestamps

[00:45] – Guest intro: CoBank’s mission to serve rural America and Debulina’s remit as CHRO

[01:54] – Workforce snapshot: 1,400 associates, HQ in Denver, national footprint, largely exempt

[03:02] – Unifying a distributed culture: hiring and promoting for mission alignment

[04:34] – The cooperative advantage: long-term lens for talent and development

[05:33] – StrengthsFinder in action: diversity of perspectives and team assimilations

[08:03] – AI anxiety to clarity: empathy, listening, and judgment as differentiators

[11:36] – Practical AI: HR knowledge assistant for FAQs; Copilot to refine difficult messages

[17:43] – 2026 focus: “intentional culture” with 40% new hires—engagement over edicts

Takeaways

- Hire for purpose: prioritize mission alignment to unify distributed teams and decisions.

- Anchor people strategy in the long term—especially in a cooperative or stakeholder model.

- Use StrengthsFinder to design teams with diverse thinking styles and run effective assimilations.

- Deploy AI where it scales routine work (FAQ chatbots) and boosts clarity (tone refinement), not where empathy is required.

- Teach human skills that AI can’t replicate: deep listening, judgment, critical thinking, and the “five whys.”

- Co-create culture during periods of heavy hiring—engage employees broadly instead of issuing top-down values.

Sponsor

AllVoices brings all your employee relations work together in one place. No more jumping between spreadsheets, emails, and legacy systems just one place to document and manage reports, cases, investigations, and performance conversations. It helps you run a more consistent process, takes busywork off your plate with AI, and makes it easier to spot trends early, so you can work proactively, not just put out fires.

See a demo at ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.allvoices.co/

Connect with Colette Brown: https://www.linkedin.com/in/colettebrownhr/

Summary

How do you lead 10,000 caregivers across three shifts without losing consistency, compassion, or speed?

Colette Brown, Chief Human Resources Officer at Stony Brook University Hospital—the only Level I trauma center in Suffolk County and recently ranked #1 in New York for pediatric care and #7 in the nation—explains how her team supports a round-the-clock workforce.

Colette shares why leadership is the core challenge in healthcare HR and how to replace labels like “toxic” with pinpointed behaviors you can coach.

She walks through Stony Brook’s homegrown manager training (verbs over adjectives, real role-plays, and ER partnership) and how they prepare leaders for tough reactions while preserving empathy and fairness.

Colette also details their AI journey, including “Herbie,” a 24/7 HR chatbot built to handle high-volume, high-urgency questions—from leaves and timesheets to employment verifications—and why continuous monitoring matters.

Along the way, she reflects on COVID-era heroism, practical resilience, and career advice for rising HR leaders. Expect actionable tools for behavior-based leadership, self-service at scale, and using AI to reduce anxiety before investigations and difficult conversations.

Timestamps

[00:38] – Stony Brook’s footprint, rankings, and mission-driven culture

[01:56] – Why healthcare HR is hardest: 24/7 staffing and emotional labor

[04:44] – COVID heroism: SUNY Upstate nurses, community support, lasting lessons

[06:18] – 2026 priorities: leadership, fairness, and the “attitude trap”

[08:44] – From labels to behaviors: verbs, pinpointing, and practical training

[11:22] – Coaching managers: ER partnership and preparing for tough reactions

[15:12] – AI in HR: launching “Herbie,” the 24/7 HR chatbot

[17:58] – What employees ask most—and how self-service changes HR

Takeaways

- Replace labels with observable behaviors; coach using verbs and specific examples.

- Build manager capability with role-plays, scripts, and ER support to handle difficult reactions.

- Standardize fairness and consistency across shifts; set clear expectations and address issues early.

- Use AI to rehearse investigations and tough conversations to reduce anxiety and improve outcomes.

- Deploy a 24/7 HR chatbot; curate content, track trends, and continuously refine answers.

- Invest in caregiver well-being and resilience to sustain performance in a round-the-clock environment.

Sponsor

AllVoices brings all your employee relations work together in one place. No more jumping between spreadsheets, emails, and legacy systems just one place to document and manage reports, cases, investigations, and performance conversations. It helps you run a more consistent process, takes busywork off your plate with AI, and makes it easier to spot trends early, so you can work proactively, not just put out fires.

See a demo at ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.allvoices.co/

Summary

AI in HR isn’t about replacing people—it’s about redefining excellence and freeing humans to do higher-order work.

Valerie Capers Workman, Chief Human Resources Officer at Empower Pharmacy and author of two books on AI, shares how she’s leading company-wide AI transformation while rebuilding the HR tech stack with human-in-the-loop design.

Valerie tackles the real blockers—fear, security, ethics, IP, and inequity—and explains why “excellence now requires AI” and how leaders can communicate that without triggering defensiveness. She breaks down a practical operating model: use AI for task work, keep humans as the “last mile” decision-makers, and build AI fluency through structured, role-based training so no one is left behind.

Expect candid stories, from coaching a team member past “AI is cheating” to using saved time for strategic thinking, plus how to set guardrails for sensitive areas like employee relations.

Timestamps

[00:45] – Guest intro: CHRO role at Empower Pharmacy and leading AI across HR and the business

[02:16] – The real challenges: fear of replacement, ethics, security, and IP concerns

[03:24] – Redefining excellence and leveling the field: reluctance, inequity, and access

[06:16] – Coaching in practice: moving from “AI is cheating” to standout work—and time back

[08:42] – What leaders must do: shift routine to AI to create space for strategic thinking

[10:24] – Managing risk: automation misfires, ER sensitivity, and designing for control

[11:48] – Design principle: human-in-the-loop “last mile” for all critical HR decisions

[15:45] – Building AI fluency: pilot curriculum, company-wide training, and starting before perfect

Takeaways

- Design AI with humans as the last mile—keep judgment, empathy, and final decisions with leaders.

- Build AI fluency by role; launch a pilot curriculum and scale it so no one is left behind.

- Reframe AI as a performance multiplier: use it for tasks to create room for strategy and EQ work.

- Set clear guardrails (ethics, security, IP) and choose platforms that preserve human control.

- Start now with small experiments; momentum beats perfection in a fast-changing tech landscape.

- Normalize failure and iteration—use “bad” outputs to sharpen prompts, thinking, and processes.

Sponsor

AllVoices brings all your employee relations work together in one place. No more jumping between spreadsheets, emails, and legacy systems just one place to document and manage reports, cases, investigations, and performance conversations. It helps you run a more consistent process, takes busywork off your plate with AI, and makes it easier to spot trends early, so you can work proactively, not just put out fires.

See a demo at ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.allvoices.co/

In this episode of HR Voices by AllVoices, Emily Fenech sits down with Pamela Brown, Head of People and Culture at Crunch Fitness, to explore how HR leaders can shift from being reactive task managers to strategic business drivers. Pam shares how she uses ruthless prioritization to align people initiatives with top- and bottom-line business goals, and why she considers herself a businessperson first who specializes in people.

Pam also opens up about her personal transformation journey at Crunch—including losing 60 pounds—and how that experience helped her build deeper credibility with frontline teams. From predictive analytics in HR to strengthening manager capability, Pam offers a masterclass in combining authenticity, data, and strategy to amplify culture and results.

Whether you're fighting for a seat at the table or trying to keep up with the rapid pace of AI in HR, this conversation offers practical insights and grounded leadership advice.

Key Timestamps

• [00:34] – Meet Pamela Brown, Head of People and Culture at Crunch Fitness

• [01:02] – The expanding role of HR: culture keeper, change navigator, and strategy partner

• [01:56] – Ruthless prioritization: how Pam decides what matters most

• [03:21] – Tying HR strategy to business growth and executive priorities

• [04:15] – Owning your seat: becoming a business-first HR leader

• [05:22] – Personal transformation: how Pam’s fitness journey built trust and connection

• [07:54] – The rise of predictive analytics in people strategy

• [09:52] – Building strong partnerships with technology experts

• [11:28] – Using AI to interpret engagement data and drive action

• [13:50] – Pam’s leadership philosophy: be a multiplier

Takeaways

• Lead HR with ruthless prioritization to avoid distraction and align with business impact

• Act like a business owner: speak the language of finance, operations, and outcomes

• Build credibility through lived experience, vulnerability, and real connection

• Leverage predictive analytics to proactively address turnover and engagement

• Network with a give-first mindset to build authentic, lasting professional relationships

• Be a culture multiplier by identifying growth opportunities at every level of the organization

Our Sponsor
⁠AllVoices⁠ is an employee feedback platform designed to make it easy and safe for employees to speak up. With anonymous reporting, pulse surveys, and case management tools, AllVoices helps HR and leadership teams address issues early, build trust, and improve workplace culture. Empower your employees to share feedback anytime, from anywhere. ⁠Join hundreds of companies using AllVoices to create a healthier workplace.⁠

In this episode of HR Voices, host Rebecca Taylor sits down with Lizzie Garner, Chief People Officer at ClearChoice Dental Implant Centers, to work through this fabricated-but-deeply-familiar scenario about the moment HR has to decide whether to push back, proceed, or put themselves on the list. 

Lizzie brings a refreshingly grounded perspective rooted in having led more layoffs than most HR leaders ever will. She walks through why layoffs are actually the moment HR can build the most trust and value within an organization, how to reframe "going over the CFO's head" as "let's bring in another brain," and why she's never used performance ratings as the sole selection criteria for a reduction in force. 

She and Rebecca get into alternative selection approaches like last-in-first-out and full role elimination, why reminding the CFO of the cost of employment litigation is one of your most effective tools, and the practical scripting details that matter most in the actual conversation with someone being let go—including leading with "everything we discuss today will be emailed to you" because nothing else will register after that moment. If you're an HR leader navigating a reduction or preparing for one, Lizzie's toolkit approach and her steady composure will give you something concrete to build from.

Timestamps

• 01:37 The scenario: the layoff order
• 02:31 Why layoffs are actually where HR can build the most trust
• 06:08 Getting involved before the list exists: selection criteria conversations
• 09:31 Running the impact analysis and bringing in outside counsel
• 11:25 Reminding the CFO what employment litigation actually costs
• 13:01 Alternative approaches: last-in-first-out and full role elimination
• 18:03 Reframing "going over their head" as "let's bring in another brain"
• 26:17 Scripting the actual layoff conversation: lead with the email, hold space

Takeaways

• Get involved before the layoff list exists—advocate for clear selection criteria when the conversation is still about cost-saving, not names
• Run a full impact analysis and consider bringing in outside counsel for a second set of eyes on disproportionate impact
• Offer alternative selection methods like last-in-first-out or full role elimination to give the CFO defensible options
• Remind finance leaders that employment litigation is expensive—sometimes the cost of proceeding outweighs the savings
• Script the layoff conversation carefully: open with "everything we discuss today will be emailed to you" because nothing after that will register
• Build a reduction-in-force toolkit before you need one—you'll be seen as the expert, and you probably are, even if it's your first time

Guest LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lizziegarner

Company website: https://www.clearchoice.com

Sponsor

AllVoices brings all your employee relations work together in one place. No more jumping between spreadsheets, emails, and legacy systems just one place to document and manage reports, cases, investigations, and performance conversations. It helps you run a more consistent process, takes busywork off your plate with AI, and makes it easier to spot trends early, so you can work proactively, not just put out fires.

See a demo at ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.allvoices.co/

• (01:37) - The scenario: the layoff order
• (02:31) - Why layoffs are actually where HR can build the most trust
• (06:08) - Getting involved before the list exists: selection criteria conversations
• (09:31) - Running the impact analysis and bringing in outside counsel
• (11:25) - Reminding the CFO what employment litigation actually costs
• (13:01) - Alternative approaches: last-in-first-out and full role elimination
• (18:03) - Reframing "going over their head" as "let's bring in another brain"
• (26:17) - Scripting the actual layoff conversation: lead with the email, hold space

A high-performing employee leaves voluntarily, makes complaints about her manager during the exit interview, and those complaints are noted informally but never investigated. 

Eighteen months later, she applies to come back—to the same manager's team. Now HR is stuck: rehiring her means placing her back under the manager she complained about, but not hiring her could look retaliatory for protected complaints. 

In this episode of HR Voices, host Rebecca Taylor sits down with Jill Gawrych, CHRO at Springs Window Fashions, to work through this fabricated-but-very-real scenario about the boomerang employee problem. Jill brings a clear-eyed, action-oriented approach to what is genuinely a no-win situation with risk in every direction. She walks through who to talk to first (your HR team, then the manager—carefully), why you have to pause the hiring process before anyone takes unsanctioned action, and how to handle the investigation that should have happened 18 months ago. 

She and Rebecca also get into the difference between bad leadership and actual misconduct, why memory makes 18-month-old complaints nearly impossible to investigate cleanly, and the uncomfortable reality that once you've seen undocumented notes, you no longer have plausible deniability. If you've ever dealt with a boomerang hire, an uninvestigated exit interview complaint, or just the daily reality of every decision in HR carrying risk, this conversation will sharpen how you think about it.

Timestamps

• 01:06 The scenario: the boomerang employee problem
• 02:28 What stands out as most risky: risk in every direction
• 04:46 Who to talk to first: HR team, then the manager—carefully
• 07:19 What about the candidate? When and how to have that conversation
• 09:00 Assumptions to avoid: don't assume the manager was wrong or the employee was right
• 12:05 The risk of not rehiring versus the risk of rehiring into a bad situation
• 15:01 Memory, documentation, and plausible deniability after 18 months
• 19:55 Moving fast enough to maintain control without tripping over yourself

Takeaways

• Investigate every exit interview complaint, even from someone who's leaving—once it's written down, it's documented whether you meant it to be or not
• Pause the hiring process immediately so nobody takes action before you've assessed the situation
• Talk to the manager without revealing the complaint first; understand the "why" behind the rehire before coloring the conversation
• Check whether other complaints or turnover patterns exist on that manager's team before drawing conclusions
• Consult employment counsel before talking to the candidate—there are too many directions this can go
• Treat boomerang candidates like any other candidate: check their exit documentation, talk to former colleagues, and don't assume hiring them back is the easy win

Guest LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jill-gawrych-hr-professional/

Company website: https://www.springswindowfashions.com

Sponsor

AllVoices brings all your employee relations work together in one place. No more jumping between spreadsheets, emails, and legacy systems, just one place to document and manage reports, cases, investigations, and performance conversations. It helps you run a more consistent process, takes busywork off your plate with AI, and makes it easier to spot trends early, so you can work proactively, not just put out fires.

See a demo at ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.allvoices.co/

• (01:06) - The scenario: the boomerang employee problem
• (02:28) - What stands out as most risky: risk in every direction
• (04:46) - Who to talk to first: HR team, then the manager—carefully
• (07:19) - What about the candidate? When and how to have that conversation
• (09:00) - Assumptions to avoid: don't assume the manager was wrong or the employee was right
• (12:05) - The risk of not rehiring versus the risk of rehiring into a bad situation
• (15:01) - Memory, documentation, and plausible deniability after 18 months
• (19:55) - Moving fast enough to maintain control without tripping over yourself

A state passes a pay transparency law. A company scrambles to comply by posting wide salary ranges like $60K–$120K "to preserve flexibility." Then employees see the ranges and start filing complaints. Sound familiar? 

In this episode of HR Voices, host Rebecca Taylor sits down with Ami Graves, CHRO at Bell Techlogix, to work through exactly this scenario and uncover what a strong HR leader actually thinks about when the gray areas pile up. Ami brings 25+ years of HR leadership experience and an unusually direct perspective on where the real risk lives—and it's rarely where employees think it is. 

Together, Rebecca and Ami unpack why a 100% range isn't a range at all, what companies should have been doing in the 12 months before the law took effect, how to coach managers who deflect hard pay conversations to HR, and why HR has far less unilateral power than most employees believe. Ami also shares a wince-worthy story from her first salary negotiation that will resonate with anyone who's ever second-guessed asking for more. If you're preparing for new pay transparency regulations, auditing internal equity, or just trying to navigate the gray of modern HR, this conversation will sharpen your thinking.

Timestamps

• [01:11] – The scenario: a state pay transparency law hits a company with wide ranges
• [02:11] – Why $60K–$120K isn't actually a range
• [04:30] – What you should be doing before a pay transparency law takes effect
• [10:16] – Who HR needs at the table (hint: it's not just managers)
• [15:13] – The biggest mistakes HR teams make in these moments
• [20:23] – Weighing legal risk, candidate perception, and business impact
• [25:00] – Ami's first salary negotiation story (and what it taught her)
• [31:36] – The one assumption about HR that needs to be challenged

Takeaways

• Audit your internal pay equity before a transparency law forces you to, not after
• Push back on "flexibility ranges" that span 100%—they defeat the purpose and erode trust
• Coach managers to own pay conversations instead of deflecting to HR
• Loop in P&L owners and finance early; big comp adjustments have real business impact
• Stop negotiating over pennies—lead with your strongest honest offer
• Remember HR is an advocate and advisor, not the compliance police

Guest LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amigraves/ 

Company website: https://belltechlogics.com

Sponsor

AllVoices brings all your employee relations work together in one place. No more jumping between spreadsheets, emails, and legacy systems just one place to document and manage reports, cases, investigations, and performance conversations. It helps you run a more consistent process, takes busywork off your plate with AI, and makes it easier to spot trends `early, so you can work proactively, not just put out fires.

See a demo at ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.allvoices.co/

She explains how these non-cognitive traits can be measured, developed, and embedded into workplace culture—not only at the individual level but also across entire teams. You’ll hear why performance and persistence matter as much as intelligence, how HR leaders can foster these traits in their organizations, and why resilience is the leadership currency of the future.

Whether you're navigating your own career path or looking to develop the next generation of leaders, this episode offers powerful, research-backed insights on what it takes to thrive in high-pressure industries.

Key Timestamps

• [00:36] – Introduction to Dr. Milana Hogan and her research on gender gaps in law firm leadership

• [01:42] – The leadership drop-off: Why women don’t advance at the same rates

• [02:34] – What women can control: Building success through behavioral traits

• [03:58] – Defining grit and growth mindset in the workplace

• [06:55] – How to identify and assess grit in interviews and resumes

• [08:58] – Can grit be taught? Why this is good news for professionals

• [14:19] – How HR can promote grit and growth mindset at scale

• [18:27] – Why gritty teams outperform and how to build them

• [20:38] – Final advice for people leaders: Take care of yourself to lead others

Takeaways

• Recognize the career cliff: Even with equal entry rates, women drop off in leadership—understanding why is key to solving it.

• Grit = sustained effort + passion: It's not about sprinting; it's about showing up consistently, especially in high-pressure careers.

• Growth mindset is a belief system: People who believe they can improve tend to persist longer and achieve more.

• Grit and mindset are learnable: Even low scorers on assessments can develop these traits through intentional practice.

• Embed traits in culture: Use training, evaluations, and leadership storytelling to normalize grit and growth mindset.

• Team-level resilience matters: High-performing teams operate with shared perseverance—not just individual effort.

• HR leaders must refill their own tanks: Self-care is not optional when your job is to support others’ success.

Our Sponsor
AllVoices⁠ is an employee feedback platform designed to make it easy and safe for employees to speak up. With anonymous reporting, pulse surveys, and case management tools, AllVoices helps HR and leadership teams address issues early, build trust, and improve workplace culture. Empower your employees to share feedback anytime, from anywhere. ⁠Join hundreds of companies using AllVoices to create a healthier workplace.⁠

Summary

How do you keep 4,500 non-desk employees engaged when hybrid isn’t an option?

In this episode, host Emily Fenech sits down with Cortney Worle, Chief People Officer at Cafe Rio Mexican Grill (formerly HR leader at Road Runner Sports), to unpack what’s unique and universal about leading people in restaurants and retail.

Cortney shares her non-linear path to CPO (including a strategic step back), why engagement strategies must evolve every 18–24 months, and how Cafe Rio’s “Talk & Tacos” listening sessions with the CEO/COO surface real, fixable issues fast.

She gets specific on shifting from specialization to cross-training amid tight margins, rolling out mobile-first scheduling and shift swaps, and where AI actually helps today (dynamic labor scheduling) versus where she’s cautious (AI-driven hiring).

Cortney also tackles the “boundaries vs. growth” conversation and closes with simple advice: get out of the office and watch the work to find your next high-impact improvement.

Timestamps

[00:45] – Cortney’s journey: taking a step back to become CPO at Cafe Rio

[02:33] – The frontline HR reality: high turnover, non-desk workers, and limited peer benchmarks

[03:45] – Post-COVID shifts: rethinking recognition, comp, and what younger workers value now

[05:21] – “Talk & Tacos”: real-time listening with execs that drives concrete changes

[06:55] – From feedback to action: mobile schedules, in-app shift swaps, and faster fixes

[08:38] – Doing more with less: cross-training, agility, and reframing “not my job”

[11:30] – Boundaries vs. growth: addressing misused terms without missing real issues

[13:08] – Tech in restaurants: robotics vs. AI, and smart scheduling that frees managers

[15:34] – AI and recruiting: governance, bias risk, and why not to be an early adopter

[16:35] – Field-first leadership: don’t decide in a bubble—watch the work to find opportunities

Takeaways

- Build continual listening loops (e.g., small-group forums with executives) to surface high-signal, fixable problems.

- Revisit recognition, training, and comp every 18–24 months; the frontline’s needs change quickly.

- Modernize scheduling: give employees mobile access, enable shift swaps, and use AI to optimize labor by demand.

- Cross-train intentionally; frame it as career growth (trainer/manager paths) to overcome “not my job.”

- Discern language vs. reality: prioritize true toxicity and discrimination while coaching on productive boundaries.

- Apply AI where it’s low-risk and high-impact (scheduling, forecasting); be cautious with AI-led selection due to bias.

- Spend time on the floor; observing real workflows reveals bottlenecks you’ll never catch from a desk.

Sponsor

AllVoices brings all your employee relations work together in one place. No more jumping between spreadsheets, emails, and legacy systems just one place to document and manage reports, cases, investigations, and performance conversations. It helps you run a more consistent process, takes busywork off your plate with AI, and makes it easier to spot trends early, so you can work proactively, not just put out fires.

See a demo at ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.allvoices.co/

Summary

In healthcare, you can’t Zoom in care, so how do you build flexibility, reduce admin burdens, and retain scarce clinicians?

Tommy Comer, Chief Human Resources Officer at HealthPRO Heritage, shares how his team supports therapists across 44 states by blending smart staffing models with a connected HR tech ecosystem.

With 15 years in healthcare HR, Tommy explains how the employee–employer compact has shifted especially for therapists with gig-like options and why leaders must design flexibility around settings and shifts, not location.

He details practical tech and AI use cases that actually give time back to caregivers: automated record audits (Dart AI) for accuracy and reimbursement, voice-to-text documentation, and an AI-powered HR “mascot” that answers policy questions 24/7 so HR can focus on complex issues.

Tommy also breaks down why comp is only one lever, how to link turnover, comp, and scheduling data to find true root causes, and the role HR must play in AI adoption being fluent, peeking around corners, and upskilling the human skills machines won’t replace.

Timestamps

[00:45] – HealthPRO Heritage overview: national footprint and therapy settings served

[01:11] – Tommy’s 15-year path in healthcare HR and why people strategy is different in care

[02:01] – The new employee–employer compact: loyalty, options, and a gig-like therapist market

[05:06] – Flex in healthcare: optimizing PRN talent, cross-setting staffing, and clear options

[07:18] – From silos to systems: connecting turnover, comp, and scheduling data by location

[10:45] – Frontline reality: admin burden vs. mission work—and where tech can relieve it

[11:50] – Practical AI that sticks: Dart AI for audits, voice-to-notes, and an HR “mascot” for policies

[16:02] – HR’s role in AI adoption: fluency, risk balance, human-skills development, and final advice

Takeaways

- Design flexibility around settings and shifts—build cross-setting PRN pools and let clinicians choose where they work.

- Connect people data across systems (turnover, comp, scheduling) to diagnose root causes by market and site.

- Deploy simple, high-impact AI: automated record audits, voice-to-text documentation, and 24/7 HR knowledge bots.

- Reduce administrative friction so clinicians can focus on care; standardize and streamline what you can.

- Treat pay as one lever—pair fair comp with recognition, strong supervisors, and predictable, transparent schedules.

- Make HR AI-fluent and lead adoption while upskilling the human skills (communication, leadership) AI won’t replace.
Sponsor

AllVoices brings all your employee relations work together in one place. No more jumping between spreadsheets, emails, and legacy systems just one place to document and manage reports, cases, investigations, and performance conversations.

It helps you run a more consistent process, takes busywork off your plate with AI, and makes it easier to spot trends early, so you can work proactively, not just put out fires.See a demo at ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.allvoices.co/

Summary

The recruiting world is transforming at high speed—AI is reshaping workflows while markets stay volatile.

How do you keep teams resilient and deliver results?

Jess Smith, Chief People Officer, Americas at Hays (formerly at AWS, Amazon, and Meta), shares how Big Tech agility translates to a global staffing leader with 10,000+ employees across 23 countries. Jess breaks down how Hays is building “the Hays of the future” in the Americas—rethinking org design and tooling while putting people first.

She outlines an accountability-first culture with above/below-the-line thinking to create stability in constant change, how managers coach teams from finger-pointing to ownership, and why HR must protect its energy during emotionally heavy transformations.

On AI, Jess gets practical: balancing budget cuts with expectations, piloting over promises, guarding candidate experience, and planning for training, prompt fluency, and time-to-value. E

xpect usable coaching prompts, an AI evaluation checklist, and clear guidance for HR leaders navigating relentless change.

Timestamps

[00:45] – Guest intro: Big Tech lessons, “human capital strategist,” and agility in action

[01:59] – Inside Hays: global footprint, Americas growth, and services from placements to RPO/MSP

[03:36] – Navigating constant change and AI’s impact on recruiting

[05:34] – Building an ownership culture: accountability and above/below-the-line thinking (and how to coach it)

[08:13] – Protecting the people team: HR wellness and emotional labor in transformations

[11:06] – Practical AI in HR: expectations, budget pressure, and what to pilot now

[13:41] – How to evaluate AI tools: candidate experience, training needs, and time-to-value

[18:41] – Parting advice: self-care amid a once-in-a-generation shift

Takeaways

- Build accountability with above/below-the-line thinking to create stability during change.

- Coach teams from blame to action: What did you want to happen? What could you do differently? What’s your next step?

- Protect HR’s energy—plan workloads around high-emotion moments and normalize recovery.

- Set realistic AI expectations: pilot with clear success criteria, especially under budget constraints.

- Evaluate AI on experience, readiness, risk/compliance, training and prompt fluency required, and true time-to-value.

- Teach ambiguity tolerance and role clarity so teams can pivot without losing momentum.

AllVoices brings all your employee relations work together in one place. No more jumping between spreadsheets, emails, and legacy systems just one place to document and manage reports, cases, investigations, and performance conversations. It helps you run a more consistent process, takes busywork off your plate with AI, and makes it easier to spot trends early, so you can work proactively, not just put out fires.

See a demo at ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.allvoices.co/

Summary

How do you build a high-performance culture when hybrid work frays connection and engagement?

Rodrigo Tajonar, Chief Human Resources Officer at Boston Globe Media (home to The Boston Globe, STAT, Boston.com, Globe Opinion, and Boston Magazine), unpacks two urgent challenges for people leaders: culture in a hybrid world and the rise of “rust out”—erosion of creativity and motivation—versus traditional burnout.

Rodrigo shares practical ways managers can rekindle energy and trust, including the company’s Let’s Connect program that scales leadership access and cross-team connection beyond HQ.

He also dives into AI in a newsroom: why AI should be an input (not the output), how in-house tools help reporters craft smarter headlines, and how data helps personalize subscriber engagement.

On the HR side, he outlines automating tier-one requests with an internal HR bot to free HR for strategy, and a vision for modern L&D—short, just‑in‑time, AI-assisted coaching for real moments like delivering feedback or navigating conflict.

He closes with grounded advice for HR leaders: stay humble, be friendly (not everyone’s friend), and borrow shamelessly from your network.

Timestamps

[00:40] – The Boston Globe Media footprint and Rodrigo’s CHRO remit

[02:21] – 2025 challenge #1: Culture, hybrid work, and closing the engagement gap

[05:39] – Burnout vs. “rust out”: what differs and how HR can spot each

[10:20] – Rebuilding connection: the Let’s Connect program and leadership lunches across sites

[11:46] – AI in media: input vs. output, an in-house headline tool, and data-driven subscriber engagement

[16:40] – HR automation: rolling out a tier-one HR bot to unlock strategic HR time

[19:40] – Rethinking L&D: microlearning, just-in-time guidance, and AI role‑play for tough conversations

[23:07] – Practical advice for HR leaders: humility, boundaries, and “borrow shamelessly”

Takeaways

- Diagnose “rust out” vs. burnout—address workload and wellbeing for burnout; rebuild purpose, creativity, and connection to combat rust out.

- Create intentional connection rituals (e.g., leadership lunches, cross-site meetups) to make hybrid work feel human.

- Set AI guardrails: use AI as an input for ideation and speed, not as the final source—especially in fact-checking environments.

- Automate tier-one HR requests with an internal bot to deliver fast answers and refocus HR on coaching, strategy, and culture.

- Redesign L&D for impact: short, scenario-based microlearning with AI prompts and role-play to support managers in the moment.

- Coach managers to model energy and clarity—regular check-ins, mentoring, and explicit expectations drive engagement across generations.

Sponsor

AllVoices brings all your employee relations work together in one place. No more jumping between spreadsheets, emails, and legacy systems just one place to document and manage reports, cases, investigations, and performance conversations. It helps you run a more consistent process, takes busywork off your plate with AI, and makes it easier to spot trends early, so you can work proactively, not just put out fires.

See a demo at ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.allvoices.co/

Multiple employees witnessed harassment and said nothing. Some told their managers. Some figured it wasn't their place. Now HR is investigating—and the question isn't just what happened, it's what do you do with the people who saw it and stayed quiet? 

In this episode of HR Voices, host Rebecca Taylor sits down with Robert C. Whitehouse, Chief People Officer at MiQ Digital, to work through this fabricated-but-very-real scenario about bystander accountability. 

Robert brings a grounded, values-first approach to what could easily become a punitive exercise. He walks through why he'd start with the managers (they're held to a different standard), how to assess whether someone willfully chose not to report versus simply didn't know what to do, and why erring toward education over punishment almost always builds more trust than the alternative. He and Rebecca get into the competing pressures of protecting the business, supporting the individual, and maintaining culture, and Robert shares a framework for decision-making rooted in organizational values. 

He also offers a line that stopped Rebecca in her tracks: "A complaint is sometimes a request in disguise." If you've ever had to decide between discipline and development—or if you've been the HR person wondering whether to act on something an employee asked you to keep quiet—this conversation will sharpen how you think.

Timestamps

• 00:56 The scenario: the complicit bystander
• 01:37 Robert's first instinct: who knew what, and when
• 03:09 Why he starts with the managers, not the witnesses
• 05:24 Understanding the group who didn't think it was their place
• 08:26 The internal dialogue every HR person has about confidentiality
• 12:31 Assumptions to avoid: don't assume intent, don't assume outcome
• 15:49 Using organizational values as a decision-making compass
• 19:10 Why education almost always builds more culture than punishment

Takeaways

• Start investigations with the managers; notice to them is notice to the company, and they're held to a different standard
• Assess intent before deciding on consequences—willful concealment and genuine confusion require very different responses
• Avoid assuming outcomes before you've collected facts; it biases the questions you ask
• Use organizational values as the compass for gray-area decisions, not rigid policy interpretation
• Err toward education over punishment for bystanders; punishing people for not reporting teaches them never to speak up again
• Remember: a complaint is sometimes a request in disguise, and sharing is too

Guest LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robertcwhitehouse/

Company website: https://www.weareMiQ.com

Sponsor

AllVoices brings all your employee relations work together in one place. No more jumping between spreadsheets, emails, and legacy systems just one place to document and manage reports, cases, investigations, and performance conversations. It helps you run a more consistent process, takes busywork off your plate with AI, and makes it easier to spot trends `early, so you can work proactively, not just put out fires.

See a demo at ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.allvoices.co/

• (00:56) - The scenario: the complicit bystander
• (01:37) - Robert's first instinct: who knew what, and when
• (03:09) - Why he starts with the managers, not the witnesses
• (05:24) - Understanding the group who didn't think it was their place
• (08:26) - The internal dialogue every HR person has about confidentiality
• (12:31) - Assumptions to avoid: don't assume intent, don't assume outcome
• (15:49) - Using organizational values as a decision-making compass
• (19:10) - Why education almost always builds more culture than punishment

Summary

When your company files Chapter 11, HR becomes the steady hand the business needs.

Deane Ilukowicz, Chief People Officer at TPI Composites—the world’s largest industrial manufacturer of wind turbine blades—shares how she’s guided a nearly 10,000-person, global workforce through restructuring with clarity and care.

From saying “I don’t know” the right way to co-owning tough conversations with leaders, Deane breaks down the practices that build trust under intense uncertainty. She explains why protecting your HR team’s emotional health is non-negotiable, how resilience and psychological safety actually show up day to day, and why “policies as guardrails” beats rigid rulebooks.

Deane also offers a simple, repeatable framework for continuous performance feedback and closes with a charge to every HR pro: be a business leader first.

Expect concrete guidance on communicating when you can’t share everything, keeping operations running while showing empathy, and earning—then keeping—your strategic seat at the table.

Timestamps

[00:45] – Guest intro: TPI’s footprint, scale, and manufacturing context

[02:15] – Chapter 11 realities for HR and leading with transparent context

[04:27] – Protecting the HR team: humane reductions and co-delivering hard news

[05:41] – Resilience and psychological safety: giving HR safe space to process

[08:21] – Truthful performance: using PIPs well to drive clarity and engagement

[11:48] – Continuous feedback in practice: the “one thing” framework

[15:21] – Presence, empathy, and grace; policies as guardrails while staying flexible

[21:02] – Business-first HR: understand how the company makes money to keep your seat

Takeaways

- Lead with transparent context—state what you know, what you don’t, and when you’ll update.

- Protect your HR team’s well-being; co-own difficult conversations with leaders and allow space to decompress.

- Build resilience and psychological safety by normalizing pauses, resets, and candid check-ins.

- Make feedback continuous: one thing that went well, one to improve, and one to do differently.

- Use PIPs as development tools grounded in clear expectations, not as a step toward termination.

- Earn strategic influence by mastering your business model, value drivers, and risks.

Sponsor

AllVoices brings all your employee relations work together in one place. No more jumping between spreadsheets, emails, and legacy systems just one place to document and manage reports, cases, investigations, and performance conversations. It helps you run a more consistent process, takes busywork off your plate with AI, and makes it easier to spot trends early, so you can work proactively, not just put out fires.

See a demo at ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.allvoices.co/

Claude emphasizes the importance of gathering hard evidence before approaching the accused manager and highlights how critical it is to understand the relationship between the departing employee and the manager to rule out retaliation-driven false claims. The conversation shifts from investigation mechanics to how HR handles the human element when theft is confirmed, demonstrating how to balance accountability with empathy and offering a real-world example of choosing generosity over policy.

Timestamps
00:01 Rebecca introduces Claude Silver, Chief Heart Officer at VaynerX 
00:36 HR Voices format: real scenarios, experienced HR judgment, no single right answer 
01:16 The scenario: exit interview theft allegation with a departing witness 
02:35 Claude's first questions: timeline, evidence, witness credibility, and access control 
04:15 CSI mode: petty cash storage, video cameras, and who manages the cash 
06:56 Evaluating the policy: who is authorized to access petty cash? 
09:07 Investigation sequence: departing employee first, then witnesses with access 
12:36 Protecting the accused: gather evidence before the conversation 
14:45 Red flags: examining the relationship between the departing employee and the manager 
16:12 Retail HR reality: exit interview allegations are 50/50 grudge or truth 
18:09 The confrontation: how to speak to the accused manager with grace and accountability 
20:38 Real example: VaynerX buys a plane ticket for an employee in crisis 
21:53 The assumption that needs to be challenged: HR is not the department of "no"

Takeaways

• Investigate exit interview allegations with the same rigor as any other report, but verify the relationship between the departing employee and the accused to rule out retaliation-driven claims.
• Gather objective evidence first—access logs, video footage, financial discrepancies—before confronting the accused to ensure the conversation is grounded in fact, not accusation.
• Approach confirmed theft with empathy and accountability: assume the person had a legitimate need, deliver the consequences clearly, and preserve their dignity in the process.
• HR's role is not to say "no"—it's to find ways to say "yes" within the boundaries of safety, compliance, and fairness.

Connect with the guest
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/casilver/
Company: https://vaynerx.com/

Sponsor

AllVoices brings all your employee relations work together in one place. No more jumping between spreadsheets, emails, and legacy systems—just one place to document and manage reports, cases, investigations, and performance conversations. It helps you run a more consistent process, takes busywork off your plate with AI, and makes it easier to spot trends early, so you can work proactively, not just put out fires.

See a demo at https://www.allvoices.co/

In this episode of HR Voices, Rebecca Taylor is joined by Margie Zyble, CHRO at UC Health Cincinnati, to work through a high-stakes scenario: a company's forced ranking system produces racially disparate outcomes, a manager refuses to rank her team in the bottom tier, and HR must advise on both. Margie draws on her experience to separate the two problems, explain why most manager defiance traces back to a skill gap rather than principled dissent, and make the case for running an enablement phase before any accountability conversation begins. This episode is for HR leaders, ER specialists, and people ops practitioners navigating the gap between process compliance and genuine manager development.

Chapters

00:00 Welcome and the scenario: forced ranking fallout
02:30 What stands out as most risky right out of the gate
05:30 Margie's honest take on forced ranking as a philosophy
07:30 Why team size and context change the calibration conversation
10:00 How to start the investigation: who to talk to first and why 
12:30 Manager defiance as a skill gap, not a principled stand
14:15 Conflict avoidance and the easiest out in performance management
17:30 Separating insubordination from disparate impact as two distinct problems
20:00 Best practices when you have to operate inside a forced ranking system
23:00 Enablement before expectations: Margie's two-phase framework for people leaders

Takeaways

1. Most manager refusals to differentiate trace back to conflict avoidance and a skill gap, not a principled objection to the system.
2. Separating the manager defiance issue from the disparate impact risk is critical — they require different investigations and different remedies.
3. Run an enablement phase before you move to accountability; organizations that skip this step manufacture the manager problems they later have to investigate.
4. Qualitative context built from years of watching managers operate is valid HR evidence — use it to sharpen questions, not to replace investigation.
5. Empathy and fast action are not opposites: once someone isn't absorbing coaching and it's affecting the team, urgency is the appropriate response.

Connect with the Guest
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marjorie-zyble/
Website: https://www.uchealth.com/

Sponsor

AllVoices brings all your employee relations work together in one place. No more jumping between spreadsheets, emails, and legacy systems just one place to document and manage reports, cases, investigations, and performance conversations. It helps you run a more consistent process, takes busywork off your plate with AI, and makes it easier to spot trends early, so you can work proactively, not just put out fires.

See a demo at ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.allvoices.co/

• (00:00) - Welcome and the scenario: forced ranking fallout
• (02:30) - What stands out as most risky right out of the gate
• (05:30) - Margie's honest take on forced ranking as a philosophy
• (07:30) - Why team size and context change the calibration conversation
• (10:00) - How to start the investigation: who to talk to first and why
• (12:30) - Manager defiance as a skill gap, not a principled stand
• (14:15) - Conflict avoidance and the easiest out in performance management
• (17:30) - Separating insubordination from disparate impact as two distinct problems
• (20:00) - Best practices when you have to operate inside a forced ranking system
• (23:00) - Enablement before expectations: Margie's two-phase framework for people leaders

Summary

How can HR lead AI adoption without losing the human core of work?

Sunaina Lobo, Chief People Officer at Omnissa—an AI-driven digital workforce platform carved out of VMware—shares how she’s building a modern “hire-to-retire” experience just six weeks into the role.

Sunaina explains why people teams must be change leaders, not just technology adopters, and how AI lets HR leapfrog legacy models like shared services to deliver truly personalized, scalable support.

She walks through a practical talent development use case—using conversational intelligence to transform career conversations—so managers can focus on relationships while AI captures insights and suggests development paths.

Sunaina also breaks down personalization in total rewards, the realities of a distributed workforce across 18 countries, the shift from rear-view HR metrics to predictive, insights-driven decision-making, and why engagement depends on hyper-human interaction and purpose-led cultures. If you’re redefining HR’s operating system, this episode offers a clear blueprint.

Timestamps

[00:45] – Guest intro: Omnissa’s VMware roots and Sunaina’s “hire-to-retire” mandate

[02:50] – Why HR must lead AI adoption: change management over tools

[04:45] – Leapfrogging shared services: AI bots for personalized employee support

[06:20] – Talent development, reimagined: conversational intelligence for career conversations

[09:00] – Total rewards in the AI era: from one-size-fits-all to hyper-personalization

[11:30] – Engagement is human: community, connection, and “putting the H back in HR”

[15:30] – Five focus areas: hyper-personalization, global talent, insights-driven HR, purpose, skills intelligence

[18:10] – Aligning product and people: building an AI-native employee experience

[18:50] – From anecdotes to evidence: using AI to connect HR metrics to business outcomes

[20:40] – Guardrails: augment with AI, but keep the human conversation central

Takeaways

- Lead AI adoption as a change initiative—design for human behavior, not just new tools.

- Map HR processes end-to-end; automate repeatable steps and reserve managers for high-value conversations.

- Flip career conversations with conversational intelligence to capture insights and generate development options.

- Personalize benefits and rewards based on employee life stage and preferences, not averages.

- Build community and manager capability to counter remote isolation and boost engagement.

- Shift from rear-view reporting to predictive, insights-driven HR and tie people data to business outcomes.

- Treat skills intelligence as a strategic asset—identify, develop, and deploy skills for competitive advantage.

Sponsor

AllVoices brings all your employee relations work together in one place. No more jumping between spreadsheets, emails, and legacy systems just one place to document and manage reports, cases, investigations, and performance conversations. It helps you run a more consistent process, takes busywork off your plate with AI, and makes it easier to spot trends early, so you can work proactively, not just put out fires.

See a demo at ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.allvoices.co/

Summary

How do you build trust and clarity for a largely frontline, onsite workforce amid inflation pressures and AI-fueled change?

Stephanie Roseman, Chief People Officer at Fortis Fire & Safety—a national provider of fire suppression, alarms, and integrated security—shares a practical playbook.

She breaks down what her latest employee survey surfaced (financial squeeze, job security, career growth, and communication) and how Fortis turns data into action: branch-level insights, manager enablement, and company-wide town halls.

Stephanie details her transparency mantra—“I’ll tell you everything I can as soon as I can”—and how she handled benefits changes with in-person roadshows and red/green clarity on employee impact.

She’s also simplifying complexity, shrinking the handbook to a 40-page core, and building transparent incentive programs that reward productivity and safety behaviors. Finally, Stephanie dives into practical AI: scaling personalization in performance and development, boosting recruiting capacity, and cross-referencing HR and operations data for analyst-level insights—plus AI coaching tools that help managers practice tough conversations.

Expect concrete, repeatable tactics for any people leader supporting onsite teams.

Timestamps

[00:45] – What Fortis does and why HR in fire/safety mirrors “background” risk prevention

[01:53] – Employee survey findings: financial squeeze, job security, growth, and comms; onsite-first culture

[03:59] – From data to action: branch-level insights, manager enablement, and upcoming town halls

[06:26] – Benefits changes done right: face-to-face roadshows and red/green impact clarity

[10:05] – Simplification: 40-page core handbook and building transparent, behavior-based incentives

[13:01] – Personalizing development at scale with AI: clearer paths to the next level

[14:03] – Practical AI in ops and recruiting: cross-system analytics and capacity for high-touch hiring

[17:33] – AI coaching for managers and why “safe practice” improves tough conversations

Takeaways

- Turn survey data into local action: equip frontline managers with branch-specific insights and clear follow-ups.

- Practice radical transparency with boundaries: “Tell everything you can as soon as you can” to build trust.

- Make benefits changes unmistakably clear: meet people in person and label positive/negative impacts directly.

- Simplify to strengthen understanding: distill policies into a short, usable core and treat employees like adults.

- Tie incentives to observable behaviors (e.g., productivity, driver safety) with criteria everyone can see.

- Use AI to scale, not replace: automate sourcing and analysis, and support managers with coaching tools.

Sponsor

AllVoices brings all your employee relations work together in one place. No more jumping between spreadsheets, emails, and legacy systems just one place to document and manage reports, cases, investigations, and performance conversations. It helps you run a more consistent process, takes busywork off your plate with AI, and makes it easier to spot trends early, so you can work proactively, not just put out fires.

See a demo at ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.allvoices.co/

Summary

How do you build people strategy for a workforce that makes the show happen—nights, weekends, and everything in between?

Sheeba Teves, Vice President of People & Culture (Canada) at Oak View Group, shares how her team supports a diverse, union and non-union frontline spanning engineers, AV operators, stage crews, concessions, and hospitality across global venues.

Sheeba explains how to balance boundless creativity with the guardrails needed for safety, compliance, and efficiency—and why recognition is the launch pad for engagement.

She details a mobile-first communication approach paired with an always-there onsite presence, a roll-up-your-sleeves leadership ethos, and practical ways to create predictability for part-time teams using AI-enabled scheduling.

You’ll also hear how Slack is evolving from chat to culture—powering mood check-ins, micro-learning, and automated HR answers—and how generative AI helps draft policy frameworks and deliver just-in-time knowledge without losing local compliance. She closes with a call to care for HR and build community support.

Timestamps

[00:42] – What Oak View Group does: venues, hospitality, and delivering “a good night out”

[04:29] – Creativity meets process: designing people strategy and a recognition-first approach

[06:03] – Mobile-first comms with an onsite presence; roll-up-your-sleeves leadership

[07:56] – 2026 challenge: part-time hours, predictability, and building trust with frontline teams

[10:10] – Smarter scheduling: AI-enabled tools and staying ahead of the kinks

[11:13] – Beyond chat: Slack for mood check-ins, gamified micro-learning, polls, and celebrations

[15:44] – Centralizing knowledge and using gen AI for policies and just-in-time answers

[17:39] – Parting advice: be kind to HR (and yourself) and build community

Takeaways

- Balance creativity with clear guardrails—anchor programs in recognition to fuel engagement.

- Meet frontline teams where they are: pair mobile-first tools with visible onsite People & Culture presence.

- Improve predictability with AI-powered scheduling and transparent shift practices that prioritize existing staff.

- Turn Slack into a culture platform: automate check-ins, deliver micro-learning, celebrate moments, and enable HR Q&A.

- Centralize knowledge and use generative AI for policy frameworks and instant answers—then validate for local law.

- Invest in community and self-care for HR; build peer networks to share playbooks and support.

Sponsor

AllVoices brings all your employee relations work together in one place. No more jumping between spreadsheets, emails, and legacy systems just one place to document and manage reports, cases, investigations, and performance conversations.

It helps you run a more consistent process, takes busywork off your plate with AI, and makes it easier to spot trends early, so you can work proactively, not just put out fires.

See a demo at ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.allvoices.co/

Kevin opens up about the biggest challenge facing people leaders today: supporting the emotional, physical, and mental wellbeing of employees amidst economic, social, and environmental uncertainty. His leadership approach emphasizes intentional communication, providing “the why” behind decisions, and creating safe spaces for transparency and connection.

Listeners will walk away with powerful insights on the shift from work-life balance to life-work integration, how to build trust at scale, and why consistency—and caring—wins the race.

Key Timestamps

• [00:35] – Introduction to Kevin Henry and Pulte Group’s people strategy

• [02:14] – The power of listening and meeting employees where they are

• [03:11] – The top challenge: supporting wellbeing in uncertain times

• [04:38] – Why context and transparency matter more than ever

• [07:46] – The blurring of work and life—and how leaders should respond

• [09:37] – Building intimacy and trust within teams

• [12:24] – Valuing differences: a personal story on perspective and inclusion

• [16:54] – Final advice: be bold, be wise, be people first

Takeaways

• Communicate the “why” behind decisions to create alignment and engagement

• Recognize and support the whole person, not just the employee

• Build trust through intentional leadership and vulnerability

• Create psychologically safe environments that encourage real conversation

• Value different perspectives to unlock team potential and belonging

• Consistency beats intensity—lead with patience and purpose

Our Sponsor

AllVoices brings all your employee relations work together in one place. No more jumping between spreadsheets, emails, and legacy systems—just one place to document and manage reports, cases, investigations, and performance conversations. It helps you run a more consistent process, takes busywork off your plate with AI, and makes it easier to spot trends early—so you can work proactively, not just put out fires. See a demo at ⁠allvoices.co⁠.

A departing employee drops a bombshell in her exit interview: she watched her manager steal from petty cash for over a year. She estimates several thousand dollars. She says she didn't report it sooner because she feared retaliation and needed her job. Now HR holds a disclosure it can't ignore—but the witness is walking out the door, the manager has a strong performance record, and the evidence is thin. 

In this episode of HR Voices, host Rebecca Taylor sits down with Laura McLand, VP of Human Resources at Sun Holdings, to work through this fabricated-but-very-real scenario about what happens when the information arrives at the worst possible moment. Laura brings a restaurant operations perspective that makes this conversation especially practical. She walks through the 24 to 48 hours window for pulling camera footage, following the financial paper trail, and talking to other employees before approaching the manager. 

She and Rebecca get into why there's usually a "final incident" that triggers exit interview disclosures, what it means if the HR hotline poster isn't hanging in a location, and the delicate balance between moving fast enough to stop the bleeding and moving carefully enough to avoid wrongly accusing a high performer. 

Laura also makes a point that stuck with me: stealing is stealing whether it's $20 or $200, and people tend to escalate once they get away with it the first time. If you lead HR in restaurants, retail, or any location-based business, this conversation will ground your investigation process.

Timestamps

• 01:38 The scenario: the exit interview bombshell
• 02:05 Laura's first instinct: why didn't they tell us sooner?
• 03:04 Who to talk to first and following the paper trail
• 05:25 The "final incident" that usually triggers the disclosure
• 07:28 How petty cash theft escalates from $20 to thousands
• 10:37 What to do when the departing employee won't name witnesses
• 11:25 The risk of moving too fast versus too slow
• 14:30 Why a missing HR poster might be a signal, not an oversight

Takeaways

• Move within 24–48 hours to pull camera footage, review financial records, and talk to witnesses before approaching the manager
• Ask the departing employee for specific dates and witnesses to narrow your investigation, but continue even if they won't cooperate
• Check whether the HR reporting poster is actually hanging in the location—if it's not, that's worth understanding why
• Investigate the "final incident" that triggered the disclosure; there's almost always a straw that broke the camel's back
• Give employees transfer options if they fear retaliation; retaining good people matters as much as investigating bad ones
• Treat the departing employee's disclosure seriously and communicate that back to them—don't let them think it went into a void

Guest LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laura-mcland/

Company website: https://www.sunholdings.net/

Sponsor

AllVoices brings all your employee relations work together in one place. No more jumping between spreadsheets, emails, and legacy systems just one place to document and manage reports, cases, investigations, and performance conversations. It helps you run a more consistent process, takes busywork off your plate with AI, and makes it easier to spot trends `early, so you can work proactively, not just put out fires.

See a demo at ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.allvoices.co/

• (01:38) - The scenario: the exit interview bombshell
• (02:05) - Laura's first instinct: why didn't they tell us sooner?
• (03:04) - Who to talk to first and following the paper trail
• (05:25) - The "final incident" that usually triggers the disclosure
• (07:28) - How petty cash theft escalates from $20 to thousands
• (10:37) - What to do when the departing employee won't name witnesses
• (11:25) - The risk of moving too fast versus too slow
• (14:30) - Why a missing HR poster might be a signal, not an oversight

On HR Voices, host Rebecca Taylor and Jeannie Virden, Chief People Officer at Central Health, work through a layered employee relations scenario: an employee with an approved work from home accommodation whose manager wants to move to a PIP three months later. They unpack why the accommodation is often a distraction from the real issue, how unstated remote expectations set people up to fail, and what documentation a PIP actually requires. Jeannie makes the case that strong HR slows managers down, asks for the paper trail, and reframes "you could" into "should you." For any people leader who manages remote teams or owns the accommodation and performance process.

Chapters

00:00 The accommodating conflict

03:40 Where a strong HR leader starts

07:15 Is 90 days really enough time?

08:45 A PIP has a brand

09:55 "I need more than the output isn't there"

11:20 Presenteeism doesn't survive remote

13:10 Talking managers down from a bad call

17:40 Training is the first thing budgets cut

22:50 You could, but should you?

Takeaways

1. The accommodation is often a spotlight on management gaps, not the actual problem.
2. You can't fairly PIP someone for missing expectations you never set or wrote down.
3. "The output isn't there" is not a PIP; it has to name where the person is and where they need to get to.
4. Documented coaching across those 90 days is what separates a performance plan from an ambush.
5. Being technically allowed to act is not the same as it being the right, people centered move.

Guest links
Jeannie Virden on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeannievirden/
Company Website: https://www.centralhealth.net/

Sponsor

AllVoices brings all your employee relations work together in one place. No more jumping between spreadsheets, emails, and legacy systems — just one place to document and manage reports, cases, investigations, and performance conversations. It helps you run a more consistent process, takes busywork off your plate with AI, and makes it easier to spot trends early, so you can work proactively, not just put out fires.

See a demo at https://www.allvoices.co/

What does it take to lead people strategy for nearly 12,000 employees across 11 brands and 500 locations?

In this episode of HR Voices, host Emily Fenech sits down with David Hawthorne, Chief People Officer at Anchor Point Management Group, the operator behind major franchises like Taco Bell and Buffalo Wild Wings.

With over two decades at the company, David shares how leadership has evolved through massive growth and what it really means to upskill thousands of managers in a high-turnover, frontline industry.

From the lingering impacts of COVID on talent to leveraging skills-based hiring and experimenting with AI in HR, David offers real-world insights into managing scale without losing a people-first mindset. You’ll hear how Anchor Point is reducing turnover, building a skills inventory, and creating a culture of accountability plus, why the best leadership development still happens shoulder to shoulder.

Key Timestamps

• [00:35] – Meet David Hawthorne and Anchor Point’s massive multi-brand footprint

• [01:43] – The challenge of staying agile as a “small company in a big body”

• [02:29] – Top leadership challenges post-COVID and bridging generational skill gaps

• [03:16] – Why getting “back to basics” works: communication, accountability, and feedback

• [05:30] – The power of role modeling over traditional training

• [06:33] – Skills-first hiring and building an internal skills inventory

• [08:55] – Where AI fits into HR workflows and where it doesn’t (yet)

• [10:51] – Using HCM data to predict and prevent employee turnover

• [12:00] – David’s career advice: Don’t wait to be developed—own your growth

Takeaways

• Return to leadership fundamentals, strong communication and accountability still move the needle

• Upskilling starts with role modeling, the most effective training is seeing great leadership in action

• Build a skills inventory know what your people are good at beyond job titles

• AI can aid but not replace human judgment, especially when it comes to sensitive HR issues

• Use HCM data for retention, spot flight risks and take proactive steps to retain talent

  Own your development, resources are everywhere, but initiative is up to you

What happens when a designer leads HR? Michael Bodziner, Co–Chief Human Resources Officer at Gensler—the global architecture and design firm with 56 offices and 6,400 people—shares how a 40-year career from intern to studio director to CHRO shaped a people-first approach that boosts retention and performance. Michael explains how he translated retail customer-experience thinking into an employee-experience playbook, why “don’t let fear be the deciding factor” guided his leap into HR, and how focusing on strengths—“aces and spaces”—builds higher-performing teams. He details the shift from transactional HR to strategic partnership, Gensler’s co-leadership model (including his pairing with co-CHRO Larissa Gray to balance culture with compliance), and how that structure sustained the firm through COVID. Michael also offers a pragmatic view on AI: use it to automate the busywork so HR can spend time coaching leaders, improving the team member experience, and retaining top talent. Expect candid lessons on designing culture at scale, knowing your people deeply, and making courageous career moves.

Timestamps

[00:45] – Guest intro: 40-year journey from intern to co-CHRO at a global firm

[03:38] – From designer to studio director: putting people first and reducing turnover

[06:01] – The Starbucks ask: moving into HR—and “don’t let fear be the deciding factor”

[09:57] – Rebuilding HR around the team member experience to compete for talent

[12:42] – Taking the CHRO role weeks before COVID and leading people strategy

[13:11] – Co-leadership at Gensler: pairing culture with compliance (with co-CHRO Larissa Gray)

[18:37] – “Aces and spaces”: strengths-led development and managers who truly know their people

[24:23] – Practical AI: automating transactions so HR can be a strategic partner

Takeaways

- Map the employee experience like a customer journey to improve engagement and retention.

- Adopt co-leadership to balance external growth with internal culture, and strategy with compliance.

- Coach managers to know each person’s aspirations and align work to strengths.

- Build teams around “aces and spaces”—pair strengths to cover gaps and raise performance.

- Use AI to handle transactional HR (e.g., routine comms, admin) and free time for strategic work.

- Make courageous career moves—don’t let fear be the deciding factor.

Summary

Struggling to recruit and retain frontline talent while driving transformation?

Monica Anderton, CHRO at DS Smith North America—and a recognized top CHRO voice in manufacturing—shares how her team stabilized a complex post-acquisition landscape and built a “sticky” culture in a tough labor market.

Monica walks through DS Smith’s North America journey—from consolidating plants and launching a highly automated greenfield site in Lebanon, Indiana, to importing the company’s sustainability DNA (“redefining packaging for a changing world”).

She breaks down Project Engage, a data-driven turnaround that moved poor survey scores by treating engagement like any other operations initiative: executive sponsorship, site-level ownership, transparent communications, targeted training for frontline leaders, and rigorous measurement.

On the technology front, Monica details where AI is already creating ROI—saving millions by translating content across 7–8 languages and building an RFP answer library that speeds responses—alongside pragmatic HR ops wins like automating ATS and onboarding to reduce admin and rehire risk. Expect candid lessons on automation tradeoffs, funding realities, pacing change for frontline teams, and why HR must keep learning (including Monica’s own AI coursework) to act as business leaders first.

Timestamps

[01:54] – Guest intro and DS Smith’s North America growth story

[02:24] – Integration, plant consolidation, sustainability, and the Lebanon, IN greenfield

[06:07] – The manufacturing labor gap and making work “sticky” for the next generation

[08:23] – Project Engage: turning poor survey results into measurable improvement

[12:24] – Running engagement like operations: metrics, ownership, monthly exec reviews

[13:41] – Automation vs. ROI and where AI makes sense today

[15:58] – Saving millions with AI translations; building an RFP knowledge base

[17:47] – Modernizing HR ops: ATS/onboarding fixes; inspiration from AI coaching at scale

[21:53] – Career advice: keep learning, know the metrics, be a business leader in HR

Takeaways

- Treat engagement like an operations project: secure executive sponsors, assign site-level owners, communicate transparently, and measure before/after.

- Compete in the labor crunch by building “sticky” workplaces: develop frontline leaders, clarify career paths, and align culture with daily behaviors.

- Target AI where ROI is clear: automate translations to cut costs and standardize voice; create a reusable RFP answer library to move faster.

- Modernize people ops to reduce friction: automate ATS and onboarding, clean data, and prevent costly rehire mistakes.

- Pilot AI-enabled coaching and support where scale is needed; set guardrails, learn from usage data, and iterate content.

- Keep learning to lead credibly: deepen your AI literacy, know the business metrics, and operate as a business leader in the people function.

Sponsor

AllVoices brings all your employee relations work together in one place. No more jumping between spreadsheets, emails, and legacy systems just one place to document and manage reports, cases, investigations, and performance conversations.

It helps you run a more consistent process, takes busywork off your plate with AI, and makes it easier to spot trends early, so you can work proactively, not just put out fires.

See a demo at ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.allvoices.co/

Marie Garrigue, Chief People Officer at Fitness Connection USA, walks through this scenario on HR Voices — revealing how experienced HR leaders assess risk, manage public dissent from senior leadership, and navigate the tension between inclusive intent and cultural readiness.

Timestamps
00:02 Rebecca introduces the pronouns policy scenario 
01:40 Marie identifies the biggest risk: productivity loss and cultural damage 
04:22 Why understanding employee intent matters before investigation 
08:02 Should senior leaders publicly back policy objectors? 
12:52 The problem with "optional" policies and inclusion mandates 
16:13 Risk of moving too fast vs. too slow to resolution 
19:58 When employees feel forced to choose between identity and paycheck 
22:36 How to prepare managers for inclusion-based divides 
25:58 Who ultimately owns the outcome of culture policy disputes 
27:32 The assumption about HR that needs to be challenged 

Takeaways
- Investigate employee intent early: distinguish between heartfelt internal conflict and orchestrated political agenda before designing your response.
- Public dissent from senior leaders can be an opportunity for repair if addressed transparently — underground dissent damages culture far more.
- Optional policies and mandatory compliance are not congruent: if a policy can be ignored, it will undermine both the initiative and trust in leadership commitment.
- Change management must precede policy rollout: inclusion policies introduced without stakeholder buy-in, advocate networks, and manager preparation become "random acts of HR" that distract from productivity.
- Culture policy outcomes are executive team responsibilities, not HR scapegoats: cross-functional ownership from operations, CEO, and people teams ensures accountability and credibility.

Connect with the Guest
Connect with Marie Garrigue on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mariegarrigue/
Learn more about Fitness Connection USA: https://fitnessconnection.com/

Sponsor

AllVoices brings all your employee relations work together in one place. No more jumping between spreadsheets, emails, and legacy systems just one place to document and manage reports, cases, investigations, and performance conversations. It helps you run a more consistent process, takes busywork off your plate with AI, and makes it easier to spot trends early, so you can work proactively, not just put out fires.

See a demo at ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.allvoices.co/

• (00:02) - Rebecca introduces the pronouns policy scenario
• (01:40) - Marie identifies the biggest risk: productivity loss and cultural damage
• (04:22) - Why understanding employee intent matters before investigation
• (08:02) - Should senior leaders publicly back policy objectors?
• (12:52) - The problem with "optional" policies and inclusion mandates
• (16:13) - Risk of moving too fast vs. too slow to resolution
• (19:58) - When employees feel forced to choose between identity and paycheck
• (22:36) - How to prepare managers for inclusion-based divides
• (25:58) - Who ultimately owns the outcome of culture policy disputes
• (27:32) - The assumption about HR that needs to be challenged

Summary

When retirements equal graduates and infrastructure demand surges, how do you grow a human-capital business?

Donovan Mattole, Chief Human Resources Officer at Langan, a global engineering and environmental consulting firm, breaks down how his team competes in a structural talent shortage.

He shares Langan’s “magnet for talent” strategy blending hybrid flexibility, development-first leadership, and unique rewards like compensatory time with an industry-wide push to expand the pipeline through STEM outreach and smart immigration.

Donovan details a practical listening strategy (surveys, focus groups, and on-the-ground visits to 50 offices), reframes the Gen Z value proposition around purpose and long-term careers, and shows how his HR team is preparing for 2026 with AI-powered development plans.

Expect candid lessons on when to build vs. buy AI (from Microsoft Copilot-enabled chatbots to partnering with Atlas Copilot), why “teamship” beats leader-centric models, and how values must anchor decision-making amid fast-changing tech.

Timestamps

[00:45] – Who Langan serves and why it’s a pure human-capital business

[02:07] – 2026 challenge: engineering talent crunch and the scale of demand

[03:43] – Becoming a “magnet for talent”: flexibility, development, and comp time

[05:50] – Expanding the pipeline: STEM outreach, F‑1 to H‑1B, and industry collaboration

[06:48] – Listening strategy: surveys, pulses, focus groups, and site visits across 50 offices

[08:23] – Rethinking Gen Z retention: purpose, connection, and full-career value at one company

[10:09] – Upskilling HR for 2026: development plans and AI-created learning pathways

[11:38] – Build vs. buy AI: Atlas Copilot pilots and an in-house HR policy chatbot

[16:31] – Don’t chase shiny objects: keep trust, values, and managers at the center

[18:02] – From leadership to “teamship”: distributing accountability across the team

[19:40] – Final advice: live your values and use them for daily decision-making

Takeaways

- Compete in tight talent markets by designing a true “magnet employer”: flexible hybrid work, visible development paths, and unique rewards like comp time.

- Expand supply, not just demand: partner across industry, invest in K–12 STEM interest, and leverage F‑1 OPT to H‑1B for critical skills.

- Listen systemically and locally combine surveys and focus groups with leadership walkabouts to surface what employees actually value.

- Reposition retention for Gen Z: sell purpose, connection, growth, and the benefits of building a full career at one company.

- Use AI intentionally: buy solutions for well-defined outcomes, build selectively in-house, and equip HR with AI-driven learning pathways.

- Shift from leader-centric management to “teamship” so accountability, communication, and innovation are shared across the team.

- Anchor transformation in values use them as decision-making guardrails amid rapid technological change.

Sponsor

AllVoices brings all your employee relations work together in one place. No more jumping between spreadsheets, emails, and legacy systems just one place to document and manage reports, cases, investigations, and performance conversations. It helps you run a more consistent process, takes busywork off your plate with AI, and makes it easier to spot trends early, so you can work proactively, not just put out fires.

See a demo at ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.allvoices.co/

This scenario exposes the hidden cost of reactive compensation decisions. Danessa Quadros, VP of People at WHSmith North America, walks through how to stabilize the situation, investigate root causes without making three more emotional decisions, and prevent wandering eyes before employees start interviewing. Her framework: write everything down, ask broad questions first, and never solve for pay without solving for trust.

Timestamps
03:09 Why compensation disputes are always emotional—and solving for five people, not one 
06:15 Stabilize first: who to talk to, what questions to ask, and why you start with the manager 
09:41 The coaching moment: when leaders accidentally leak confidential salary information 
12:28 Why "she got 22%" doesn't mean what employees think it means 
15:23 Feelings aren't facts—but in HR, feelings are facts 
19:42 How to prepare managers for pay conversations before the crisis hits 
23:54 The most powerful phrase in HR: "I don't know—let me get back to you" 
26:59 The assumption Danessa wants challenged: HR can be both heart-led and business-focused 

Takeaways

• Counteroffer decisions made under emotional pressure create cascading equity problems—avoid making three more reactive raises in response to one.
• Stay interviews conducted quarterly give managers a pulse on retention risk before employees start interviewing elsewhere.
• Document every conversation and decision; without evidence of how comp decisions were made, you can't prove or disprove discrimination claims.
• Practice difficult conversations through role-play workshops—managers who rehearse pay and performance discussions build trust faster and make fewer mistakes.
• Ask broad, open-ended questions first to uncover root causes; employees upset about a raise might actually be upset about recognition, growth, or family pressure.

Connect with the guest
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danessa-quadros/
Company: https://www.whsmithna.com/

Sponsor

AllVoices brings all your employee relations work together in one place. No more jumping between spreadsheets, emails, and legacy systems—just one place to document and manage reports, cases, investigations, and performance conversations. It helps you run a more consistent process, takes busywork off your plate with AI, and makes it easier to spot trends early, so you can work proactively, not just put out fires.

See a demo at https://www.allvoices.co/

• (03:09) - Why compensation disputes are always emotional—and solving for five people, not one
• (06:15) - Stabilize first: who to talk to, what questions to ask, and why you start with the manager
• (09:41) - The coaching moment: when leaders accidentally leak confidential salary information
• (12:28) - Why "she got 22%" doesn't mean what employees think it means
• (15:23) - Feelings aren't facts—but in HR, feelings are facts
• (19:42) - How to prepare managers for pay conversations before the crisis hits
• (23:54) - The most powerful phrase in HR: "I don't know—let me get back to you"
• (26:59) - The assumption Danessa wants challenged: HR can be both heart-led and business-focused

A top candidate for a senior finance role is discovered to have misrepresented their MBA degree during a post-offer background check, having dropped out after two years. Despite 15 years of strong experience and excellent references, the hiring manager insists on making an exception, arguing the degree is irrelevant. This directly conflicts with the organization's HR policy, which mandates rescinding offers for material misrepresentations, creating a high-stakes dilemma for HR.

The core tension lies in balancing a manager's desire for a seemingly perfect candidate against the critical need for integrity in a finance role and the consistent application of company policy. HR must navigate this by reframing the issue from a conflict between departments to a shared business risk, emphasizing the importance of trust and adherence to established hiring precedents to safeguard organizational compliance and values.

Timestamps

• 02:19 Trust and misrepresentation as the core issue for senior finance roles
• 03:15 Reframing the problem from "between us" to "in front of us"
• 07:06 Aligning candidate qualifications with established precedent and policy
• 11:23 Coaching managers through values-based decisions
• 15:07 Concise communication with candidates about rescinded offers
• 17:19 HR as advisors and empowering business leaders
• 23:36 The dangers of bias and inconsistent application of policy for compliance
• 26:40 Anti-bias training as a proactive measure
• 31:19 HR's essential role in driving the business bottom line

Takeaways

• Prioritize trust and integrity in hiring, especially for sensitive roles, as misrepresentation, regardless of experience, introduces an untrustworthy risk to the organization.
• Reframe conflicts with hiring managers by presenting problems objectively ("in front of us, not between us") to align on factual assessments and shared organizational values.
• Consistently apply HR policies and hiring precedents; making exceptions for a single candidate can create compliance issues and undermine the integrity of the hiring process.
• Coach managers by emphasizing core business values, allowing them to independently conclude that a candidate's misrepresentation outweighs their perceived fit for the role.
• Communicate offer rescissions concisely, stating that a decision was made not to move forward, and if directly asked about misrepresentation, confirm it was part of the decision-making process without over-elaborating.

Connect with the guest

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/autumnwillingham/
The Parking Spot: https://theparkingspot.com/

Sponsor

AllVoices brings all your employee relations work together in one place. No more jumping between spreadsheets, emails, and legacy systems—just one place to document and manage reports, cases, investigations, and performance conversations. It helps you run a more consistent process, takes busywork off your plate with AI, and makes it easier to spot trends early, so you can work proactively, not just put out fires.

See a demo at https://www.allvoices.co/

• (02:19) - Trust and misrepresentation as the core issue for senior finance roles
• (03:15) - Reframing the problem from "between us" to "in front of us"
• (07:06) - Aligning candidate qualifications with established precedent and policy
• (11:23) - Coaching managers through values-based decisions
• (15:07) - Concise communication with candidates about rescinded offers
• (17:19) - HR as advisors and empowering business leaders
• (23:36) - The dangers of bias and inconsistent application of policy for compliance
• (26:40) - Anti-bias training as a proactive measure
• (31:19) - HR's essential role in driving the business bottom line

This scenario sits at the intersection of legitimate operational concerns and illegal discrimination under the Pregnancy Discrimination Act. The word "bandwidth" does significant work here — and none of it is defensible. When concerns about continuity appear only in notes for a pregnant candidate, intent becomes irrelevant. Impact is what matters. And the impact is discoverable, actionable risk.

Timestamps
03:09 Why "bandwidth" and "continuity" are doing illegal work in hiring notes 
05:51 Tenure doesn't equal qualification: what the hiring team should have documented 
09:01 Neutral language as a mask for discriminatory motivation 
11:49 Shortterm thinking vs. longterm hiring: pregnancy leave is temporary, bad decisions aren't 
13:03 What to do when "I didn't intend to discriminate" meets written evidence 
16:39 Structured interviews for internal promotions: why they're harder and more necessary 
21:29 Pregnancy discrimination doesn't look like malice — it looks like planning 
24:57 Give options, not ultimatums: how to involve the employee in the resolution 
27:40 The assumption about HR that needs to be challenged 

Takeaways

•  A pregnancy leave is a shortterm operational challenge, not a reason to disqualify the most qualified candidate for a longterm role.  
•  If "bandwidth" or "continuity" appears in interview notes only for a pregnant candidate, the decision is not defensible under the Pregnancy Discrimination Act.  
•  Structured interview rubrics and scorecards aren't bureaucratic obstacles — they're documentation that protects against bias and supports equitable promotion decisions.  
•  Employees who file discrimination complaints often want validation and resolution, not litigation — HR's role is to acknowledge the harm and present options, not force a single outcome.  
•  HR earns trust by understanding the business, not just managing emotional conversations — you're a business partner who focuses on people, not "the people person."  

Connect with the guest
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisasantin/
Company Website: https://www.grahampackaging.com/

Sponsor

AllVoices brings all your employee relations work together in one place. No more jumping between spreadsheets, emails, and legacy systems—just one place to document and manage reports, cases, investigations, and performance conversations. It helps you run a more consistent process, takes busywork off your plate with AI, and makes it easier to spot trends early, so you can work proactively, not just put out fires.

See a demo at https://www.allvoices.co/

• (03:09) - Why "bandwidth" and "continuity" are doing illegal work in hiring notes
• (05:51) - Tenure doesn't equal qualification: what the hiring team should have documented
• (09:01) - Neutral language as a mask for discriminatory motivation
• (11:49) - Shortterm thinking vs. longterm hiring: pregnancy leave is temporary, bad decisions aren't
• (13:03) - What to do when "I didn't intend to discriminate" meets written evidence
• (16:39) - Structured interviews for internal promotions: why they're harder and more necessary
• (21:29) - Pregnancy discrimination doesn't look like malice — it looks like planning
• (24:57) - Give options, not ultimatums: how to involve the employee in the resolution
• (27:40) - The assumption about HR that needs to be challenged

A company installs productivity monitoring software on remote employees' laptops. One employee discovers it, doesn't remove it, but starts staging his screen—working on a decoy window while handling personal matters.

When HR confronts him with footage showing low productivity, he flips the script: the monitoring was never disclosed, it violates state surveillance law, and it constitutes an unlawful search. Sound familiar? 

In this episode of HR Voices, host Rebecca Taylor sits down with Lynnette Heath, CHRO at nVent, to work through this fabricated-but-very-real scenario and unpack how a seasoned HR leader actually thinks through it. 

Lynnette brings a refreshingly clear framework: before you get to the monitoring software debate, look at the integrity question first. If someone consciously staged their screen to deceive their manager, that's a separate and arguably bigger issue than whether the policy was properly acknowledged. 

She and Rebecca get into what fair and consistent really means versus what it feels like, how to keep an employee relations conversation on track when someone tries to deflect, what this scenario reveals about building culture around trust versus surveillance, and why Lynnette insists she's a business person whose function happens to be HR—not the other way around. If you lead people, investigate employee issues, or are navigating the tension between AI tools and human management, this one will sharpen your thinking.

Timestamps

• 01:00 The scenario: The Remote Work Spy
• 02:06 Lynnette's first instinct: investigate before you conclude
• 04:55 Why the integrity violation matters more than the policy debate
• 08:08 Avoiding assumptions and understanding all three sides of the story
• 13:19 Handling deflection when an employee flips the conversation
• 18:49 What the scenario says about culture, trust, and surveillance software
• 25:49 How AI should coach managers, not replace the human conversation
• 30:06 The one assumption about HR that Lynnette wants challenged

Takeaways

• Separate the integrity question from the policy question—both matter, but conscious deception is its own issue
• Investigate before you conclude; there are three sides to every story, and the truth is usually somewhere in the middle
• Fair doesn't always mean happy—it means consistent, documented, and defensible
• Don't policy for your worst-case employee; invest in managers who actually manage instead
• Use AI to coach and prepare for conversations, not to replace the human touch that builds trust
• Own the people strategy as a business strategy—HR isn't "the people person," it's a business function

Guest LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lynnetteheath/

Company website: https://www.nvent.com/en-us/

Sponsor

AllVoices brings all your employee relations work together in one place. No more jumping between spreadsheets, emails, and legacy systems—just one place to document and manage reports, cases, investigations, and performance conversations. It helps you run a more consistent process, takes busywork off your plate with AI, and makes it easier to spot trends early, so you can work proactively, not just put out fires.

See a demo at https://www.allvoices.co/

• (01:00) - The scenario: The Remote Work Spy
• (02:06) - Lynnette's first instinct: investigate before you conclude
• (04:55) - Why the integrity violation matters more than the policy debate
• (08:08) - Avoiding assumptions and understanding all three sides of the story
• (13:19) - Handling deflection when an employee flips the conversation
• (18:49) - What the scenario says about culture, trust, and surveillance software
• (25:49) - How AI should coach managers, not replace the human conversation
• (30:06) - The one assumption about HR that Lynnette wants challenged

Natalie walks through the discovery process HR must run before making assumptions—starting with a single question that uncovers whether "overqualified" masks age discrimination, imposter syndrome, or a complete lack of interview training. She explains why HR should never make the final call on termination, how to use retention data to challenge gut-level hiring decisions, and why multigenerational teams outperform homogenous ones. The conversation also tackles the structural fixes that prevent bias before it surfaces: interview calibrations, resume literacy training, and reframing rejection logic from "why we shouldn't hire" to "why we should."

Timestamps
00:18 The overqualified candidate: a hiring manager's retention concern or coded ageism? 
01:10 What HR must assess when "overqualified" appears consistently in rejection feedback 
04:19 Who decides if a candidate is overqualified—and why it should be a partnership 
05:57 Why "overqualified" is often a cop-out for unclear hiring criteria 
08:07 The first question to ask: what would this person's first 90 days look like? 
09:44 Assumptions HR must avoid when investigating potential age discrimination 
11:17 Why hiring managers gravitate toward candidates who mirror their own experience 
13:12 How turnover data can validate or debunk a manager's retention fears 
15:30 Competing risks: candidate harm, manager retaliation, and legal exposure 
17:28 Why HR should never fire anyone—and who actually owns the decision 
19:52 Foundational fixes: interview guides, compliance training, and calibration sessions 
22:01 How to read a resume without building a narrative before the interview starts 
24:41 Flip the script: reframe "why we shouldn't hire" to "why we should hire" 
26:44 The assumption about HR that needs to be challenged: we are not the enemy 

Takeaways
- When a manager labels candidates "overqualified," ask: "What would it look like if this person was on your team?"—the answer reveals whether the concern is retention, ego, or bias. 
- Assume positive intent, then verify with data: pull 12–18 months of interview and hire records to see if rejection patterns disproportionately affect candidates over 50. 
- HR should never terminate in isolation—serve up risk analysis and recommendations, then let leadership make the final call. 
- Structural fixes prevent bias before it surfaces: institute interview calibrations, teach managers to read resumes as conversation guides (not narratives), and train teams on multigenerational workforce value. 
- Reframe the hiring lens from "why we shouldn't hire this person" to "why we should hire this person"—it forces managers to articulate value instead of inventing disqualifiers. 

Connect with the guest
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nataliebreece/
Learn more about thredUP: https://www.thredup.com/

Sponsor

AllVoices brings all your employee relations work together in one place. No more jumping between spreadsheets, emails, and legacy systems just one place to document and manage reports, cases, investigations, and performance conversations. It helps you run a more consistent process, takes busywork off your plate with AI, and makes it easier to spot trends early, so you can work proactively, not just put out fires.

See a demo at ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.allvoices.co/

• (00:18) - The overqualified candidate: a hiring manager's retention concern or coded ageism?
• (01:10) - What HR must assess when "overqualified" appears consistently in rejection feedback
• (04:19) - Who decides if a candidate is overqualified—and why it should be a partnership
• (05:57) - Why "overqualified" is often a cop-out for unclear hiring criteria
• (08:07) - The first question to ask: what would this person's first 90 days look like?
• (09:44) - Assumptions HR must avoid when investigating potential age discrimination
• (11:17) - Why hiring managers gravitate toward candidates who mirror their own experience
• (13:12) - How turnover data can validate or debunk a manager's retention fears
• (15:30) - Competing risks: candidate harm, manager retaliation, and legal exposure
• (17:28) - Why HR should never fire anyone—and who actually owns the decision
• (19:52) - Foundational fixes: interview guides, compliance training, and calibration sessions
• (22:01) - How to read a resume without building a narrative before the interview starts
• (24:41) - Flip the script: reframe "why we shouldn't hire" to "why we should hire"
• (26:44) - The assumption about HR that needs to be challenged: we are not the enemy

How do you keep a largely frontline workforce engaged across 135 dealerships and 12 states—while embracing the rise of side hustles? Jules Gianneschi, Chief Human Resources Officer at America’s Car‑Mart (a publicly traded, integrated auto sales and finance company based in Rogers, AR), shares how her team builds a purpose-led culture around a clear mission: keeping customers on the road. Jules explains why normalizing second jobs can actually improve retention, how whole‑health wellness (physical, mental, and financial) drives performance, and why authenticity at work reduces “energy tax” and boosts productivity. She breaks down Car‑Mart’s “boomerang” culture, the associate value proposition built from employee interviews, and the power of local leadership in rural communities where reliable transportation changes lives. Jules also offers two simple HR rituals—Hour of Power and Hallway Huddles—that upskill teams and keep HR connected to the business. She closes with practical interview advice leaders can use to create psychological safety and see candidates at their best.

Timestamps

[00:45] – Who is America’s Car‑Mart? Integrated sales/finance model, footprint, and purpose

[01:51] – The CHRO view: supporting frontline associates and a lean corporate team

[02:40] – The rise of second jobs: economic drivers, passion projects, and retention upside

[05:15] – Whole‑health wellness: physical, mental, and financial programs that meet people where they are

[07:50] – Authenticity and energy management; building the EVP; “boomerang” employees and core values

[14:30] – Mission clarity in action: rural markets, transportation access, and GMs as community leaders

[16:35] – Community engagement that builds loyalty: local events, service projects, and everyday hospitality

[18:05] – HR rituals: Hour of Power (weekly learning) and Hallway Huddles (monthly stand‑ups)

[22:05] – Interview advice for candidates—and how managers create safety to get real signals

Takeaways

- Normalize side hustles to boost retention—offer stable schedules and transparency, not secrecy.

- Operationalize whole‑health wellness: pair benefits with mental health support and financial education.

- Build your EVP from associate interviews and data; anchor it to clear, lived values.

- Clarify the mission (“keep customers on the road”) so every frontline role sees its impact.

- Empower local leaders—make managers the face of the brand in their communities.

- Install lightweight learning and comms rituals (Hour of Power, Hallway Huddles) to upskill HR and stay close to the business.

- Create psychological safety in hiring: invite candidates to name nerves so you can evaluate true fit and potential.

An employee files a harassment complaint against her supervisor. HR investigates, finds it unsubstantiated, and reassigns her to a new manager. Three months later, she receives her first negative performance review in five years. Is it retaliation or real performance issues? 

In this episode of HR Voices, host Rebecca Taylor sits down with Lisseth Zouhbi, Chief People and Culture Officer at Child Care Resource Center, to work through this fabricated-but-very-familiar scenario and unpack how an experienced HR leader would actually approach it. 

Lisseth brings a calm, methodical perspective to the kind of case that can easily spiral if handled reactively. Together, she and Rebecca walk through why the timeline matters, how to separate the complaint from the performance issue without ignoring either, what comparative data from peers and prior reviews can tell you, and why the transition between managers is often the gap where these problems take root. Lisseth also makes a practical case for treating every manager change like a re-onboarding—regardless of whether a complaint triggered it—and explains why the investigation doesn't end when the case closes. 

If you're an HR leader navigating retaliation claims, inconsistent performance documentation, or just trying to build guardrails that protect both employees and the organization, this conversation will ground your thinking.

Timestamps

• 01:05 – The scenario: the retaliation question
• 01:58 – Lisseth's first instinct: context, content, and chronology
• 06:25 – Who else to interview and why peer data matters
• 09:07 – Checking whether the new manager knew about the prior complaint
• 10:06 – Assumptions to avoid while investigating
• 13:10 – Why quality-of-work claims need clear, measurable standards behind them
• 21:14 – Why closing the case isn't the end—follow-up matters most
• 22:03 – Building a transition checklist to prevent this from happening again

Takeaways

• Establish a chronology of key events before making any assessment—the timeline often tells you more than the testimony
• Separate the complaint investigation from the performance issue, but don't ignore how they may be connected
• Check whether the new manager was aware of the prior complaint to assess for potential bias
• Build a manager-transition checklist that re-onboards the employee regardless of why the change happened
• Performance reviews should never be a surprise; if feedback wasn't documented throughout the year, the review won't hold up
• Follow up with both parties after the investigation closes—just because a case is resolved doesn't mean the situation is

Guest LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisseth-zouhbi/

Company website: https://www.ccrcca.org

Sponsor

AllVoices brings all your employee relations work together in one place. No more jumping between spreadsheets, emails, and legacy systems just one place to document and manage reports, cases, investigations, and performance conversations. It helps you run a more consistent process, takes busywork off your plate with AI, and makes it easier to spot trends `early, so you can work proactively, not just put out fires.

See a demo at ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.allvoices.co/

• (01:05) - The scenario: the retaliation question
• (01:58) - Lisseth's first instinct: context, content, and chronology
• (06:25) - Who else to interview and why peer data matters
• (09:07) - Checking whether the new manager knew about the prior complaint
• (10:06) - Assumptions to avoid while investigating
• (13:10) - Why quality-of-work claims need clear, measurable standards behind them
• (21:14) - Why closing the case isn't the end—follow-up matters most
• (22:03) - Building a transition checklist to prevent this from happening again

The Hackett Group® AI XPLR™ tool helps organizations identify and evaluate AI opportunities at the work-step level across the front, middle and back office – including agentic workflow designs and ROI forecast.

Discover the tool here: https://www.thehackettgroup.com/ai-xplr/

Harry Osle, Chief Human Resources Officer at The Hackett Group, offers a clear, practical roadmap.

With 1,400+ employees, 300 global contractors, and 28 years helping the world’s leading companies benchmark and transform talent, finance, and operations, Harry brings a rare, dual-lens perspective: advising global enterprises on transformation—while leading it inside his own organization.

Harry shares how HR’s role is shifting from “policy and support” to architecting change velocity ensuring organizations evolve internally fast enough to keep pace with the market. He breaks down what reskilling looks like in practice, how to design learning that people actually engage with, and why education must be treated as an ongoing investment, not a compliance checkbox.

Expect specifics: how Hackett gamified continuous learning, how they identify internal “momentum carriers” to champion AI adoption, and why their first AI automation was intentionally small—birthday and anniversary announcements—to test governance, trust, and workflow readiness before tackling more strategic functions.

Harry also shares a grounded framework for assessing AI use cases, evaluating build-vs-buy decisions, and sequencing change so teams don’t get overwhelmed. And he closes with a powerful reminder: the future of work may be digital—but thriving in it is deeply human.

Timestamps

[00:42] – Who The Hackett Group serves and how they use benchmarking + IP to drive transformation
[02:01] – The new challenge: external change velocity vs. internal readiness
[03:42] – Tactics to stay ahead: reskilling, daily learning, and education as strategic infrastructure
[05:33] – Designing learning that sticks: gamification, chapter pacing, and fresh curriculum
[08:28] – Harnessing internal enthusiasts as AI champions and cultural accelerators
[09:55] – Hackett’s AI Explorer: mapping where AI fits in real workflows
[12:04] – Starting small: automating birthday + anniversary workflows to test trust + governance
[14:56] – Why some AI pilots fail—and how to evaluate “right-sized” opportunities
[17:53] – Operational use cases where AI unlocks the fastest ROI
[19:39] – Harry’s closing insight: balancing tech progress with deeply human leadership

Takeaways

- HR’s role is to reduce the gap between external change and internal capability.Treat education as strategic infrastructure, not a cost center.

- Gamify and refresh learning to keep employees curious and engaged.

- Start AI with small, low-risk, high-volume workflows to build confidence and governance maturity.

- Identify internal “momentum builders” to champion change from within.

- The future of work is not only digital—it’s human-centered transformation at scale.

Sponsor

AllVoices brings all your employee relations work together in one place. No more jumping between spreadsheets, emails, and legacy systems just one place to document and manage reports, cases, investigations, and performance conversations.

It helps you run a more consistent process, takes busywork off your plate with AI, and makes it easier to spot trends early, so you can work proactively, not just put out fires.

See a demo at ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.allvoices.co/

Andrea Cooper, Chief People Officer at Talkspace, shares how a remote-only, publicly traded mental health company aligns a mixed workforce while scaling People Ops from startup to enterprise.

Andrea explains Talkspace’s care model from asynchronous messaging to live video, audio, and live-text sessions and why blending W2 and contracted therapists ensures access and coverage.

She details why Talkspace combined clinician and corporate all-hands, how they tailor follow-ups by role, and how a mental health-first environment normalizes therapy while reinforcing boundaries for HR.

On the operations side, Andrea breaks down the team’s shift to bring previously outsourced processes in-house, the impact of a Jira-powered service desk, and how BambooHR’s compensation module plus a company-wide career framework creates transparency and speed.

Expect pragmatic, scalable practices: using ticket data to fix communication gaps, designing systems that free HR from firefighting, and hiring creative experts to push the function forward.

Key Timestamps

• - [00:45] – What Talkspace offers: async messaging, live sessions, and workforce makeup
• - [03:31] – One company, shared all-hands: connecting therapists and core teams
• - [05:35] – Treating therapists as the frontline: tailoring expectations and comms
• - [06:47] – Mental health at work: openness, free therapy, and healthy boundaries
• - [11:20] – 2026 priorities: bringing People Ops processes in-house with a small, mighty team
• - [14:54] – From startup to public: why the team and tech are now ready for in-house HR
• - [16:52] – Systemized service: Jira ticketing to route requests, document, and surface trends
• - [19:10] – Career frameworks in BambooHR: comp transparency and faster, fairer decisions
• - [21:44] – Leadership advice: surround yourself with people who out-create and out-think you

Takeaways

• - Unify culture by sharing forums (one all-hands) while tailoring follow-ups to each role’s realities.
• - Centralize HR requests with a ticketing system to reduce firefighting, track SLAs, and spot communication gaps.
• - Bring People Ops in-house when team maturity and tooling support quality, compliance, and speed.
• - Codify a career framework and load comp data into your HRIS to drive transparent, consistent decisions.
• - Normalize mental health access while setting clear HR boundaries; leverage clinical experts without “playing therapist.”
• - Hire for creativity and expertise beyond your own to accelerate change and deliver better business outcomes.

Sponsor

AllVoices brings all your employee relations work together in one place. No more jumping between spreadsheets, emails, and legacy systems just one place to document and manage reports, cases, investigations, and performance conversations. It helps you run a more consistent process, takes busywork off your plate with AI, and makes it easier to spot trends early, so you can work proactively, not just put out fires.

See a demo at ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.allvoices.co/

Timestamps

[00:01] – Show intro and how HR Voices tackles realistic scenarios

[01:12] – The case: neurodiversity hiring program and a reverse discrimination complaint

[02:11] – Communicating the “why” and designing strengths-based, inclusive roles

[06:19] – Real example: autistic hire elevates CX and AI capabilities

[10:19] – Risk and compliance: ADA, state nuance, and avoiding label-driven hiring

[13:22] – Tools and bias: configuring ATS/AI, using Predictive Index, training managers

[14:55] – Investigation blueprint: recruiter first, hiring manager next, evidence to gather

[21:01] – Process audits, candidate experience, and owning gaps without scrapping the program

Takeaways

- Design for inclusion, not preference: keep equal access central and avoid any “neurodivergent-only” signals.

- Communicate the why: normalize accommodations and align interviews/roles to cognitive strengths.

- Train hiring teams on structured interviews, bias interrupters, accommodation conversations, and legal do’s/don’ts.

- Audit your tech stack: validate ATS/AI filters, keywords, and assessment configurations to prevent unintended screening.

- Investigate with discipline: start with the recruiter, then hiring manager; collect resumes, notes, job description, and tool outputs; ask neutral, fact-finding questions.

- Iterate and own gaps: fix communications or steps that created negative perceptions; document compliance by state; protect candidate experience while keeping the program intact.

In a world where AI is reshaping every corner of work, how can HR teams lead the way without leaving people behind? In this episode of HR Voices, host Emily Fenech speaks with Laura Maffucci, VP and Head of Human Resources at G-P Globalization Partners, a leader in Employer of Record (EOR) services and now, a pioneer in HR compliance AI with their tool GIA.

Laura shares her unique vantage point as both an HR leader and a builder of HR tech, offering a rare look at how GP is approaching AI adoption across a global workforce.

From launching an internal AI council and Slack-driven idea-sharing, to AI “Awesomeness Awards” and strict data security protocols, Laura explains how GP empowers employees to experiment with AI in a safe and supported environment.

This episode explores the psychological hurdles employees face when adopting new tech, the real risks of AI misuse, and how HR can be both enablers and ethical stewards in this new era. If you're wondering how to implement AI in a people-first way or how to help your team feel less afraid of the future this conversation is packed with insights you can use.

Timestamps

• [00:35] – Introduction to Laura Maffucci and her role at GP

• [01:01] – What GP does: EOR services and their AI tool, GIA

• [02:37] – The biggest challenge in 2025: Change fatigue and AI overwhelm

• [03:30] – How GP enables employees to adopt AI with confidence

• [05:28] – Balancing fear and opportunity: Why AI won’t replace you—but could replace those who resist it

• [07:31] – Combatting the stigma: Why using AI isn’t “cheating”

• [09:24] – How GIA was built: Trust, accuracy, and HR-legal vetting

• [12:27] – AI “Awesomeness Awards” and the power of safe experimentation

• [13:42] – Advice for HR leaders feeling behind on AI adoption

Takeaways

• Create a culture of psychological safety to encourage experimentation with AI

• Develop guardrails and governance: clear policies, vetted tools, and education to reduce risk

• Recognize and reward early adopters to build positive momentum internally

• Use AI to automate the mundane, so teams can focus on strategic, people-first work

• Don’t wait for perfection, just start: Find your internal champions and begin small

• GIA is built for HR by HR, offering verified, reliable compliance and policy support worldwide

  
  

Our Sponsor

AllVoices brings all your employee relations work together in one place. No more jumping between spreadsheets, emails, and legacy systems—just one place to document and manage reports, cases, investigations, and performance conversations. It helps you run a more consistent process, takes busywork off your plate with AI, and makes it easier to spot trends early—so you can work proactively, not just put out fires. See a demo at ⁠⁠allvoices.co⁠⁠.

HR Voices explores real and fabricated anonymized employee relations scenarios through the lens of experienced HR and People leaders. In this episode, Rebecca Taylor is joined by D'Mar Phillips, VP of People and Culture at RS Americas, to work through "The Social Media Outing": a manager discovers via personal social media that a direct report is gay, tries to signal inclusion without disclosure, and faces a confrontation. D'Mar unpacks the difference between intent and impact, explains why HR should always talk to the employee first in a trust rupture, and lays out his core operating philosophy: being people-first is not a soft alternative to business thinking. It is business thinking.

Chapters

00:00 Welcome to HR Voices
01:30 The Social Media Outing scenario
05:00 What's most risky and unclear
08:30 Psychological safety and the cost of being outed
12:00 Personal social media is not workplace information
17:00 D'Mar's personal rule on colleagues and social media
22:00 Who do you talk to first?
26:00 Supporting the employee: EAP, Trevor Project, outside resources
31:00 The manager conversation: understanding motive without assigning blame
35:00 People-first doesn't mean people-only

Takeaways

1. Personal social media information is categorically off-limits for workplace decisions, in either direction.
2. When trust breaks, start with the employee first because that is where psychological and legal risk concentrates.
3. Intent is a mitigating factor, not a defense. Good intentions do not cancel the impact on the person affected.
4. HR's value is in holding the gray: advocating for both parties while building a workable path forward.
5. Being people-first and being business-minded are not in tension. Trusted people deliver better business outcomes.

Meet the Guest
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dmarphillips/
Website: https://us.rs-online.com/

Sponsor

AllVoices brings all your employee relations work together in one place. No more jumping between spreadsheets, emails, and legacy systems just one place to document and manage reports, cases, investigations, and performance conversations. It helps you run a more consistent process, takes busywork off your plate with AI, and makes it easier to spot trends early, so you can work proactively, not just put out fires.

See a demo at ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.allvoices.co/

• (00:00) - Welcome to HR Voices
• (01:30) - The Social Media Outing scenario
• (05:00) - What's most risky and unclear
• (08:30) - Psychological safety and the cost of being outed
• (12:00) - Personal social media is not workplace information
• (17:00) - D'Mar's personal rule on colleagues and social media
• (22:00) - Who do you talk to first?
• (26:00) - Supporting the employee: EAP, Trevor Project, outside resources
• (31:00) - The manager conversation: understanding motive without assigning blame
• (35:00) - People-first doesn't mean people-only

What does it take to build an AI-native HR culture?

In this episode of HR Voices, host Emily Fenech sits down with Kate Kemp, Chief People Officer at Restaurant365 the platform powering operations for major brands like McDonald’s, Taco Bell, and Wendy’s.

With past HR leadership roles at DocuSign and Airbnb, Kate brings a wealth of experience in people strategy at high-growth tech companies.

Kate shares how she’s preparing her teams for 2026 and beyond, emphasizing AI adoption, continuous learning, and a culture of curiosity over fear.

From implementing department-specific AI champions to launching hackathons that encourage cross-functional collaboration, Kate’s approach blends empowerment, experimentation, and empathy.

Whether you're just starting to explore AI or leading transformation at scale, this episode offers practical strategies for fostering a resilient, forward-thinking HR function.

Timestamps

• [00:45] – Meet Kate Kemp and her journey from Airbnb and DocuSign to Restaurant365

• [02:45] – Why embracing rapid change is the new HR superpower

• [04:42] – Building a growth mindset culture amid AI disruption

• [06:37] – Gamifying AI learning: empowering teams to pitch tools and test ideas

• [08:22] – Transforming recruiters into AI-savvy innovators

• [10:40] – The Champions Council: Scaling AI adoption across departments

• [12:45] – Designing “always-on” AI learning to avoid one-off training pitfalls

• [14:43] – Advice for HR leaders feeling behind on AI: start small, stay curious

Takeaways

• Foster a growth mindset by modeling curiosity and optimism around change

• Create AI champions to decentralize innovation and build internal expertise

• Encourage experimentation by inviting teams to test tools and pitch use cases

• Gamify learning to make AI adoption engaging, not overwhelming

• Build cross-functional alignment through collaborative forums and open dialogue

• Normalize the learning curve—no one’s “behind” if they’re paying attention and staying open

  
  

Our Sponsor
AllVoices brings all your employee relations work together in one place. No more jumping between spreadsheets, emails, and legacy systems—just one place to document and manage reports, cases, investigations, and performance conversations. It helps you run a more consistent process, takes busywork off your plate with AI, and makes it easier to spot trends early—so you can work proactively, not just put out fires. See a demo at ⁠⁠allvoices.co⁠⁠.

From redesigning roles and automating recruiting workflows to embedding former operators into HR teams, Alex reveals the strategic decisions that are helping his people organization stay human-centric—while staying ahead. You’ll hear about the practical tools they're using, the cultural shift it’s enabling, and why empathy remains their north star amid the noise of digital transformation.

Whether you're leading a people team or navigating AI at scale, this episode offers clear, actionable insights on building a future-ready, human-first HR function.

Key Timestamps

• [00:45] – Meet Alex Moore, CPO at Asset Living

• [01:03] – Leading HR at scale: Growing from 6,500 to 13,000+ employees

• [03:03] – The biggest challenge: Balancing AI adoption with human empathy

• [04:17] – How Asset Living is redesigning roles through AI

• [07:29] – Embedding frontline operators into HR functions

• [11:29] – Automating recruiting: Chatbots, ATS, and faster hiring

• [14:31] – Using AI in performance management to reduce bias and improve insight

• [15:33] – How to evaluate AI tools that align with business and people goals

• [17:27] – Final advice: Think beyond HR—AI must serve the entire business

Takeaways

• Lead AI transformation with empathy to ensure people feel supported—not replaced

• Redesign roles to prioritize high-impact work as automation removes tactical load

• Embed former frontline operators into HR teams to boost relevance and credibility

• Leverage AI in recruiting and performance reviews to streamline processes and reduce bias

• Evaluate AI tools through a business-wide lens, not just HR efficiency

Our SponsorAllVoices brings all your employee relations work together in one place. No more jumping between spreadsheets, emails, and legacy systems—just one place to document and manage reports, cases, investigations, and performance conversations. It helps you run a more consistent process, takes busywork off your plate with AI, and makes it easier to spot trends early—so you can work proactively, not just put out fires. See a demo at allvoices.co.

What happens when an AI hiring tool is accused of discrimination—and your brand, hiring engine, and employee trust are all on the line?

In this episode, Rebecca Taylor sits down with Kristen Duckett, Chief Human Resources Officer at WorldStrides, to dissect the Mobley v. Workday case and what it means for HR leaders using AI in talent selection.

With a background in executive recruiting and hands-on experience leading an AI steering committee, Kristen details how to build real governance—not just policies on paper. She explains automation bias and why explainability features matter, how to audit outcomes without stifling innovation, and who to involve (CHRO, Legal, CIO, Product) at each step.

You’ll hear how to message internally and externally when the pressure is high, why HR must investigate before defending, and practical ways to pause high-risk AI features while keeping hiring moving.

Timestamps

[00:45] – New format: Real-life employee relations scenarios and why specifics matter

[02:21] – The Mobley v. Workday case: AI bias claims and employer liability

[03:02] – Governance first: CHRO accountability, training, access controls, and audits

[07:40] – Automation bias explained and using explainability features to spot issues

[10:32] – Building an AI steering committee: CHRO, Legal, CIO, and Product

[12:19] – When to involve recruiting: avoiding defensiveness while getting facts

[22:33] – Communicating under scrutiny: facts first, transparent updates, no platitudes

[28:36] – Avoid knee-jerk reactions: pause resume screening, keep low-risk AI (e.g., scheduling)

Takeaways

- Establish cross-functional AI governance—form a CHRO-led steering committee with Legal, CIO, and Product.

- Train recruiters to counter automation bias; use explainability features and require human judgment on final decisions.

- Audit outcomes regularly for disparate impact; don’t “set and forget” vendor tools—validate, test, and re-test.

- Communicate early and clearly: investigate before defending; share what you know, what you don’t, and what’s next.

- Pause high-risk features (like screening) while maintaining low-risk automations (like scheduling) to keep hiring moving.

- Own the outcome—CHROs are accountable for tool selection, safeguards, and continuous improvement, regardless of intent.

Sponsor

AllVoices brings all your employee relations work together in one place. No more jumping between spreadsheets, emails, and legacy systems just one place to document and manage reports, cases, investigations, and performance conversations. It helps you run a more consistent process, takes busywork off your plate with AI, and makes it easier to spot trends early, so you can work proactively, not just put out fires.

See a demo at ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.allvoices.co/

When uncertainty lingers, decision-making slows and performance suffers.
Todd Cunningham, Chief People Officer at AvidXchange, brings 38 years of HR leadership across Fortune 50 enterprises, mid-sized organizations, and high-growth startups.

Having sat “in every seat” of the HR function, he’s spent the last 11 years helping AvidXchange (a 26-year-old fintech with ~$500M in revenue) deepen its culture and elevate performance.

From Charlotte HQ, where employees intentionally create “collisions” Tue–Thu, Todd explains why leading through ambiguity is a must-have skill and how to be the lighthouse: manage your own mindset, be visible and vulnerable, and re-anchor teams on clear priorities.

He argues that AI isn’t replacing human connection it’s amplifying the need for it. With 2x the volume of AI-generated job applications, AvidXchange is doubling down on human sourcing and referrals, while using AI as an input (not an output) in HR: benefits Q&A, targeted engagement follow-ups, and manager coaching avoiding “cognitive laziness” and hallucinations.

Todd closes with a reminder that deep, trusting relationships are the ultimate performance advantage—and now is the moment to turn uncertainty into competitive distance.

Timestamps

[00:45] – Company and role: AvidXchange’s growth, Charlotte HQ, hybrid rhythm, and “collisions”

[02:30] – The performance cost of prolonged uncertainty: caution, risk-taking, and decision speed

[05:26] – Leading through ambiguity: be the lighthouse; watch the stories you tell yourself

[07:55] – Visible and vulnerable leadership: engage openly, clarify priorities, create advantage

[10:24] – AI at AvidXchange: embrace curiosity; why tech is reinforcing human connection

[11:40] – Recruiting in the AI era: resume deluge, back to human prospecting, input vs. output

[15:15] – HR’s seat at the AI table: guardrails, training, and practical use cases in HR

[17:50] – Reducing recency bias and scaling fairness with AI—plus the human check on hallucinations

[20:06] – Final lens: performance is built on deep, trusting relationships

Takeaways

• Lead through ambiguity be the calm, visible “lighthouse” your team needs.
• Challenge the stories you tell yourself; model vulnerability to invite real dialogue.
• Re-anchor teams on a short list of priorities and why they matter to sustain performance.
• Treat AI as an input, not an output avoid cognitive laziness and add human judgment.
• Put HR at the AI strategy table; set ethics, train the org, and enable practical adoption.
• Rediscover the human edge: source through referral

Sponsor

AllVoices brings all your employee relations work together in one place. No more jumping between spreadsheets, emails, and legacy systems just one place to document and manage reports, cases, investigations, and performance conversations.

It helps you run a more consistent process, takes busywork off your plate with AI, and makes it easier to spot trends early, so you can work proactively, not just put out fires.

See a demo at ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.allvoices.co/

Politics at work isn’t new—but post‑election spikes in tension can stall teams and swamp HR. Angela Shaw, SVP of Talent at Amplify Credit Union, unpacks a practical, defensible approach to political polarization at work—without blanket bans that create more risk. She explains why strong HR starts by separating beliefs (which you can’t control) from behaviors (which you must), and how to equip managers to address refusal to collaborate, Slack blowups, and “hostile environment” complaints. Angela walks through an investigation playbook—listen first, talk to witnesses, then the accused—plus interim guardrails and tight communication to avoid limbo. She details how to push back on CEO pressure to “ban politics” when legal flags protected speech, and why your values, service standards, and behavior expectations should be your north star. You’ll also hear how HR can regulate their own emotions, stay neutral under pressure, and “circle back” to rebuild trust. Expect concrete scenarios, from public group‑chat jokes to private one‑to‑one comments, and guidance on workplace friendships, five generations at work, and preparing your plan before the next flashpoint.

Timestamps

[00:35] – Show setup and today’s scenario: post‑election polarization at work

[02:35] – Risks to watch: inaction and confusing beliefs with behavior

[09:55] – Investigation playbook: listen first, witnesses next, accused last; interim guardrails

[13:40] – Handling heightened emotions; creating space to be heard

[16:20] – HR neutrality and emotional regulation; preparing before tough conversations

[20:04] – Speed matters: dangers of moving too fast or too slow; close the loop

[23:20] – CEO says “ban politics”; legal flags protected speech; why behavior standards win

[27:40] – Workplace friendships, Slack pitfalls, and proactive prep; final advice

Takeaways

- Separate beliefs from behaviors—set clear, enforceable standards for how people interact.

- Use a consistent investigation process: hear the complainant, talk to witnesses, then the accused.

- Set interim safeguards (third‑party present, structured channels) to reduce flare‑ups while you assess.

- Move at the right pace: avoid rushed, precedent‑setting decisions; communicate timelines to prevent limbo.

- Avoid blanket “no politics” bans; anchor decisions in values, respectful conduct, and local law.

- Prepare before crises: define behavior charters, manager scripts, Slack norms, and a communication plan; build trust to push back on leadership when needed.

Sponsor

AllVoices brings all your employee relations work together in one place. No more jumping between spreadsheets, emails, and legacy systems just one place to document and manage reports, cases, investigations, and performance conversations. It helps you run a more consistent process, takes busywork off your plate with AI, and makes it easier to spot trends early, so you can work proactively, not just put out fires.

See a demo at ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.allvoices.co/

Summary

Healthcare never slows down—so how do people leaders modernize without burning out their teams?

Pam Teufel, Chief Human Resources Officer at Mainline Health (14,000 employees; four acute-care hospitals, a behavioral health facility, and hundreds of ambulatory sites), shares how she prioritizes capacity, trust, and practical technology in a no-rest era.

Pam pulls back the curtain on the “invisible work” of HR—from leading a CEO transition to risk-managing every hire and termination—and why designing systems around the end user is the only path to effective AI.

She details real wins: a ServiceNow-powered HR service center, a hackathon-built chatbot that answers high-volume leave-of-absence questions for an 80% female workforce, and clinical AI that reduces charting “pajama time,” triages urgent radiology, and automates nurse discharge education.

Expect a grounded playbook on sequencing change, leading with empathy for frontline realities, and growing learning agility so teams can keep up without burning out.

Timestamps

[00:45] – Mainline Health overview and Pam’s path to CHRO

[02:41] – The invisible work: CEO search, risk mitigation, and fixing legacy systems

[03:59] – Process before AI: design for end users, not administrators

[05:07] – Managing the no-rest pace: capacity calls that prevent burnout

[08:21] – Lead with empathy to rebuild trust across frontline teams

[10:54] – Practical wins: ServiceNow HR service center and an LOA chatbot

[14:59] – From bots to bedside: ambient scribing, radiology triage, and nurse discharge education

[20:24] – Career advice: skill building and learning agility

Takeaways

- Design HR tech around end users and clean processes first—then automate and augment with AI.

- Protect team capacity by sequencing projects; say no or “not yet” to prevent burnout.

- Lead with empathy for frontline realities (transportation, shift work) to rebuild trust and retention.

- Use chatbots for high-volume, policy-stable topics (e.g., leaves of absence) to free HR for higher-value conversations.

- Apply clinical AI to remove administrative burden (ambient scribing, triage, discharge education) and communicate intent clearly to reduce job anxiety.

- Hire and reward learning agility—continuous upskilling will outpace static skills.

Sponsor

AllVoices brings all your employee relations work together in one place. No more jumping between spreadsheets, emails, and legacy systems just one place to document and manage reports, cases, investigations, and performance conversations. It helps you run a more consistent process, takes busywork off your plate with AI, and makes it easier to spot trends early, so you can work proactively, not just put out fires.

See a demo at ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.allvoices.co/

Kelley Morse, Chief People Officer at Bullhorn—the market leader powering 10,000+ staffing and recruitment firms—offers a grounded blueprint.

With 25+ years in market, 1,300 employees, and an AI-forward product (Amplify), Kelley shares a rare dual view: building AI into a platform recruiters already live in, while introducing it inside her own People team.

She recounts her unconventional rise from individual contributor to CPO during COVID—guided by a mentor and centered on impact—and breaks down what’s next in 2025: navigating SaaS headwinds while upskilling for AI.

Expect specifics: why AI must be “built where you live” to win adoption, how her team mapped the full employee lifecycle, and the first pilot they’re launching to deflect 15,000 HR emails with self-service.

Kelley also explains how to run bottom-up pilots, make smart build-vs-buy calls, and avoid “scaling garbage processes.” She closes with a pragmatic reimagining of performance management—let AI assemble the receipts, then keep the human conversation—and candid career advice for leaders who feel “behind.”

Timestamps

[00:45] – Who Bullhorn serves and where AI fits in the platform

[01:34] – Kelley’s path to CPO: joining as an IC, COVID turmoil, and mentorship

[05:08] – 2025 outlook: SaaS headwinds and the AI talent opportunity

[06:41] – Amplify and the “built where you live” rule for effective AI

[09:09] – People Ops pilots: HR self‑service to deflect 15k emails and lifecycle use cases

[12:13] – Adoption strategy: bottom‑up pilots, build‑vs‑buy, and investment discipline

[14:13] – Redesign the work: from surveys to performance reviews—don’t scale broken processes

[19:18] – Parting advice for HR leaders: ditch impostor syndrome and lean in

Takeaways

- Embed AI where people already work to drive adoption and leverage existing data.

- Start with high-volume, low-risk wins (e.g., HR self-service to deflect tier‑one inquiries).

- Pilot bottom-up: let functions test, prove value, and scale only when outcomes are clear.

- Rebuild workflows before layering tech—otherwise you just automate bad processes.

- Use AI to prepare performance reviews (aggregate and summarize inputs) while humans lead the conversation.

- Be disciplined on build vs. buy—leverage internal expertise and invest where your org can absorb and sustain change.

Sponsor

AllVoices brings all your employee relations work together in one place. No more jumping between spreadsheets, emails, and legacy systems just one place to document and manage reports, cases, investigations, and performance conversations.

It helps you run a more consistent process, takes busywork off your plate with AI, and makes it easier to spot trends early, so you can work proactively, not just put out fires.

See a demo at ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.allvoices.co/

Summary

How do you lead fair, fast, and human investigations across dozens of jurisdictions—with California in the mix—and still keep people at the center?

Andrea Brunet, Director of Employee Relations at Greystar, supports 2,400 employees across multiple states for the global real estate leader. She shares how rigorous organization, clear triage, and deep partnership with field leaders power compliant, compassionate employee relations.

Andrea explains her system for managing time-sensitive cases (think EEOC and wage-and-hour), why rapport lets HR deliver risk-based guidance leaders can hear, and how to handle AI-authored complaints without losing the human story.

Expect practical insights on turning “small” complaints into root-cause patterns, coaching managers through tough conversations, and preserving dignity in terminations—so HR is seen as a trusted partner, not “Toby.”

Timestamps

[00:01] – Role and scope: Greystar’s footprint, multi-state support, and California complexity

[02:25] – Staying organized: tracking investigations, deadlines, and time-sensitive compliance

[04:44] – Building trust: collaborating with leaders and giving risk-based recommendations

[06:52] – AI in ER: the upside, the pitfalls, and why a phone call reveals the real story

[10:03] – From symptoms to root cause: the “coffee complaint” and pattern-spotting in ER

[11:39] – HR as connective tissue: first and last impressions and company-wide impact

[14:19] – Service mindset: triaging requests, team collaboration, and shedding the “Toby” stereotype

[18:45] – Dignity in terminations: coaching leaders through hard conversations and de-escalation

Takeaways

- Build a simple, durable tracking system (spreadsheets or case management) to manage investigations and meet hard deadlines.

- Earn trust early so leaders accept risk-based guidance—even when it’s not the answer they hoped for.

- Treat AI-generated complaints as a starting point; connect live to hear the human behind the text.

- Look beyond surface issues to identify patterns and root causes; small complaints can reveal bigger gaps.

- Position HR as organizational triage: route quickly, respond personally, and reduce friction across functions.

- Protect dignity in difficult moments: frame decisions as business-driven, allow pauses, and coach leaders to de-escalate.

Sponsor

AllVoices brings all your employee relations work together in one place. No more jumping between spreadsheets, emails, and legacy systems just one place to document and manage reports, cases, investigations, and performance conversations. It helps you run a more consistent process, takes busywork off your plate with AI, and makes it easier to spot trends early, so you can work proactively, not just put out fires.

See a demo at ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.allvoices.co/

What if AI could free your workforce to focus on the work only humans can do best? In this episode of HR Voices by All Voices, host Emily Fenech sits down with Maral Kazanjian, Chief People Officer at Moody’s, to explore how a 115-year-old global company is embracing AI to transform both business outcomes and employee experience.

Maral shares how Moody’s has integrated large language models (LLMs) and agentic AI into its operations, not just to deliver smarter insights to clients, but to reshape how employees work, learn, and grow. From bonusing employees for experimenting with AI tools to creating a pioneering role, Head of AI Workforce Enablement

Maral details how HR can lead the way in balancing innovation, governance, and humanity.

Whether you’re curious about practical HR use cases for AI, or wondering how to keep your workforce engaged through transformation, this conversation offers a roadmap for building a culture of experimentation, empowerment, and responsible tech adoption.

Key Timestamps

• [00:45] – Maral’s introduction and overview of Moody’s

• [02:07] – Using AI and agentic tools to unlock business opportunities

• [03:49] – How Moody’s people team is embedding AI into daily work

• [06:26] – The viral “Head of AI Workforce Enablement” role and its vision

• [09:25] – Governance, ethics, and balancing risk with innovation

• [14:37] – Recruiting transformation with tech tools like HiredScore and Paradox

• [17:53] – Advice for HR leaders who feel “behind” on AI adoption

  [20:24] – Why curiosity and play are the keys to building AI confidence

  
  

• Embed AI into culture by creating structured learning, rewards, and experimentation opportunities.

• Reframe workforce planning—AI is not about replacement, but enabling people to do more meaningful work.

• Lead from HR, not just tech—people teams are uniquely positioned to balance innovation with responsible boundaries.

• Focus on high-impact use cases—target specific pain points like recruiting efficiency or transactional HR support.

• Cultivate curiosity—small, consistent habits of experimentation help employees build confidence with AI tools.

Our Sponsor

AllVoices brings all your employee relations work together in one place. No more jumping between spreadsheets, emails, and legacy systems—just one place to document and manage reports, cases, investigations, and performance conversations. It helps you run a more consistent process, takes busywork off your plate with AI, and makes it easier to spot trends early, so you can work proactively, not just put out fires. See a demo at ⁠⁠allvoices.co⁠⁠.

In this episode of HR Voices, Rebecca Taylor is joined by Paul D. Brubaker, VP of HR for North America at KARL STORZ, to work through one of the most complex scenarios an HR leader can face: a confidential misconduct investigation has leaked from inside the function, and now HR must run two simultaneous inquiries without contaminating either one. Paul walks through his sequencing framework, explains why maintaining an open mind during a contested investigation is a form of rigor, and reflects on the two inputs that carry teams through organizational change. This episode is for HR leaders who want to think more clearly about what it means to hold the function's standards when holding them is hardest.

Chapters

00:00 Welcome to HR Voices and show format
02:00 The scenario: The Internal Investigation Leak
03:30 First move: the legal hold
06:00 Who investigates when your investigator is compromised?
08:00 Fighting the assumption of guilt
12:00 Zero gray: what happens when the leaker is found
15:30 Building trust as an HR function
17:00 Data, courage, and speaking truth to power
22:00 Purpose and people: what holds teams through change
24:00 Final advice: step back, stay open, follow the process

Takeaways

1. When an investigation leaks from inside your own function, issue a legal hold before you make any personnel decisions.
2. Fighting the assumption of guilt is not kindness. It is what keeps the investigation clean and defensible.
3. If the leaker inside HR or legal is identified, the consequence is termination. There is no gray area.
4. The two inputs that stay stable through organizational change are purpose and peer relationships. Point people back to what hasn't changed.
5. HR's credibility is built in the hard cases, not the easy ones.

Guest links

• Paul D. Brubaker on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pdbrubaker/
• KARL Storz: https://www.karlstorz.com/us/en/index.htm?target=

Sponsor

AllVoices brings all your employee relations work together in one place. No more jumping between spreadsheets, emails, and legacy systems just one place to document and manage reports, cases, investigations, and performance conversations. It helps you run a more consistent process, takes busywork off your plate with AI, and makes it easier to spot trends early, so you can work proactively, not just put out fires.

See a demo at ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.allvoices.co/

• (00:00) - Welcome to HR Voices and show format
• (02:00) - The scenario: The Internal Investigation Leak
• (03:30) - First move: the legal hold
• (06:00) - Who investigates when your investigator is compromised?
• (08:00) - Fighting the assumption of guilt
• (12:00) - Zero gray: what happens when the leaker is found
• (15:30) - Building trust as an HR function
• (17:00) - Data, courage, and speaking truth to power
• (22:00) - Purpose and people: what holds teams through change
• (24:00) - Final advice: step back, stay open, follow the process

Summary

If your org chart changes but execution doesn’t, you’re missing the “connective tissue.” Todd Mayhew, Chief Human Resources Officer at Snap Finance, shares how he’s guiding a fintech at an inflection point—from a transaction-based model to a consumer platform—by aligning structure, process, and behavior.

Five months into the role, Todd is reorganizing around centers of excellence, using RACIs to create clarity, and applying the Galbraith Star Model to ensure strategy, structure, process, rewards, and people move in lockstep.

A USC doctorate in Organizational Change & Leadership gives him the language and evidence to influence CFOs and engineers with data, not just theory. Todd also reframes AI as an HR discipline: you onboard, coach, and measure it like a teammate, model adoption as a leader, and spotlight internal wins to drive behavior change.

He cautions that AI augments capability—it won’t replace missing analytical muscles—and makes the case that a business strategy without a people strategy is a pipe dream. Expect practical guidance for turning reorganizations into results, building analytic acumen in HR, and making AI real across a global workforce.

Timestamps

[00:45] – Guest intro and Snap Finance’s mission: serving consumers under financial stress

[02:53] – Global footprint and the big shift: from transactions to a relationship platform

[04:24] – Centers of excellence, org design, and why RACIs reduce friction and decision fatigue

[05:17] – The “connective tissue” leaders miss in reorgs: roles, processes, and accountability

[06:53] – Change that sticks: culture as behavior + the Galbraith Star Model explained

[08:21] – Todd’s path: public administration to HR, plus a USC doctorate in org change

[10:39] – Influencing with evidence: meeting CFOs/engineers with data; people strategy as essential

[13:56] – Making AI real: exercise analogy, “hiring” GPT as L&D, modeling adoption, and sharing wins

[19:13] – Guardrails: AI augments but doesn’t replace baseline skills; why HR must build analytics

Takeaways

- Design with the Galbraith Star: align strategy, structure, processes, rewards, and people to avoid reorg stall-outs.

- Build the “connective tissue”: use RACIs and clear process ownership so decisions stick and work flows.

- Lead AI by example: onboard and coach AI like a teammate, then showcase internal wins to drive adoption.

- Bring data to the table: use evidence and research to influence financially minded leaders and shape strategy.

- Invest in analytics in HR: AI amplifies capability but won’t fix gaps in financial or analytical acumen.

- Shift from transactions to relationships: organize into centers of excellence to scale a platform model.

Sponsor

AllVoices brings all your employee relations work together in one place. No more jumping between spreadsheets, emails, and legacy systems just one place to document and manage reports, cases, investigations, and performance conversations. It helps you run a more consistent process, takes busywork off your plate with AI, and makes it easier to spot trends early, so you can work proactively, not just put out fires.

See a demo at ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.allvoices.co/

AI is racing ahead—but how do you bring a 40k+ global workforce along without losing the human connection? Girish Ganesan, Chief People Officer at S&P Global, shares how his team is redesigning work around skills and tasks while keeping “humanity as the multiplier.” He outlines three macro challenges—pace of change vs. org readiness, the shift from roles to skills, and maintaining connection across 41 countries—and the practical ways S&P Global is responding. Expect concrete examples: making change tangible at the workflow level, rolling out a companywide AI Academy, launching Spark Assist (an internal genAI platform) with a shared “Spark Store” of 2,000+ employee prompts, and building a skills-powered internal talent marketplace on Eightfold. Girish also details how they’re equipping 7,000 people leaders through a Change Leadership Academy, the “power skills” that drive ROI from AI (judgment, systems thinking, emotional intelligence), and how personalization at scale is reshaping learning, mobility, and manager support.

Timestamps

[00:45] – S&P Global’s scale and Girish’s mandate as CPO

[01:36] – Three macro challenges: AI’s pace, skills vs. roles, and human connection

[04:11] – Making change tangible: task-level AI use and a companywide AI Academy

[06:18] – “Humanity is the multiplier”: protecting power skills amid tech disruption

[11:47] – Urgency with intention: the jobs-to-skills shift and standing up a talent marketplace

[13:03] – Spark Assist: internal genAI platform and a shared “Spark Store” with 22,000 prompts

[13:49] – Equipping 7,000 people leaders: Change Leadership Academy and the power of listening

[18:06] – Building a skills graph with Eightfold, internal mobility, and personalized learning at scale

Takeaways

- Redesign work at the task/workflow level—don’t just layer AI onto legacy roles and processes.

- Build an enterprise learning engine: baseline AI literacy plus role-specific upskilling.

- Double down on power skills (judgment, systems thinking, emotional intelligence) to unlock AI ROI.

- Shift from jobs to skills via an internal talent marketplace to mobilize and grow talent transparently.

- Invest in managers at scale—teach change leadership, listening, and contextual communication.

- Use internal genAI platforms and prompt-sharing to safely crowdsource adoption and speed learning.

Sponsor

AllVoices brings all your employee relations work together in one place. No more jumping between spreadsheets, emails, and legacy systems just one place to document and manage reports, cases, investigations, and performance conversations. It helps you run a more consistent process, takes busywork off your plate with AI, and makes it easier to spot trends early, so you can work proactively, not just put out fires.

See a demo at ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.allvoices.co/

Summary

How do you prepare people for AI, grow careers without forcing everyone into management, and reduce overwhelm in a world of endless priorities?

Burke Walker, Chief People Officer at Spring Venture Group—and veteran HR leader at Sprint, H&R Block, Applebee’s, and North American Savings Bank—shares practical playbooks for modern people leadership.

He explains why HR is a transferable craft across industries, how to demystify AI with education and trust-building, and why the direct leader is the single biggest driver of culture and engagement.

Burke details dual career paths that elevate high-impact individual contributors alongside managers, plus a simple effort-versus-impact lens for prioritizing the work that truly moves the needle.

Expect concrete, repeatable practices: company-wide AI upskilling, leadership development that equips managers to coach careers, and planning rhythms that favor doing fewer things, better.

Timestamps

[00:45] – Career journey: Sprint, H&R Block, Applebee’s, NASB, and landing at Spring Venture Group

[02:34] – What SVG does (Medicare enrollment) and why HR skills transfer across industries

[04:15] – Two big challenges: AI’s rise and the push for career progression

[05:06] – Preparing people for AI: education over fear, trust, and personal vs. enterprise tools

[09:21] – Culture starts with the direct leader: building managers who coach and communicate

[10:49] – Dual career paths: management tracks and high-impact individual contributors

[13:34] – Overwhelm at work: prioritization, effort vs. impact, and managing change load

[18:28] – Planning season tactics: quarterly resets, focus on the vital few, enhance before net-new

Takeaways

- Demystify AI: educate every employee, clarify use cases, and communicate how data and tools will be used to build trust.

- Train leaders to coach careers: invest in leadership development so managers can run effective talent and promotion conversations.

- Create dual career ladders: reward expert individual contributors as robustly as managers to keep growth non-linear and inclusive.

- Prioritize with an effort-impact lens: say no to good ideas that dilute focus; do fewer initiatives, done exceptionally well.

- Manage change saturation: limit concurrent rollouts, repeat key messages, and account for the time teams need to adopt.

- Run regular priority resets: monthly/quarterly reviews to narrow to the top 4–5 initiatives and optimize existing programs before starting new ones.

AllVoices brings all your employee relations work together in one place. No more jumping between spreadsheets, emails, and legacy systems just one place to document and manage reports, cases, investigations, and performance conversations.

It helps you run a more consistent process, takes busywork off your plate with AI, and makes it easier to spot trends early, so you can work proactively, not just put out fires.See a demo at ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.allvoices.co/

Chapters
00:00 Intro
00:45 Welcome and the scenario
02:45 The Meta firings and the Business Insider article
05:15 Why broken trust is fatal for a privacy company
10:15 The TSA dog effect on monitored behavior
14:30 Reactions as a leader vs. as an employee
18:15 "We are the change management strategy"
22:45 Learning out loud and the weekly office hour
29:45 1Password's 98% adoption and the next metric
33:45 The HR evolution from personnel to data to AI

Takeaways

• The Meta keystroke-tracking story isn't a tool failure, it's a sequencing failure: mandatory participation and no opt-out destroyed trust before any value could land.
• For a privacy company, the cost of broken trust isn't fixed. It scales to what you sell.
• In the AI era, change management is the rollout itself. There's no Phase 2 deck that comes after the announcement.
• Adoption is the necessary first metric, not the only one. If saved time isn't reinvested into learning or higher-value work, the rollout plateaus.
• Three moves separate rollouts that compound from rollouts that break trust: lead with the why, embed change management in the work, define the next metric before you hit the first.

Connect with the Guests
Weston Fillman on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/westonfillman/
Gabrielle Caron on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gabrielle-caron-5607ab13/?locale=en
1Password: https://1password.com

Sponsor
AllVoices brings all your employee relations work together in one place. No more jumping between spreadsheets, emails, and legacy systems — just one place to document and manage reports, cases, investigations, and performance conversations. It helps you run a more consistent process, takes busywork off your plate with AI, and makes it easier to spot trends early, so you can work proactively, not just put out fires.

See a demo at https://www.allvoices.co/

Summary

How do you build connection and consistency for a largely solo, non-desk workforce?

Heather Bresick-Smith, Chief Experience Officer at Bright Star Care (formerly CHRO), shares how the home healthcare franchisor is reshaping employee experience across 13–14k caregivers through community, clear lanes of ownership, and smart tech.

Heather breaks down the shift from HR to Experience—employee, client, and soon owner experience—plus formal change management to drive franchisee adoption. She reveals Bright Star’s new employer brand pillars—connection at our core, flexibility that fits your life, and care that starts within—and why the first 90 days are the retention tipping point.

Heather details a network-wide LMS for consistent onboarding and career paths, an employee mobile app that becomes the “virtual office” for distributed caregivers, and where AI fits: sourcing, screening, scheduling, and predictive signals that prioritize highly motivated candidates with a clean human handoff.

She closes with how franchisee roundtables turn local wins in recruiting and retention into system-wide standards.

Timestamps

[00:45] – From CHRO to CXO: experience “lanes,” client/employee/owner experience, and change management

[03:17] – Splitting people ops vs. franchisee-facing support to scale impact

[04:06] – The caregiver challenge: isolation, recruiting vs. retention, and the 90-day stickiness milestone

[06:39] – Employer brand pillars: connection, flexibility, and “care that starts within”

[09:03] – The employee mobile app as the virtual office: messaging, recognition, and education on-the-go

[12:24] – Standardizing learning: network-wide LMS, robust 90-day onboarding, CE, and career paths

[15:10] – Practical AI in hiring: sourcing/screening/scheduling and predictive signals for candidate prioritization

[17:30] – The “people leader co-pilot” vision: just-in-time guidance for interviews, feedback, and HR risk

[19:48] – Stronger together: franchisee collaboration and turning best practices into system norms

Takeaways

- Define clear experience lanes (employee, client, owner) and formalize change management to boost adoption across franchises.

- Design for early retention: build programs that carry caregivers past the 90-day threshold and target candidates who mirror your best performers.

- Lead with “care that starts within”: make caregiver well-being a visible pillar of your employer brand and day-to-day operations.

- Create community for distributed workers: use a mobile app for real-time messaging, recognition, and learning—treat it like the office.

- Standardize a network-wide LMS to deliver consistent onboarding, CE, and career pathways that reduce burnout and turnover.

- Use AI judiciously: automate sourcing/screening/scheduling, leverage predictive motivation signals, and ensure a warm, timely human handoff.

Sponsor

AllVoices brings all your employee relations work together in one place. No more jumping between spreadsheets, emails, and legacy systems just one place to document and manage reports, cases, investigations, and performance conversations. It helps you run a more consistent process, takes busywork off your plate with AI, and makes it easier to spot trends early, so you can work proactively, not just put out fires.

See a demo at ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.allvoices.co/

Summary

When half your workforce is on a Florida campus and half is fully remote, how do you sustain one culture, prevent burnout, and support growth in a world of constant change?

Lisa Strasman, Chief People Operations Officer at IMG Academy and former President of NCSA (acquired by IMG Academy), shares how the world’s leading sports education brand aligns people, performance, and purpose.

She outlines IMG Academy’s unique mix—boarding school and elite training in Bradenton, year-round camps, and IMG Academy+ for mental performance, nutrition, and college recruiting guidance—and explains how “athlete DNA” fuels a high-performing team.

Lisa unpacks the realities of hybrid culture, why careers must be treated as dynamic, and how their engagement surveys directly shape priorities. She also details their 2026 people-first goal—Ignite Our Heartbeat—designed to elevate the employee experience so staff can better serve student-athletes and families.

Expect practical guidance on closing the communication loop, reducing burnout (especially for remote employees), and connecting daily work to a mission that matters.

Timestamps

[00:45] – IMG Academy overview: campus, camps, and IMG Academy+ (mental performance, nutrition, recruiting)

[02:48] – CPO scope: 2,200 employees split between Bradenton campus and fully remote

[03:56] – Hybrid culture in practice: pace of change, bridging onsite and virtual teams

[05:26] – Nonlinear careers: growth without rigid ladders and HR’s role in transparency

[07:12] – Engagement survey insights: burnout, work-life balance, development, and communication

[08:45] – From insights to action: 2026 goals and “Ignite Our Heartbeat”

[10:51] – Role evolution: from President/COO to CPO and integrating acquired cultures

[13:04] – Athlete DNA at work: hiring for coachability, resilience, and teamwork

[15:02] – Closing advice: connect everyday work to a mission that matters

Takeaways

- Anchor culture to a clear mission and consistently spotlight real impact stories.

- Listen with regular engagement surveys—and close the loop by tying programs to what employees said.

- Build hybrid rituals that serve both onsite and remote teams; make communication inclusive and repeat key messages.

- Treat careers as dynamic; offer development that builds confidence without rigid paths.

- Tackle burnout proactively—especially for remote staff—through workload norms, energy checks, and manager enablement.

- Align people priorities with business outcomes; make people-first goals (like “Ignite Our Heartbeat”) visible, measurable, and owned across the org.

Sponsor

AllVoices brings all your employee relations work together in one place. No more jumping between spreadsheets, emails, and legacy systems just one place to document and manage reports, cases, investigations, and performance conversations. It helps you run a more consistent process, takes busywork off your plate with AI, and makes it easier to spot trends early, so you can work proactively, not just put out fires.

See a demo at ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.allvoices.co/

Summary

How do you modernize a century-old manufacturer under private equity—while unifying fragmented HR teams and systems?

Jason Richard Desentz, Chief Human Resources Officer for Toshiba in the Americas, breaks down what it really takes to lead transformation at scale. With roots in Detroit automotive and training in Lean Six Sigma, plus an MBA and DBA, Jason explains why today’s CHRO must think like a business operator first.

He shares a simple but powerful career framework—rotating between HR centers of excellence and field roles (“work on” vs. “work in” the process)—that builds credibility and speed. Jason also unpacks the politics of change: how to socialize ideas early, tailor the pitch, and win stakeholder buy-in. He frames AI as an enhancement, not a replacement, and makes the case for cultures that embrace smart risk-taking and fast learning from mistakes.

Expect practical guidance on consolidating legacy orgs, avoiding complacency, and bringing Gen Z voices to the table—all while keeping the business, people, and process aligned.

Timestamps

[00:45] – CHRO scope at Toshiba: PE-backed reinvention and consolidating standalone units

[03:23] – From legacy to reinvention: “a 150-year-old startup” mindset to refresh processes and culture

[06:45] – The modern CHRO: business acumen, P&L fluency, and Lean roots

[07:32] – COEs vs. field HR: “work on” vs. “work in” the process and career pathing

[09:49] – Influence over edict: politics, context, and stakeholder buy-in

[12:11] – AI as enhancement, not replacement; right- vs. left-brain leadership

[14:03] – Normalize mistakes: psychological safety, coaching, and the 5% rule

[19:02] – Closing playbook: persistence, calibration, and learning from Gen Z/Alpha

Takeaways

- Audit legacy processes with a startup lens to align with future culture and strategy.

- Sharpen business fluency—P&L, operations, and Lean—to elevate HR’s strategic impact.

- Rotate between COE and field roles; volunteer for cross-functional projects to accelerate learning.

- Socialize early and sell smart: build context, coalition, and influence before implementation.

- Treat AI as an enhancement: blend left-brain data with right-brain values; calibrate tools to your org.

- Create psychological safety for calculated risk-taking; learn fast from mistakes and move on.

Sponsor

AllVoices brings all your employee relations work together in one place. No more jumping between spreadsheets, emails, and legacy systems just one place to document and manage reports, cases, investigations, and performance conversations. It helps you run a more consistent process, takes busywork off your plate with AI, and makes it easier to spot trends early, so you can work proactively, not just put out fires.

See a demo at ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.allvoices.co/

How do you keep a fast-growing, always-in-motion workforce informed, aligned, and delivering standout service—while adding a new aircraft every month?

Jeff Weber, Chief People Officer at Breeze Airways, shares how the airline is scaling a people-first culture across a distributed, frontline operation.

Founded during COVID by David Neumann, Breeze targets underserved airports with a “seriously nice” guest experience—and it shows with NPS in the 70s. Jeff, who came from software, breaks down what it takes to staff a point-to-point model across many locations, onboard 1,000+ new hires a year, and give teams the tools they need in the flow of work.

He details weekly CEO-led calls by role to drive connection and clarity, an AI-enabled HR assistant (Harper by WISC) that handles tier-one/two questions in Teams and email, and short-form training that becomes instant job aids on phones and iPads.

You’ll also hear how Breeze builds scalable listening loops—active Q&A, pulse surveys, and focus groups—while decentralizing culture through local ambassador committees and community work, including Make-A-Wish flights. Jeff closes with a clear charge to HR: act as internal consultants who partner on business outcomes in a complex, margin-tight industry.

Timestamps

[00:22] – Breeze context: founding during COVID, growth, A220 fleet, and adding an aircraft monthly

[03:14] – Why Jeff joined from tech; building a software-like culture to elevate guest experience (NPS in the 70s)

[05:04] – Hypergrowth people challenges: point-to-point staffing, onboarding at scale, and training new leaders

[07:26] – Keeping a distributed frontline connected: weekly function calls with the CEO, values, and safety

[08:52] – Practical AI in HR: Harper (WISC) for instant answers, policy links, and faster path to productivity

[12:47] – Short-form, in-the-flow training: turning courses into mobile job aids for real-time use

[15:40] – Scalable listening: active Q&A, pulse surveys, focus groups, and a safe culture for healthy friction

[20:58] – Local ownership of culture: ambassador committees, community service, and Make-A-Wish partnerships

Takeaways

- Run weekly, CEO-hosted calls by role to keep distributed teams connected and aligned.

- Deploy an AI HR assistant to deflect tier-one questions, route to resources, and speed path to productivity.

- Convert training into bite-size job aids accessible on mobile at the exact moment of need.

- Build scalable listening loops—chat Q&A, pulse surveys, and focus groups—to surface and act on feedback.

- Distribute culture locally via ambassador committees and community partnerships so values are felt, not just stated.

- Recast HR as internal consultants who partner on business outcomes, not just policy and process.

Sponsor

AllVoices brings all your employee relations work together in one place. No more jumping between spreadsheets, emails, and legacy systems just one place to document and manage reports, cases, investigations, and performance conversations. It helps you run a more consistent process, takes busywork off your plate with AI, and makes it easier to spot trends early, so you can work proactively, not just put out fires.

See a demo at ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.allvoices.co/

Summary

How do you scale a people function for a global consultancy—without burning out the team?

Jen Fults, Managing Director and Global Chief People Officer at Alvarez & Marsal, shares how her HR team is redesigning the entire people experience to fuel ambitious growth sustainably.

Jen explains A&M’s entrepreneurial, “permission to build” culture, the “golden thread” that connects hiring, development, performance, and rewards, and why co-creation with business stakeholders is non-negotiable for adoption.

She details standing up an AI council to accelerate execution (not just add headcount), rebuilding performance in weeks by leveraging internal and external networks, and the leadership practices that keep pace and boundaries intact.

Expect practical insights on stakeholder management, change enablement, and building trust-rich teams where no task is too small—and where programs are rooted in what employees actually need.

Timestamps

[00:45] – Guest intro: Alvarez & Marsal’s global footprint and Jen’s remit

[01:48] – HR team structure, enabling firm growth and operating model focus

[02:44] – The “golden thread” across hiring, development, performance, and rewards

[04:34] – Entrepreneurial culture: permission to pitch, build, and move fast

[05:30] – Case study: rebuilding performance in weeks by tapping networks

[09:13] – What’s ripe for disruption: AI’s role and A&M’s HR AI council

[10:52] – Sustainable execution: pacing, boundaries, and avoiding burnout

[15:20] – Co-creation and change management: turning stakeholders into champions

[16:49] – The rising bar for HR: consultative skills, data, and business fluency

[20:05] – Closing mindset: keep the human experience at the center

Takeaways

- Build the “golden thread” that links hiring, development, performance, and total rewards to a consistent people experience.

- Co-create programs with business leaders to drive trust, relevance, and real adoption.

- Use AI and data to accelerate execution and quality—not to simply expand headcount.

- Set clear pace and boundaries; design roadmaps that prevent burnout while meeting growth goals.

- Equip HR with consultative skills (stakeholder management, change enablement) alongside deep functional expertise.

- Cultivate a trust-first team culture—no task too small, raise your hand early, and support each other to the finish line.

Sponsor

AllVoices brings all your employee relations work together in one place. No more jumping between spreadsheets, emails, and legacy systems just one place to document and manage reports, cases, investigations, and performance conversations. It helps you run a more consistent process, takes busywork off your plate with AI, and makes it easier to spot trends early, so you can work proactively, not just put out fires.

See a demo at ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.allvoices.co/

Chapters
00:00 Cold open and welcome
01:30 The scenario: accommodations, flexibility, fairness
03:00 Understand the workforce before the policy
04:25 The peanut-butter rule, and flexibility both ways
06:00 Younger employees want more office, not less
07:00 The sniff test for accommodations
08:45 Employee-led wellbeing councils, not an EAP
13:00 What culture really means
15:45 Where to start: ask, listen, don't diagnose

Takeaways

• A uniform flexibility rule applied evenly across different roles produces unfair outcomes, not fair ones.
• Flexibility is reciprocal: a global company that asks people to travel and take late-night calls owes flexibility back.
• Fairness at scale comes from a consistent process, not an identical policy.
• Employee-led wellbeing councils, built separately from the EAP, can address the mental-health gray areas no policy covers.
• The starting point for trust is listening in small settings without rushing to diagnose.

Connect with the Guest
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alisa-dibeasi-32080046/
Website: https://www.phinia.com/

Sponsor
AllVoices brings all your employee relations work together in one place. No more jumping between spreadsheets, emails, and legacy systems — just one place to document and manage reports, cases, investigations, and performance conversations. It helps you run a more consistent process, takes busywork off your plate with AI, and makes it easier to spot trends early, so you can work proactively, not just put out fires.

See a demo at https://www.allvoices.co/

Steve shares how LaRosa’s has cultivated a people-first culture where employees from teen cooks to long-time franchisees feel seen, heard, and supported.

With more than 1,000 team members and 65+ locations, Steve explains why HR at LaRosa’s isn’t about policies it’s about presence. He dives into the practice of “one plus one” conversations, why they ditched departments for a skills-first approach, and how intentional development is replacing outdated performance management.

The episode also explores how LaRosa’s is embracing technology (yes, even ChatGPT) while staying true to its local, human touch.

Whether you're leading a people team or just craving a slice of culture transformation, this conversation will leave you with practical insights and possibly hungry for pizza.

Timestamps

• [00:34] – Meet Steve Browne and the culture behind LaRosa’s Pizzerias

• [01:29] – What makes LaRosa’s “iconic” in Cincinnati

• [03:04] – Transforming HR’s image through presence and relationships

• [06:12] – Why showing up—without an agenda—builds trust

• [09:21] – Development over performance: A new way to grow people

• [13:48] – Rethinking departments: Moving from silos to shared skills

• [17:43] – How AI and tech are enhancing—not replacing human work

• [23:04] – Steve’s final advice: Lead with passion, not policy

  
  

Actionable Takeaways

AllVoices brings all your employee relations work together in one place. No more jumping between spreadsheets, emails, and legacy systems just one place to document and manage reports, cases, investigations, and performance conversations. It helps you run a more consistent process, takes busywork off your plate with AI, and makes it easier to spot trends early, so you can work proactively, not just put out fires.

See a demo at ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.allvoices.co/

In this episode, host Emily Fenech sits down with Cheryl Naumann, Chief Human Resources Officer at the University of Phoenix, to unpack how her team supports 3,000+ employees and faculty who serve working adult learners nationwide.

Cheryl shares how UOPX keeps engagement far above benchmarks in a digital-first culture, why “brave, honest, focused” values power connection, and how the university is rolling out an enterprise-wide AI upskilling initiative from learning paths and enterprise tools to grassroots “power users” who accelerate adoption. She closes with practical advice on building an enterprise mindset so HR can drive business outcomes, not just people processes.

Key Timestamps

• [00:35] – Introduction: Cheryl’s remit and the mission of serving working adult learners

• [01:00] – Inside the CHRO scope: TA, total rewards, HRBPs, comms, and aligning people strategy to university goals

• [05:11] – Biggest challenge: sustaining connection and wellness in a fully remote culture

• [08:06] – Culture in action: “Be brave” and the virtual coffee outreach playbook

• [11:49] – AI upskilling at UOPX: leaders first, benchmarking usage, and safe enterprise tools

• [14:33] – Power users as change catalysts: grassroots adoption beats policy alone

• [17:13] – Real HR use cases: comms headlines, L&D visualizations, Glassdoor replies, compliance workflows, legal summaries

• [20:41] – Final advice: lead with an enterprise mindset and listen for people-powered solutions

Takeaways

When politics and technology collide with your mission, how do you keep people engaged and moving forward?

Elizabeth Mattila, SVP and Chief Human Resources Officer at the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF), shares how a 1,000-person, global NGO sustains morale, builds true employee voice, and modernizes talent practices.

Elizabeth explains EDF’s science-driven, bipartisan approach to advocacy—and how transparent communication, town halls, and a clear legal strategy help teams stay focused even amid policy headwinds.

She details two structural levers for engagement: a new, peer-elected Staff Council that represents employees worldwide and a Culture Council advancing DEI with data from annual engagement surveys. On talent, Elizabeth breaks down EDF’s shift to skills-based career growth and cross-functional mobility—making advancement less about tenure and more about capabilities. She also outlines why annual pay equity snapshots fall short, and how EDF now runs equity analyses on-demand for real transparency.

Finally, Elizabeth flags rising AI threats in hiring—from deepfake candidates to data risks—and why HR must partner with security to protect the org. Expect practical ideas to future-proof HR in mission-driven and global contexts: employee voice at scale, real-time equity, and skills as the new currency.

Timestamps

[00:00] – Welcome and guest introduction

[00:53] – EDF 101: mission pillars, size, and global footprint

[03:05] – Supporting a hybrid, multinational workforce and compliance

[04:30] – Policy headwinds and morale: keeping the mission alive

[05:46] – AI risks in hiring: deepfakes, fake candidates, and data security

[07:58] – Transparency in action: science-led advocacy, legal strategy, town halls

[12:30] – Building employee voice: Staff Council, Culture Council, and engagement insights

[14:58] – Skills-based careers, cross-functional mobility, and real-time pay equity

Takeaways

- Establish formal employee voice mechanisms (e.g., peer-elected Staff Council) to enable two-way communication across regions and levels.

- Use a dedicated Culture/DEI council and engagement data to prioritize actions that matter beyond “topics of the moment.”

- Shift to skills-based talent management—define required capabilities, publish transparent pathways, and support cross-functional moves.

- Move from annual to on-demand pay equity analysis to keep pace with hiring and attrition and to increase trust.

- Sustain morale in mission-driven orgs with radical transparency, bipartisan partnerships, and clear plans of action.

- Protect hiring integrity by collaborating with security to counter AI-driven applicant fraud and safeguard sensitive data.

Sponsor

AllVoices brings all your employee relations work together in one place. No more jumping between spreadsheets, emails, and legacy systems just one place to document and manage reports, cases, investigations, and performance conversations.

It helps you run a more consistent process, takes busywork off your plate with AI, and makes it easier to spot trends early, so you can work proactively, not just put out fires.

See a demo at ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.allvoices.co/

David Alsop, Chief Human Resources Officer at Ultradent Products, a global manufacturer of dental and oral health products, explains how his team connects a multilingual frontline through clarity, short-form video, and practical AI.

He shares why HR must act like content creators, how mobile-first comms outperform text for factory teams, and how translation tech now removes costly barriers across 20+ languages.

David also details Ultradent’s onsite-first philosophy, how to define flexibility by role without dividing office and line workers, and why recruiting with radical clarity prevents mis-hires. He breaks down “culture charters” that turn values into daily behaviors, job-level guides that set expectations, and a leadership frame—360 care that balances employees, customers, and company results.

Expect actionable examples, from filming on an iPhone with a gimbal to using Microsoft Copilot, ChatGPT, and Viva Engage to scale clear, inclusive communication.

Key Timestamps

• - [00:45] – Guest intro: Ultradent’s global footprint and the “apex” of individualism and unity
• - [01:51] – What’s unique about HR in manufacturing vs. tech: keeping non-desk workers connected
• - [04:01] – HR as content creators: short-form video, mobile-first comms, filming on the floor
• - [05:57] – Practical AI: Copilot/ChatGPT to refine tone, translation at scale, Viva Engage
• - [08:52] – 2026 people challenges: engagement vs. “apex connection” and recruiting with clarity
• - [11:15] – Onsite-first culture: collaboration, trust, and defining flexibility by role
• - [14:29] – From values to behaviors: culture guides, job-level expectations, and team charters
• - [16:36] – 360 care: balancing employees, customers, and company performance

Takeaways

• - Make HR a content studio: use short, mobile-first video to reach frontline teams; film, interview, and ship usable clips.
• - Leverage AI to sharpen communications and translate instantly; judge messages by outcomes, not authorship.
• - Recruit with radical clarity about culture (e.g., onsite-first) to attract right-fit talent and avoid misalignment.
• - Define flexibility by role: shifts and schedules for manufacturing; location flexibility where it truly fits.
• - Turn values into operating norms via culture charters and job-level guides; practice peer accountability.
• - Lead with 360 care—balance employees, customers, and company results for sustainable performance.

Sponsor

AllVoices brings all your employee relations work together in one place. No more jumping between spreadsheets, emails, and legacy systems just one place to document and manage reports, cases, investigations, and performance conversations. It helps you run a more consistent process, takes busywork off your plate with AI, and makes it easier to spot trends early, so you can work proactively, not just put out fires.

See a demo at ⁠⁠⁠⁠allvoices.co⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Summary

When employees only reach HR at “eruption,” it’s already too late.

Vanessa Brulotte, Employee Relations Partner at BambooHR, shares how to build a trusted, centralized ER function that catches issues at a simmer—so leaders and employees can collaborate toward resolution instead of crisis.

With nine years at BambooHR across TA, HR, and ER, Vanessa brings practical frameworks for fairness and consistency, from creating visible “safe spaces” in a hybrid environment to setting shared expectations and alignment before projects go off the rails.

She unpacks why communication fails even with good intent, how to avoid ruinous empathy, and simple habits—like recap notes—that prevent misinterpretation (cue the Amelia Bedelia lesson).

Vanessa also dives into AI’s role in HR today: use it to scale clarity and prep tough conversations (think SBI-F talk tracks), ask it to push back, and put guardrails in place—never as legal counsel. The episode closes with a reminder many HR pros need: protect your own wellbeing, set boundaries, and show up with calm when it matters most.

Timestamps

[00:45] – Vanessa’s path at BambooHR and why she built a centralized ER function

[02:22] – Fairness, consistency, and creating a trusted “safe space” for employees

[05:20] – Hybrid visibility: why showing up onsite builds access and credibility

[07:58] – The real reason communication fails—and how to catch issues at a simmer

[08:27] – Alignment before action: roles, decisions, contributors, and deadlines

[11:00] – High vs. low context communication (and the Amelia Bedelia effect)

[12:37] – Recap to prevent rework: simple practices that keep teams aligned

[14:12] – AI in HR: scaling clarity, SBI-F talk tracks, and asking for pushback

[16:09] – Guardrails, not legal advice: using AI responsibly

[19:30] – HR wellbeing: boundaries, mental health, and showing up with calm

Takeaways

- Build trust early so issues surface at a simmer—long before crisis and escalation.

- Drive clarity: align on who decides, who is responsible, who contributes, and by when.

- Over-communicate with intent—use recap notes, confirm “what good looks like,” and avoid ruinous empathy.

- Prepare difficult conversations with the SBI-F framework; practice and plan language in advance.

- Use AI as a thought partner to draft talk tracks and challenge your thinking—ask it to play devil’s advocate.

- Set and socialize AI guardrails; never treat AI outputs as legal counsel.

- Protect your own capacity: limit doomscrolling, set boundaries, and create pauses to bring calm to charged moments.

Sponsor

AllVoices brings all your employee relations work together in one place. No more jumping between spreadsheets, emails, and legacy systems just one place to document and manage reports, cases, investigations, and performance conversations. It helps you run a more consistent process, takes busywork off your plate with AI, and makes it easier to spot trends early, so you can work proactively, not just put out fires.

See a demo at ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.allvoices.co/

Summary

How do you keep 1,000+ people across 30 countries aligned, connected, and moving fast—while AI reshapes how work gets done?

Remko Verheul, SVP and Head of People at Wrike, shares the operating system behind a truly global, distributed company. Wrike is a collaborative work management platform used worldwide, and Remko explains how the team “eats its own dog food” to create a single source of truth, drive cross-time-zone alignment, and feed product innovation.

He breaks down the rituals that matter—company-wide AMAs, leader travel, and function kickoffs—and why bringing humanity back to remote work is nonnegotiable.

Remko also details Wrike’s dual-track AI strategy: top-down workstreams with clear outcomes and bottom-up experimentation via bootcamps and internal pitches, including new workforce optimizer and performance coach agents.

Finally, he explains why HR must shift from jobs to skills to meet a gig-like labor market and dissolve silos. Expect practical frameworks you can apply this quarter.

Timestamps

[00:45] – Wrike overview: platform, org footprint, and distributed team structure

[02:18] – The big four challenges: AI acceleration, remote/distributed work, global time zones, and the gig economy

[03:55] – Building alignment: single system of record, comms cadence, AMAs, and clear handoffs

[06:35] – Remote with humanity: intentional check-ins and knowing when to switch from async to live

[08:41] – In-person rituals: executive travel cadence and team kickoffs that reinforce culture

[10:55] – AI in the product: customer-built agents and early time savings

[12:12] – AI inside HR: Human + AI = Organizational Intelligence; top-down workstreams and bottom-up experiments

[15:27] – From jobs to skills: adapting to a gig-style market and breaking down silos

Takeaways

- Operationalize alignment with a single source of truth and explicit touchpoints/handoffs across time zones.

- Make communication a ritual: all-hands, AMAs, and purposeful in-person moments; expect leaders to travel.

- Bring humanity to remote work: start 1:1s with check-ins and escalate from async to live when nuance matters.

- Drive AI adoption with a dual strategy—fund a few top-down workstreams and foster bottom-up experimentation (bootcamps, internal pitches).

- Build practical AI agents for people ops (e.g., resource allocation, performance coaching) to unlock measurable productivity.

- Shift talent practices from roles to skills to support cross-functional growth and a gig-like career reality.

- Practice “zoom in, zoom out” leadership to balance detail work with big-picture direction.

Sponsor

AllVoices brings all your employee relations work together in one place. No more jumping between spreadsheets, emails, and legacy systems just one place to document and manage reports, cases, investigations, and performance conversations. It helps you run a more consistent process, takes busywork off your plate with AI, and makes it easier to spot trends early, so you can work proactively, not just put out fires.

See a demo at ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.allvoices.co/

Summary

If AI headlines are making your people feel vulnerable or irrelevant, how do you move them from hesitancy to agency?

Lindsay Crawley-Herbert, Chief People Officer at SCAN, a Long Beach–based nonprofit Medicare Advantage organization with care delivery assets, shares a practical blueprint for building an AI‑confident workforce without burning people out.

With a CPA background, Lindsay brings a valuable lens to balancing business performance with people needs. She explains SCAN’s “human + AI + human” approach, why they frame AI as a multiplier—not a job eliminator—and how they’re upskilling employees on the soft skills that matter most: critical thinking, judgment, learning agility, and adaptability.

Lindsay details experiments like an AI coaching pilot, a company hackathon, and the pitfalls of poor workflow integration and context switching. She also sounds the alarm on cutting entry-level roles, arguing that skipping early-career talent now will create a succession crisis later.

Expect actionable guidance on messaging, governance, data quality, and integrating AI where work already happens.

Timestamps

[00:45] – SCAN’s mission, footprint, and hybrid model (collaboration days and distributed leadership)

[01:51] – From office-first to intentional hybrid: why in-person still matters

[03:05] – 2026 challenge: moving employees from AI hesitancy to agency and addressing fear of irrelevance

[05:46] – Human + AI + Human: AI as a capability multiplier and input vs. output framing

[07:39] – Upskilling strategy: critical thinking, learning agility, hackathons, and safe-to-experiment culture

[11:27] – AI coaching pilot: scaling manager support and the importance of workflow integration

[15:23] – Adoption watchouts: data quality, governance, and keeping a human on the “back end”

[18:14] – Don’t skip entry-level roles: exposure, succession, and building future leaders

Takeaways

- Reframe AI as a growth multiplier: communicate “human + AI + human” to reduce fear and increase agency.

- Build soft skills at scale—critical thinking, judgment, and learning agility—to future-proof your workforce.

- Embed AI where work happens (e.g., Slack/Teams) to cut context switching and drive adoption.

- Pilot AI coaching to give more people access to feedback, improve conflict resolution, and support managers.

- Govern for reliability: invest in data quality, clear policies, and human review on both the input and output sides.

- Protect the early-career pipeline with real exposure and development to avoid future succession gaps.

Sponsor

AllVoices brings all your employee relations work together in one place. No more jumping between spreadsheets, emails, and legacy systems just one place to document and manage reports, cases, investigations, and performance conversations. It helps you run a more consistent process, takes busywork off your plate with AI, and makes it easier to spot trends early, so you can work proactively, not just put out fires.

See a demo at ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.allvoices.co/

Summary

How do you scale HR across 63 countries while adopting AI without losing the human touch?

Dan Meyers, Chief Human Resources Officer at Acronis, pulls back the curtain on leading a 2,000-person, truly global organization that serves the managed service provider (MSP) market.

Dan shares how his team built a follow-the-sun HR model, why recruiting alumni is a strategic advantage, and what it really takes to roll out AI responsibly in HR—especially under stringent data privacy rules.

He details Acronis’ alumni strategy using Boomerang, integrated with Workday, which generated 400 outreach messages in its first month, a 50% click-through, and 10 candidates in process. Dan also breaks down AI governance for people leaders: what to ask vendors, how to balance automation with compassion, and why AI should be seen as an efficiency multiplier—not a headcount reducer.

Expect pragmatic guidance on standardizing approved AI tools, synthesizing employee survey data with AI, and change-managing teams through platform choices. He closes with a simple mantra for HR: start small, build trust, and scale what works.

Timestamps

[00:45] – Acronis overview: MSP-focused model, cyber protection, and global growth

[02:40] – Building a global HR team: follow-the-sun support across 63 countries

[04:31] – 2026 challenge: integrating AI in HR while preserving humanity and privacy

[05:35] – Alumni hiring at scale: Boomerang + Workday, early results and why it works

[09:34] – AI governance realities: privacy, automation use cases, and efficiency vs. headcount

[13:31] – What to ask AI vendors: data location, model “under the hood,” access, and security

[15:03] – Employee adoption: personal LLMs vs. approved tools, policy, and trust

[18:58] – Change management: standardizing platforms and helping people adapt

[20:32] – Parting advice: don’t boil the ocean—pilot, prove, and scale

Takeaways

- Operationalize an alumni strategy—integrate an AI-enabled platform with your HRIS to re-engage “good leavers” and shorten ramp time.

- Build AI governance with Legal and Security from day one; vet where data lives, what model powers the tool, and who can access what.

- Use AI to automate insights, not empathy—start with reporting and engagement survey synthesis to speed analysis without losing the human touch.

- Treat AI as an efficiency multiplier, not a headcount reduction lever; redeploy time to higher-value work.

- Standardize on approved AI tools, publish clear usage guidelines, and close risky gaps (e.g., personal LLM usage).

- Start small: pick one high-impact use case, measure outcomes, and scale what works.
Sponsor

AllVoices brings all your employee relations work together in one place. No more jumping between spreadsheets, emails, and legacy systems just one place to document and manage reports, cases, investigations, and performance conversations.

It helps you run a more consistent process, takes busywork off your plate with AI, and makes it easier to spot trends early, so you can work proactively, not just put out fires.

See a demo at ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.allvoices.co/

Dr. Fagan shares his path from lifelong public servant to top HR leader, and how his academic background in industrial-organizational psychology informs his leadership today. He dives into the complexities of scaling HR solutions across massive systems, the importance of storytelling and data in securing resources, and how NYC schools are experimenting with AI-powered coaching to support teacher well-being and retention.

From navigating post-pandemic workplace expectations to piloting cutting-edge tech with a human-first mindset, this conversation offers valuable insights for any HR leader trying to do more with less—without losing sight of the people behind the work.

Key Timestamps

• [00:45] – Meet Dr. Patrick Fagan and his journey to a dream HR role

• [03:43] – The biggest challenge: scaling with limited resources

• [05:16] – How to make a strong business case for HR programs

• [06:47] – Navigating AI within a massive, interdependent public system

• [09:14] – Piloting BetterUp to support new teacher retention

• [11:58] – Why people are more honest with AI—and what that means for HR

• [13:09] – Creating psychological safety at scale

• [14:06] – Final advice: don’t forget the “human” in human resources

Takeaways

• Tell compelling, data-backed stories to secure resources for your HR initiatives

• Pilot and experiment—even in large systems, small tests can lead to scalable innovation

• Use AI to augment, not replace, human connection and coaching

• Address psychological safety proactively in large, distributed workforces

• Lead with empathy—especially in a world saturated with buzzwords and tech trends

  
  

Our Sponsor
AllVoices is an employee feedback platform designed to make it easy and safe for employees to speak up. With anonymous reporting, pulse surveys, and case management tools, AllVoices helps HR and leadership teams address issues early, build trust, and improve workplace culture. Empower your employees to share feedback anytime, from anywhere. ⁠Join hundreds of companies using AllVoices to create a healthier workplace.⁠

In a farm-to-door, 24/7 operation, how do you keep 2,500 people aligned, motivated, and truly high-performing?

Claire Ko, Chief People Officer at FreshDirect—the pioneer of online grocery delivery—shares how her lean people team supports a complex, tech-enabled business spanning production, logistics, merchandising, and corporate functions.

Claire offers a view inside FreshDirect’s direct relationships with farms and fisheries, food-waste reduction efforts, and a new fair-trade initiative sending $1 per bunch of organic bananas back to farmers—purpose that fuels pride and performance.

She breaks down “Engagement for Success,” a company-wide framework that centers monthly, employee-led conversations defining personal success and linking work to business impact, complete with ongoing documentation to strengthen reviews and growth plans.

Claire also tackles calibration pitfalls, perspective-shifting tools like her “magic-wand” team exercise, and why clarity, recognition, and manager accountability matter most. She closes on HR’s human advantage in an AI era: connection, motivation, and the courage to remove obstacles so people can do their best work.

Timestamps

[00:45] – Guest intro and FreshDirect’s direct-from-farm model

[01:56] – Sustainability in action: reducing food waste and fair-trade bananas

[02:52] – HR in a complex, tech-enabled operation: competing expectations across teams

[04:35] – Leadership basics: clarity, recognition, and time with the team

[06:42] – “Engagement for Success”: purpose, design, and expected outcomes

[10:43] – Monthly employee-led success conversations and yearlong documentation

[14:25] – Rethinking performance reviews: beyond KPIs and the calibration trap

[15:35] – The “magic-wand” exercise: revealing potential and redefining what’s possible

[19:14] – The human advantage in an AI era: engagement, motivation, and trust

Takeaways

- Implement monthly, employee-led success check-ins that define outcomes, surface obstacles, and tie work to business impact.

- Document progress and engagement continuously to inform fair, future-focused performance reviews.

- Equip managers to remove blockers and recognize wins; make clarity and follow-through nonnegotiable.

- Use perspective-shifting prompts (e.g., the “magic-wand” team exercise) to reveal potential and set bolder goals.

- Connect roles to company purpose—such as sustainability partnerships—to boost pride, retention, and high performance.

Sponsor

AllVoices brings all your employee relations work together in one place. No more jumping between spreadsheets, emails, and legacy systems just one place to document and manage reports, cases, investigations, and performance conversations. It helps you run a more consistent process, takes busywork off your plate with AI, and makes it easier to spot trends early, so you can work proactively, not just put out fires.

See a demo at ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.allvoices.co/

AI is accelerating everything—but speed without clarity creates noise.

Clark Jessop, Senior Vice President of HR at US Bank and HR lead for the company’s digital, data & AI, and product teams, shares how he helps leaders manage acceleration without losing focus. He explains why discernment is the defining human skill in the AI age, how to simplify decision flows and clarify decision rights, and where human judgment must be protected.

Clark breaks down shifting HR from calendar-driven to outcome-driven, co-creating solutions with business partners, and reducing friction so teams can move faster.

Expect practical frames—the “control tower” approach to signals and noise, building listening strategies that scale—and closing advice on designing work for the AI era, staying optimistic, and developing real AI fluency.

Timestamps

[00:00] – Welcome and Clark’s path: broadcast roots, tech roles, and move to HR leadership

[00:52] – Role at US Bank: supporting digital, data & AI, and product; innovation balanced with risk

[02:39] – Managing acceleration: data overload, the control-tower metaphor, and decision rights

[05:51] – Human skills that matter: discernment over features; outcomes as the North Star

[08:13] – 2026 priorities: outcome-driven HR, reducing friction, aligning talent to value; when “on time” still hurts the business

[13:08] – Co-creation with the business: build together for better solutions and faster adoption

[20:06] – Closing advice: design work for the AI era, stay optimistic, and build true AI fluency

Takeaways

- Clarify decision rights and design workflows that protect the moments requiring human judgment.

- Shift from calendar- and process-driven HR to outcome-driven work that reduces friction and noise.

- Co-create programs with business leaders to reflect real constraints and speed adoption.

- Use scalable listening and internal brand checks to align functions and surface blind spots.

- Practice radical candor—high care and high directness—to improve trust and execution.

- Build AI fluency (beyond search) to experiment, create, and shape how work is done in the AI era.

Sponsor

AllVoices brings all your employee relations work together in one place. No more jumping between spreadsheets, emails, and legacy systems just one place to document and manage reports, cases, investigations, and performance conversations. It helps you run a more consistent process, takes busywork off your plate with AI, and makes it easier to spot trends early, so you can work proactively, not just put out fires.

See a demo at ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.allvoices.co/

Summary

When change is constant and AI is rewriting work, how do you create clarity, safety, and performance for a global workforce?

Kristin Gaarder, Chief People Officer at Perforce Software (2,000 employees across 30+ countries), shares how her team supports technologists navigating rapid transformation, geopolitical uncertainty, and change fatigue—without losing the human thread.

She unpacks the real risks AI introduces to talent acquisition (think synthetic candidates and system infiltration) and why Perforce is reintroducing in-person touchpoints to validate skills and character.

Kristin details a company-wide leadership learning journey: from building high-performing teams on trust and healthy conflict to leading each individual with empathy and precision.

She also breaks down Perforce’s listening architecture—small group sessions, town halls, pulse and engagement surveys, CEO surveys, and always-on feedback forms—to replace “hallway chatter” in distributed teams and rebuild trust through action.

Expect practical ways to teach curiosity and critical thinking, normalize not having all the answers, and anchor change in empathy, stability, and clarity.

Timestamps

[00:45] – Guest intro: Perforce’s global footprint and technical workforce

[01:37] – The pace and volume of change: AI’s impact, global uncertainty, and employee anxiety

[04:10] – Skills for the next decade: curiosity, critical thinking, and discerning AI outputs

[06:21] – Talent acquisition in an AI era: preventing “synthetic candidates” and bot infiltration

[07:55] – Back to basics: why in-person interviews may return—and what to look for in humans

[09:24] – Leading without all the answers: humility, listening widely, and pivoting fast

[10:35] – Replacing hallway feedback: listening sessions, surveys, and building trust remotely

[13:08] – Perforce’s leadership journey: high-performing teams to individualized leadership

[15:36] – Development in practice: better feedback, personalized plans, and AI as a tool

[17:22] – Closing principles: meeting people with empathy, stability, and clarity

Takeaways

- Fortify talent acquisition against AI risks—verify identity, add human touchpoints, and assess learnability, not perfection.

- Build a multi-channel listening system (small groups, pulse/engagement/CEO surveys, town halls) and act visibly on feedback.

- Coach leaders to run high-performing teams grounded in trust, healthy conflict, and clear results.

- Shift from team-only leadership to individualized leadership—meet each person where they are, when they need it.

- Teach curiosity and critical thinking so employees can evaluate AI outputs and navigate ambiguity.

- Anchor change in empathy, stability, and clarity to create psychological safety and enable faster, better decisions.

Sponsor

AllVoices brings all your employee relations work together in one place. No more jumping between spreadsheets, emails, and legacy systems just one place to document and manage reports, cases, investigations, and performance conversations. It helps you run a more consistent process, takes busywork off your plate with AI, and makes it easier to spot trends early, so you can work proactively, not just put out fires.

See a demo at ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.allvoices.co/

Summary

How do you lead a frontline care workforce through constant change—without burning them out?

Valentina Gissin, Chief People Officer at Curana Health, shares how her team improves care for seniors while helping 2,000+ providers embrace change, work smarter, and stay focused on patients.

She explains why the real limiter isn’t your roadmap—it’s how much change your organization can metabolize—and how she creates capacity by carving out paid time for providers to preview what’s coming and understand the “why.”

Valentina breaks down a pragmatic AI strategy that keeps clinicians in their “genius zone” with just‑in‑time guidance (not decisions), and reframes compliance as a design feature, not a blocker.

She also discusses the expanding remit of modern people teams—acting like business operators with P&L fluency—and how to navigate today’s messy HR tech market by thinking like a product leader and building before buying. Expect clear, field-tested tactics for change adoption, AI enablement, and resourcing people teams to do more with less.

Timestamps

[00:45] – Guest intro: Curana Health’s model, mission, and frontline provider workforce

[01:51] – The challenge: startup velocity, uncertainty, and reframing change for clinicians

[04:35] – Measuring “capacity for change”: time studies, prioritization, and creating flex

[05:58] – Creating paid time to absorb change and arming leaders with a clear “why”

[07:54] – Practical AI: keeping providers in their genius zone with just‑in‑time best practices

[10:50] – Compliance as a feature: HIPAA, “code as law,” and why digitization increases rigor

[12:49] – Doing more with less: CPO as business operator, KPIs, and nontraditional HR talent

[16:20] – HR tech strategy: build before you buy, product mindset, and what to look for in vendors

[19:45] – Parting advice: self‑care, curiosity, and designing from first principles

Takeaways

- Audit your org’s capacity for change; run time studies and pace initiatives to what teams can absorb.

- Create paid, protected time for employees to preview changes and internalize the “why.”

- Use AI to surface just‑in‑time guidance so experts spend more time on care, less on admin.

- Treat compliance as a design constraint and advantage—build rules into technology workflows.

- Evolve people teams into business operators: tie HR work to company KPIs and P&L outcomes.

- Think like a product leader: prototype AI automations, prefer built‑in features, and only buy tools that solve clearly defined problems.

Sponsor

AllVoices brings all your employee relations work together in one place. No more jumping between spreadsheets, emails, and legacy systems just one place to document and manage reports, cases, investigations, and performance conversations.

It helps you run a more consistent process, takes busywork off your plate with AI, and makes it easier to spot trends early, so you can work proactively, not just put out fires.See a demo at ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.allvoices.co/

Summary

How do you keep a 15,000-person, global, frontline-heavy workforce aligned when tariffs, interest rates, and tech shifts won’t sit still?

Jill Wrobel, Chief Human Resources Officer at Brunswick—parent to 60+ marine brands including Mercury Marine and Freedom Boat Club—shares how the company navigates uncertainty with a continuous improvement mindset they call “Next Never Rest.”

Jill breaks down what’s unique about HR in a cyclical, manufacturing-and-services business that spans welders and machinists to electrification engineers and digital product teams.

She details Brunswick’s “business system” approach to standardizing processes, using Lean Six Sigma and design thinking, and where AI and automation create outsized impact—from Microsoft Copilot for communications to an AI-driven tariff model and AutoCaptain, which can dock a boat at the push of a button while distinguishing a person from a leaf.

Jill also gets candid about the weight HR teams carry—context switching, coaching leaders, and rising expectations—and how she’s scaling HR’s impact with hackathons, smarter prioritization, and a stronger coaching stance so leaders truly lead.

Timestamps

[00:45] – Guest intro: Brunswick’s $5B portfolio, 60+ brands, and global footprint (Freedom Boat Club in 425+ locations)

[02:56] – The core challenge: operating through uncertainty—rates, tariffs, cyclical demand

[04:05] – Mindset matters: control what you can, “power of yet,” and resilience in a changing world

[05:57] – A diverse workforce: welders to electrification engineers to e-commerce and app teams

[09:28] – “Next Never Rest”: Brunswick’s business system, Lean Six Sigma, and design thinking

[10:58] – Practical AI: AutoCaptain auto-docking, Copilot for comms, and an AI model for tariff analysis

[14:13] – Why this is HR’s moment: HR as business leaders enabling humans + machines

[16:02] – Scaling HR: reducing workload, hackathons, automation, and coaching managers to lead

[19:01] – Protecting the team: mental health, boundaries, and sustaining energy

Takeaways

- Build a continuous improvement culture—standardize definitions, map end-to-end processes, and empower teams to iterate.

- Prioritize AI where it tackles the biggest business problems (e.g., tariff modeling, safety-critical automation) before chasing “nice to haves.”

- Equip HR to scale: run hackathons, automate repeat work, and share solutions globally to avoid reinventing the wheel.

- Coach managers to lead—HR adds leverage by enabling leaders, not owning every decision.

- Leverage practical tools now: use Copilot/GenAI for clearer communications, planning, and analysis to reclaim time.

- Support HR well-being: reduce context switching, set boundaries, and normalize recovery so the team can sustain high-impact work.

Sponsor

AllVoices brings all your employee relations work together in one place. No more jumping between spreadsheets, emails, and legacy systems just one place to document and manage reports, cases, investigations, and performance conversations.

It helps you run a more consistent process, takes busywork off your plate with AI, and makes it easier to spot trends early, so you can work proactively, not just put out fires.See a demo at ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.allvoices.co/

On HR Voices, Rebecca Taylor and Sara Birmingham, Chief People Officer at Shutterstock, work through a familiar trap: a manager wants to put a newly remote, recently accommodated employee on a PIP, and the request looks airtight. Sara makes the case that most performance problems are management problems in disguise, and that the first three months under an accommodation are a re-onboarding, not a fair sample. They get into why managers who go quiet on anxious employees create the very problem they later want to act on, how to broker the conversation that prevents it, and why the most valuable HR work, the "saves," never shows up on a dashboard. For HR and People leaders who spend their days in the gray area between policy and people.

Chapters

00:00 The Accommodating Conflict scenario

02:30 Why you can't blindly trust a PIP request

06:00 The unseen work behind every PIP

10:00 Three months remote is a re-onboarding

13:30 When managers go quiet on anxious employees

16:30 Tend the team like a garden

19:30 The work is the easy part

21:30 Counting the saves HR never gets credit for

24:30 Approaching success, not underperforming

27:00 The assumption about HR worth challenging

Takeaways

A manager's PIP request is the start of an investigation, not a verdict to act on, especially when remote work and accommodations invite bias.

An accommodation changes how the work gets done, so the first months function as a re-onboarding rather than a fair performance sample.

Managers who go silent to avoid worsening an employee's anxiety usually manufacture the performance problem they later want to address.

The most valuable HR work, the prevented PIPs and resolved conflicts, leaves no paper trail, so track saves and successful PIPs.
Renaming "underperforming" to "approaching success" turns a PIP from a verdict into coaching toward a goal.

Connect with the Guest
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sararbirmingham/
Website: https://www.shutterstock.com/

Sponsor

AllVoices brings all your employee relations work together in one place. No more jumping between spreadsheets, emails, and legacy systems just one place to document and manage reports, cases, investigations, and performance conversations. It helps you run a more consistent process, takes busywork off your plate with AI, and makes it easier to spot trends early, so you can work proactively, not just put out fires.

See a demo at ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.allvoices.co/

On HR Voices, Rebecca Taylor and Kandi Gongora, Chief Transformation and People Officer at The Car Group, work through a forced ranking system that's falling apart: managers are required to put 10% of every team in the bottom tier each year, one manager refuses and certifies in writing that her whole team exceeds expectations, and discrimination complaints reveal the bottom tiers skew by race. Kandi makes the case that the bottom 10% is a leadership failure, not an employee verdict, and that the "insubordinate" manager is the company's best early warning. It's a clear-eyed look at performance management, disparate-impact risk, and what to build instead of a curve. For HR leaders, people ops teams, and any manager who owns performance reviews.

Chapters

00:00 Intro

01:20 The scenario: forced ranking meets a manager who says no

02:35 The first question: what are you trying to achieve?

03:55 Why companies still force-rank

06:15 Whose fault is the bottom 10%?

12:45 The insubordinate manager as a data point

15:45 Vague ratings and the disparate-impact risk

19:00 The difficult high performer who gets buried

23:15 Making the case to change the system

28:45 HR protects the company by protecting employees

Takeaways

1. A true bottom-tier performer points upstream to hiring, onboarding, development, and unclear expectations, not down to the employee.

2. The manager who refused to force-rank her team is a data point and a risk signal, not just an insubordination case.

3. Forced ranking usually substitutes for the courage and skill to have honest performance conversations, and sometimes for funding raises.

4. Vague rating labels like "exceeds" and "meets" invite bias; define behaviors, metrics, and growth instead.

5. HR protects the company by protecting employees, and changing a biased system does both at once.

Connect with the Guest

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kandigongora/

Company: The Car Group (Norm Reeves), https://www.normreeves.com

Sponsor

AllVoices brings all your employee relations work together in one place. No more jumping between spreadsheets, emails, and legacy systems, just one place to document and manage reports, cases, investigations, and performance conversations. It helps you run a more consistent process, takes busywork off your plate with AI, and makes it easier to spot trends early, so you can work proactively, not just put out fires.

See a demo at https://www.allvoices.co/

On HR Voices, host Rebecca Taylor talks with Paul Yater, who holds the unusual dual role of Chief Information Officer and Head of Human Resources at 84 Lumber, a building materials supplier with 7,600 associates across 320 locations in 34 states. Paul explains how the company promotes 96% of its store leadership from within, hiring up to 4,000 people a year into entry-level manager-trainee roles. He breaks down the machinery behind that pipeline, the training facility, the learning system, the structured onboarding, and argues that the real driver is a pay-it-forward culture no software can replicate. The conversation closes on where AI belongs in recruiting: surfacing and ranking candidates, never making the culture-fit call. It's a useful listen for HR and talent leaders deciding how much of people development to automate.

Chapters

00:00 A different kind of HR Voices episode 
01:00 84 Lumber by the numbers 
02:10 How the IT guy ended up running HR 
05:30 Eight years of transition: COVID, AI, recruiting 
06:40 Why 96% of leaders started entry-level 
07:40 The tools behind internal mobility 
08:50 Pay it forward: the culture you can't install 
12:40 Putting AI to work in recruiting 
16:00 Recruiting is marketing, and trucks are billboards 
19:10 One step toward internal mobility today

Takeaways

1. A 96% internal promotion rate is the proof point that 84 Lumber's promote-from-within model works at scale.
2. Training tools and structured onboarding get you halfway; a pay-it-forward culture is what actually moves people up.
3. AI's job in recruiting is to surface and rank candidates and draft outreach, while recruiters keep ownership of personalization and culture fit.
4. Hiring for people "willing to bet on themselves" beats hiring for prior industry experience when the development engine is strong.
5. Treat recruiting like marketing: partner weekly, A/B test messaging by geography, and use grassroots channels like job-site truck signage.

Connect with the Guest

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paul-yater-b229633/
Website: https://www.84lumber.com/

Sponsor

AllVoices brings all your employee relations work together in one place. No more jumping between spreadsheets, emails, and legacy systems just one place to document and manage reports, cases, investigations, and performance conversations. It helps you run a more consistent process, takes busywork off your plate with AI, and makes it easier to spot trends early, so you can work proactively, not just put out fires.

See a demo at ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.allvoices.co/

What should HR do when a former employee posts about culture after signing a settlement with a non-disparagement clause—sue, ignore, or investigate?

Jens H Jensen, Vice President of People & Culture at Echo Americas, brings a global HR lens to a real-world “social media retaliation” scenario (Sue v. Bevins). He breaks down why “being right” legally can still be wrong for brand and business, how jurisdiction and remote work complicate action, and why leaders must model disciplined scenario planning over impulse.

Jens outlines a pragmatic way to weigh reach vs. the Streisand effect, legal odds vs. opportunity cost, and individual allegations vs. systemic culture signals. He also details decision ownership (CEO–CFO–CHRO), when posts cross the line (e.g., naming individuals), and the limits of documentation in an era of AI transcripts and ubiquitous recordings.

Expect a decision framework you can use tomorrow: assess risks, assign value, define thresholds, and ask better questions before you act.

Timestamps

[00:45] – The case setup: settlement, social post, and alleged retaliation

[01:44] – First principles: global lens, legal realities, and the Streisand effect

[04:19] – When to act: reach, amplification risk, and defining “disparagement”

[05:29] – Jurisdiction matters: remote employees, free speech, and visa-era scrutiny

[07:52] – Scenario planning: winning, losing—and why outcomes aren’t binary

[11:11] – Separate issues: the post vs. the underlying culture/discrimination claims

[12:49] – Thresholds for response: named individuals, brand protection, and “pig wrestling”

[19:53] – Weighing pressures: legal fees, opportunity cost, employer brand

[22:44] – Decision ownership: CEO–CFO–CHRO alignment and owner/customer optics

[26:51] – Documentation realities: AI recordings, note hygiene, and risk tradeoffs

[30:18] – Leader advice: ask better questions; synthesize org views before choosing

Takeaways

- Quantify scenarios before acting—model win/lose outcomes, amplification risk, and opportunity cost of pulling teams into litigation.

- Check jurisdiction early—remote/former employee location can change what’s enforceable and advisable.

- Separate the social post from the underlying claims—triage credibility, patterns, and whether an internal investigation is warranted.

- Define thresholds for response—act when posts name individuals or materially harm brand; avoid fueling the Streisand effect otherwise.

- Align decision ownership—use the CEO–CFO–CHRO (and owners where relevant) to balance legal risk, optics, cost, and strategy.

- Tighten documentation hygiene—capture key performance and exit data, while recognizing AI/recording realities can both help and heighten risk.

Sponsor

AllVoices brings all your employee relations work together in one place. No more jumping between spreadsheets, emails, and legacy systems just one place to document and manage reports, cases, investigations, and performance conversations. It helps you run a more consistent process, takes busywork off your plate with AI, and makes it easier to spot trends early, so you can work proactively, not just put out fires.

See a demo at ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.allvoices.co/