We're Only Human

"I think the the one stat that came out of this research, that nine out of 10 employees would be more likely to stay with their employer if they had this benefit, I was just kind of blown away."
Rob Whalen, CEO, PTOExchange
We're Only Human -- Episode 140
One of the most common employee benefits is paid leave. Employers offer a variety of options, from more standard accrued leave during every pay period to a newer option for "unlimited PTO." But how do people feel about these benefits? 
Well, the data are in, and you might be surprised by what you learn. 
In a new research study of 1,000 North American workers, we found that many of them have issues with the Paid Time Off (PTO) programs their companies offer. In this episode, Ben dives into the data with Rob Whalen to understand how workers feel, what they desire, and how employers can embrace flexibility in a powerful, tangible way. 
Listen in to learn: how men and women see this differently, what this means for low-income workers, and why diverse individuals may have different feelings about PTO plans. 
Show Notes
Get a free copy of the report to see all of the data
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"Stay interviews are highly under-rated, but yet can provide , so much insight to your employees and so much data. It's almost like a secret weapon or secret tool that  companies just don't take advantage of."
Amanda Turbeville, Global Head of Human Resources, Montway Auto Transport
We're Only Human -- Episode 139
 
In today's challenging hiring environment, employers need a way to connect with their people. Compensation? It's a start, but it doesn't motivate long-term. What about autonomy, training, and support? Those can create lasting connections with staff and drive retention in a powerful way. 
But where do you start? In this conversation with Amanda Turbeville, Global Head of HR for Montway Auto Transport, you'll hear how the company leverages stay interviews not just to keep people, but to help define custom career paths to keep them engaged and connected with the organization. Amanda opens her play book and shares the questions they ask in these stay interviews as well as how they are utilized. 
 
Show Notes
Connect with Amanda on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aturbeville/
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"In 2021, our employees asked about 27,000 questions from the chatbot and completed about 16,000 transactions. So this year our focus is really on reinforcing awareness and adoption while we're working to continue to improve our processes, our content, and our support structure."
Nicole Sloan, Employee Experience Leader, Kimberly Clark
We're Only Human -- Episode 138
For many workers at large companies, the only way to get help is with a phone number or a web portal. While there's nothing wrong with those actions, they can be disruptive to the daily flow of work and even difficult for those working in positions that don't lend themselves to office or desk work. 
Kimberly Clark's Employee Experience team knew this and set out to change the fundamental interaction points for the firm's 46,000+ global workforce (including everything from desk workers to front line workers and everything in between).
The plan hinged on the implementation of KayCee, a chatbot that drove rapid, tailored interactions for every single request that came in. Listen to this episode to hear how Nicole Sloan and her team approached this challenge. In addition, we get to hear from Melissa Swisher from Socrates about how she and her team helped to enable these positive outcomes with a personalized, responsive chatbot experience for the workforce. 
If your company is thinking about a chatbot for employee self service, this story is going to give you good ideas and insights for your journey. If you're already on that path, this conversation has good ideas for process improvement that you won't want to miss. 
Show Notes
Connect with Nicole on LinkedIn
Learn more about Kimberly Clark
Connect with Melissa on LinkedIn
Learn more about Socrates
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"We're talking ISO 45003 that I highly recommend people look at . Or you can talk to people like me who can break it down into regular language. Those three components of psychological health and safety, which are the structure, the environment and the expectations of behavior."
Dr. Allessandria Polizzi
We're Only Human -- Episode 137
In the workplace today, one of the common phrases that gets thrown around a lot is "psychological safety." But what is it, and how does it fit into the bigger conversation about resilience at work? 
In this episode of We're Only Human, Ben talks with Allessandria Polizzi about this intersection, exploring practical ways to bring this from idea to reality. While it's easy to feel like these elements are "soft" or unimportant in the bigger scheme of things, they are emerging as critical leadership skills. Listen in to dive into concepts like self compassion, organizational dysfunction, and more. 
If you enjoy this episode, you'll probably also like our talk with Faye Ekong from RavelWorks Africa on how to diagnose culture issues within the business.
Show Notes
Connect with Allessandria on LinkedIn
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If we want to transform and do things differently, we always have a big "why." We have a purpose we are going after.  When I think about transformation, I say, how would you make a preferred way of working which will create delightful experiences for people at the center of that change?
Shalu Manan, HR Transformation Strategist
We're Only Human -- Episode 136
Change is inevitable, but there is a right and a wrong way we can present and represent change as HR leaders. In today's episode of We're Only Human, Ben talks with Shalu Manan, an HR Transformation Strategist working at Genpact. Shalu shares her personal stories of leading through change, identifying value points for the business, and driving positive experience for the workforce. 
If you work for a business that is facing change on any scale (and we all do!), then this episode is going to give you the ideas, insights, and inspiration that you need to see it through. 
 
Show Notes
Connect with Shalu on LinkedIn
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The first advice I would say is be extremely clear about what your purpose is. When I came into this role, we were extremely clear about what not only my goal, but my purpose as a leader in what I was here to do. I think is important for all HR professionals to understand really the critical business needs for the organization that you're a part of, and what is your role in your purpose within that? 
Alex Smith, CHRO of the City of Memphis
We're Only Human -- Episode 135
One of the things we're tasked with as HR leaders? Helping other people find their purpose in the business. 
The data are clear: purpose is one of the key levers of engagement and connection with the business. But have we ever stopped to think about our own purpose? What it is? Why it matters? How it can serve as a guiding light for our efforts? 
In this episode of We're Only Human, Ben talks with Alex Smith, head of HR for the City of Memphis, about her suggestions on how to create a more dynamic HR function through continuous learning, a strong purpose, and more. 
Just like the relatively small rudder steers a much bigger ship, this purpose can steer each of us into more impact than we could have without it. 
Show Notes
Connect with Alex on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/consultalexsmith/ 
See our show archives, sign up for free updates, and more: https://lhra.io/podcast 
 

"According to their Director of DEI and Mental Health, they've reduced short-term disability claims related to mental health by 20%, and they've reduced relapse and recurrence by more than 50%." 
Doug Berkowitz - SVP Operations - LifeSpeak
We're Only Human -- Episode 134
In the last few years, employee mental health has become a priority for more employers than ever before. And yet the data indicate that while employers are trying to make positive changes, they aren't really being felt by the workforce nearly as much as employers would like.
In this episode of We're Only Human, Ben talks with Doug Berkowitz from LifeSpeak about some new research that dives deep into what employees want from their companies, including specifics on types of mental health support, what aspects are most important, and how it will impact their performance and retention. 
Bottom line: it's time to for employers to take the topic of mental health and wellbeing seriously if they want to attract and retain a high-performing workforce. 
To see the full research report, check out the link in the show notes below. 
Links
Check out the Employer Mental Health Report Card 
Learn more about LifeSpeak
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The days of a recruiter having to really remember or jot down different iterations, skills, synonyms, acronyms... Those days are gone. We are constantly learning based off of the resumes that we're parsing. 
Terry Bustamante, DaXtra Technologies
 
We're Only Human -- Episode 133
 
Back in December, Ben and over 100 other business leaders and technology providers attended the HR Tech Connect Summit in Jacksonville, FL. At the event, one key session was called Mythbusting AI for HR, and it dove into the specific areas where myths abound because of misinformation or lack of insight into algorithm-based technologies. 
Today's conversation with Terry from DaXtra, recorded live on site during the HR Tech Connect Summit, dives into mythbusting AI specifically around hiring, giving ideas about how AI can increase the number of candidates available for a role, drive diversity and limit bias, and so much  more. 
Links: 
Interested in checking out what DaXtra is doing? Here is how they are supporting employers: https://www.daxtra.com/solutions-for/corporates-2/ 
Connect with Terry on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/terrybustamantebusdev/ 
Learn more about the HR Tech Connect Summit: https://hrtechconnectsummit.com/ 
See our show archives and sign up for free updates: https://lhra.io/podcast