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In this episode, we ask why organizations need an offshore strategy to support their recruitment needs. Listen too, as we consider how businesses can maintain their company culture when working with outsourced employees.Bill's guest is Kal Kukadia, Chief Recruitment Officer at Cloudstaff. A seasoned strategist in talent development and recruitment, Kal has been tasked with establishing Cloudstaff’s talent operations in the Philippines, India and Columbia to support global client expansion. He believes a customer and candidate-centric approach supported by technology offers the best chances to find the right staff for any client needs.Questions For Kal Include:  Why do organizations need an offshore strategy to support their recruitment needs? How has offshoring/outsourcing supported communities in developing countries – and what makes some countries attractive for outsourced employees?   Why is tech so critical to supporting remote and offshore working – what do companies use to manage their outsourcing?   How can businesses maintain their company culture when working with outsourced employees? contingent/gig What are some misconceptions about outsourcing? What are the top reasons small companies might give for not outsourcing, and why should they do it?   More About KalWith 20+ years of experience, Kal has an exceptional track record of leading strategic large-scale recruitment programs for rapidly growing organizations. Former employers include Barclays, Severn Trent Water, Rolls Royce, Atkins, and General Electric.Kal is highly respected within the industry and regularly spends his time mentoring and coaching rising stars.Kal studied at Coventry University and lives in Warwick, England with his family.We do our best to ensure editorial objectivity. The views and ideas shared by our guests and sponsors are entirely independent of The HR Gazette, HRchat Podcast and Iceni Media Inc.   

In this performance coaching-focused HRchat episode, we consider ways to prepare for and run productive and outcome-focused 1on1s.  Our guest is Libby Stewart, the VP of Customer Experience & Revenue at Topicflow, a new tech platform designed to connect with your favorite calendar(s) to transform your 1on1s into powerful coaching conversations to potentially eradicate the need for performance reviews altogether.Questions For Libby Include:  Topicflow sees traditional performance management as broken. We'll get into the details soon but, at a high level, what's wrong with the ways many companies have been planning for, and conducting their performance management processes? What are some toxic/counter-productive practices to avoid in the build-up to, and during, performance reviews? Let's talk about preparation ahead of performance reviews. What are some ways to set everybody up for success before they begin? Why is it important to be meeting with your people more frequently? How can that lead to more productive performance coaching conversations? Can you share some practical tips to help managers run more intentional and focused 1on1s that are designed to actually drive performance? Where does HR fit in? How can HR ensure the tools and processes are in place to create the opportunity for successful meetings and 1on1s? Topicflow offers tools to help managers and HR pros to gain a "bird’s-eye view of team progress and the next steps for success." Tell us more. You also talk a lot about the impact of employee burnout. How can managers spot signs of impending burnout in their 1on1s? More About LibbyOriginally from Australia and now based in beautiful BC, Canada, Libby is a Strategic Coach, Facilitator, and Senior Leader with a background in Behavioural Science. She has experience spanning Strategic Goal Frameworks (including OKRs), Performance Management, Coaching, Leadership Development, Change Management, Psychometric Assessment, Talent Management, Board Advisory and Senior Leadership in Customer Success & Professional Services for SaaS products and apps that enable all of these!Libby says she is driven by empowering individuals and teams to thrive and kick goals in highly diverse and inclusive work environments!Request a discovery call with Libby!  We do our best to ensure editorial objectivity. The views and ideas shared by our guests and sponsors are entirely independent of The HR Gazette, HRchat Podcast and Iceni Media Inc.   

In this HRchat episode, Bill Banham talks with Karen Simpson, DEI expert, Gallup Certified Strengths Coach, and founder at Hello Awesome Inc. Questions For Karen Include: You were awarded Canada’s #1 Recruiter in 2019. Why move away from Talent Acquisition?  Why do you think focusing on strengths is so important right now?  Let’s get into coaching, you’ve taken a unique approach at Hello Awesome Inc. What's the approach and why did you choose this stance? Checking that coaching works: How can HR departments ensure activities are measured and followed through on? What do you think is foundational to success for companies right now?  Do you get pushback from leaders or do they understand the importance of EQ and mentorship? You’ve focused significantly on DEI, what do you want to see more companies do in this space? Which companies are currently getting their DEI initiatives right? Can you offer any use cases?  More About KarenKaren has a 30+ year career in HR - spanning both corporate and consulting while raising 4 kids to independence. She was awarded Canada’s #1 Recruiter in 2019 and has most recently spent 6 years creating diversity and inclusion sourcing initiatives for one of North America’s largest banks. All this while becoming an endurance athlete and global mountain climber through her 50s.This year Karen launched Hello Awesome Inc and is on a mission to make coaching and expert advice available to everyone.We do our best to ensure editorial objectivity. The views and ideas shared by our guests and sponsors are entirely independent of The HR Gazette, HRchat Podcast and Iceni Media Inc.   

Felicia Rickards, Principal Strategist at Felicia Rickards Solutions Limited is the guest in today's episode of the HRchat podcast. She is a Professional Development Coach, Strategic Direction Facilitator & Mediator.  Felicia works with corporate employees, business owners and athletes who are ready to actuate their next level of success. She is currently preparing to host the first DisruptHR speaking event in Bermuda on May 11. Questions Felicia Include: As a leadership development coach, what are some of the biggest challenges facing aspiring leaders at the moment? You are also a Performance Coach who works with corporate employees, business owners, and athletes who are ready to actuate their next level of success. What lessons from the corporate world can help athletes and v.v? How did you come to learn about DisruptHR and what led you to introduce the event to Bermuda?  More About FeliciaHer diverse experiences across various industries including Financial Services, Hospitality, and Government have, she says, contributed to her broad knowledge bank. She has leadership experience as a Corporate Vice President, Board Chairman, and Deputy Chairman.We do our best to ensure editorial objectivity. The views and ideas shared by our guests and sponsors are entirely independent of The HR Gazette, HRchat Podcast and Iceni Media Inc.   

In this HRchat episode, we focus on employment law and a new solution designed to offer more accessible and transparent options for those seeking legal counsel and legal services for employees.Bill's guest today is Lena Vartanian, Founder of LawVo, a tech solution designed to connect legal professionals with customers via a fully virtual, transparent, convenient experience.LawVo provides an instant fixed fee quote for legal services along with immediate connection to top-rated lawyers.The LawVo team say they bring “Better Law” to consumers, making the legal industry more accessible as a simple and affordable one-stop shop for finding legal counsel, while also offering legal professionals a flexible way to offer their services on their own terms.Plus, with a proprietary pricing algorithm, LawVo is able to help customers and businesses of all kinds offer instantaneous fixed-fee quotes with 24/7 access to a legal helpline and document library for their own clients.Questions for Lena include: Can you share some of your experience about being a woman lawyer and has that had any impact on where you find yourself today, as the CEO of LawVo? What are some of the challenges lawyers face today?  What are the big challenges around access faced by those looking for lawyers? Why is the work LawVo is doing important? How is it changing the legal landscape for lawyers and customers? How do you envision LawVo impacting the employment realm? How will LawVo help employees or employers?  What are some of the big employment law challenges facing HR teams at the moment? We do our best to ensure editorial objectivity. The views and ideas shared by our guests and sponsors are entirely independent of The HR Gazette, HRchat Podcast and Iceni Media Inc.   

Around half the world’s population is projected to be myopic (or nearsighted) by 2050! Today's guest says that, far from being insurmountable, preventing or delaying the onset of myopia is possible.Dr. Debbie Jones recommends that group benefits administrators and wellness coordinators help their employees consider outdoor time and screen time plans for their children. She also describes a range of therapies that are available to slow myopia progression, including specialized contact lenses and eyeglasses, as well as eye drops.A new podcast designed for non-medical listeners explains the reasons behind the global childhood myopia epidemic and what that means for Canadian families. Featuring Dr. Debbie Jones, a clinical scientist from the Centre for Ocular Research & Education (CORE) and internationally known myopia expert, the 22-minute discussion is part of the Don’t Lose Sight interview series from the Canadian Association of Optometrists.The work Debbie and her team do is close to my family's heart and when I received a press release about the new pod, I had to get Debbie on the show. Questions For Debbie Include: What is pediatric myopia… and why should the HR community care? What’s the impact of childhood myopia to employers? Is this kind of health care covered by most benefits plans?  While half the world’s population is projected to be myopic by 2050, the crisis is already evident in Canada. Dr. Jones notes that recent work showed a 30% prevalence among 11- to 13-year-olds in the Waterloo-Kitchener region. Remarkably, one-third of those children’s caregivers were unaware of the problem until the research project uncovered the condition. How can employers better educate employees?  What do HR teams perhaps not understand about childhood myopia? What can organizations do to encourage that employees’ children received eye exams? What’s ahead for the field of myopia control? You would encourage parents to have their children's eyes examined regularly by an optometrist, so that problems can be identified as early as possible. We do our best to ensure editorial objectivity. The views and ideas shared by our guests and sponsors are entirely independent of The HR Gazette, HRchat Podcast and Iceni Media Inc.   

Today's HRchat guest says that, instead of aiming for work-life balance, the goal should be what he calls 'work-life bloom'. Dan Pontefract is the founder and CEO of Pontefract Group, a firm that improves the state of leadership and organizational culture. He is the best-selling author of four books and a popular speaker. Dan has presented at four different TED events and also writes for Forbes and Harvard Business Review.  Dan has been listed on the Thinkers50 Radar list. HR Weekly listed him as one of its 100 Most Influential People in HR. PeopleHum listed Dan on the Top 200 Thought Leaders to Follow and Inc. Magazine listed him as one of the top 100 leadership speakers.Questions For Dan Include: Tell us about the Leadership NOW podcast You don’t believe in work-life balance but rather something you call work-life bloom – what does that mean? What have you discovered in your recent work-life bloom research? What are the four work-life personas? More About Dan Dan is an adjunct professor at the University of Victoria, Gustavson School of Business and has garnered more than 20 industry awards over his career.  Previously as Chief Envisioner and Chief Learning Officer at TELUS, he launched the Transformation Office, the TELUS MBA, and the TELUS Leadership Philosophy, all award-winning initiatives that dramatically helped to increase the company’s employee engagement to record levels of nearly 90%. Prior to TELUS, he held senior roles developing leaders, team members, and customers at SAP, BusinessObjects and BCIT.We do our best to ensure editorial objectivity. The views and ideas shared by our guests and sponsors are entirely independent of The HR Gazette, HRchat Podcast and Iceni Media Inc.   

The guest this time is Shay David, Co-Founder, Chairman and CEO at Retrain.ai, a talent intelligence platform designed to help enterprises hire, retain, and develop their workforce, intelligently. Questions For Shay Include: ChatGPT has put quite a spotlight on generative AI. Although it’s arguably the most impressive chatbot yet, how does it compare to other generative AI tools? How is it similar to or different from retrain.ai? Given the huge number of Chat GPT users, how will it change the mindset of the average person/employee when it comes to generative AI? We’re also hearing more about Responsible AI, particularly as it relates to the new AI Audit Law coming to New York City in April, and others like it around the country. What does Responsible AI look like? Why is it important? What’s the vision for Retrain.ai in 2023 and beyond? About Retrain Leveraging the power of artificial intelligence and real-time market data, enterprises unlock key talent insights and optimize the hiring and upskilling of their workforce. For employees, the Talent Intelligence Platform seamlessly assesses the skills they have today, the skills they need for the future and delivers the resources they need to get them there. To book a demo today visit: www.retrain.ai/book-a-demo/We do our best to ensure editorial objectivity. The views and ideas shared by our guests and sponsors are entirely independent of The HR Gazette, HRchat Podcast and Iceni Media Inc.      

Last week, the HR Gazette team, along with the awesome folks at Bee Happy HR, The Women in Biz Network, and Times Change Women’s Employment Service, hosted a meetup in downtown Toronto. In the build-up to International Women's Day, the focus of the event was Empowering Women in Business. Held at the Xero office, the evening included lots of networking and talks by a bunch of folks focused on ways to help women grow and thrive in their careers. One of the speakers was Rita Sookrit, Canada Learning Lead at Hemsley Fraser. While women still face many challenges in the workplace, including pay disparities, discrimination, and lack of representation in certain fields, progress has been made. In recent years, we have seen more and more women breaking through the glass ceiling and taking on leadership roles in a wide range of industries.Rita's talk focused on the demographic trends showing how women have made significant strides in breaking down barriers and achieving greater equality in the workforce. Rita also discussed some of the ongoing challenges standing in the way of achieving full equity in the workplace. For example, she highlighted some 2022 data from McKinsey showing that, for every 100 men promoted at entry level, only 87 women are promoted. We hope you enjoy Rita's insights as much as we did. Happy International Women's Day! 

HR leaders should encourage workforce education programs as a way to attract, retain, and develop top talent, address skills gaps, create a more diverse and inclusive workforce, and foster a culture of innovation and adaptability. By investing in workforce education programs, organizations can build a competitive workforce that is better equipped to meet the challenges of the future. As the nature of work continues to evolve, HR leaders must be proactive in identifying new ways to develop and manage talent, and workforce education programs represent a valuable tool in achieving this goal.Today’s HRchat guest says “education can change people’s lives. Workforce education programs can spark that change and provide real life-changing growth opportunities.” And we’ll be delving into the why and how of educating employees in this episode of the HRchat podcast.Bill is joined by Stephen Chu, Chief Legal and People Officer at InStride, a partner for businesses looking for ways to create sustainable advantage and social impact through the continuous growth of their people. In his role, Stephen oversees legal, compliance and HR functions.Prior to InStride, Stephen was the General Counsel at Zwift, a global fitness platform for cyclists and runners. He reported to the Zwift CEO and led all legal and compliance matters.Questions For Stephen Include: InStride’s network of top-tier academic institutions offers skills courses, certificates, industry certifications, and degrees designed to meet the in-demand and future needs of working adult students.Tell us more. In terms of returns on employee engagement, what are the key benefits of investing in learning and development programs for employees? How can HR people make the case to leadership that investing in employees’ education and development will not lead to them leaving for competitors? How can organizations measure the ROI of their investment in employee learning and development programs, and what metrics should they consider? Tell us about Strategic Enterprise Education (SEE) and how InStride’s championing it helps its partners retain and recruit talent. Is there inherent Corporate Social Responsibility in Strategic Enterprise Education? In September 2022, Amazon announced that it would partner with InStride to provide fully sponsored education programs for the 172,000 employees of its 3,000 Delivery Service Partners (DSP) through a new initiative called Next Mile. Tell us more.  We do our best to ensure editorial objectivity. The views and ideas shared by our guests and sponsors are entirely independent of The HR Gazette, HRchat Podcast and Iceni Media Inc.   

Business is transforming at a faster pace than ever. It is no longer possible, says today's guest, to hire your way to success or to rely on the locked-in structures of roles and traditional career paths. To ensure your people and their capabilities evolve in support of your business needs you must look deeper and understand people at the level of their skill.Our guest this time is Steve Holder, Vice President, Solution Advisory at Visier Inc. and speaker at the Agility Reimagined Summit on March 9. Questions for Steve include:  Why does your team believe it's no longer possible to hire your way to success? You're presenting at the Agility Reimagined Summit on March 9. Your session is called Adopting a Skills-Based Approach. How to transform your HR function to meet the future needs of business. In your session, you will cover 3 main topics. Talk to us about each: The business imperative behind a skills-based approach The challenges of moving to a skills-based approach How to start and scale your skills journey effectively A skill-based view comes with additional complexity. Why do you think many companies have struggled to get started? We do our best to ensure editorial objectivity. The views and ideas shared by our guests and sponsors are entirely independent of The HR Gazette, HRchat Podcast and Iceni Media Inc.   

In this HRchat episode, we hear from Fermin Diez, Deputy CEO & Group Director at Sector Capability and Transformation Group about why now is an exciting time to be in HR and better ways to use your people data.  Dr. Fermin Diez has more than 35 years of experience in human resources, which includes consulting, corporate and academic roles in 40 countries in all continents. As a consultant, he has advised major multinationals, large local companies and public sector organizations at the Board and C-Suite levels. He has also managed the P&L in several geographical locations and businesses. As an HR leader, he has been the Regional Head of HR for two large MNCs in AsiaPac and in Latin America.  Questions for Fermin Include: Why are you passionate about moving HR forward?  Why do you think now is the most exciting time in HR?  Talk about the growth in the use of people data Building on traditional HR skillsets: How does your 2019 book, Fundamentals of HR Analytics, make understanding and engaging with data analytics easier for professionals at all levels?  More About Dr. Fermin Diez  Fermin is currently Deputy CEO and Group Head of Human Resources for Singapore’s National Council for Social Service. He is also an Adjunct Professor at Singapore Management University and at Nanyang Technological University and is co-author of three books: ‘Human Capital and Global Business Strategy’, ‘The Remuneration Handbook: International Edition’ and ‘Fundamentals of HR Analytics’. He has taught WorldatWork courses for more than 20 years in the United States, Puerto Rico, Australia, the United Kingdom, Malaysia, India, Singapore, Indonesia and Hong Kong. Fermin has been named a Top HR influencer in Asia. He is a frequent speaker at regional and global forums on compensation, strategic HR, talent management and development, career planning, mergers and acquisitions from an HR perspective, building teams, global HR, education, public sector HR practices and HR analytics.   We do our best to ensure editorial objectivity. The views and ideas shared by our guests and sponsors are entirely independent of The HR Gazette, HRchat Podcast and Iceni Media Inc.   

In this episode of the HRchat show, we hear from Jennifer Paxton, co-founder of Jamyr, a video content platform that helps companies engage and attract candidates. Questions for Jennifer Include:   How does video help the candidate experience and the employer brand?  stats around video content Employer Brand- what trends are you seeing in EB that are working really well right now? What are you seeing that isn't working?  Should companies try to control what employees say about them on video?  In this new world of remote and hybrid, employees are feeling lonelier than ever, how do you help to build connections between employees and foster and inclusive culture?  A lot of budgets and teams have been affected by the "right-sizing" going on in the tech industry right now, how can HR professionals do more with less?   More About Jennifer Paxton  With a master’s degree in Opera, Jen Paxton didn't think she would have a career in Talent Acquisition or PeopleOps, however, she fell in love with helping candidates find the right role. She started her career at JobSpring Partners placing technical professionals then moved on to Robert Half before deciding to move to an in-house recruiting team. She has grown teams at later-stage startups like Fiksu and LevelUp and built Recruiting and PeopleOps strategies from scratch at small startups like Logentries, TrueMotion, Privy, and Smile. She has been a part of three successful acquisitions and almost all of her companies have won “Best Place to Work” awards at least once while she was there. She loves coaching managers, fostering a feedback culture, and building programs that will help develop a sense of belonging. We do our best to ensure editorial objectivity. The views and ideas shared by our guests and sponsors are entirely independent of The HR Gazette, HRchat Podcast and Iceni Media Inc.   

Social impact branding and marketing is critical to HR as it helps attract and retain top talent, enhance employee engagement and motivation, and align employees with the organization's values and purpose. Companies that prioritize social impact branding and marketing can create a more attractive employer brand, enhance employee satisfaction and productivity, and foster a strong company culture.In HRchat episode 546, we consider ways having a social purpose can help you attract and retain talent. The guest this time is Shelley L. Mayer, founder of Ramp Communications.  A passionate and visionary leader, Shelley is committed to the intersection of purpose and profit and believes that collaboration is at the heart of all success. Shelley is well-known as an industry connector and matchmaker and has deep experience and knowledge of the social impact space.Over the course of her career,  Shelley has advised hundreds of organizations to help them scale their impact. A trusted industry expert, coach, and advisor, Shelley has a reputation for challenging the status quo and creative problem-solving. In 2021, bringing together a decade of learning, Shelley pioneered Ramp’s Enlightened Brand™ method. Shelley holds a business degree from Wilfrid Laurier University and a Chartered Marketer designation with the Canadian Marketing Association.Shelley is also a speaker at the March 9th Agility Reimagined Summit.Questions for Shelley Include:  Your team at Ramp is passionate about social impact branding and marketing. What do you look for in an employee to ensure they gel with the team and are committed to your company values?  You will be speaking at the upcoming Agility Reimagined Summit. Your session is called: Enlightened BrandsTM: How Social Purpose Can Help You Attract and Retain Talent. Why get involved with Agility Reimagined? Any other events coming up?  In a moment I'll ask you to tell me about some of the learning outcomes from the talk. But first, tell us about Ramp’s Enlightened Brand™ method and What exactly is an Enlightened Brand? Tell me about the session on March 9 - learning outcomes Why do you think HR leaders should aspire to turn their organizations into Enlightened Brands? You speak and write on social impact branding and marketing, federation marketing, entrepreneurship, and how to make communications more effective with strategy and creative. Any predictions for how Chat GPT will impact your industry and that of content for internal communications and internal training/feedback collection? More About Shelley MayerOver the course of her career,  Shelley has advised hundreds of organizations to help them scale their impact. A trusted industry expert, coach, and advisor, Shelley has a reputation for challenging the status quo and creative problem-solving. In 2021, bringing together a decade of learning, We do our best to ensure editorial objectivity. The views and ideas shared by our guests and sponsors are entirely independent of The HR Gazette, HRchat Podcast and Iceni Media Inc.   

Building an organizational learning culture requires a concerted effort from HR and L&D professionals. A growth mindset, clear learning goals, regular feedback and coaching, and a supportive learning environment are key factors that can help to create an organizational learning culture. By implementing these strategies, HR and L&D professionals can help to create an environment where employees are motivated to learn and grow, leading to improved job performance, employee engagement, and organizational productivity. The guest in episode 545 of the HRchat show is Toby Kheng, Director at Solvd Together, a company on a mission to build skills, support performance, and shift mindsets with human-centered learning tools, resources, and experiences.  Questions For Toby Include: Why does your team believe that the ways they build the Solvd learning and performance solutions generate the greatest possible results for your clients' employees? What are the common factors that get in the way of learning? How can HR and L&D pros build an organizational learning culture? Is it even possible?  Solvd uses a variety of learning methodologies, including 5Di Learning Design What is 5Di and how can it help develop employees? How can HR and L&D support learning in a hybrid workplace? You recently spoke at DisruptHR Norwich. Tell me about your session We do our best to ensure editorial objectivity. The views and ideas shared by our guests and sponsors are entirely independent of The HR Gazette, HRchat Podcast and Iceni Media Inc.   

HR plays a critical role in promoting ESG considerations within companies. Specifically, HR departments can help ensure that a company's internal policies and practices align with its ESG goals. For example, HR can help to implement diversity and inclusion initiatives, develop employee training programs on environmental sustainability, and ensure that employee compensation and incentive structures align with ESG performance.Additionally, HR can help to recruit and retain employees who share the company's ESG values and culture, and who can help the company to achieve its ESG goals over the long term.Our guest in HRchat episode 544 is Dr. Shilpa Tiwari. Shilpa is Global Executive Vice President Social Impact & Sustainability at Citizen Relations. Shilpa has experience as a consultant and held executive positions at OMERS and Manulife. She has spent her career advancing sustainability, social impact, and EDI across a variety of sectors including mining, oil and gas, forestry, financial services and consumer goods. We do our best to ensure editorial objectivity. The views and ideas shared by our guests and sponsors are entirely independent of The HR Gazette, HRchat Podcast and Iceni Media Inc.   

Our guest in this episode of the HRchat pod is Natal Dank, Agile HR Author, Co-founder at PXO Culture, and Chief HR Trendwatcher at the HR Trend InstituteRecognized as a pioneer in Agile HR and business agility, Natal heads up Learning, Consultancy & Coaching at PXO Culture and is the Chief Trendwatcher at the HR Trend Institute.Following decades in senior Human Resources, Talent and Organisational Development roles, Natal coaches clients across all industries, from innovative tech companies to not-for-profit and global banks, in how to develop amazing employee experiences, like a customer journey, full of moments that matter for your people and organization. Questions For Natal Include:  Your work at PXO Culture and the HR Trend Institute focuses on defining modern HR for the 21st Century. Tell me more In 2016 you hosted the first Agile HR Meetup in London to build a community of like-minded disrupters, which has since grown into a movement reshaping the global HR profession. Tell me more In 2020 you published the book, Agile HR: Delivering Value in a Changing World of Work. Can you share some of the learning outcomes? Let's now run through a new list created for the HR Trend Institute. Released at the end of Nov 2022, the report focused on Breaking Boundaries. Can you run through some of those trends?  We do our best to ensure editorial objectivity. The views and ideas shared by our guests and sponsors are entirely independent of The HR Gazette, HRchat Podcast and Iceni Media Inc.   

In this episode of the HRchat podcast, we consider the employee experience and ask: Are we getting worse at communicating? Bill's guest this time is Yuri Kruman, Chief Executive Officer / Head of Remote at HR, Talent & Systems, a full-service HR Consultancy, focused on building out robust HR functions for fast-growth companies.Yuri is a sought-after speaker and expert on HR, Digital Transformation, and Employee Experience (EX).Questions For Yuri Include:  How did you end up in HR after 5 other unrelated careers? In an article on LinkedIn, you write: "Basically, humans, especially men, f-ing suck at communication. We have a million channels for communication - you know, WhatsApp, Facetime, Messenger, face-to-face, FB, Slack, email, carrier pigeon. But our actual communication is poor and getting poorer". What did you mean by this, why do you feel men are particularly bad at communicating?  How can poor communication manifest in the workplace? What are the negative consequences on the employee experience and what can be done to improve things? In another post called '5 Ways Transactional Thinking Is Robbing You Blind -- and How to Stop It NOW', you say "The trouble is, most of really don’t get how this transactional, tactical short-sighted thinking has become a self-fulfilling prophecy, with 4-second attention spans, insanely short news cycles and blazing fast internet and mobile data speeds driving us (crazy), anxious and inattentive." Transactional thinking, you suggest, blinds us to what unites us, while exacerbating what separates us, makes us more easily manipulated, takes away our hope and makes us depressed, and causes us more to be more dependent on technology and less dependent on our own sense of right and wrong, and truth and lies. Why do we think transactionally and how can we adjust our mindsets?  What compelled you to write your latest book series, Be Your Own Commander-in-Chief? More About YuriYuri is a member of the Fast Company Executive Board, Newsweek Expert Forum and Forbes Coaches Council, as well as a contributor to Fast Company, Forbes, Entrepreneur, Newsweek, Business.com, Influencive and a number of other top platforms. He had consulted and spoken at numerous Fortune 500 and Inc. 5000 companies, VC-backed startups and top universities, including EY, Google, Columbia and UPenn, likewise appearing on network TV and top podcasts, including NBC's "Tipping Point," Leadership and Loyalty Podcast, Entrepreneur on Fire and Wharton Business Radio. In addition, his executive leadership coaching practice has impacted thousands of top executives.  He is the author of "What Millennials Really Want From Work and Life" (Business Expert Press, March 2019) and "Be Your Own Commander-in-Chief" (Ideapress Publishing, 2021). We do our best to ensure editorial objectivity. The views and ideas shared by our guests and sponsors are entirely independent of The HR Gazette, HRchat Podcast and Iceni Media Inc.   

A well-designed benefits program can help employees manage their health and financial wellbeing, which can improve their overall wellness and quality of life. When employees have a clear understanding of their benefits and can utilize them effectively, it can lead to increased productivity, reduced absenteeism, and lower healthcare costs. A positive employee benefits experience is important to an employer because it can have a helpful impact on employee morale, job satisfaction, and overall engagement with the company. This, in turn, can have a significant impact on the bottom line. In this episode of the HRchat show, we present a benefits innovation story from Ameritas, one of Noyo’s carrier customers who is reaping the rewards of Noyo’s data platform, which is allowing Ameritas to unlock the power of its once-siloed benefits data to deliver an enhanced benefits experience for all involved: employers, employees, Ameritas staff, as well as its broker partners. Employers want to deliver the best benefits experience to employees so they clearly understand their benefits and can proactively utilize them for enhanced population health among their associate base.Our guest this time is Karen Gustin, Executive VP - Group Division at Ameritas Life Insurance Corp.Questions For Karen Include: You’ve said an API strategy is the great equalizer in the insurance industry – tell us more When was the moment you realized that partnering with a data platform specializing in API connections was the right path forward for Ameritas? How have you managed Ameritas's API strategy and why did you make the choices that you did? Was it hard setting the strategy within your organization? And how did you go about finding the right partner? Ameritas was an early adopter of the Noyo platform and API-powered data exchange. What's been the impact over the years? Any success metrics you can share? For other insurance carriers looking to innovate their data strategies, the choice often comes down to heavily investing resources to build in-house connections or partnering with an external resource. As we’ve mentioned earlier before, Ameritas chose to partner with Noyo. What would be your advice to other benefits carriers now faced with the same choice, and why? We do our best to ensure editorial objectivity. The views and ideas shared by our guests and sponsors are entirely independent of The HR Gazette, HRchat Podcast and Iceni Media Inc.   

Employers in the US, Canada and elsewhere are faced with a very broad range of laws that govern the relationship between employers and employees. The US, for example, is a country that is based on states' rights and on a federal system.And what that means is that not only does the federal government have different regulations on employer-employee relationships, but in many cases, different states do too.  Bill Banham's guest in this benefits law-focused HRchat episode is Tom M. White, Attorney at Rimon Law. Tom specializes in the full scope of human resources management, such as Employee Benefits and Executive Compensation, Healthcare, and Employment Law.Questions For Tom Include: Talk to us about recent FTC proposals to ban non-compete clauses and what that could mean for companies and employees Employers today are faced with a very broad range of laws that govern the relationship between employers and employees. The US is a country that is based on states' rights and on a federal system. Tell us about the wide range of laws that govern the relationship between employers and employees in the United States and some of the ways the disparity of regulations between states can impact businesses.  Can you share some of the complexities associated with developing a plan that pays out monthly benefits over a period of time to a former employee who has not gone into competition? Are other law firms in your view following the Rimon Law-championed model? More About Thomas Tom began his practice shortly after ERISA was enacted. In this capacity, he has undertaken a full range of contentious, non-contentious, and transactional benefits and employment work, and also has extensive experience in the development, documentation, and administration of executive compensation programs. He has worked on behalf of clients ranging in size from start-ups to Fortune 500 enterprises.Mr. White served as an adjunct faculty member of the Chicago-Kent College of Law where he taught the ERISA course. He serves on the board of the New College Foundation and is a member of its Finance and Investment Committees. Before joining Rimon, Mr. White practiced with Arnstein & Lehr in its Chicago office. We do our best to ensure editorial objectivity. The views and ideas shared by our guests and sponsors are entirely independent of The HR Gazette, HRchat Podcast and Iceni Media Inc.