Author Archives: Ben

Psychological Safety, Resilience, and Work with Dr. Allessandria Polizzi

“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

Check out the show archives, sign up for updates, and more

The Business and Human Value of Organizational Transformation

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

See our show archives and get notified about new episodes

Want to see me get a performance review LIVE for the first time in 6+ years?

Recently I had the pleasure of joining Troy Vermillion on Eight Hour Grind, a show that looks at work trends.

The topic? Performance management. 

After sharing with Troy some of the best ideas from our research, he sprung a surprise on me: my very own performance review! If you click to watch the video below, it will auto-jump to the time where the performance review begins.

How would you rate me based on my responses? Exceeds expectations or needs improvement?

 

How do I start my own HR consulting business? [Ask upstartHR]

Have a question you’d like answered? Just shoot it our way at ben AT upstartHR DOT com and we’ll see if we can cover it in a future blog!

Thank you so much for your insight! I ultimately would like to launch my own business as an HR consultant, with a focus on culture.

Carrie

Hi Carrie! How neat! There’s always an opportunity for great service and support in this area. As you probably know, there’s a range of HR consulting opportunities. 

  • Some people lean into the compliance, handbooks, and HR audits side of things. That’s a great way to help employers get themselves protected and establish a foundation for future HR innovation and growth. 
  • Others have a specialty, like recruiting, compensation, training, etc. They are most often brought in for special projects or to help cover for a gap in an existing HR team’s abilities (or time, if they’re too busy). 

You mentioned culture specifically, which is an interesting niche. There are some people doing some good work in this area already that you should connect with and learn from. For instance, I interviewed Angie Redmon on the We’re Only Human podcast about how she helps companies become a “best place to work,” and she shed light on her methodology and approach. 

When it comes to the actual consulting piece, just know that many people who plan to start a business (even HR pros who have inside info on how a business operates!) often underestimate what it takes to do the marketing, sales, bookkeeping, etc. to keep it running. That’s not a red flag, just a caution to go in eyes wide open. 

I’ve written on those topics in the past pretty extensively and would recommend these two as good resources: 

If you like to listen, I recorded an HRChat podcast with Bill Banham of the HR Gazette on how to break out of the trenches and into HR consulting with some good advice and info. 

You may find it’s the best decision you ever made, or you might realize it’s more difficult than you expected. The bottom line is that the decision isn’t permanent and you can test it for a season just to find out for yourself. Above all, have fun! 

The CHRO of Memphis on Getting to HR’s Purpose

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 

 

New Data on Employee Mental Health, Business Impact, and Employee Perception

“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

Mythbusting AI in Talent Acquisition on We’re Only Human

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