Cohesion

This episode features an interview with Danielle Tabor, Chief People Officer at Emburse. Danielle has over 15 years of human resources experience in the biomedical, architecture, and financial industries. She also holds a Bachelor’s in Psychology and a minor in Education from Clark University. 

In this episode, Amanda sits down with Danielle to discuss work-from-home burnout, HR’s ability to adapt, and the importance of an equitable employee experience.

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“I really think the future of work is all about employee experience. Everything shifted with the pandemic. And as leaders, what we need to understand is what employees truly need and how we can realistically meet those needs. So, we need to consider the whole employee here. There are basic needs that must be met. At absolute minimum: stability. People don’t need to have anxiety about whether or not their job is stable. They need a healthy income, they need healthy benefits. But we also need to start thinking about family, community, social and environmental impact. It just expands. Previously, it used to be Human Resources that was focused on policy, procedure, compliance. Those things are obviously still incredibly important and they need to be focused on as well, but it goes so far beyond that. Where we really need to win over the hearts of our people if we want an engaged workforce. That’s going to be incredibly important as we go forward. And it's challenging, it’s not obvious all the time. And so, we need to be open-minded and we need to be able to adapt.” – Danielle Tabor

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Episode Timestamps:

*(01:42): Danielle’s background

*(02:48): Danielle’s role as Chief People Officer at Emburse

*(03:23): Segment: Story Time

*(03:39: How Emburse shifted during the pandemic

*(09:26): Danielle’s partnership with the internal comms team

*(10:43): Segment: Getting Tactical

*(12:46): Ensuring an equitable employee experience

*(17:46): How Emburse is combating employee burnout

*(20:47): How Danielle’s degree in Education influences her job

*(22:24): Segment: Asking For a Friend

*(26:15): How Danielle is getting better at her job through feedback

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Links:

Connect with Danielle on LinkedIn

Emburse

Amanda’s LinkedIn

www.simpplr.com/podcast

This episode features an interview with Parag Kulkarni, Chief Technology Officer at Simpplr. Parag has nearly 25 years of experience as a technology industry leader. Previously, Parag was the Senior Vice President of SaaS Engineering at Nutanix where he developed modern SaaS applications covering the customer and partner lifecycle. 

Parag is now heading Simpplr’s engineering and technology teams to create more value for its customers.

In this episode, Amanda and Parag discuss Simpplr’s new employee communication software Live EX, intranets and employee engagement, and the personalization of communications.

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“When we talk about engagement and connection, the big component of that is communication. How do you communicate? Who do you communicate to? Can you properly explain the why? Can you communicate at the right time? The product [Live EX] really focuses on that communication aspect as the first step of employee engagement or employee experience. Once that communication has happened, the next piece is to actually have a way of listening back to the feedback. Which is where surveys, the analytics that I talked about came into play. So, you really understand, ‘If I’m falling short in terms of engagement in certain areas, why is that? What can I do?’ And then the third component, which is where we are moving towards, is using that to inspire. Which is where things like recognition comes into play. If you see certain cultural values being exhibited that will drive more engagement, more connection. Then those are the ones that you really want to communicate to the larger group. Those are the ones that you want to recognize. So between connection, listening to the feedback for the connection that was provided, and then ultimately inspiring using recognition is how the platform can really help. And we are seeing a great uptake in that. We are seeing companies who are looking at employee experience and saying, ‘I really want to invest in my current employees.’ Hiring a new employee is so much more difficult and so much more money than focusing on the existing employees and keeping them happy.” – Parag Kulkarni

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Episode Timestamps:

*(01:44): Parag’s background

*(05:02): Segment: Story Time

*(05:16): Simpplr’s Live EX function and what makes it different

*(08:00): How Live EX helps drive employee engagement

*(13:55): How Simpplr personalizes data to communicate with employees

*(19:24): How people use Simpplr to get to know each other

*(23:14): Segment: Ripped From the Headlines

*(23:27): How organizations can use Live EX to minimize employee turnover

*(25:36): Segment: Asking For a Friend

*(28:10): Parag’s advice for those hesitant to change the employee experience

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Links:

Connect with Parag on LinkedIn

Simpplr

Amanda’s LinkedIn

www.simpplr.com/podcast

This episode features an interview with Annette Reavis, Chief People Officer at Envoy. Annette is an HR and business leader with over 20 years of experience. After spending 10 years at Facebook as the Vice President of HR, Annette retired. But not for long. She soon became the Chief People Officer of Root Inc. and now, Annette holds the same position at Envoy. 

In this episode, Annette and Amanda dive into work-life blend versus work-life balance, the modern employee experience, and how Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion functions can improve.

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“I know it’s controversial to say, but I truly believe that if you are 100% remote, it is going to be harder and that you have to work harder. The company can only do so much. You have to work harder to make sure that you are making the right connections because people in the office will be able to do it over coffee, over lunch, and all those experiences that you won’t have. [...] We are really focused here at Envoy on the hybrid experience, so that you get a little bit of both. We do have talent that is 100% remote, for example. We’re going to bring them into the office and do an all hands once or twice a year, so that at least they can have that exchange, understanding. They can have that experience working in the office with people and sitting across from them at the desk. But, it’s something that we’re going to have to continue to work harder at for that talent that’s remote because I do believe it’s just a little bit harder.” – Annette Reavis

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Episode Timestamps:

*(01:55): Annette’s background

*(06:45): Segment: Storytime 

*(06:55): How Annette handled the pandemic at a new company

*(10:46): The value of “unstructured skill-building”

*(12:27): Annette’s journey as a Black woman in leadership

*(15:00): How DE&I functions can improve

*(17:18): How Annette handled COVID and social justice issues as a leader

*(19:08): Segment: Getting Tactical

*(21:09): Why Annette loves coaching leaders

*(23:19): The modern employee experience

*(28:40): Work/life balance vs. work/life blend

*(34:27): Segment: Asking For a Friend

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Links:

Connect with Annette on LinkedIn

Envoy

Amanda’s LinkedIn

www.simpplr.com/podcast

This episode features an interview with Sophie Hamersley, Manager of Internal Communications at HubSpot. With over a decade of experience under her belt, Sophie has held positions at fully integrated agencies such as RF|Binder and Image Unlimited Communications. Sophie joined HubSpot in 2018 as the Communications Manager of the Culture Team where she helped attract talent through storytelling.

In this episode, Sophie and Amanda dive into all things related to company culture. They discuss why HubSpot treats culture like a product, who the best brand ambassadors are, and why communications should be delightful.

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“I think at the very foundation of it, you want your employees to feel really proud about where they work. You want employees to feel excited to come to work every day, to feel energized by the hard problems that they’re solving and know exactly how they’re making an impact on the business, on our mission, on the millions of customers that we’re helping to grow better. And so, you want to build a company that people feel really proud to work at, that’s the biggest goal. As part of that, when you are feeling proud to work somewhere, you end up talking a lot about that to other people. [...] Your employees are absolutely your biggest brand ambassadors and the more that they feel proud and excited to work somewhere, the more they’re going to talk about that to other people. And so, at the very core foundation, you want to build a culture that enables people to do that.” – Sophie Hamersley

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Episode Timestamps:

*(01:57): Sophie’s current role at HubSpot

*(03:36): Segment: Storytime

*(06:41): Why HubSpot treats culture like a product

*(10:19): How Sophie is building an internal comms function around transparency

*(19:53): Why employees are the biggest brand ambassadors

*(21:49): Segment: Seat at the Table

*(22:01): Advice for internal comms folks struggling to get buy-in on employer brand

*(26:40): Delightful communications

*(28:30): Segment: Asking for a Friend

*(30:36): Challenges internal comms will face in the future

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Links:

Connect with Sophie on LinkedIn

HubSpot

‘Internal Communications Has a Communication Problem’ by Sophie Hamersley

Amanda’s LinkedIn

www.simpplr.com/podcast

This episode features an interview with Jill Stracko, Director of Global Executive and Internal Communications at Uber. Jill’s impressive career spans from Washington D.C. all the way to Silicon Valley. Jill led President Barack Obama’s writing team in the White House and once served as Senior Legislative Correspondent to then-Senator Joe Biden.

On this episode, Jill sits down with Amanda to discuss her 3 principles of Internal Communications: informing and inspiring, connecting the dots, and exclusivity. They also discuss keeping PR and internal comms aligned and their love of the Oxford Comma.

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“In terms of how I just personally think about internal communications, there’s a couple of principles. The first is informing and inspiring. Making sure that employees understand what’s going on because it’s easier to do your job if you understand how decisions are being made. And then inspiring. You really want people to always be reminded of why they came to work at this company and why it's amazing. So, always trying to find those stories that remind people of that and show the innovation that’s happening around the company, the cool stuff that’s happening. The second is connecting the dots. I feel like it’s really important as internal communicators and then also helping leaders, making sure that you remind people how their day-to-day work fits into the company strategy and the priorities for the year and the company mission and values. So, that’s our responsibility. It’s leaders’ responsibility. It’s our responsibility to help leaders remind employees of that. And then the final thing is exclusivity. Our work should not just be a regurgitation of something that’s put out externally on a blog post or in a news story. Internal Communications is different and should be different from external communications. And I like to think of it as, you should get this information because you work at this company. And you’re getting the inside scoop, the behind the curtain view, the story behind the story.” – Jill Stracko

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Episode Timestamps:

*(01:52): Jill’s background

*(04:12): Jill’s 3 Principles of Internal Communications

*(06:00): Segment: Story Time

*(06:26): How Jill’s team rebranded Uber’s mission statement

*(09:52): Amanda and Jill bond over the Oxford Comma

*(11:29): Segment: Getting Tactical

*(15:34): How to align internal comms with PR 

*(19:15): How Jill is keeping employees aligned during remote work

*(32:01): Segment: Asking for a Friend

*(38:57): Biggest challenge IC leaders will face in 5 years

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Links:

Connect with Jill on LinkedIn

Uber

Amanda’s LinkedIn

www.simpplr.com/podcast

This episode features an interview with Ben Matthews, Senior Director of Internal Communications at NVIDIA. Ben has spent his entire career in communications. He is a recognized industry leader and speaker who has previously worked for Google, eBay, and Crown Castle.

In this episode, Ben and Amanda discuss building an internal comms program from scratch, how to prove value to leaders, and why internal communicators are the imagineers of business.

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“10 years ago, everyone that was saying they were internal communications, suddenly changed to be head of employee engagement. And now, I think you’re seeing that change again from people changing from internal comms and employee engagement, to employee experience. And that’s great because that shows progress. But, it’s only progress if we’re doing more than changing our names. If we’re genuinely out there looking to influence. And the truth is, no one can own employee experience. It’s too broad a subject for any one team to own. Where I do think we play is we can act as that connective tissue and glue to bring different people together.” – Ben Matthews

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Episode Timestamps:

*(01:43): Ben’s background

*(03:32): Ben’s current role at NVIDIA

*(04:15): Segment: Story Time

*(04:46): How Ben built an internal communications program from the ground up

*(09:11): Segment: Seat at the Table

*(10:40): How internal communicators can show value to leaders 

*(16:22): How internal communicators are the imagineers of business

*(18:59): Segment: Ripped from the Headlines

*(22:09): How Ben shifted his strategy in 2020

*(33:28): Segment: Asking for a Friend

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Links:

Connect with Ben on LinkedIn

NVIDIA

Amanda’s LinkedIn

www.simpplr.com/podcast

This episode features an interview with Andréa Topper, Director of Internal Communications at Guardant Health. Andréa’s path to internal comms has been anything but conventional. Starting out as a journalistic reporter and editor for publications like The Associated Press and Central Penn Business Journal, Andréa realized her passion for communicating with an audience. That passion took her to fitness company CrossFit, where she was in charge of content marketing.

On this episode, Andréa sits down with Amanda to discuss how she built an internal communications function from scratch, the dos and don'ts of altering workplace culture, and the components of a change management communication.

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“We know what needs to get done as internal communicators. We know what the problem areas are, but you have to prioritize and then figure out what is my plan for this? What’s my comms plan for unveiling this to the whole company? My change management plan. Who do I need to get on board? And how long is this going to take to really do based on the tolerance of the audience? And look for your early adopters. If you have fans right away, use them. They can be your champions so that when change starts to happen and people go to them because they are the company influencers, even though they might not be in senior leadership positions, people go to them because they respect them.” – Andréa Topper

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Episode Timestamps:

*(01:51): Andréa’s background

*(07:26): Andéa’s current role at Guardant Health

*(10:04): How Andréa built Guardant’s Internal Communications program

*(14:17): Segment: Story Time

*(14:44): How CrossFit shaped Andréa’s Internal Communications career

*(19:02): The dos and don’ts of changing culture

*(25:39): Segment: Getting Tactical

*(26:19): Relationship between change management and internal comms

*(32:13): Components of a good change communication

*(37:59): Segment: Seat at the Table

*(38:40): Advice for professionals who are struggling with change initiatives

*(41:59): Segment: Asking for a Friend

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Links:

Andréa’s LinkedIn

Guardant Health

Amanda’s LinkedIn

www.simpplr.com/podcast

This episode features an interview with LaToya Lyn, Chief People Officer at Help Scout. Fascinated by the connection between employee and employer, LaToya has wanted to be an HR practitioner since she was 16. Her impressive career spans multiple executive and leadership roles in HR and Talent Strategy at publicly traded billion-dollar companies like LivePerson, Compass, and Oscar Health.

On this episode, LaToya sits down with Amanda to discuss how HR leaders influence the human experience in the workplace. She also shares how Tina Turner influenced her career and why CEOs are responsible for Diversity and Inclusion.

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“Out of all the organizations I’ve worked for in the past, it [Help Scout] really focused on what the people experience means to them. It is held at the same bar as the quality of the product and what we do for our external clients. And it really, really makes the job of Chief People Officer so meaningful. What I do there is very forward-thinking; how to grow and scale the team, how to create policies and practices that make sense for people to feel growth, and also treat employees like adults. We're very transparent in every way, we share everything, we hold space for people when they have questions or concerns. So it's quite a very unique organization.” – LaToya Lyn

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Episode Timestamps:

*(1:51): How LaToya got into HR

*(3:27): LaToya’s current role at Help Scout

*(3:40): Why LaToya chose Help Scout

*(4:25): Segment: Story Time

*(4:48): How LaToya’s education prepared her for working across industries

*(7:55): How can HR leaders help employees during these tough times?

*(11:51): How Tina Turner inspired LaToya’s relationship with work

*(15:27): Segment: Getting Tactical

*(15:39): The only way DE&I will work

*(24:13): Segment: Ripped From the Headlines

*(27:44): Segment: Asking for a Friend

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Links

Connect with LaToya on LinkedIn

Help Scout

Amanda’s LinkedIn

www.simpplr.com/podcast

This episode features an interview with Jason Anthoine, Managing Founder (or Head Honcho as Jason puts it) at Audacity. With more than 32 years of experience, Jason’s career includes leading global communications at GE, Newell Brands, and Verint. 

On this episode, Jason shares his three step process for building a successful Internal Comms plan that’s proven with ROI. He also gets into why he started his own comms consulting company and how he handles Imposter Syndrome.

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“It’s so important to have your comms strategy built off your business strategy because as good as an internal comms strategy is, it’s telling you and your team what you’re going to do. It’s also your get out of jail free card for what you are now not going to do. Which is, ‘I’m not going to write your emails for you. I’m going to help you be better at writing them yourself and then you’re going to be responsible for those.’ Otherwise, your whole team is going to be bogged down with those types of requests and that’s when you become an arts and crafts department, which is not a strategic business function.” — Jason Anthoine

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Episode Timestamps:

*(1:41): How Jason got interested in comms

*(4:19): What Audacity does for people

*(5:17): Segment: Storytime

*(5:27): Story behind the name Audacity

*(7:01): How less is more in comms

*(9:55): How ‘Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee’ inspired a comms plan

*(15:11): Segment: Getting Tactical

*(15:27): Jason’s 3 step process for building a comms plan

*(22:38): What not to do when building a comms plan

*(30:06): Segment: Ripped from the Headlines

*(33:37): Segment: Asking for a Friend

*(33:52): Imposter Syndrome: what is it and how to handle it

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Links

Connect with Jason on LinkedIn

Follow Jason on Twitter

Audacity

Amanda’s LinkedIn 

www.simpplr.com/podcast

This episode features an interview with Carolyn Clark, Head of Internal Communications and Employer Brand at Opendoor. Previously, Carolyn was the senior director of internal communications at GoDaddy and held senior internal comms roles at Pandora and Yahoo!.  

On today’s episode, Carolyn shares what it was like working on SNL & Late Night with Conan O’Brien, why she started her own comms consulting company, and valuable case studies from her career and teachings in crisis comms. 

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“In order to speak the language of engineering leaders, or even your CEO and your C-suite, you’ve got to understand what makes them tick and put it in front of them. And I think that means developing different strategies. Even if your ultimate strategy is the same or your goal on how you approach it and you get buy-in is going to differ. So I would also ask them, ‘what matters to you?’ That’s one of the things and advantages if you’re new somewhere is saying ‘what matters to you?’” — Carolyn Clark

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Episode Timestamps:

*(2:14) - How Carolyn got into internal communications 

*(4:16) - Highlight reel of where Carolyn’s worked 

*(7:36) - Carolyn’s current role at Opendoor

*(9:29) - Segment: Story Time

*(14:02) - Carolyn’s most proud moments at Yahoo!

*(15:59) - Segment: Getting Tactical

*(21:32) - The role of internal comms with M&A

*(29:40) - Starting After Ever Communications

*(32:28) - How to get leaders engaged in internal communications

*(37:14) - Segment: Ripped From the Headlines

*(40:57) - Segment: Asking for a Friend

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Links

Connect with Carolyn on LinkedIn

Check out Carolyn’s website

Amanda’s LinkedIn 

www.simpplr.com/podcast