Drive Thru HR

In this new world of hybrid work, HR professionals are challenged with having to create effective return-to-work strategies, while advocating for health and safety, and ensuring an overall positive employee experience.  Join Michael as they talk with Elisabeth Giammona, HR Business Partner at Envoy about her experience developing hybrid work strategies and learnings from Envoy customers. 

Envoy’s workplace platform is used in over 14,000 locations worldwide by companies such as Slack, Pinterest, and Warby Parker. Elisabeth understands from these customers that there’s no one-size-fits-all approach when it comes to return-to-work plans. It’s important to consider:

Not only onboarding new employees but existing employees: There’s been a significant amount of change in the last year and things look very different coming back. It’s important to consider the return as seamless as possible, giving both new and existing employees access to the information and resources they need to feel comfortable coming back.Concise communication: Employees are relying on companies to be clear on where they stand with return-to-work policies. Communication needs to be as clear and intentional as possible in an environment that’s constantly changing, especially when people are distributed.Safe ways for creating connection in the workplace: Consider bringing back-office happy hours and events to reconnect with coworkers, but also implementing digital ways to connect given we’re in a hybrid setting.

Join Michael (and maybe Robin) as they chat with Jeanniey Walden, workplace expert at DailyPay) as she  provides insight on the Omicron variant, its impact on jobs and hiring, and the upcoming jobless claims.

 On the show, we will discuss:

The current state of employment

If the Omicron variant will impact layoffs

Companies’ struggle to find and retain skilled workers

Great Resignation, where workers are going, and why

Factors that have kept workers from seeking jobs

What is DailyPay and how do you help with jobless claims

DailyPay works with employers and offers on-demand pay solutions to attract talent and provide financial transparency and stability.

Join Michael as they chat with Laura Troyani, the lead researcher and author of the report  “The Great Resignation Research Report: What’s Really Driving American Employees To Give their Two Weeks’ Notice”, a new survey and report conducted by PlanBeyond, a Seattle-based market research and strategy firm that will be published on Tuesday, January 25th.

The report uncovers some of the key factors leading employees to consider quitting in 2022 as well as those factors that have little influence on attrition. Featuring survey findings from over 1,000 US full-time employees between the ages of 18-64, the study asked respondents about their plans to quit their jobs in the next six months as well as their attitudes toward other work-related issues including feelings about their managers and colleagues, compensation, and professional growth opportunities.

No one ever imagined getting people to work in an office would become a huge employee relations issue. Join us Wednesday, Jan 19 as we discuss this issue with Andrew Morton, CEO of Bloom Health Partners. 

Andrew Morton is a seasoned global technology executive with a track record of successfully building and running innovative companies.

As the raging Omicron variant of COVID-19 infects workers across the nation and the coronavirus pandemic continues to disrupt labor markets globally, employers nationwide are in search of the best solution to help companies and schools return to work safely.  

Bloom Health Partners was born in the midst of the pandemic and has had a huge hand in helping Hollywood productions, theme parks, events, Fortune 500 companies—and now, schools—safely reopen their doors. Bloom helps companies and industries navigate the covid crisis and continue to function by offering flexible Covid-19 testing and advisory solutions.

What exactly is Bloom Health Partners?

Can you tell us a little bit about creating a pop-up covid testing site in a parking lot and what happened to lead up to that moment? 

What happened next? How did Bloom go from a parking lot to working with Fortune 500 companies, TV and Movie Studios and schools ? What is your vision for the Bloom service platform? 

Tell us about the Custom Covid testing programs you have built and how they help companies get safely back to work.

What are common challenges that executives are facing when navigating rTW?

What are the hard decisions they are having to make?

Do you have any key recommendations?

What do you think are the biggest challenges that companies and industries face now in this phase of the pandemic? 

Bloom was recently acquired by Maitri Health Technologies. What is next from here?

Michael does a solo show to end the year with a quick review of a LOT of labor relations developments

Used as a humorous way of expressing farewell, used especially when a business closes, someone leaves a position, something is retired from the market, etc. The phrase comes from the title of the 1984 novel by Douglas Adams, in The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series.

r/antiwork uses the slogan "Unemployment for all, not just the rich!" Members of the subreddit are known as "idlers" in reference to the Protestant work ethic. Posts commonly criticize hustle culture[4] and share stories of employees' negative experiences at their jobs,[5] including unfair treatment and poor working conditions[6] as well as poor pay. The most common issues raised by members of the subreddit include "stagnation of wages, overworking, being expected to be on call on and off the clock."

Join Crystal, Dwane, Michael and Robin for our year end holiday show.  We will chat about the ghost of 2021 past, the ghost of 2021 present, and the ghost of 2022 future.  We will go a'wassialing, sip some Tom and Jerry's and remember auld lang syne. See you at noon central time on Wednesday, December 22!

Pronouns and Self-Definition: A Discussion Among Ourselves  (Episode 1601)

December 7 is famously referred to as being " a date that will live in infamy", but it isn't because DTHR is doing a show on that day!  Join us and guest Katrina Kibben as we have a wideranging discussion about Pronouns and Self-Definition.  This isn't a lecture or a best practices symposium.  It will be different.  Give us a listen.

DriveThru HR Co-Hosts Crystal Miller Lay and Dwane Lay (yes, they're related!) make their return to the DriveThru after an extended summer break to discuss what's new and happening now in the world of HR and Talent Acquisition. It's fall, so of course Crystal has budget season and 2022 predictions for planning on the brain.

Join Michael today as he talks to Fiona Jamison of Spring International to discuss the use of People data in solving potential business risk, including labor activity. 

Fiona, tell our listeners about your self and what you do Give us a succinct definition of people data and how it can be used.Do companies try to predict things like potential union organizing?Can you really predict the 'likelihood to unionize' from data?What are some of the ways companies today are using 'people data' to solve business challenges?How can employers leverage data to eliminate the need or desire for unionization?What should companies be measuring today - to help them build stronger relationships with their employees and reinforce their company culture?What are some of the leadership behaviors that have become even more important in this new pandemic / labor market shift environment?Where can people find you?

Join us as we chat with Executive Recruiter Patricia Lenkov about gender identity as an area of company leadership which employers - particularly CEOs and boards - are far behind on.

"A diverse board is not a talisman against every corporate miscalculation, but neither is the male, pale and stale boardroom a path to the next big thing,” writes Lenkov in her new book Time’s Up: Why Boards Need to Get Diverse Now (August 2021).

On the show, we will discuss topics including

· Gender in the board room and efforts to recruit nonbinary people into leadership positions

· What myths hurt board diversity?

· How have quotas in other countries and California been implemented and impacted board diversity?

· Why is regular board refreshment essential?

· How should boards be evaluated?

· What are the primary issues boards face?