2020 has been everything but hilarious, yet Matt Kazam is on a mission to bring joy and comedy back to the workplace. "It's the medicine that we all need right now, to take a different perspective and try to move forward."

Matt discusses several strategies to engage employees in this challenging time through humor and empathy. He currently runs workshops to train leaders how to change their mindset, reconnect the funny that's inside of them, and wordsmith conversations to include humor. "We write words to be read, not said, so let's change our tone and put humanity back into the workplace. 

He also describes how he uses superiority vs. commonality in his jokes to bring diversity and inclusion to the forefront of his message, something that is a hot button issue in civil rights as well as in the workplace. This is how he blends comedy and humor to create an even better employee experience. 

Connect with Matt on his LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/matt-kazam-3a436686/ 

Or visit his website: theylaughyouwin.com/virtual

Thanks Matt for a riveting and hilarious episode! 

Dan Pontefract is a founder, 4x author, leadership strategist, 4x Ted speaker, and big time hugger on hiatus. In this episode he shares gems from his recently launched book, Lead, Care, Win.

“If we’re not caring about ourselves and the people we are fortunate to come in contact with, then what are we looking back on in self-reflection? I do believe that the 4-letter word we need to hone in on is C.A.R.E”

Dan is a champion of leaders who view success as building others up. Yes, there are leaders out there who seem to be winning without caring about their employees, but he challenges our definition of success by looking deeper into the human experience. He gives practical advice on how to collectively collaborate with one another, how to recognize one another, and how to interact with the community at large.

Employee experience for Dan is the manner in which we operationalize how work gets done. A fresh take on how to build your culture and your people.

Get his book!

www.leadcarewin.com

LinkedIn

https://www.linkedin.com/in/danpontefract/

Website

https://www.danpontefract.com/

Josh Levine believes in great Mondays. Every employee can feel energized and ready to go to work each week by clearly defining their purpose. Purpose is more than earning a paycheck, it’s being interested in the work you are doing, understanding why you are doing it, and bringing energy to the big idea you are serving. When you understand your purpose, the tedious work you do has a reason…even on Mondays.

In this episode, Josh asks us all a relevant question: with all of this disruption in the workplace, is your purpose still relevant?

This is employee engagement in the digital workplace. If your purpose is still clearly defined and relevant, it doesn’t matter if you are in the office or not. Employees can work from anywhere and be aligned on the reason why they are there. It’s a powerful tool for driving performance and productivity.

Thank you Josh for your timely insights as we built the future of work.

Josh’s Book!

Great Mondays: How to Design Company Culture Employees Love

https://www.amazon.com/Great-Mondays-Company-Culture-Employees/dp/126013234X/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=great+mondays&qid=1601996311&sr=8-1

Josh’s LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/akajoshlevine/

Website:

https://www.greatmondays.com/

Today we have the wonderful Jay Polaki on the show. We are now besties and If I could travel to Texas without having to quarantine, we’d start a garden together. In this episode we cover all things HR tech from Onboarding, to the future of work. 

You'll learn what it means to truly be focused on consumer-grade employee experience and how to implement a custom and practical action plan without being overwhelmed. Jay shares some powerful content that brings hope to any discouraged practitioners during the pandemic. 

I’ve included her most recent Forbes article which is so good it’s what sparked this conversation, so buckle up and enjoy.

Forbes: The Now Of Work: HR's Digital Revolution

https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbeshumanresourcescouncil/2020/08/26/the-now-of-work-hrs-digital-revolution/#71af77d33062

Forbes: 13 Tips For Employers Looking To Hire Fresh Talent

https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbeshumanresourcescouncil/2020/06/11/13-tips-for-employers-looking-to-hire-fresh-talent/#3f5f99391551

Linkedin:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/jpolaki/

HR Geckos:

http://hrgeckos.com/

From Roadhouse Grill to Hard Rock Café, Chester Elton takes us on a journey behind the scenes of companies who were able to successfully pivot during the COVID-19 crisis. Because of their core focus on an excellent company culture, they have been able not only to stay above water, but become profitable during the worst crisis of this century. 

Join our host Josh Drean in a fun and engaging discussion on how to build a culture of trust and open communication that can bend, but not break when times get hard. You'll learn strategies on how to best engage your people, diminish turnover, and build a high performance organization that sets new heights. 

Chester Elton has spent two decades helping clients engage their employees in organizational strategy, vision and values. In his inspiring and always entertaining talks, Elton provides real solutions for leaders looking to build culture, manage change and drive innovation. His work is supported by research with more than a million working adults across the globe, revealing the proven secrets behind high performance cultures and teams.

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chesterelton/

Website: https://www.chesterelton.com/

Leading with Gratitude: https://www.amazon.com/Leading-Gratitude-Leadership-Practices-Extraordinary/dp/0062965786

William Tincup is a LEGEND! In this episode he helps to answer HR’s most relevant questions about the future of work. In this episode, we cover:

William is the President & Editor-at-Large of RecruitingDaily. At the intersection of HR and technology, he’s a writer, speaker, advisor, consultant, investor, storyteller & teacher. He’s written over 250 HR articles, spoken at over 350 HR & recruiting conferences and he’s conducted over 1300 HR podcasts & webinars.

Stay tuned for more high energy and relevant content on how to design the optimal employee experience. 

Connect with William:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tincup/

Instagram: @williamtincup

Twitter: @williamtincup

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tincup