January 16, 2025

Ep. 10: Addiction, Empathy, and Missteps: HR Stories That Shape Leadership

18 minutes

Torin Ellis and Rob Boersma bring unforgettable workplace stories that go beyond bad behavior to the tough leadership calls behind the scenes. From managing an addicted but high-performing employee to diffusing hostile interviewees, their experiences reveal the human side of HR’s toughest challenges.

In this episode, we dive into addiction and enabling, lessons in leadership accountability, and how empathy and clear processes can transform outcomes. Rob and Torin also explore how emerging tech, like AI-powered skills matching, is reshaping the future of recruitment. It’s a mix of hard lessons, practical advice, and new ideas for HR professionals.

Key Takeaways

Addiction in the workplace can present tough leadership challenges—balancing accountability with empathy is key.

High performance doesn’t excuse misconduct; clear processes and support systems are essential.

Hostile candidates during interviews can derail hiring—empathy and preparation help defuse tension.

AI-based skills matching is disrupting the "crappy keyword search" approach in recruitment.

Leadership lessons often come from missteps; documenting processes builds accountability and fairness.

Site visits and hands-on learning can help recruiters build trust and avoid conflict with candidates.

Empathy doesn’t mean enabling—it means providing resources and holding people accountable.

Companies need a stabilization system for DEI initiatives to withstand shifting market pressures.

HR’s client is always the employee first; everything else builds from that foundation.

Walking the HR Tech floor reveals buzzwords like AI, but outcomes matter more than jargon.

A strong organizational ethos is the backbone for long-term DEI success.

Transparency and clarity in leadership decisions build trust and prevent future challenges.

This limited series is brought to you by FAMA, Modern Candidate Screening. Talent teams use FAMA to improve candidate quality, create safe and inclusive workplaces and place the right leadership for their organizations.

You can subscribe and listen to the #9to5Nightmares podcast here https://fama.io/podcasts or here

Connect with Torin Ellis to unlock potential with precision and purpose here and you can also connect with him on LinkedIn here

Connect with Rob Boersma on LinkedIn or at Talent.com

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

Ryan Leary LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryanleary/

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By WRKdefined Podcast Network