In episode 241, Coffey talks with Neil Katz news and media items from the past month, including who HR is “for”, managing AI agents, and mental-health-related gaps in employment. 

They discuss HR’s responsibility to conduct impartial workplace investigations based on evidence; the misconception that HR exists primarily as employee advocates; aligning HR strategy with revenue, margin, and organizational mission; the decline of transactional HR through automation and outsourcing; fractional HR leadership for small and midsize businesses; managing autonomous AI agents within organizational structures; developing AI operational literacy and new leadership competencies; redefining KPIs in an AI-enabled workplace; and best practices for addressing employment gaps during hiring. 

For HR teams who discuss this podcast in their team meetings, we've created a discussion starter PDF to help guide your conversation. Download it here https://goodmorninghr.com/EP241 

Media mentioned in this podcast:  

If HR Isn’t There to Help You, Who Is HR For? — Dallas Employment Lawyer Blog — February 9, 2026 

To Thrive in the AI Era, Companies Need Agent Managers 

How do explain a gap year taken for mental health. : r/jobsearchhacks 

Good Morning, HR is brought to you by Imperative—Bulletproof Background Checks. For more information about our commitment to quality and excellent customer service, visit us at https://imperativeinfo.com.  

If you are an HRCI or SHRM-certified professional, this episode of Good Morning, HR has been pre-approved for half a recertification credit. To obtain the recertification information for this episode, visit https://goodmorninghr.com.  

About our Guest: 

Neil Katz is the founder and CEO of Exceptional HR Solutions, a leading provider of fractional HR leadership for small and mid-sized businesses across the U.S. With over 25 years of experience at the intersection of people and business strategy, Neil leads a national team of 20+ seasoned HR partners dedicated to helping companies scale, evolve, and thrive. His firm delivers end-to-end HR solutions—from talent acquisition and organizational development to compliance, culture, and leadership alignment. 

Under Neil’s leadership, Exceptional HR Solutions has become a go-to resource for growth-focused companies in industries ranging from retail and healthcare to manufacturing, technology, and professional services. He is widely recognized for building agile, scalable HR infrastructures that empower leadership, strengthen teams, and deliver measurable business impact. 

While his primary focus is on growing Exceptional HR Solutions, Neil also serves selectively as an executive advisor, helping founders, CEOs, and leadership teams navigate strategic and organizational change. He holds an MBA from Amberton University, a BA in Business Administration from Texas Lutheran University, and advanced training in executive coaching from the University of Texas at Dallas. He is SHRM-certified and respected for his strategic insight and people-first leadership style. 

Neil is a frequent guest on industry podcasts and a sought-after speaker at conferences and webinars, where he shares practical insights on fractional leadership, scalable HR strategies, and the evolving role of human resources in high-growth environments. 

Outside of his professional work, Neil serves on the board of Hope International, a Dallas-based adoption agency, and previously served on the board of directors at Halo Senior Care, a for-profit business focused on elder care. He has also served with nonprofit organizations such as Gift of Adoption, reflecting his deep commitment to service and community. 

Neil Katz can be reached at  

https://exceptionalhrsolutions.com 

https://www.linkedin.com/company/exceptional-hr-solutions 

https://www.facebook.com/exceptionalhrS 

https://www.instagram.com/exceptional_hr_solutions_ 

https://twitter.com/exceptional_hrs 

https://www.youtube.com/@ExceptionalHRSolutions 

About Mike Coffey: 

Mike Coffey is an entrepreneur, licensed private investigator, business strategist, HR consultant, and registered yoga teacher. 

In 1999, he founded Imperative, a background investigations and due diligence firm helping risk-averse clients make well-informed decisions about the people they involve in their business. 

Imperative delivers in-depth employment background investigations, know-your-customer and anti-money laundering compliance, and due diligence investigations to more than 300 risk-averse corporate clients across the US, and, through its PFC Caregiver & Household Screening brand, many more private estates, family offices, and personal service agencies. 

Imperative has been named a Best Places to Work, the Texas Association of Business’ small business of the year, and is accredited by the Professional Background Screening Association.  

Mike shares his insight from 25+ years of HR-entrepreneurship on the Good Morning, HR podcast, where each week he talks to business leaders about bringing people together to create value for customers, shareholders, and community. 

Mike has been recognized as an Entrepreneur of Excellence by FW, Inc. and has twice been recognized as the North Texas HR Professional of the Year.  

Mike serves as a board member of a number of organizations, including the Texas State Council, where he serves Texas’ 31 SHRM chapters as State Director-Elect; Workforce Solutions for Tarrant County; the Texas Association of Business; and the Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce, where he is chair of the Talent Committee. 

Mike is a certified Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR) through the HR Certification Institute and a SHRM Senior Certified Professional (SHRM-SCP). He is also a Yoga Alliance registered yoga teacher (RYT-200) and teaches multiple times each week. 

Mike and his very patient wife of 28 years are empty nesters in Fort Worth.  

Learning Objectives: 

1. Understand how HR can balance legal compliance with business performance and employee trust. 
2. Identify emerging le...

In episode 240, Coffey talks with Yoram Solomon about motivating disengaged employees by building trust, increasing autonomy, and aligning intrinsic motivation with meaningful work. 

They discuss quiet quitting and job hugging trends in uncertain economic times; intrinsic versus extrinsic motivation using the car engine analogy; why pay and bonuses fail as long-term engagement strategies; the critical link between trust, autonomy, and employee engagement; why trustworthiness matters more than intelligence or effort; how micromanagement destroys creativity and productivity; designing roles that fit personality and tolerance for repetitive work; diagnosing turnover caused by boring or monotonous jobs; involving employees in organizational change initiatives; rebuilding lost trust through accountability and ownership; and why leadership should be treated as a profession rather than a promotion. 

For HR teams who discuss this podcast in their team meetings, we've created a discussion starter PDF to help guide your conversation. Download it here https://goodmorninghr.com/EP240 

Good Morning, HR is brought to you by Imperative—Bulletproof Background Checks. For more information about our commitment to quality and excellent customer service, visit us at https://imperativeinfo.com.  

If you are an HRCI or SHRM-certified professional, this episode of Good Morning, HR has been pre-approved for half a recertification credit. To obtain the recertification information for this episode, visit https://goodmorninghr.com.  

About our Guest: 

Dr. Yoram Solomon is one of the world’s leading experts on trust. He’s the author of The Book of Trust and The Trust Premium, host of The Trust Show podcast, and creator of the Trust Habits® process. A 3-time TEDx speaker and founder of the Innovation Culture Institute®, Dr. Solomon has worked with organizations like AT&T, Dannon, Northrop Grumman, and HR.com. His research-backed, no-BS approach challenges conventional wisdom on leadership, culture, and motivation—and replaces it with brutally honest, practical strategies that actually work. With a PhD in organization and management, and a background that spans tech, military, law, and education, he brings a rare combination of academic depth and real-world experience. Whether he’s on stage, on TV, or in the boardroom, his message is simple: trust isn’t fluffy—it’s measurable, learnable, and the most powerful driver of performance. 

Dr. Yoram Solomon can be reached at: 

https://www.yoramsolomon.com  

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

https://www.instagram.com/yoramsolomon  

https://www.facebook.com/TheBookofTrust 

https://x.com/yoramsolomon  

https://www.youtube.com/@TheTrustShow  

About Mike Coffey: 

Mike Coffey is an entrepreneur, licensed private investigator, business strategist, HR consultant, and registered yoga teacher. 

In 1999, he founded Imperative, a background investigations and due diligence firm helping risk-averse clients make well-informed decisions about the people they involve in their business. 

Imperative delivers in-depth employment background investigations, know-your-customer and anti-money laundering compliance, and due diligence investigations to more than 300 risk-averse corporate clients across the US, and, through its PFC Caregiver & Household Screening brand, many more private estates, family offices, and personal service agencies. 

Imperative has been named a Best Places to Work, the Texas Association of Business’ small business of the year, and is accredited by the Professional Background Screening Association.  

Mike shares his insight from 25+ years of HR-entrepreneurship on the Good Morning, HR podcast, where each week he talks to business leaders about bringing people together to create value for customers, shareholders, and community. 

Mike has been recognized as an Entrepreneur of Excellence by FW, Inc. and has twice been recognized as the North Texas HR Professional of the Year.  

Mike serves as a board member of a number of organizations, including the Texas State Council, where he serves Texas’ 31 SHRM chapters as State Director-Elect; Workforce Solutions for Tarrant County; the Texas Association of Business; and the Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce, where he is chair of the Talent Committee. 

Mike is a certified Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR) through the HR Certification Institute and a SHRM Senior Certified Professional (SHRM-SCP). He is also a Yoga Alliance registered yoga teacher (RYT-200) and teaches multiple times each week. 

Mike and his very patient wife of 28 years are empty nesters in Fort Worth.  

Learning Objectives: 

1. Differentiate between intrinsic and extrinsic motivation in workplace performance. 
2. Identify how trust and autonomy directly impact employee engagement and retention. 
3. Apply practical strategies to rebuild trust and increase motivation during organizational change. 

In episode 239, Coffey talks with Carrie Fabris about why organizations seem to revisit the same issues repeatedly and how leaders can solve them for good through better communication, alignment, and accountability. 

They discuss ineffective workplace communication and recurring problems; intuitive leadership versus inclusive decision-making; defining root causes instead of treating symptoms; creating buy-in through clarity, trust, and shared language; productive conflict and psychological safety on teams; accountability, execution, and avoiding chaos in organizations; leadership energy, burnout prevention, and sustainable performance. 

For HR teams who discuss this podcast in their team meetings, we've created a discussion starter PDF to help guide your conversation. Download it here https://goodmorninghr.com/EP239 

Carrie’s book “ALL IN: A Working Mom’s Unapologetic Quest for a Juicy Life” can be found here https://www.carriefabris.com/bookstore  

Good Morning, HR is brought to you by Imperative—Bulletproof Background Checks. For more information about our commitment to quality and excellent customer service, visit us at https://imperativeinfo.com.  

If you are an HRCI or SHRM-certified professional, this episode of Good Morning, HR has been pre-approved for half a recertification credit. To obtain the recertification information for this episode, visit https://goodmorninghr.com.  

About our Guest: 

Carrie Fabris is the founder and CEO of CareerFrame, a leadership development and executive coaching firm that helps high-performing leaders become energized, aligned, and execution-focused. Known for her fast trust and bold clarity, Carrie works with VPs and executive teams navigating growth, succession, and culture shifts. 

She brings 20+ years of corporate experience with companies like Google, Travelocity, and Sabre—and for the past 10 years, coaches and advises leaders using her signature FRAMEit Method™, which blends CliftonStrengths®, EQ-i®, Situational Leadership and real-world leadership systems that emphasize a whole-human leadership approach to bring balance for busy people leaders. Carrie is especially passionate about helping leaders have hard conversations, build trust fast, communicate effectively and create accountability that actually energizes. She graduated from UT Austin and resides in Dallas, TX. 

Carrie Fabris can be reached at  

https://www.careerframe.com  

https://www.linkedin.com/in/cfabris-reframe-coaching-training https://www.carriefabris.com/bookstore 

https://www.instagram.com/cdfabris 

https://www.facebook.com/chiefreframer 

https://x.com/yourcareerframe 

[email protected] 

About Mike Coffey: 

Mike Coffey is an entrepreneur, licensed private investigator, business strategist, HR consultant, and registered yoga teacher. 

In 1999, he founded Imperative, a background investigations and due diligence firm helping risk-averse clients make well-informed decisions about the people they involve in their business. 

Imperative delivers in-depth employment background investigations, know-your-customer and anti-money laundering compliance, and due diligence investigations to more than 300 risk-averse corporate clients across the US, and, through its PFC Caregiver & Household Screening brand, many more private estates, family offices, and personal service agencies. 

Imperative has been named a Best Places to Work, the Texas Association of Business’ small business of the year, and is accredited by the Professional Background Screening Association.  

Mike shares his insight from 25+ years of HR-entrepreneurship on the Good Morning, HR podcast, where each week he talks to business leaders about bringing people together to create value for customers, shareholders, and community. 

Mike has been recognized as an Entrepreneur of Excellence by FW, Inc. and has twice been recognized as the North Texas HR Professional of the Year.  

Mike serves as a board member of a number of organizations, including the Texas State Council, where he serves Texas’ 31 SHRM chapters as State Director-Elect; Workforce Solutions for Tarrant County; the Texas Association of Business; and the Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce, where he is chair of the Talent Committee. 

Mike is a certified Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR) through the HR Certification Institute and a SHRM Senior Certified Professional (SHRM-SCP). He is also a Yoga Alliance registered yoga teacher (RYT-200) and teaches multiple times each week. 

Mike and his very patient wife of 28 years are empty nesters in Fort Worth.  

Learning Objectives: 

1. Identify why unresolved communication leads to recurring organizational problems. 
2. Apply practical leadership behaviors that create alignment, buy-in, and accountability. 
3. Use frameworks and assessments to improve problem solving, execution, and team trust. 

In episode 238, Coffey talks with Joseph Fuller about how skills-based hiring is reshaping recruiting, workforce development, and talent strategy in the age of AI. 

They discuss defining skills-based hiring beyond degree proxies; redesigning recruiting and applicant tracking systems; training hiring managers to reduce bias and risk aversion; using AI, simulations, and assessments to evaluate real skills; improving onboarding for nontraditional hires; addressing automation’s impact on entry-level roles; balancing degrees, credentials, and experiential learning; and elevating social and learning skills as core capabilities in the future workforce. 

For HR teams who discuss this podcast in their team meetings, we've created a discussion starter PDF to help guide your conversation. Download it here https://goodmorninghr.com/EP238 

Good Morning, HR is brought to you by Imperative—Bulletproof Background Checks. For more information about our commitment to quality and excellent customer service, visit us at https://imperativeinfo.com.  

If you are an HRCI or SHRM-certified professional, this episode of Good Morning, HR has been pre-approved for half a recertification credit. To obtain the recertification information for this episode, visit https://goodmorninghr.com.  

About our Guest: 

Joseph Fuller is Professor of Management Practice at the Harvard Business School and one of the nation’s leading authorities on the future of work. He co-leads the Managing the Future of Work Project at Harvard Business School. He creates research of direct relevance to decision makers in business and government, including the impact of technology and demographic changes on the workforce, the rise of the gig economy, global talent flows, and the emergence of the care economy. The Managing the Future of Work podcast that he co-hosts has been downloaded over 2 million times. He also co-leads the Harvard Project on the Workforce, a collaboration between the Harvard schools of business, government and education. It focuses on issues related to lower skilled workers, including career pathways and the causes of income polarization and occupational segregation.  

Prior to joining the faculty, he was a founder, first employee and long-time CEO of the global strategy consulting firm Monitor Group, now Monitor-Deloitte.  

Joe is a widely published author. His work has appeared in the Harvard Business Review, the Sloan Management Review, the Wall Street Journal, the Financial Times, the Washington Post and the New York Times.  

Joe is a magna cum laude graduate of Harvard College and of Harvard Business School. He is a director of Aera Technology, Hakluyt and Company and Helios Consulting, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Western Governors University and a Senior Visiting Fellow at the American Enterprise Institute. 

Joseph Fuller can be reached at  

https://www.hbs.edu/faculty/Pages/profile.aspx?facId=123284 

Additional Resources: 

Charter Workplace Summit 2025: AI and entry-level workers 

The Future of Work Series: The Effects of AI on Talent Management and Workforce Development - Video | OpenAI Forum 

MINDWORKS Season 4 Transcripts – Aptima Season 4 transcript under the title “AI and the Future of Work”  

About Mike Coffey: 

Mike Coffey is an entrepreneur, licensed private investigator, business strategist, HR consultant, and registered yoga teacher. 

In 1999, he founded Imperative, a background investigations and due diligence firm helping risk-averse clients make well-informed decisions about the people they involve in their business. 

Imperative delivers in-depth employment background investigations, know-your-customer and anti-money laundering compliance, and due diligence investigations to more than 300 risk-averse corporate clients across the US, and, through its PFC Caregiver & Household Screening brand, many more private estates, family offices, and personal service agencies. 

Imperative has been named a Best Places to Work, the Texas Association of Business’ small business of the year, and is accredited by the Professional Background Screening Association.  

Mike shares his insight from 25+ years of HR-entrepreneurship on the Good Morning, HR podcast, where each week he talks to business leaders about bringing people together to create value for customers, shareholders, and community. 

Mike has been recognized as an Entrepreneur of Excellence by FW, Inc. and has twice been recognized as the North Texas HR Professional of the Year.  

Mike serves as a board member of a number of organizations, including the Texas State Council, where he serves Texas’ 31 SHRM chapters as State Director-Elect; Workforce Solutions for Tarrant County; the Texas Association of Business; and the Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce, where he is chair of the Talent Committee. 

Mike is a certified Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR) through the HR Certification Institute and a SHRM Senior Certified Professional (SHRM-SCP). He is also a Yoga Alliance registered yoga teacher (RYT-200) and teaches multiple times each week. 

Mike and his very patient wife of 28 years are empty nesters in Fort Worth.  

Learning Objectives:  

1. Understand what differentiates skills-based hiring from traditional credential-based recruiting 
2. Identify practical changes employers must make to hiring processes, interviews, and ATS systems 
3. Evaluate when college degrees add value and when alternative signals of capability are more effective 

Something New!  
For HR teams who discuss this podcast in their team meetings, we've created a discussion starter PDF to help guide your conversation. Download it here https://goodmorninghr.com/EP237 

In episode 237, Coffey and DeDe Church discuss recent news items about how shifting economic conditions, technology, and leadership gaps are reshaping the employment landscape. 

They discuss the realities of a “low-hire, low-fire” labor market; dehumanizing hiring processes and AI-driven recruiting tools; challenges facing early-career workers and liberal arts graduates; emerging roles created by artificial intelligence; the growing importance of soft skills like problem solving and communication; workforce restructuring, layoffs, and job hugging; employee disengagement and the great detachment; why strong frontline workers often struggle as supervisors; the risks of promoting without leadership training; transparency, feedback, and promotion decisions; and how kindness, accountability, and continuous feedback drive engagement. 

Good Morning, HR is brought to you by Imperative—Bulletproof Background Checks. For more information about our commitment to quality and excellent customer service, visit us at https://imperativeinfo.com.  

If you are an HRCI or SHRM-certified professional, this episode of Good Morning, HR has been pre-approved for three quarters of a recertification credit. To obtain the recertification information for this episode, visit https://goodmorninghr.com.  

Media mentioned in this podcast: 

From AI bubble fears to the job market’s ‘Great Freeze’: Economists answer your biggest questions about 2026 

Private-Sector Hiring Turned Positive in December After November Losses  

Private Hiring Sank in November, ADP Says 

US Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook: Fastest Growing Occupations 
 

The 2026 Job Market Outlook: Where the Jobs Are 

Economists Are Studying the Slowing Job Market—and Feeling It Themselves 

When Good Frontline Workers Make Bad Supervisors 

Is Your Leadership Style Too Nice? 

The Friendship Recession: The Lost Art of Connecting 

Use Situation-Behavior-Impact (SBI)™ to Understand Intent 

About our Guest: 

DeDe Church is an attorney, employee relations counselor, workplace and University investigator, and nationally recognized trainer with more than 30 years of experience. She has trained thousands of employees and managers on how to create a productive, respectful culture for clients ranging from Fortune 50 companies to her favorite local pizza shop. Known for her humor and practicality, DeDe is often invited and then re-invited to deliver her high-energy workshops at distinguished conferences and to create videos for employee onboarding and annual training. 

As an expert investigator, DeDe relies upon a depth of knowledge to find the facts without causing unnecessary disturbances. Witnesses often say they feel at ease when talking with her because of her approachable nature. In addition, DeDe is often retained to review investigation procedures and to train in-house HR and University professionals on investigation best practices. In recognition of her skills, DeDe has been retained to testify as an expert witness in employment cases more than 20 times by organizations including Uber, BP, and MD Anderson Cancer Center. 

DeDe is a former Senior Assistant Attorney General for the State of Texas in the Civil Rights/General Litigation Division. During almost seven years there, she advised dozens of state agencies on the proper response to employee complaints, represented the State in over 30 trials involving discrimination in the workplace, and successfully argued before the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals and the Texas Supreme Court. DeDe received the prestigious Presidential Citation from the President of the Texas State Bar in recognition of outstanding service to the citizens of Texas. Her Bachelor of Arts degree is from Louisiana State University, magna cum laude, and she received a Doctorate of Jurisprudence with Honors from the University of North Carolina School of Law in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. 

DeDe Church can be reached at 

www.dedechurch.com 

https://www.linkedin.com/in/dede-wilburn-church-a71b748/ 

About Mike Coffey: 

Mike Coffey is an entrepreneur, licensed private investigator, business strategist, HR consultant, and registered yoga teacher. 

In 1999, he founded Imperative, a background investigations and due diligence firm helping risk-averse clients make well-informed decisions about the people they involve in their business. 

Imperative delivers in-depth employment background investigations, know-your-customer and anti-money laundering compliance, and due diligence investigations to more than 300 risk-averse corporate clients across the US, and, through its PFC Caregiver & Household Screening brand, many more private estates, family offices, and personal service agencies. 

Imperative has been named a Best Places to Work, the Texas Association of Business’ small business of the year, and is accredited by the Professional Background Screening Association.  

Mike shares his insight from 25+ years of HR-entrepreneurship on the Good Morning, HR podcast, where each week he talks to business leaders about bringing people together to create value for customers, shareholders, and community. 

Mike has been rec...

Something New!  
For HR teams who discuss this podcast in their team meetings, we've created a discussion starter PDF to help guide your conversation. Download it here https://goodmorninghr.com/EP236 

In episode 236, the second part of a two-part conversation, Coffey continues his discussion with Jacob Morgan about building future-ready organizations by balancing empathy, performance, and technology in the modern workplace. 

They discuss misalignment between employee expectations and career outcomes; long work hours versus work-life balance tradeoffs; honesty in company culture and career paths; the eight laws for future-ready organizations; decoding the human signal in leadership; empathetic excellence as a talent framework; learning as the new job security; flexibility in career design; people-first leadership principles; the role of leaders in shaping employee experience; using AI and technology to amplify humanity; risks of over-indexing on empathy; managing performance during personal hardship; AI augmentation versus job replacement; and why organizational redesign must precede true AI transformation. 

Good Morning, HR is brought to you by Imperative—Bulletproof Background Checks. For more information about our commitment to quality and excellent customer service, visit us at https://imperativeinfo.com.  

If you are an HRCI or SHRM-certified professional, this episode of Good Morning, HR has been pre-approved for half a recertification credit. To obtain the recertification information for this episode, visit https://goodmorninghr.com.  

About our Guest: 

Jacob Morgan is an international best-selling author, professionally trained futurist, and keynote speaker. He also runs "Future of Work Leaders," an exclusive network of the world's top CHROs shaping the future of work and employee experience. His passion and mission is to create future-ready leaders, employees, and organizations. Jacob's work has been endorsed by the CEOs of Mastercard, Best Buy, Unilever, The Ritz Carlton, Nestle, Cisco, Audi, and many others. He has a popular podcast called Future-Ready Leadership With Jacob Morgan and lives in Los Angeles with his wife, two kids, and two Yorkie rescue dogs. 

Jacob Morgan can be reached at  

https://thefutureorganization.com/  

https://www.linkedin.com/in/jacobmorgan8/  

https://x.com/jacobm 

https://www.youtube.com/@JacobMorgan 

https://www.instagram.com/jacobmorgan8/ 

https://www.facebook.com/JacobMorgan8/ 

https://greatleadership.substack.com/  

About Mike Coffey: 

Mike Coffey is an entrepreneur, licensed private investigator, business strategist, HR consultant, and registered yoga teacher. 

In 1999, he founded Imperative, a background investigations and due diligence firm helping risk-averse clients make well-informed decisions about the people they involve in their business. 

Imperative delivers in-depth employment background investigations, know-your-customer and anti-money laundering compliance, and due diligence investigations to more than 300 risk-averse corporate clients across the US, and, through its PFC Caregiver & Household Screening brand, many more private estates, family offices, and personal service agencies. 

Imperative has been named a Best Places to Work, the Texas Association of Business’ small business of the year, and is accredited by the Professional Background Screening Association.  

Mike shares his insight from 25+ years of HR-entrepreneurship on the Good Morning, HR podcast, where each week he talks to business leaders about bringing people together to create value for customers, shareholders, and community. 

Mike has been recognized as an Entrepreneur of Excellence by FW, Inc. and has twice been recognized as the North Texas HR Professional of the Year.  

Mike serves as a board member of a number of organizations, including the Texas State Council, where he serves Texas’ 31 SHRM chapters as State Director-Elect; Workforce Solutions for Tarrant County; the Texas Association of Business; and the Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce, where he is chair of the Talent Committee. 

Mike is a certified Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR) through the HR Certification Institute and a SHRM Senior Certified Professional (SHRM-SCP). He is also a Yoga Alliance registered yoga teacher (RYT-200) and teaches multiple times each week. 

Mike and his very patient wife of 28 years are empty nesters in Fort Worth.  

Learning Objectives: 

1. Understand how misaligned expectations between employees and organizations undermine performance and engagement 
2. Evaluate talent using the empathetic excellence framework of competence, merit, and empathy 
3. Apply practical leadership approaches to balance empathy with accountability 
4. Explain the eight laws that define a future-ready organization 
5. Assess how AI and technology can augment human capability rather than replace it 

Something New!  
For HR teams who discuss this podcast in their team meetings, we've created a discussion starter PDF to help guide your conversation. Download it here https://goodmorninghr.com/EP235 

In episode 235, the first part of a two-part conversation, Coffey talks with Jacob Morgan about building a future-ready organization by redesigning employee experience as a leadership system rather than a collection of perks. 

They discuss the role of futurists and foresight frameworks in business strategy; decoding human signals to anticipate workforce change; why employee experience must balance empathy, competence, and merit; failures of perk-driven engagement models; employee agency and co-creation of the workplace experience; structural work design versus superficial engagement tactics; leadership accountability in shaping culture; using technology and AI to amplify human capability rather than replace it; aligning expectations between employees and organizations in a post-pandemic workforce. 

Good Morning, HR is brought to you by Imperative—Bulletproof Background Checks. For more information about our commitment to quality and excellent customer service, visit us at https://imperativeinfo.com.  

If you are an HRCI or SHRM-certified professional, this episode of Good Morning, HR has been pre-approved for half a recertification credit. To obtain the recertification information for this episode, visit https://goodmorninghr.com.  

About our Guest: 

Jacob Morgan is an international best-selling author, professionally trained futurist, and keynote speaker. He also runs "Future of Work Leaders," an exclusive network of the world's top CHROs shaping the future of work and employee experience. His passion and mission is to create future-ready leaders, employees, and organizations. Jacob's work has been endorsed by the CEOs of Mastercard, Best Buy, Unilever, The Ritz Carlton, Nestle, Cisco, Audi, and many others. He has a popular podcast called Future-Ready Leadership With Jacob Morgan and lives in Los Angeles with his wife, two kids, and two Yorkie rescue dogs. 

Jacob Morgan can be reached at  

https://thefutureorganization.com/  

https://www.linkedin.com/in/jacobmorgan8/  

https://x.com/jacobm 

https://www.youtube.com/@JacobMorgan 

https://www.instagram.com/jacobmorgan8/ 

https://www.facebook.com/JacobMorgan8/ 

https://greatleadership.substack.com/  

About Mike Coffey: 

Mike Coffey is an entrepreneur, licensed private investigator, business strategist, HR consultant, and registered yoga teacher. 

In 1999, he founded Imperative, a background investigations and due diligence firm helping risk-averse clients make well-informed decisions about the people they involve in their business. 

Imperative delivers in-depth employment background investigations, know-your-customer and anti-money laundering compliance, and due diligence investigations to more than 300 risk-averse corporate clients across the US, and, through its PFC Caregiver & Household Screening brand, many more private estates, family offices, and personal service agencies. 

Imperative has been named a Best Places to Work, the Texas Association of Business’ small business of the year, and is accredited by the Professional Background Screening Association.  

Mike shares his insight from 25+ years of HR-entrepreneurship on the Good Morning, HR podcast, where each week he talks to business leaders about bringing people together to create value for customers, shareholders, and community. 

Mike has been recognized as an Entrepreneur of Excellence by FW, Inc. and has twice been recognized as the North Texas HR Professional of the Year.  

Mike serves as a board member of a number of organizations, including the Texas State Council, where he serves Texas’ 31 SHRM chapters as State Director-Elect; Workforce Solutions for Tarrant County; the Texas Association of Business; and the Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce, where he is chair of the Talent Committee. 

Mike is a certified Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR) through the HR Certification Institute and a SHRM Senior Certified Professional (SHRM-SCP). He is also a Yoga Alliance registered yoga teacher (RYT-200) and teaches multiple times each week. 

Mike and his very patient wife of 28 years are empty nesters in Fort Worth.  

Learning Objectives: 

Understand how foresight tools and human signals help leaders prepare for future workforce shifts 

Evaluate employee experience using the framework of empathetic excellence instead of perks or engagement scores 

Apply the eight laws of employee experience to build resilient, future-ready organizations 

Something New!  
For HR teams who discuss this podcast in their team meetings, we've created a discussion starter PDF to help guide your conversation. Download it here https://goodmorninghr.com/EP234  

In episode 234, Coffey talks with Lana Eyzips about building data-informed, strategic HR functions. 

They discuss why HR is often excluded from strategic planning; shifting HR from reactive firefighter to proactive advisor; building credibility through relationships rather than titles; translating people data into business and revenue impact; onboarding priorities for new HR leaders; compliance as a driver of culture and ethics; balancing HR’s role with leaders and employees; using data to influence executive decisions; the Light Bulb Method for strategic HR problem-solving; DEI framed through business outcomes; psychological safety and trust in organizations; and the future of HR with AI governance and automation. 

Good Morning, HR is brought to you by Imperative—Bulletproof Background Checks. For more information about our commitment to quality and excellent customer service, visit us at https://imperativeinfo.com.  

If you are an HRCI or SHRM-certified professional, this episode of Good Morning, HR has been pre-approved for half a recertification credit. To obtain the recertification information for this episode, visit https://goodmorninghr.com.  

About our Guest: 

Lana Eyzips, M.A., PHR is a senior HR leader and business psychology consultant with over 17 years of HR experience helping organizations turn people challenges into strategic growth. She’s the creator of The Lightbulb Method™, a practical framework that connects people, data, and culture to drive results leaders can actually see.  

With a master’s in Industrial and Organizational Psychology and deep experience across industries, from healthcare and credit unions to manufacturing and nonprofits, Lana brings a rare blend of compliance expertise, behavioral insight, and cross-cultural perspective. Her work focuses on helping leaders build credibility, navigate change, and create cultures rooted in trust, accountability, and clarity. 

Lana Eyzips can be reached at  

https://lanaeyzips.carrd.co/ 

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

About Mike Coffey: 

Mike Coffey is an entrepreneur, licensed private investigator, consultant, and registered yoga teacher. 

In 1999, he founded Imperative, a background investigations and due diligence firm helping risk-averse clients make better decisions about the people they involve in their business.  

Imperative delivers in-depth employment background investigations, know-your-customer and anti-money laundering compliance, and due diligence investigations to more than 300 risk-averse corporate clients across the US, and, through its PFC Caregiver & Household Screening brand, many more private estates, family offices, and personal service agencies. 

Mike was recognized as an Entrepreneur of Excellence by FW, Inc. and has twice been named the North Texas HR Professional of the Year.  

Mike serves as a board member of a number of organizations, including the Texas SHRM, the state HR association, where he serves Texas’ 30 SHRM chapters as State Director-Elect; Workforce Solutions for Tarrant County, where he is chair of the Workforce Readiness Committee; the Texas Association of Business, Texas’ state chamber; and the Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce, where he is chair of the Talent Committee. 

Mike is a certified Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR) through the HR Certification Institute and a SHRM Senior Certified Professional (SHRM-SCP). He is also a Yoga Alliance registered yoga teacher (RYT-200). 

Mike and his very patient wife of 29 years are empty nesters in Fort Worth, where he teaches yoga several times each week.  

Learning Objectives: 

Explain why credibility is the foundation for HR’s strategic influence 

Apply practical methods for building trust with executives and frontline leaders 

Use data, culture awareness, and psychology to frame people issues as business risks and opportunities 

Something New!  
For HR teams who discuss this podcast in their team meetings, we've created a discussion starter PDF to help guide your conversation. Download it here https://goodmorninghr.com/EP#233 

In episode 233, Coffey talks with Amy Jacobs about evaluating and investigating unique complaints. 

They discuss evaluating the credibility of anonymous complaints; deciding when to investigate versus monitor; retaining records of all complaints for institutional memory; handling requests for confidentiality and anonymity; responding to complaints from former employees; assessing credibility when performance issues exist; navigating complaints raised through attorneys or union representatives; managing interviews with legal counsel or representatives present; deciding between in-person and virtual investigations; selecting interview locations to preserve confidentiality; recording versus not recording interviews; controlling interview pace and scope; identifying unrelated but critical issues uncovered during investigations; communicating investigation outcomes to complainants and employees; preventing retaliation claims; and managing gossip and trust in the workplace after investigations. 

Good Morning, HR is brought to you by Imperative—Bulletproof Background Checks. For more information about our commitment to quality and excellent customer service, visit us at https://imperativeinfo.com.  

If you are an HRCI or SHRM-certified professional, this episode of Good Morning, HR has been pre-approved for half a recertification credit. To obtain the recertification information for this episode, visit https://goodmorninghr.com.  

About our Guest: 

Amy Jacobs, an employment lawyer, joined Employment Practices Solutions in 1997 and is a currently a senior consultant and shareholder. For 30 years, Amy and the other consultants at EPS have partnered with all sorts of organizations to build respectful and inclusive work environments. In addition to impartial complaint investigations, EPS provides a range of services including highly customized training programs - live, virtual-live, and on-demand; expert testimony in human resources and employment law; and a wide array of HR consulting services. Their client base includes Fortune 100 companies, small businesses, government entities, higher education institutions, and nonprofit organizations. Mostly importantly, EPS is dedicated to providing high-quality solutions that meet the unique needs of each organization. 

Amy Jacobs can be reached at 

https://www epspros.com 

https://www.linkedin.com/company/epspros 

About Mike Coffey: 

Mike Coffey is an entrepreneur, licensed private investigator, business strategist, HR consultant, and registered yoga teacher. 

In 1999, he founded Imperative, a background investigations and due diligence firm helping risk-averse clients make well-informed decisions about the people they involve in their business. 

Imperative delivers in-depth employment background investigations, know-your-customer and anti-money laundering compliance, and due diligence investigations to more than 300 risk-averse corporate clients across the US, and, through its PFC Caregiver & Household Screening brand, many more private estates, family offices, and personal service agencies. 

Imperative has been named a Best Places to Work, the Texas Association of Business’ small business of the year, and is accredited by the Professional Background Screening Association.  

Mike shares his insight from 25+ years of HR-entrepreneurship on the Good Morning, HR podcast, where each week he talks to business leaders about bringing people together to create value for customers, shareholders, and community. 

Mike has been recognized as an Entrepreneur of Excellence by FW, Inc. and has twice been recognized as the North Texas HR Professional of the Year.  

Mike serves as a board member of a number of organizations, including the Texas State Council, where he serves Texas’ 30 SHRM chapters as State Director-Elect; Workforce Solutions for Tarrant County; the Texas Association of Business; and the Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce, where he is chair of the Talent Committee. 

Mike is a certified Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR) through the HR Certification Institute and a SHRM Senior Certified Professional (SHRM-SCP). He is also a Yoga Alliance registered yoga teacher (RYT-200) and teaches multiple times each week. 

Mike and his very patient wife of 29 years are empty nesters in Fort Worth.  

Learning Objectives:  

Evaluate anonymous and informal employee complaints for credibility and risk. 

Apply best practices for conducting fair, defensible workplace investigations. 

Manage post-investigation communication to reduce retaliation and rebuild trust. 

Something New! 
 For HR teams who discuss this podcast in their team meetings, we've created a discussion starter PDF to help guide your conversation. Download it here https://goodmorninghr.com/EP232

In episode 232, Coffey talks with Margarita Ramos about the importance and future of the employee relations function following the $11.5 million SHRM discrimination verdict.

They discuss the SHRM jury verdict and its implications for HR credibility; the role of employee relations at the intersection of compliance and employee experience; proactive versus reactive approaches to workplace conflict; multiple complaint channels and manager escalation obligations; why dismissing concerns as "not illegal" undermines trust; investigation failures highlighted in the SHRM case; investigator neutrality, training, and experience requirements; when and why to use outside investigators or counsel; leadership accountability and the role of the CHRO in employee relations; the three-legged stool of employee relations, HR business partners, and employment counsel; building ER infrastructure with case management systems and data analytics; handling high-performing but high-risk leaders; transparency in employee relations processes; reducing gossip through consistent and fair investigations; and the future of employee relations including responsible use of AI in investigations.

Good Morning, HR is brought to you by Imperative—Bulletproof Background Checks. For more information about our commitment to quality and excellent customer service, visit us at https://imperativeinfo.com. 

If you are an HRCI or SHRM-certified professional, this episode of Good Morning, HR has been pre-approved for half a recertification credit. To obtain the recertification information for this episode, visit https://goodmorninghr.com. 

About our Guest:

Margarita Ramos is a highly respected Global Employee Relations executive and employment attorney with more than two decades of experience across technology, SaaS, and financial services. She is trusted by CHROs, HR Business Partners, and C-suite leaders to build scalable ER infrastructures, stabilize organizations through change, and elevate the employee experience through disciplined governance and operational excellence.

With a foundation rooted in JD-trained employment law—including roles as In-House Employment Counsel at Merrill Lynch and Principal Corporate Counsel at Microsoft—Margarita developed deep legal expertise in compliance, risk mitigation, and workplace investigations. 

She later translated this expertise into senior ER and HR Compliance leadership roles at VMware, Splunk, RBC, and Bank of America, where she supported complex global workforces navigating rapid growth, cultural transformation, and organizational change. 

Throughout her career, Margarita has been brought in to create structure where ambiguity exists. She has built and led global ER Centers of Excellence, developed investigations and performance-management frameworks, and implemented modern case-management systems such as Workday, HR Acuity, and AI-enabled governance tools. Her approach blends empathy with operational rigor, ensuring ER functions are both employee-centric and aligned with business strategy.

A skilled investigator and ER strategist, Margarita advises senior leaders on workplace investigations, conflict resolution, performance management, DEI&B, and global employment compliance. She is known for her ability to translate data, case trends, and cultural signals into actionable insights—leveraging ER metrics, KPIs, and reporting to influence leadership decisions, drive fairness, and strengthen organizational culture. Her data-driven approach enables leaders to make well-informed, consistent decisions that reinforce trust and accountability across the enterprise. 

Margarita has also led M&A HR integration efforts at VMware and Splunk, overseeing cultural alignment, workforce assessments, and change-management strategies during periods of significant transformation. Her leadership in these environments reflects her commitment to creating workplaces where clarity, belonging, and operational excellence coexist. Beyond her corporate work, Margarita is deeply committed to developing future talent. She has mentored first-generation college students and contributed to organizations such as Girls Who Code, Year Up, and Hobart & William Smith Colleges. At Microsoft, she provided pro bono support for Kids in Need of Defense (KIND). Outside of work, she enjoys ballroom dancing and cooking. Margarita is passionate about shaping modern, strategic, tech-forward ER functions that support organizational values, reduce risk, build leadership capability, and create an environment where employees can do their best work with trust, fairness, and accountability.

Margarita Ramos can be reached at

https://www.linkedin.com/in/margarita-ramos/

About Mike Coffey:

Mike Coffey is an entrepreneur, licensed private investigator, business strategist, HR consultant, and registered yoga teacher.

In 1999, he founded Imperative, a background investigations and due diligence firm helping risk-averse clients make well-informed decisions about the people they involve in their business.

Imperative delivers in-depth employment background investigations, know-your-customer and anti-money laundering compliance, and due diligence investigations to more than 300 risk-averse corporate clients across the US, and, through its PFC Caregiver & Household Screening brand, many more private estates, family offices, and personal service agencies.

Imperative has been named a Best Places to Work, the Texas Association of Business’ small business of the year, and is accredited by the Professional Background Screening Association. 

Mike shares his insight from 25+ years of HR-entrepreneurship on the Good Morning, HR podcast, where each week he talks to business leaders about bringing people together to create value for customers, shareholders, and community.

Mike has been recognized as an Entrepreneur of Excellence by FW, Inc. and has twice been recognized as the North Texas HR Professional of the Year. 

Mike serves as a board member of a number of organizations, including the Texas State Council, where he serves Texas’ 31 SHRM chapters as State Director-Elect; Workforce Solutions for Tarrant County; the Texas Association of Business; and the Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce, where he is chair of the Talent Committee.

Mike is a certified Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR) through the HR Certification Institute and a SHRM Senior Certified Professional (SHRM-SCP). He is also a Yoga Alliance registered yoga teacher (RYT-200) and teach...