Nate Rees, Director of Training and Talent Development at Salary.com, joins us this episode to discuss a critical issue facing organizations today: the manager training crisis. Nate shares alarming data on the percentage of managers promoted without receiving any training and the costly impact this has on turnover and productivity. We explore why organizations fail to invest in new managers, how a raise is not a substitute for training, and low-budget/high-impact strategies HR leaders can implement immediately to better support their new managers.

[0:00] Introduction

[6:25] What is the manager training crisis?

[16:31] Why aren’t more organizations investing in manager training?

[22:29] How can HR leaders start to fix this?

[33:43] Closing

Quick Quote

“60% [of managers] say they never received any training when they transitioned into their first leadership role... we're throwing them at the deep end of the pool and not giving them any swimming lessons.”

Carlee Wolfe, Associate Vice President of Talent and Organizational Effectiveness at Hyatt, joins the podcast for a special 250th episode! Carlee discusses the value, strategy, and importance of serving on nonprofit boards. She shares insights on how to find the right board that matches your passions and skills, why nonprofits need skilled volunteers, and how to be an effective contributing board member once you join.

[0:00] Introduction

[9:28] What is the strategic value of joining a nonprofit board?

[17:29] How do you find the right board to join?

[26:00] How to be an effective board member

[28:07] Closing

Quick Quote

“I think the big thing about being on a board . . . is you are helping set the support and steward the strategic direction of the organization, right? You're that body that supports the ultimate mission of where the organization is heading.”

In this episode, David and Dwight dive into the critical and ever-present issue of poor data quality in HR and its cascading impact on the organization. They break the problem down into 3 key areas: recruiting, artificial intelligence, and pay transparency. They explore how recruiting often serves as the flawed entry point for employee data, discuss the dangers of training AI on biased information (which can lead to discriminatory practices like ageism), and examine the new data governance challenges posed by emerging pay transparency laws.

[0:00] Introduction

[5:24] How does poor data quality in recruiting create downstream problems?

[12:08] How can biased data lead to discriminatory AI in the hiring process?

[19:32] What are the data governance challenges presented by pay transparency laws?

[24:31] Closing

Quick Quote

“As the demographic bubble for Gen X gets larger, companies can't ignore [AI bias in recruitment] anymore. They have to take it on, and that means they have to start training their artificial intelligence to not filter out all of us grays.”

Haris Ikram, Co-founder and CEO of CandorIQ, and Chad Atwell, Head of Customer Success and Advisory Services at CandorIQ, join us this episode to discuss the critical, yet often disconnected, relationship between HR and finance in workforce planning. They explore why these teams often operate in silos and how they can collaborate more effectively on headcount and compensation to drive business success. The conversation also gets into the changing definition of the workforce, the role of data in strategic planning, and how AI is shaping the future of work and employee skills.

[0:00] Introduction

[5:50] Why HR and finance teams don’t collaborate, even though they should

[20:06] What’s workforce planning and what challenges might be present?

[37:53] How AI and agents are influencing workforce planning

[43:46] Closing

Quick Quote

“Layoffs cause an immense amount of harm for the companies as well. I mean, there's lots of research out there that will show dips or even just outright dives in company confidence, people's belief in future career opportunities, confidence in leadership.”

In this special solo episode, recorded live at the HR Tennessee Conference, David takes a deep dive into the fundamentals of compensation planning. He demystifies the complex processes behind pay decisions, breaking down everything from base pay and bonuses to the strategic importance of pay philosophy, market analysis, and effective communication. Listen in for a masterclass on how to build a fair, transparent, and effective compensation strategy. 

[0:00] Introduction

[0:26] What Are the Core Components of Compensation?

[10:59] Building the Compensation Framework

[22:43] How Can You Truly Pay for Performance?

[37:58] Compensation Planning in Action: Case Studies & Real-World Scenarios

[49:30] Q&A and Closing

Quick Quote

“Incentive plans only work if the manager and the employee have a conversation and there's communication about why this happened . . . No one likes wasting money, and that lack of a story is a waste of money.”

In this episode, which was recorded live from the HR Tennessee Conference in Nashville, David welcomes Misty Bolt, also known as "Medicare Misty." Misty demystifies the complexities of Medicare, explaining what it is and how it's funded, and she explains the critical differences between it and Medicaid. She also discusses the current state of Medicare, common misconceptions employees have as they approach retirement, and why early and continuous financial education is essential for ensuring a secure future. 

[0:00] Introduction

[3:16] The Current State and Future of Medicare

[7:03] Why Employees Are Unprepared for Retirement Decisions

[15:58] Proactive Steps for Financial Wellness and Retirement

[18:15] Closing

Quick Quote

“[When you retire] you're thrown out to the wolves and [navigating Medicare] is . . . so hard and so complicated that nobody understands it.”

In this episode, David and Dwight continue their “AI-Off,” a deep dive into using AI development tools to automate everyday tasks and create custom applications for HR. They explore the concept of "vibe coding" with platforms like Replit and Base44, discussing how HR professionals can leverage natural language to build powerful tools without extensive coding knowledge. They cover the iterative development process, the importance of subject matter expertise, and the practical realities of cost and security when deploying AI solutions.

[0:00] Introduction

[8:19] The Pros and Cons of AI Development Tools

[17:38] How to build AI Applications with Natural Language

[24:09] The Reality of Building with AI: Costs, Security, and Deployment

[30:24] Closing

Quick Quote

“If you want [AI] to help you use your job better, [using tools like Replit or Base44] is potentially a really great way of being able to utilize your skills and your knowledge in this area.”

Sarah Smart, founder of Horizon Human Resources and a seasoned talent acquisition (TA) leader, joins us this episode to discuss the transformational impact of AI on talent acquisition. We explore how AI is reshaping TA roles, from coordinators to sourcers, and make the case for a fundamental shift in how organizations structure and skill their recruiting teams for the future. Sarah also provides critical advice for CHROs on adopting a skills-first strategy and integrating workforce planning directly into the TA organization to create a more predictive, data-driven, and effective hiring engine. 

[0:00] Introduction

[5:28] How is AI impacting Talent Acquisition today?

[20:32] How will TA structure and skills evolve over the next two years?

[36:18] What is your advice for CHROs?

[44:19] Closing

Quick Quote

“When you flip everything on its head and think skills first, it completely changes the structure of your organization.”

In this special episode, David and Dwight introduce an interesting live experiment: the “AI-Off.” They’ll explore how modern AI developer tools are making it possible for anyone (regardless of their coding background) to build powerful, enterprise-level applications. Listen in as they brainstorm an HR use case and plan the process of turning a simple idea into a functional app in real-time.

[0:00] Introduction

[0:26] The Power of AI in Application Development

[8:07] Brainstorming the HR Use Case

[15:46] Closing

In this episode, we welcome David Noe, host of the Speakeasy HR podcast and a fellow member of the WRKdefined podcast network. David Noe explains how HR leaders and managers can prioritize employee experience (EX) initiatives, even when everything feels urgent. We discuss how to improve EX without adding to already heavy workloads; the importance of effective manager training; and which small, simple changes—like a well-timed "thank you"—can have the biggest impact on employee satisfaction and morale. 

[0:00] Introduction

[8:27] What employee experience initiatives should be prioritized when everything is urgent?

[15:08] How can you improve employee experience without adding to the workload?

[23:29] What small changes create the biggest impact on employee satisfaction?

[31:39] Closing

Quick Quote

“A simple thank you goes a long way for some people, and it really can dramatically change the morale of that person.”