The COVID-19 pandemic took the world by storm, leaving businesses scrambling to make big decisions about workplace safety. But now that we’ve seen the effects of the virus, we can be prepared for health crises that the future has in store. Clint Van Marrewijk, Founder and CEO at SaferMe and guest on this episode of the HR Mavericks podcast, emphasized the importance of preparation. To make sure employees stay healthy (now and moving forward), you need more than a six month plan.

During our discussion, we talked about:

• The “big three” methods used to fight sickness at work

If you want to be strategic about your people functions, you can’t just wing it. On this episode of the HR Mavericks podcast, I sat down with Remone Robinson, human resources business partner at Pathways and small business HR consultant, to discuss why it’s important to trust HR pros when it comes to people. Remone recommends that even small businesses invest in a CHRO (chief human resources officer), because having HR present at the executive level shows that your company is committed to investing in its people.

During our discussion, we talked about:

• The importance of having a dedicated HR person in every business

Find Remone on Instagram

How well do you handle a work-related crisis? This week, I met with Tim Reitsma, general manager and podcast host at People Managing People, to discuss how to move through crises (personal and company-wide) and return to a pre-crisis state. He gave some ideas on how individuals and businesses alike can build the resilience needed to make it through tough times. Tim’s simple formula is all about the 3 Rs: reflecting, reframing, and reaching out.

Tim and I talked about:

• Understanding how challenges affect everybody differently

The People Managing People website

Tim’s article on resilience

Bargaining, unions, contracts, arbitration, compliance. If you Google “employee labor relations,” you’ll be hit with a wave of downright scary terms. But when you focus on the human element—instead of fixating on legal issues–employee labor relations becomes something positive. On this week’s episode of the HR Mavericks podcast, Heather Anderson, HR Manager at SP Plus Corporation, shared her insights on the importance of employee labor relations. She emphasized that when you’re passionate about people, you can make an impact on your company’s employees and upper management alike.

Here are a few things we discussed:

• What employee labor relations means

Steven Farber’s article “DISC Personality Assessments” and his HR Mavericks podcast episode

Michael Sorensen’s book, I Hear You

Your company might be veteran-friendly—but is it veteran-ready? While most businesses are happy to hire veterans, they haven’t taken the steps needed to fully support them in the workplace. On today’s episode of the HR Mavericks podcast, I met with Kathy Lowrey Gallowitz, founder and president at Vanguard Veteran, to discuss the challenges that veterans face in the civilian world and learn how to become a veteran-ready employer.

We talked about…

• The traits that make veterans great employees

Overview of Vanguard Veterans' services

Complimentary Veteran-ready assessment

Beyond “Thank You for Your Service:” the Veteran Champion Handbook for Civilians

O*NET Military Crosswalk feature

Women Who Lead — a monthly free virtual leadership discussion forum for women Veterans and non-Veterans to empower leadership and foster mutual support

If you feel like your career is at a dead end, you’ve got a few options: reignite your spark or find another path. On this episode of the HR Mavericks podcast, we talked with Tony Martignetti, founder and chief inspiration officer at Inspired Purpose Coaching, about how to find fulfillment at work – and help others do the same. Tony draws from his own experience reinventing his career, pivoting from finance to the world of executive coaching.

We discussed:

• The difference between happiness and fulfillment

Tony’s recent book, Climbing The Right Mountain: Navigating the Journey to an Inspired Life

The Virtual Campfire Podcast

Get in touch with Tony through his website

When HR professionals meet with negativity from all sides, it can be hard to imagine a happy ending. But Meghan Markle, member of the British royal family, is living proof that even when life doesn’t feel like a fairy tale, HR professionals and duchesses alike can still succeed. This week I sat down with Robin Schooling, VP of technology consulting at Cielo and co-host of the DriveThru HR podcast, to learn how HR practitioners can follow Markle’s example and make the best of opposition.

During our discussion, we talked about:

• How Meghan Markle is like an HR professional

Robin’s blog

The best managers know that boosting employee engagement doesn’t have to be complicated. On this week’s episode of the HR Mavericks podcast, we talked with Russ Laraway, chief people officer at Goodwater Capital, about simplifying leadership tactics. Russ says that good management can be broken down into three simple steps – and he has the numbers to back up his approach.

During our discussion, we talked about…

• What’s missing from many management resources

Tools to measure employee engagement and manager effectiveness

Where to find Russ's new book

Russ's First Round Review CEO Summit talk

When people experience genuine human connection at work, everything changes. In this episode, Dr. Kevin Skinner, clinical director at Noble Health, tells us about the importance of human connection and how to foster it in the workplace. He says that because humans are relational beings, finding social connection in the workplace will make all the difference for their wellbeing – and for your business.

During our discussion, we talk about:

• Using a loneliness assessment to evaluate how your people are doing

The Noble Health site

Schedule a call with the Noble team to assess the loneliness of your employees

Questions for Dr. Skinner? Email him at [email protected]

In our extremely competitive market, recruiters are actively trying to draw away dissatisfied employees – and it’s working! In this episode, we met with Molly McGrath, founder of Hiring & Empowering Solutions, LLC, to learn how companies can hold on to skilled employees. She told us that you can only keep your best people if you give them a good reason to stay and put in the time necessary to help them grow.

During our discussion, we talked about:

• Cultivating a “leaders leading leaders” mindset

Where to get the three books Molly has written on this topic

Check out Molly’s Employee Growth & Retention Tools