Dr. Aaron Delgaty dives into the ethical implications of outsourcing and automating primary qualitative research with AI tools and agents. Come for the philosophical AI debate and stay for the Jeff Goldblum in Jurassic Park references.

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If you've seen the job market numbers for July and the dramatic downward revisions made for May and June, then you know the data's finally matching up to what many are sharing and experiencing right now in the job market. It's not easy for folks navigating restructures and layoffs and many are having to dip into retirement savings to stay afloat between jobs.

But adjacent to longer-term income shocks that could require 6-12 months of income replacement are unexpected expense shocks that can have huge impacts on financial wellbeing for large portions of the workforce. My guest this episode, Nick Maynard, discusses the impact of unexpected expenses and how employers can utilize available tools and programs to better support employees and protect the need for liquidity events on retirement savings.

Enjoy this episode and maybe avoid peaking at your 401k balance for a bit...

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I still clearly remember getting my first paycheck as a high schooler working over the summer at the local movie theater. The amount was shockingly low, there was some sort of loop hole where we were getting paid below minimum wage, but getting that handwritten check from the manager was exciting and a milestone moment for me nonetheless.

Flash forward 5 years and I'm actually running payroll for the commercial real estate firm I'm working at as part of my property manager duties. It wasn't a huge group, but two dozen people began relying on me to make sure they got paid accurately and on time each month. That's when it hit me how critical it is to get payroll right and that a misstep in processing has a very real impact on people's lives.

Technology has come a long way from the early 2000's Quickbooks software I was running. Payroll is evolving from a back office administrative function to a strategic pillar that enables organizational agility through data and insights. Payroll platforms are also leading the charge on building out holistic compliance suites that extend across the HR spectrum beyond just payroll. That's why I'm excited to have payroll industry expert and analyst, Pete A. Tiliakos, join me to discuss the evolution of payroll and its expanding strategic importance.

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I feel for anyone involved in sourcing and making new tech buying decisions these days. There's a lot to consider and there's much more that needs to be taken into account with bringing in new AI tools that doesn't line up cleanly with how businesses compute ROI. That's why it's great to have smart folks like Kyle Forrest and the team at Deloitte to conduct ongoing research and surface insights on this mismatch happening in the marketplace and how tech companies can take a different approach to show buyers the true ROI potential and expansive opportunities of AI-powered solutions while also addressing the elephant in the room — compliance, security, and governance of the AI.

School might be out for summer, but come nerd out with me and Kyle as we dive into Deloitte's latest market research report, the adjacent rise of compliance alongside AI, and some sage advice for new college graduates entering the workforce.

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Most prognosticators waxing about the future of work have been humbled since the start of the pandemic in 2020. Remote work environments were going to be the universal norm for office workers. Hiring and retaining talent were the top priorities for the foreseeable future with a historically tight labor market and baby boomers leaving the workforce. Now many are speculating what the role will be for human workers with continued advancements in AI, automation, and robotics.

Change has been the consistent thread over the past 5 years. When we're all feeling comfortable about the direction things are going (labor market, work policies, funding environment), some dominoes fall and a shift happens that fundamentally changes that outlook. With change and a healthy dose of chaos being the new norm, it stands to reason that the companies with organizational agility - the ability to pivot and shift the workforce - are well positioned to succeed and endure in this environment. That's why I was so excited to have Kirti Shenoy on #HRSnacks to discuss the trends and adoption curve in the contingent labor market along with the evolutions in modern payroll platforms that support the fluid workforce.

So grab your 40oz Stanley and hydrate as we dive into the fluid workforce on this episode!

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In the hospitality, restaurant, and retail world, employees power the guest experience. You don't have to look hard to find a trove of case studies and examples of great companies, like Costco or Hilton, that have a dedicated focus on providing a positive employee experience and high customer satisfaction and engagement.

When we think of employee experience and factors that impact employee engagement, the focus is often turned to comp and benefits, manager relations, career development, and wellbeing (physical, mental, financial). But employee experience is more like Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs than a linear spectrum and the foundational layer of that pyramid is labor compliance — employee safety, rights, and protections. Businesses that approach compliance with purpose and intent to demonstrate to employees that they uphold and value their rights and protections will build trust and stronger workplace cultures. By shifting the paradigm from compliance is an annoying check-box to compliance is an important foundational layer of EX, organizations can evolve the function of labor compliance into a competitive advantage that impacts customer experience.

Samantha Gallagher, the Director of Product Compliance at Harri, joins me on this episode to discuss the compliance challenges in the restaurant and hospitality industry, Harri's approach to compliance automation, and why this has created a competitive advantage for not just its customers, but for Harri as well.

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To say things haven't been easy for HR professionals over the past 5 years is a colossal understatement. The pandemic, the rapid adjustment to WFH, the Great Resignation, all of the "Quiet" iterations (that I'm glad have gone away), RTO pushes, AI-fueled workforce realignments, and a broadening skills gap have led to widespread burnout and many HR pros making the move from full-time roles to fractional and consulting work.

While being your own boss can seem idyllic if you're battling burnout and frustration in a full-time HR position, it may not be the best fit for everyone. My guest, Tracie Sponenberg, has made the move from a 3-decade career in HR to running her own LLC as a fractional CPO and HR consultant and shares her experience and advice for those exploring the jump. We also talk about the unique challenges facing industries that typically aren't heavily covered in the HR Tech world, distribution and manufacturing.

So grab yourself a nice iced latte and enjoy this episode of #HRSnacks!

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The more things change, the more they remain the same. Perhaps not universally true, but this idiom certainly applies to the HR tech industry and the buyers in the market. There are some key principles and considerations that are just as relevant today in the AI era as they were when on-premise HRMS dominated the market.

My guest on this episode, Steve Goldberg, has seen it all over the decades and gives a breakdown of some core considerations that stand the test of time when selecting a technology vendor. Steve also provides a little perspective on the hype cycles that've always been present in HR tech — hint, just follow the investment $$

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Right now AI tools and agents are being developed that will take a significant amount of work off the plates of HR and TA departments. As more HR-related tasks, analysis, and decisions are parsed to AI, it's critical that examine and question the potential biases that exist in these systems.

My guest, Torin Ellis, has been a prominent thought leader, consultant, and practitioner in the HR space since Nirvana was topping the Billboard charts. In this episode of #HRSnacks we discuss what bias looks like in AI and automation, how companies can address it, and why HR needs to have a voice in the development and adoption of workforce related AI systems.

Be sure to catch Torin at the Transform conference this week in Las Vegas and check out the report The Torin Ellis Brand did in collaboration with Plum and Aptitude Research : Exploring the Role of AI in Enhancing DEIB Efforts (link to report in the comments).

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We're in the midst of the AI gold rush. New AI startups are coming to market at a breakneck pace and legacy SaaS platforms are making strategic acquisitions and tasking product teams with embedding AI in their products. But as we're chasing this shiny new object of AI, are companies losing sight of a critical element of product development—creating solutions that solve customers' problems, pain points, and challenges? At the moment it feels like many companies are working this backwards trying to find problems that new AI technologies can solve.

That's why I asked Lance Haun, HR industry vet and market expert at TSC | Previously The Starr Conspiracy, to chat with me about the AI race and impacts it's having on the HR Tech industry. Before you label us Luddites, I think these types of conversations are important to have in the current chaos of this hyper technology expansion to question the actual value and adoption of the AI tools being implemented.

Sure you can use NoteGPT or Notta｜AI meeting notes & audio transcription to get a quick summary of this episode, but you'll miss all the fun, the laughs, and the witty banter of two nerds that like to chat about HR, technology, and product development.

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