Okay, so as we wrap up this podcast season, we’re gonna make this final episode a little different…featuring Hebba and her thoughts, and apparently zero filter!

This season of I Hate It Here was all about firsts and for the season finale, Hebba makes personal! 

Listen as she walks you through three of her own HR firsts, performance reviews, terminations, and picking the right system, followed by what she wishes she'd done, and what she would tell herself if she had a time machine. 

And then, because Hebba couldn't let the season end without a little chaos, she rounds this episode out with some HR horror stories that were sent in by members of the IHIH community.

Whether you're deep in your HR career or just getting started, this one's a reminder that none of us really know what we're doing the first time, and that's kinda the whole point. 🫶

00:00 - Intro

02:45 - The First Time Hebba Ever Did Performance Reviews

09:08 - Navigating Your First Termination With Empathy

16:59 - Choosing the Right HR Tech Stack

20:30 - A collection of HR Horror Stories
---

The Predictive Index behavioral assessment reveals how people work, think, and thrive—so teams can understand each other better and perform at their best.

Because when you truly understand your people, work just works.

Learn more: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠trypi.com/ihateithere⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

---

If you love I Hate It Here, sign up to Hebba’s newsletter! It’s for jaded, overworked, and emotionally burnt-out HR/People Operations professionals needing a little inspiration. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://workweek.com/discover-newsletters/i-hate-it-here-newsletter/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

And if you love the podcast, be sure to check out⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ https://www.youtube.com/@ihateit-here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ for even more exclusive insider content!

---

Follow Hebba

YouTube:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ https://www.youtube.com/@ihateit-here/videos⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

LinkedIn:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ https://linkedin.com/in/hebba-youssef⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Twitter:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ https://twitter.com/hebbamyoussef⁠⁠

Come join Hebba at Safe Space Summit 2026 in Huntington Beach, CA! To learn more, check out: https://www.safespacesummit.com/

Madison Montgomery is back, and in this episode, we did what Paul Downs and Meg Stalter inspired us to do…turned our 1:1 into a podcast episode.

The result is a session of unfiltered chaos covering our first ATS implementation together (which is going exactly as well as you'd imagine when two non-detail-oriented people configure a system while actively recruiting on it), Summer House drama through an HR lens, my newly discovered cowboy era, and why neither of us will ever truly get to enjoy the company retreats we plan. 

If you've ever been the person behind the process who never gets to just experience the process, you’ll probably relate to this discussion!

00:00 - Intro

04:55 - Implementing an ATS For the First Time

14:48 - What to Expect in Austin in August

21:23 - Hebba's Favorite Recent Story About Her Mom

28:14 - Other Firsts for Madison This Year

42:04 - Supporting Employees When They're Dealing With Grief

44:35 - Who Would Play Hebba and Madison in a Movie?

---

The Predictive Index behavioral assessment reveals how people work, think, and thrive—so teams can understand each other better and perform at their best.

Because when you truly understand your people, work just works.

Learn more: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠trypi.com/ihateithere⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

---

If you love I Hate It Here, sign up to Hebba’s newsletter! It’s for jaded, overworked, and emotionally burnt-out HR/People Operations professionals needing a little inspiration. ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://workweek.com/discover-newsletters/i-hate-it-here-newsletter/⁠⁠⁠⁠

And if you love the podcast, be sure to check out⁠⁠⁠⁠ https://www.youtube.com/@ihateit-here⁠⁠⁠⁠ for even more exclusive insider content!

---

Follow Madison

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/madison-montgomery14/

Follow Hebba

YouTube:⁠⁠⁠⁠ https://www.youtube.com/@ihateit-here/videos⁠⁠⁠⁠

LinkedIn:⁠⁠⁠⁠ https://linkedin.com/in/hebba-youssef⁠⁠⁠⁠

Twitter:⁠⁠⁠⁠ https://twitter.com/hebbamyoussef⁠⁠

55% of orgs expect AI tool experience to be their most in-demand skill within two years! 

Honestly, most of us are still figuring out what to have for lunch, so the timeline feels…a little aggressive. 

In this final episode of the four-part AI Readiness Gap series, presented in partnership with TriNet, DeAnn Alcantar, Learning and Development Manager at TriNet, and Kelly Pacatte, Lead HR Compliance Consultant at TriNet, give us a north star for AI readiness so that we know what to focus on in that timeframe!

We're getting into what it takes to close the gap: the technical stuff, the deeply human skills that matter more than ever, and the mindset shift that's going to define which HR leaders are ready for what's coming and which ones are not.

00:00:00 - Intro

00:02:12 - The Urgency of AI Proficiency

00:05:07 - Is Two Years Enough to Be Efficient With AI as an Org?

00:10:32 - The Human Skills That Are Going to Matter More Than Ever

00:14:44 - The Evolution of How HR Will Function at Orgs

00:22:58 - The One Mindset Shift HR Leaders Need

00:26:31 - What Every HR Leader Feeling Behind on AI Right Now Needs to Know

---

Running a small business is hard, and HR should not get in the way. TriNet helps small businesses by outsourcing HR to professionals. This lets business owners get back to the real work: building a company, and leaving a legacy. ⁠⁠⁠⁠Learn more about TriNet⁠⁠⁠⁠.

---

If you love I Hate It Here, sign up to Hebba’s newsletter! It’s for jaded, overworked, and emotionally burnt-out HR/People Operations professionals needing a little inspiration. ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://workweek.com/discover-newsletters/i-hate-it-here-newsletter/⁠⁠⁠⁠

And if you love the podcast, be sure to check out ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/@ihateit-here⁠⁠⁠⁠ for even more exclusive insider content!

---

Follow Our Guests

DeAnn Alcantar: https://www.linkedin.com/in/deannealcantar

Kelly Pacatte: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kellypacatte

Follow Hebba

YouTube:⁠ https://www.youtube.com/@ihateit-here/videos⁠

LinkedIn:⁠ https://linkedin.com/in/hebba-youssef⁠

Twitter:⁠ https://twitter.com/hebbamyoussef⁠

Geography shouldn't be the reason you can't hire your next best person. 

And yet, that’s the reality for hundreds of orgs at the moment!

I sat down with Sagar Khatri, co-founder and CEO of Multiplier, who literally built a company because opening a bank account in Japan took him 12 months. 

We got into all of it: why compliance is a zero-or-one problem (and why so many companies are getting it very wrong), what actually happens to your business when your team spans 50 countries and 70+ nationalities, and why the future of talent is all about finally being able to find them wherever they are instead of hoping they come to you.

00:01:45 - Something Sagar Had to Unlearn Early in His Career

00:03:48 - Why Sagar Started a Company

00:10:43 - How the Pain of Global Hiring is Happening on a Massive Scale

00:20:03 - What the International Structure at Multiply Looks Like

00:31:09 - The Biggest Mistake Companies Make When They Hire Globally for the First Time

00:37:33 - The Relationship Between Diverse and Distributed Teams and Business Performance

00:43:07 - AI’s Impact on International Talent Acquisition

---

The Predictive Index behavioral assessment reveals how people work, think, and thrive—so teams can understand each other better and perform at their best.

Because when you truly understand your people, work just works.

Learn more: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠trypi.com/ihateithere⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

---

If you love I Hate It Here, sign up to Hebba’s newsletter! It’s for jaded, overworked, and emotionally burnt-out HR/People Operations professionals needing a little inspiration. ⁠⁠⁠https://workweek.com/discover-newsletters/i-hate-it-here-newsletter/⁠⁠⁠

And if you love the podcast, be sure to check out⁠⁠⁠ https://www.youtube.com/@ihateit-here⁠⁠⁠ for even more exclusive insider content!

---

Follow Sagar on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sagar-khatri-53529359/

Follow Hebba

YouTube:⁠⁠⁠ https://www.youtube.com/@ihateit-here/videos⁠⁠⁠

LinkedIn:⁠⁠⁠ https://linkedin.com/in/hebba-youssef⁠⁠⁠

Twitter:⁠⁠⁠ https://twitter.com/hebbamyoussef⁠⁠

There is a lot to say about joining a startup, and I’m saying that as somebody who has been a part of four of them.

Nothing prepares you for the first time, because you truly have no idea what you’re walking into!

Not even the offer letter or the job description paints the full picture, so Christine Song, founder of the 5 to 9 Society and former CPO at Knix, is here to give you her expertise.

We're talking about walking into a company with no HR infrastructure, a CEO whose behavior made her want to run back to corporate, working 100 hours a week until her hair (literally) started falling out, and somehow still coming out the other side with more love for startups than ever. 

00:00:00 - Intro

00:02:01 - Something Christine Believed About Work That She Had to Unlearn

00:08:26 - What Stepping Into a Startup Role Felt like Vs The Expectation of It

00:21:01 - The Important Role of HR in Startups

00:35:18 - Picking Up on Signs of Burnout

00:40:40 - Startup Culture and Its Demands

00:49:10 - Creating a Life and Identity Outside of Work

00:55:11 - Christine’s Advice For Someone New to The Startup World

---

The Predictive Index behavioral assessment reveals how people work, think, and thrive—so teams can understand each other better and perform at their best.

Because when you truly understand your people, work just works.

Learn more: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠trypi.com/ihateithere⁠⁠⁠⁠

---

If you love I Hate It Here, sign up to Hebba’s newsletter! It’s for jaded, overworked, and emotionally burnt-out HR/People Operations professionals needing a little inspiration. ⁠⁠https://workweek.com/discover-newsletters/i-hate-it-here-newsletter/⁠⁠

And if you love the podcast, be sure to check out⁠⁠ https://www.youtube.com/@ihateit-here⁠⁠ for even more exclusive insider content!

---

Follow Christine

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/songchristine1/

Follow Hebba

YouTube:⁠⁠ https://www.youtube.com/@ihateit-here/videos⁠⁠

LinkedIn:⁠⁠ https://linkedin.com/in/hebba-youssef⁠⁠

Twitter:⁠⁠ https://twitter.com/hebbamyoussef⁠⁠

37% of HR leaders are already saying that evaluating AI skills in candidates is going to be a real challenge.

Hiring has always required us to assess things that are hard to measure, but AI is moving so fast that what you're looking for this week might be completely different next month! 

In this episode, I sat down with Kristin Russum, Director of Organizational Development at TriNet, to get into the real question: how do you actually hire for AI competency when the skill set is still being defined in real time? 

We talked behavioral interview strategies, the bias risks that not enough people are talking about, why curiosity might be the most important thing you can hire for right now, and what you can actually do immediately to update your process!

00:00:00 - Intro

00:02:03 - Why is Evaluating AI Skills and Candidates So Much Harder than Assessing Other Technical Skills?

00:07:25 - What Does Hiring an AI Competent Candidate Look Like Right Now?

00:19:47 - How to Deal With the Built-in Bias of AI Usage in Hiring

00:25:27 - Practical Changes You Can Make to Your Hiring Proess Immediately

00:33:06 - One Thing Every HR Leader Who Feels Behind on AI Should Know

---

Running a small business is hard, and HR should not get in the way. TriNet helps small businesses by outsourcing HR to professionals. This lets business owners get back to the real work: building a company, and leaving a legacy. ⁠⁠⁠Learn more about TriNet⁠⁠⁠.

---

If you love I Hate It Here, sign up to Hebba’s newsletter! It’s for jaded, overworked, and emotionally burnt-out HR/People Operations professionals needing a little inspiration. ⁠⁠⁠https://workweek.com/discover-newsletters/i-hate-it-here-newsletter/⁠⁠⁠

And if you love the podcast, be sure to check out ⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/@ihateit-here⁠⁠⁠ for even more exclusive insider content!

Follow Kristin

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristinrussum/

Follow Hebba

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ihateit-here/videos

LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/hebba-youssef

Twitter: https://twitter.com/hebbamyoussef

Nobody talks about their first termination the way they should, which is with a little bit of trauma, because we never forget the people we have to let go of. 

In this latest episode of I Hate It Here, I sat down with Jennifer Laurie, fractional CPO and founder of Equitable HR Guild, to do exactly that! 

We went all the way back to her very first termination…the nerves, the Googling "how to fire someone," the manager who was just as lost as she was, and then kept going. 

We got into where managers go horribly wrong before they even get to the termination convo, how bias creeps into these decisions in ways that are really easy to miss, and why the debrief after is the part everyone skips but absolutely shouldn't. 

Take a deep breath, and prepare yourself for this discussion!

---

00:00:00 - Intro

00:03:51 - Something Jennifer Believed Early in Her Career That She Had to Unlearn 

00:07:15 - What it Feels Like to Fire Somebody for the First Time

00:13:04 - Something Nobody Teaches You About Terminations

00:19:19 - Where Most Managers go Wrong in the Build-up to a Termination

00:24:17 - Addressing Bias in Termination Decisions

00:30:20 - Reflecting and Learning Done After a Termination

00:36:54 - Can Some Terminations Make Work Better for Everyone?

00:44:24 Advice for First-Time Termination Managers

The Predictive Index behavioral assessment reveals how people work, think, and thrive—so teams can understand each other better and perform at their best.

Because when you truly understand your people, work just works.

Learn more: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠trypi.com/ihateithere⁠⁠⁠⁠

---

If you love I Hate It Here, sign up to Hebba’s newsletter! It’s for jaded, overworked, and emotionally burnt-out HR/People Operations professionals needing a little inspiration. ⁠https://workweek.com/discover-newsletters/i-hate-it-here-newsletter/⁠

And if you love the podcast, be sure to check out⁠ https://www.youtube.com/@ihateit-here⁠ for even more exclusive insider content!

---

Follow Jennifer

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenniferlauriehr/

Follow Hebba

YouTube:⁠ https://www.youtube.com/@ihateit-here/videos⁠

LinkedIn:⁠ https://linkedin.com/in/hebba-youssef⁠

Twitter:⁠ https://twitter.com/hebbamyoussef⁠

Women make up nearly half the workforce, and somehow, their health is still being treated like a line item someone might cut. Make it make sense!

I've been wanting to do this episode for a while, and I'm not going to pretend I made it through without getting in my feelings at least once.

I sat down with Kembre Roberts and Kevin Fyock from Aon to get into why women's health keeps getting deprioritized, what it's costing orgs as a result, and what it looks like when employers finally get this right. 

Just having a fertility benefit and calling it a day isn’t gonna cut it anymore!

---

00:00:00 - Intro

00:02:30 - Why Employers Should Care About Women's Health

00:12:45 - How Women's Health Directly Influences Financial Security

00:19:55 - The Data You Need to Help Execs Understand Women's Health Data

00:27:44 - Being Proactive About Women's Health and Financial Wellness Before a Crisis Happens

00:35:26 - What Orgs Keep Getting Wrong About Women's Health, and What a Better Decision Looks Like

Aon’s Human Capital capabilities help organizations make confident workforce decisions by connecting advisory, insights and data across health benefits, talent and retirement.

By aligning people strategies to business outcomes, we enable leaders to drive engagement, manage program sustainability, and build a resilient workforce ready for what’s next.

Learn more at ⁠⁠Aon.com⁠

---

If you love I Hate It Here, sign up to Hebba’s newsletter! It’s for jaded, overworked, and emotionally burnt-out HR/People Operations professionals needing a little inspiration. ⁠⁠https://workweek.com/discover-newsletters/i-hate-it-here-newsletter/⁠⁠

And if you love the podcast, be sure to check out ⁠I Hate It Here on YouTube⁠ for even more exclusive insider content!

Follow Kembre on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kembre-roberts-phd-4a227625/

Follow Kevin on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevinfyock/

Follow Hebba: 

YouTube:⁠⁠ https://www.youtube.com/@ihateit-here/videos⁠⁠

LinkedIn:⁠⁠ https://linkedin.com/in/hebba-youssef⁠⁠

Twitter:⁠⁠ https://twitter.com/hebbamyoussef⁠

You know that feeling where you've been sprinting all day and somehow your actual to-do list hasn't moved an inch? 

Your inbox is feral and new work just keeps showing up like it was never not invited! 

Yeaaaah, that feeling has a name, and it's called not having a system. 

I say that with full love and zero judgment because I have absolutely been there! 

Today I'm sitting down with Liz Clarke, strategic HR leader and founder of Liz Clarke Coaching and Consulting, who learned the hard way early in her career that working harder is not the answer when the system itself doesn't make sense. 

This one is for every HR person who has been busy every single minute of the day and still somehow felt like they got nothing done.

00:00:00 - Intro

00:02:18 - Something Liz Had to Unlearn About Work

00:05:04 - The Moment Liz Realized She Needed a System to Get Work Done

00:09:44 - What Building a System Looks Like, in Practice

00:14:49 - How to Build a System That Accounts for Unpredictability

00:17:40 - What Does a Flow State Feel Like in HR?

00:21:07 - Is Burnout a Workload Problem, or is it More Than That?

00:27:50 - How Did We End up With Everything Being “Urgent?”

00:33:48 - What Building a System Helps You Understand About Leaders

---

The Predictive Index behavioral assessment reveals how people work, think, and thrive—so teams can understand each other better and perform at their best.

Because when you truly understand your people, work just works.

Learn more: ⁠⁠⁠⁠trypi.com/ihateithere⁠⁠⁠

---

If you love I Hate It Here, sign up to Hebba’s newsletter! It’s for jaded, overworked, and emotionally burnt-out HR/People Operations professionals needing a little inspiration. https://workweek.com/discover-newsletters/i-hate-it-here-newsletter/

And if you love the podcast, be sure to check out https://www.youtube.com/@ihateit-here for even more exclusive insider content!

---

Follow Liz

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elizabeth-walker-msim/

Follow Hebba

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ihateit-here/videos

LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/hebba-youssef

Twitter: https://twitter.com/hebbamyoussef

Fun fact: 56% of HR leaders expect AI to change how we develop and train employees.

So most of us can see it coming which is cool, but the problem is that seeing the freight train and knowing how to get off the tracks are two very different things! 

I sat down with Lauren Gregor, who has built and operated businesses across industries and learned most of what she knows the same way the rest of us did, which is by being the person in the room who had to figure it out. 

We got into what a realistic AI development strategy actually looks like (hint: it's not a one-size-fits-all e-learning module and a prayer), how to stop making the same mistakes everyone's making when trying to build an AI learning culture, and what to do if you're feeling behind right now, which currently sounds like a lot of folks!

00:00:00 - Intro

00:03:24 - The Shift in Mindset Towards AI

00:10:09 - Teaching Yourself in an Unstructured Learning Environment

00:19:58 - Common Mistakes Companies Make Trying to Build an AI Learning Culture

00:28:05 - Keeping the Human Part of L&D Front and Center

00:32:36 - What Does a Realistic, Well-executed Employee Development Strategy for AI Look Like?

00:38:22 - Lauren’s Advice if You’re Feeling Behind on AI Right Now

---

Running a small business is hard, and HR should not get in the way. TriNet helps small businesses by outsourcing HR to professionals. This lets business owners get back to the real work: building a company, and leaving a legacy. ⁠Learn more about TriNet⁠.

---

If you love I Hate It Here, sign up to Hebba’s newsletter! It’s for jaded, overworked, and emotionally burnt-out HR/People Operations professionals needing a little inspiration. ⁠https://workweek.com/discover-newsletters/i-hate-it-here-newsletter/⁠

And if you love the podcast, be sure to check out ⁠https://www.youtube.com/@ihateit-here⁠ for even more exclusive insider content!

Follow Lauren

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laurengregor/

Follow Hebba: 

YouTube:⁠ https://www.youtube.com/@ihateit-here/videos⁠

LinkedIn:⁠ https://linkedin.com/in/hebba-youssef⁠

Twitter:⁠ https://twitter.com/hebbamyoussef⁠