Retirement planning is one of those topics that always feels confusing and overwhelming…until someone finally comes along and breaks it down in a way that makes sense. 

In this episode, I'm joined by Melissa Elbert from Aon to talk about why so many retirement strategies are lowkey failing employees, the outdated assumptions driving bad benefit decisions, and what HR and finance leaders should be paying attention to right now, before it becomes a bigger problem later.

If you've ever felt like retirement was a gray area nobody fully explained to you, this might give you a better understanding!

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

00:01:40 - How Leaders Should Rethink Retirement Decisions

00:03:10 - Outdated Assumptions About Retirement

00:09:16 - How Orgs Can Balance Flexibility and Sustainability

00:13:40 - What Signals Should HR Leaders be Looking to Now to Make Smarter, Long-term Retirement Decisions?

00:20:25 - What Role Should HR be Playing With Finance When Accessing Benefits?

00:24:26 - One Retirement-related Decision Companies Keep Getting Wrong

And 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 Melissa:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melissa-elbert-b709b65/

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Today, we're talking about a topic that shouldn't be controversial but somehow still is, which is being authentic at work! 

As most of you already know, most workplaces either treat authenticity like a performance or punish you the second you actually show up as yourself. 

I'm joined by Madison Butler, who literally wrote a book about this, and we're getting into why authenticity feels so dangerous, why corporate America says they want it but freaks out when you deliver, and how to practice authenticity without tanking your career. 

If you've ever felt like you're performing a version of yourself at work instead of just existing, you’ll probably relate to this discussion!

Quantum Workplace helps leaders build thriving teams that fuel business success. We give leaders at every level a clear path forward—by unlocking critical talent insights across engagement, performance, and development. With clarity and confidence, people leaders can act decisively, scale leadership quality, and strengthen connection and performance. 

Trusted by thousands of people-focused companies, Quantum Workplace makes it easier to keep teams aligned, empowered, growing, and valued on the path to business success. Visit ⁠⁠quantumworkplace.com⁠⁠ to learn more.

(00:00:00) Intro

(00:04:53) Something New Madison Wants to Learn This Year

(00:09:12) What Prompted Madison to Publish a Book?

(00:14:45) What Authenticity at Work Means in 2026

(00:25:00) Why Does Being Authentic at Work Still Feel Dangerous for So Many People?

(00:30:25) Madison’s Personal “Toolkit”

(00:36:55) Is the Average Exec Constantly Trying to Grow, or Complacent in Their Power?

(00:45:37) Building Authenticity at Work Without Turning it Into Weird Cultural Theater

(00:48:36) How to Practice Authenticity in a Way That is Safe and Strategic

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/bluehairedunicorn/

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

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I'm doing something a little different today and revisiting Season 6 where I asked every single guest the same question: 

“What's one thing HR folks should rethink?” 

And honestly, I've been in this whole new and rethinking era lately, writing about it in the newsletter, talking about it nonstop on the pod, and it just felt like the right time to bring these answers back because, let's be real, we all need the reminder! 

Work is changing faster than it's ever changed before, which means the cadence of how we think about things has to change too. 

Sometimes I genuinely worry that the solutions I built six weeks ago don't even work for today, let alone six months ago! 

So consider this your dose of inspiration, hearing from some of my favorite guests on all the things we should be rethinking. 

Hopefully it sparks something in you, or at the very least, makes you feel less alone in the chaos. 

Quantum Workplace helps leaders build thriving teams that fuel business success. We give leaders at every level a clear path forward—by unlocking critical talent insights across engagement, performance, and development. With clarity and confidence, people leaders can act decisively, scale leadership quality, and strengthen connection and performance. 

Trusted by thousands of people-focused companies, Quantum Workplace makes it easier to keep teams aligned, empowered, growing, and valued on the path to business success. Visit ⁠quantumworkplace.com⁠ to learn more.

00:01:28 - Improving Equitable Operations in Your Org

00:04:01 - Just Be Honest About Your Culture to Candidates

00:13:35 - Embracing People’s Passions Outside of Work

00:16:42 - When Leaders Are a Common Blocker to HR

00:18:52 - Finally Holding Leaders Accountable

00:21:55 - Why HR Should be Thought of as a Creative Department

00:23:27 - Addressing Employee Turnover and Going Back to the Basics

And 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 DeMario:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/demario-bell-7a510994/

Follow Joel:

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

Follow Justin:

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

Follow Morgan:

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

Follow Jessica:

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

Follow Nikki:

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

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LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/halai-shukran/

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We're out here constantly hearing that Gen Z is "so different" and Millennials "just don't get it," but nobody ever stops to ask how or why they're different. 

It's not because we're lazy or entitled (though I know that's everyone's favorite narrative). 

It's because we looked at the leadership systems y'all built, said absolutely not, and decided to burn it all down and start over!

Amanda Litman and I got into the leadership myths that are finally dying, why vulnerability isn't a weakness, how social media completely changed what leadership looks like, and why so many of us refuse to let our jobs become our entire personality. 

This episode is for anyone who's ever felt gaslit for having boundaries, anyone who's been told they're "too much" for expecting basic humanity in the workplace, and anyone who knows the way things have always been done is not the way things should keep being done.

Quantum Workplace helps leaders build thriving teams that fuel business success. We give leaders at every level a clear path forward—by unlocking critical talent insights across engagement, performance, and development. With clarity and confidence, people leaders can act decisively, scale leadership quality, and strengthen connection and performance. 

Trusted by thousands of people-focused companies, Quantum Workplace makes it easier to keep teams aligned, empowered, growing, and valued on the path to business success. Visit ⁠quantumworkplace.com⁠ to learn more.

00:05:41 - One New Thing Amanda Wants to Learn This Year

00:15:07 - Why Are Leadership Myths Continue to Persist?

00:20:51 - Seeing More Representation in Entertainment Media and Exec Boards

00:26:41 - What Earned Authority Looks Like Now vs a Decade Ago

00:29:36 - Where Orgs Consistently Misread Next Gen Employees

00:36:41 - How Younger Generations Manage Power Struggles

00:42:46 - How Loyalty is Perceived Among Different Generations

And 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 Amanda:

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

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

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

Twitter: https://twitter.com/hebbamyoussef

Why does work feel so empty right now? 

Like…we followed the rules and did the hustle. 

We even swallowed parts of ourselves to survive professionally, and yet, here we are grieving something we can’t quite name.

I often say that the most interesting things about me have nothing to do with my career, and it’s nice when those things have time to shine, y’know?

I sat down with Ayanna Kelly to dig into the hard stuff: why we're all grieving the workplace we thought we'd have, why monetizing our passions sometimes kills the joy, and what it actually means to decenter work from our identity when we've spent our whole lives tying our worth to our job titles.

If you’re looking for new definitions of success that don't require you to sacrifice your entire nervous system, this is for you!

Quantum Workplace helps leaders build thriving teams that fuel business success. We give leaders at every level a clear path forward—by unlocking critical talent insights across engagement, performance, and development. With clarity and confidence, people leaders can act decisively, scale leadership quality, and strengthen connection and performance. 

Trusted by thousands of people-focused companies, Quantum Workplace makes it easier to keep teams aligned, empowered, growing, and valued on the path to business success. Visit ⁠⁠quantumworkplace.com⁠⁠ to learn more.

It’s vulnerable, but somehow still hopeful

00:01:55 - The First Time Hebba Met Ayanna

00:08:40 - Something New Ayanna Wants to Learn This Year

00:11:15 - Why Does Fulfillment at Work Feel so Hard Right Now?

00:17:06 - What We’re Grieving About Work That We Haven’t Talked About Out Loud

00:24:51 - Why Are We Expected to Monetize Our Passions?

00:38:40 - Being Your True Self at Work After Years of Emotional Suppression

00:46:55 - Why Meaningful Work Doesn’t Have to Be Central to Your Identity

00:52:49 - Ayanna’s Advice for Rethinking About Fulfillment

And 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 Ayanna:

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

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

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Twitter: https://twitter.com/hebbamyoussef

I’ve been thinking a lot about how aggressively we were sold the idea of career growth, and how nobody ever explained what happens when you get there and it still doesn’t feel good!

This episode is a big, honest reset on what careers even mean these days, because the whole traditional career ladder thing hasn’t been the same since the early 2020’s.

Cassandra Babilya and I talk about why stability is basically a myth now, why doing everything “right” doesn’t guarantee fulfillment, and why portfolio careers, flexibility, and values are replacing titles and ladders. 

If your definition of success is quietly changing and you’re wondering how you can define it in a way that fits the times, come listen to our chat!

Quantum Workplace helps leaders build thriving teams that fuel business success. We give leaders at every level a clear path forward—by unlocking critical talent insights across engagement, performance, and development. With clarity and confidence, people leaders can act decisively, scale leadership quality, and strengthen connection and performance. 

Trusted by thousands of people-focused companies, Quantum Workplace makes it easier to keep teams aligned, empowered, growing, and valued on the path to business success. Visit ⁠⁠quantumworkplace.com⁠⁠ to learn more.

00:01:53 - Something New Cassandra Wants to Learn This Year

00:04:06 - Why Traditional Career Ladders are Kinda Broken These Days

00:09:42 - What Does a Modern Career Actually Look Like Today?

00:17:22 - What Skills Matter More Than Job Titles?

00:27:52 - Should HR be Giving Different Career Advice to Early Career People Now?

00:35:18 - Redefining Professional Success in the Modern Era

00:38:56 - Why Are We Still Pretending Career Progression is the Same?

00:42:35 - How to Approach the Idea of Reshaping Career Paths

And 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 Cassandra:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cassandra-babilya/

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

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

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This week I’m feeling extremely pop-culture-brained because my fav show Industry is back, and if you think it’s just a show about finance…I’m here to inform you it’s actually a horror story about work. 

We’re talking: ambition with zero guardrails, power with zero accountability, jobs becoming entire identities way too early, and the whole nine yards.

From an HR lens, it’s equal parts fascinating and deeply unsettling, but there are plenty of valuable takeaways nonetheless!

I brought back my fellow Industry lover and friend, Dave Garcia, to unpack what the show gets right, what it exaggerates, and why it feels uncomfortably familiar. 

Quantum Workplace helps leaders build thriving teams that fuel business success. We give leaders at every level a clear path forward—by unlocking critical talent insights across engagement, performance, and development. With clarity and confidence, people leaders can act decisively, scale leadership quality, and strengthen connection and performance. 

Trusted by thousands of people-focused companies, Quantum Workplace makes it easier to keep teams aligned, empowered, growing, and valued on the path to business success. Visit ⁠quantumworkplace.com⁠ to learn more.

00:04:17 - How Hebba and Dave Started Watching Industry

00:05:37 - One New Thing Dave Wants to Learn This Year

00:08:17 - What Industry Says About Work, and Why We’re Talking About It

00:20:38 - How Grind Culture Reveals Socialized Dysfunction

00:31:06 - Accepting Status in Exchange for Safety

00:38:53 - How Power Affects Corporate Dynamics

00:49:32 - What Industry Gets Right About How Meritocracy Actually Works

00:59:57 - The Critiques of Hustle Culture

01:08:20 - What Industry Reveals About What Most Workplace Conversations Avoid

01:13:01 - Uncomfortable Conversations Industry Might Force You to Have

And 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 Dave:

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

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

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Welcome to a new season of your favorite podcast!!!

It’s the new year, which means the internet is yelling about new goals, new strategies, and new tools, while HR is still over here duct-taping broken systems and being told (once again) to do more with less. 

So this season, I picked a very simple theme: NEW. 

New ideas. New rules. New levels of honesty about what’s actually working and what needs to be dragged out back and retired. 

We’re kicking things off with an Ins and Outs episode, which is basically the stuff HR has been whispering about in group chats. 

And because this topic deserved real honesty, I brought back my favorite fellow shit-talker, Jessica Winder!

Quantum Workplace helps leaders build thriving teams that fuel business success. We give leaders at every level a clear path forward—by unlocking critical talent insights across engagement, performance, and development. With clarity and confidence, people leaders can act decisively, scale leadership quality, and strengthen connection and performance. 

Trusted by thousands of people-focused companies, Quantum Workplace makes it easier to keep teams aligned, empowered, growing, and valued on the path to business success. Visit quantumworkplace.com to learn more.

0:05:44 - Something New Jessica Wants to Learn This Year

0:12:23 - Ins and Outs, Inspired by TikTok

0:21:23 - Clarity Around Learning Skills vs Vibes-based Expectations

0:28:48 - Stop Assuming Everybody Wants to be Managers

0:35:27 - AI as a Co-pilot vs a Human Replacement

0:40:25 - Hiring Fewer, Better Defined Roles vs Overhiring 

0:40:25 - Stop Pretending Pay is Not a Cultural Issue

0:56:45 - Why HR Needs a POV, Not Neutrality

And 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 Jessica:

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

Follow Hebba: 

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

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

Twitter: https://twitter.com/hebbamyoussef

Okay, we made it! WHEW.

Welcome to the final episode of I Hate It Here for 2025, which feels both celebratory and mildly unhinged. 

This episode is me doing what I do best: yappin with people I deeply admire and respect, asking them about their wishes for HR in 2026…while also openly admitting that I’m lowkey a little scared of what’s coming next. 

The market is weird AF, recruiters are exhausted, candidates are frustrated, and the tools are absolutely not keeping up! 

But instead of spiraling alone (okay, spiraling less), I wanted to end the year by bringing some of my fav people together, because the only reason I’m still standing in this job is community, collective honesty, and the belief that if we keep talking about what’s actually happening, HR might just survive, and maybe even win.

Teamtailor is the fun, intuitive ATS that candidates actually like and recruiters don’t dread opening on Monday mornings. Create branded career sites, automate the boring stuff, and give candidates the hiring experience they dream of  — without burning out your team. Check them out ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here.

0:00:36 - Cassandra Babilya’s Wish for 2026

0:13:05 - Stacey Nordwall’s Wish for 2026

0:20:26 - Morgan Williams’s Wish for 2026

0:25:38 - Cassidy Edward’s Wish for 2026

0:32:36 - Tara Turk-Haynes’s Wish for 2026

And 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 Cassandra:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cassandra-babilya/

Follow Stacey:

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

Follow Morgan:

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

Follow Cassidy:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cassidy-edwards-yyom/

Follow Tara:

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

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Raise your hand if you’ve worked in a toxic environment before!

That’s probably 99.9% of you, so today we’re talking about those negative environments that get inside your nervous system and refuse to leave quietly. 

The kind that turn you into a hyper-vigilant, over-prepared shell of yourself who flinches at a sporadic calendar invite titled “Quick Sync.”

I brought back one of my favorite humans, close friend, returning guest, and resident shit talker Chris Hagood, because he actually understands the emotional underlayer of work, and I don’t mean just the LinkedIn version. 

We get into how toxic cultures shape your identity, follow you long after you leave, and what it takes to unlearn survival mode when chaos becomes your baseline.

Teamtailor is the fun, intuitive ATS that candidates actually like and recruiters don’t dread opening on Monday mornings. Create branded career sites, automate the boring stuff, and give candidates the hiring experience they dream of  — without burning out your team. Check them out ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here.

0:02:43 -  How Lived Experiences Shape Your Reaction to Toxicity at Work

0:08:30 -  Minimizing Toxicity Because You’re Conditioned to “Just Deal With It”

0:14:44 - Why Old Patterns Get Reactivated in Toxic Workplaces

0:17:20 - Why People Doubt Themselves More After a Toxic Job and Not During

0:20:27 - The First Step to Undoing a Toxic Environment

0:40:37 - How Toxicity Distorts Your Sense of Value, Competence, or Belonging

0:45:24 - How Tolerating Toxic Behavior Creates Long-term Damage

0:48:07 - What Habits Stick With You After Surviving a Toxic Workplace?

0:51:58 - Advice to People Currently Working in a Toxic Environment

And 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 Chris:

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

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

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

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