Making Work Better: Employment Law & Workplace Challenges

Kristen Prinz welcomes Christy Lyons to this episode "Tales from Around the Water Cooler" to talk about returning to work during and after the COVID-19 pandemic from a Human Resources perspective. Christy Lyons is a sought-after HR consultant and founder of 4 Point Consulting, which works with companies of all sizes to create customized plans for HR and talent acquisition. They discuss the challenges that employers face when bringing furloughed employees back to work, and strategies for making the transition back to the workplace as smooth as possible. Christy advises employers to do everything they can to support frequent and open communication with their employees, and provides specific examples of how companies can foster a transparent culture. We're all in this together, so let's talk about it.

Times are strange. Kristen and Amit share the mic for a discussion about the myriad effects of COVID-19 on businesses. From the difficulties of working from home to the anxieties with which many business-owners struggle on a daily basis, work has changed in almost every way. They discuss the importance of regular communication between leaders and their employees, noting that this is a time in which everyone is seeking guidance from authority. Tune in for a candid look at the hopes, fears, and uncertainties that currently define our work life.

In this episode of "Tales from Around the Water Cooler", Kristen sits down with Carol Semrad, principal of C. Semrad & Associates, where she does human resources consulting for small- to medium-sized companies. Carol and Kristen discuss the important of networking and relationships in the workplace environment of today, which can be unpredictable and quick to change. They talk about the challenges of being either an employer and an employee at a rapidly growing business, and the responsibility of the employer to keep open communication with employees during transition. Keeping up relationships through the separation process and making the separation a positive experience on both sides is essential from both an HR and a legal standpoint. The episode concludes with a timely discussion of the impact of the #MeToo movement on business in general and HR consulting in particular.

Tune in to hear Kristen share the mic with Shadin Maali, Principal in Allen Austin/Gaines International's executive search practice, where she focuses on the architecture, engineering and construction sectors. Shadin shares her views on how women bring particular strengths to the relationship-building facet of search and how search is navigating the market's current talent squeeze. One of her favorite concepts encountered on the job is "empathetic design" and how it is informing the construction of spaces from the office to prison. Kristen highlights Shadin's first run for political office and how being a diverse candidate impacted the campaign. They close by predicting that the future of search will involve more data-driven insights, while never letting go of the unique human factor that characterizes the best professional connectors in the search industry.

"HR has changed. HR is no longer the compliance department, it shouldn't be the police department, and it better not be the therapist's office."

That's just a taste of what you'll get in this podcast. Tune in as Kristen shares the mic with Nicole Martin, founder and CEO of human resource management consultancy HR Boost, to discuss what got her started in HR consulting, living each day with presence and purpose, and projecting positive energy. Kristen and Nicole also examine the challenges of talent acquisition and retention, immigration and technology in relation to the talent shortage, becoming aware of one's cognitive gifts, and the need for cultivating an intentional workplace culture as opposed to a "culture by default." If you pay close attention, you'll also learn Nicole's unique and favorite interview question!

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Nicole Martin conceives of HR as more than just payroll and benefits, maintaining that "HR is everything." This insight led her to undertake HR consulting post-recession in 2010 and to launch her start-up. She found a few initial clients, created an impactful business name, and has been leveraging her passion and energy to create winning workplaces ever since. Nicole has shared her insight and passion with the world through her several books, including The Talent Emergency, The Human side of Profitability, and The Power of Joy and Purpose. She also serves as the host of the internet TV show HR in the Fast Lane.

Stay Connected with Nicole:

• Nicole's personal website: http://nicolemartin.live/
• Nicole's Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cnicolemartin/
• HR Boost's website: https://www.hrboost.com/
• HR Boost's blog: https://www.hrboost.com/blog/
• Nicole's internet TV show, HR in the Fast Lane: http://advisor.tv/hr-in-the-fast-lane
• Nicole's co-authored book, No Fear Negotiation for Women: https://www.hrboost.com/no-fear-negotiation-for-women/
• Schedule a meet-and-greet with Nicole here: https://schedulewithnicolemartin.as.me/meetandgreetcall

Bio:

Nicole Martin

Author, Speaker, Thought Leader,

CEO & Founder

HRBoost, LLC.

Nicole Martin, internationally renowned speaker and author, and CEO and Founder of HRBoost, LLC., is a visionary who helps shine a light on ways to address the challenges that we are met with today both personally and professionally. She is a dynamic and empowering consultative leader and futurist skilled in helping business and community leaders, organizations, and individuals meet their strategic & personal objectives.

In recognition of her commitment to professional excellence and her community, Nicole has been honored by the Daily Herald as an Influential Women in Business, as a 2015 Women of Distinction awardee by Lake County Magazine, as a 2016 Enterprising Women of the Year Champion by Enterprising Women Magazine, as a 2017 recipient of the Daily Herald Business Ledger's Annual Awards for Business Excellence, and most recently by Insights Success magazine as one of the Most Promising CEOs of 2019.

As a highly regarded and sought after expert, her knowledge and advice have been featured in newspapers and magazines throughout the country. Recent publications in which she has been featured or quoted include Forbes.com, the Daily Herald Business Ledger, Fast Company, Mirror Magazine, CIO Look, and Beyond Exclamation.

Nicole has written on a broad range of topics that span matters as diverse as leadership and HR to her own personal journey. She is the author of The Power of Joy and Purpose, The Talent Emergency, The Human Side of Profitability, the chapter "Emotionally Speaking" in the book Leading From The Heart, and her newly released book (Aug. 3, 2019), No Fear Negotiation for Women.

Additionally, Nicole is the host of the internet show, HR in the Fast Lane, where she meets with business leaders to share insights on how human resources, culture, and leadership matters can drain, restrain and threaten progress, success, and profitability as easily as they can create and build on it.

Along with her many business and community commitments, Nicole is also a wife and the mother of two active young boys. She strongly believes in living each, and every day with presence and purpose and that by doing so, you can achieve all that you desire.

For more information about Nicole Martin, go to www.nicolemartin.live. Nicole can be reached directly at: [email protected]. For more information about HRBoost, to sign up for her newsletter, or to read her blog, go to www.hrboost.com.

In this episode of "Tales from Around the Water Cooler," Anjali Jariwala, CPA and CFP®, founder of FIT Advisors—a financial planning firm serving physicians and business owners virtually across the U.S.—takes us through the factors that influenced her decision to launch her own business. Anjali explores the challenges she experiences as a business owner and provides us with tips on how she maintains a high level of service while creating the work culture that best fits her firm. If you are a current or new business owner, this is the episode for you.

Anjali Jariwala, CPA and CFP®, is the founder of FIT Advisors, a financial planning firm serving physicians and business owners virtually across the US. Prior to launching her own firm, Anjali spent over six years working with Fortune 500 clients at a Big Four accounting firm, PricewaterhouseCoopers, and two years with a large, prestigious financial planning firm serving high-net-worth individuals. During her career, she would often share financial advice with family and friends, but began to realize that they lacked access to reliable personal finance information, and their busy family lives meant they just didn't have the time to become their own financial planners. Anjali decided she could make a meaningful impact by starting her own firm. Anjali utilizes her expertise in tax and finance to empower her clients to discover and reach their life goals while building a stable financial future.

Anjali was named one of Investment News' 40 under 40 for this year.

In this episode of "Tales from Around the Water Cooler," Gary Kaplan, Leader for XL Catlin's North America Construction unit, returns to the show and offers greater insight behind his Project Centric Leadership style. Gary breaks down the steps of his Leadership, Planning and Execution Model that he practices to create change and success at XL. He and Kristen also discuss values and favorite books that support their leadership essentials.

In this episode, we go "behind the mic" with Kristen Prinz to discuss her personal and professional path to becoming an established attorney and small business owner. The firm's legal assistant Matt takes us on a blast to the past to learn of Kristen's high school habits, what led her to law school, and why she entered employment and business law. Starting from an office in "a windowless closet," Kristen explains how she grew her business and became a boss. Along the way, Kristen sheds light on workplace culture in the legal field, the importance of bringing one's values to work, and the path to accomplishing a healthier work-life balance.

In this episode, Kristen Prinz welcomes Megan Roudebush, Founder of keepwith, a firm that teaches people networking skills. Megan shares her journey of building her own business while keeping her important and demanding day job. Networking has been a prominent tool in Megan's career path, and led her to build a business around what she does best. But how does she do it? Megan says, "Time management is critical," in both her career and personal life. If you are thinking of building a side business while keeping your day job, or are interested in honing your networking and time management skills, this is the episode for you.

Some of Megan Roudebush's tips

On time management:

• Weekly date night scheduled
• Outsource some chores
• Using apps as time management/task management tool
• One on one with yourself
• You can just say no!

Networking:

• Be purposeful and careful about whom you let into your network
• Have a close group of key advisors in your network
• Ask both people's permission before initiating a networking introduction
• Spend time on networking activities at least once a week

Get Connected

Megan Roudebush:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/megan-roudebush/

Keepwith:

Website: https://keepwith.com/

Bio:

Megan Burke Roudebush is Chief Compliance Officer of Crescent Grove Advisors, a registered investment advisor. With over 14 years of financial services experience, Megan oversees the firm's compliance program. Throughout her career, Megan has handled Anti-Money Laundering compliance matters at BMO Financial Group, advised global financial institutions on regulatory and compliance matters while at Deloitte, and worked in the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's Office of Compliance, Inspections and Examinations.

Megan received her BA degree in Peace and Conflict Studies from Bryn Mawr College and her JD/MBA from Albany Law School and Union Graduate College. She is a member of the Executives' Club of Chicago, previously served on the Guild Board at the Lyric Opera, and sits on the Board of the Bryn Mawr College Chicago Club. She is also a member of the Ethics & Compliance Initiative and the National Society of Compliance Professionals.

Megan values authentic relationship-building above all else. She is the founder of keepwith, a firm that teaches people how to network. She understands the importance of deliberately choosing one's key advisors and building and maintaining strong and genuine, reciprocal networking relationships. Not only has Megan spoken to an array of audiences about networking topics (including Albany Law School, the Executives' Club of Chicago, the Ethics & Compliance Initiative and the Guild Board of the Lyric Opera), she has also written several articles on networking and finds great joy in helping people to connect for the right reasons.

A few little known facts about Megan: she has taught poetry writing classes in juvenile detention centers, interviewed many notable individuals as a reporter and editor of the Children's Express News Service while growing up (including Janet Reno, Amy Tan and Bella Abzug), produced a multi-media documentary about the impact of cleft lip and palate surgery on patients in China for Operation Smile while in college, and in law school coached an ice hockey team comprised of young people with special needs. Her recent successes include co-chairing the Lyric Opera's inaugural Family Day event in April 2018.

Megan enjoys volunteering, mentoring and, most of all, networking. She is married, has a three-year-old daughter and prioritizes exercise and wellness. She is originally from New York City.

Cherilyn Murer: Life, Family and Business Success

In this episode of "Tales from Around the Water Cooler," successful entrepreneur and philanthropist Cherilyn Murer discusses why both women and men need balance in their professional and personal lives. She shares insights about her 32-year career in healthcare and higher education and the nuances of succeeding in these competitive and highly transformational fields. She and Kristen also discuss the importance of leadership, volunteerism, and mentoring.

Cherilyn's Reading List

"The Social Transformation of American Medicine" by Paul Starr

"Identity Unknown: Women Artists in the Shadows" by Donna Seaman

"Ten Restaurants that Changed America" by Paul Freedman