Every time I think I should throw in the towel on our weekly show, someone comes out of the woodwork and tells me we saved them during Covid. Made them cry when I talked about losing my brother. Shares something important with me. Hugs me at a conference and asks about my feisty kids because they soooooo relate. Introduces their daughter to me for mentorship. Sends me a guest no one knows yet but should. Thanks me for being real when so much feels like bullshit.

My favorite word has always been permission. Or maybe truth. I don't know why we need give ourselves and each other permission to be human. To be real, flawed, imperfect, hungry, trying, growing, learning, loved. We make actual business cases for it and call it recognition, engagement, DEI, belonging, culture, our shiny new EVP.

You guys. When everything is changing, remember nothing has changed. The world needs our full humanity, our full community, our full hearts. And we need each other.

Our silly little show grew to over 3,500+ weekly audience members because we created space for all this. I don't know why I need reminding, but sometimes I do. The Now of Work is a community for HR, work tech, AI, all of that....and humans. Not so silly, I guess.

I brought my friend Thorald Koren back to the Now of Work community because you should know him. He's so human he's not even on LinkedIn. 😂 Knows love, loss, mental health, community, and the power of voice. Happens to be one of my favorite musicians. He talks with us, sang to us, he was present with us.

If you're still working this week, poor things, spend an hour with us. ❤️

-Jess Von Bank

Malcolm Gladwell avoids face-to-face interviews....too "dangerous." Interesting, right? The psychology of meeting strangers was a whole body of research he conducted over a two-year period, and we can't help but think of it when we consider a new HR Tech category that's heating up in the Age of AI: INTERVIEW INTELLIGENCE.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hIgm5ap3SPM

On this episode we meet Mark Simpson, Founder & CEO of Pillar. What's the impact of AI on the interview process, and what are all the insights and data we get from interviews?

Are you ready to revolutionize how hiring managers and recruiters collaborate? This episode, we're thrilled to host David Nason and Master Burnett from HireBrain, where they share their innovative approach to reimagining how jobs and requirements are both defined and filled.

Fresh off a win at HR Tech’s Pitchfest in October 2024, they are ready to break down the pillars of hiring and talk about what it takes to build a solid foundation for talent that aligns hiring managers, recruiters, candidates, and most importantly, the business.

Tune in to explore how you can remove blindspots and bias from hiring while creating a better hiring experience for everyone involved.

Have you ever watched a sports team that’s got great players but just can’t seem to pull off a win? There could be a number of factors at play. Perhaps they don’t gel as a team, or the game-time conditions don’t favor their strengths. Maybe there’s a clash between the players and the coaching style. In the end, it’s not that the players are bad, they’re just in the wrong configuration or environment.

This week, we’re joined by Christian Hughes (CTO), who has built his career on formulating winning sports teams by aligning player strengths with the right conditions for success. And now Christian is bringing his science-backed approach to the corporate world where he’s teamed up with seasoned TA leader, Tessa James (CEO), to deliver HireGains, an omni-directional assessment that looks at both individual candidate attributes and the environmental factors that determine a person’s success.

Dive in to learn what can unleash, or inhibit, someone’s potential in the workplace, and explore the science behind organizational fit.

No one seems to be slowing down yet before the end of the year -- if anything, organizations are in full blown strategy and execution mode while they sort out investments and priorities for 2025.

We had a fun week on the road, including time spent with UKG Labs. What a cool concept: an in-house virtual laboratory and startup ecosystem to identify and nurture early stage technologies helping to advance the future of work. Today you'll meet Colin Horsford, MBA, CPA, Co-Founder of Muse and Brent Filson, Director, Product Research & Innovation at UKG Labs.

Jess Von Bank is and joined by guest Sarah Reynolds (They/Them) Chief Marketing Officer at HiBob to explore themes of community, emotional well-being, and the importance of inclusivity in the workplace.

This important conversations follows the highly charged, much anticipated major US political election during the week of Nov. 5.

No, it's not all we have to talk about. It does have us wondering a few things: How is everyone? Did your workplace handle it well? If you profess to invite everyone to bring their whole selves to work, how did that go this week? How does something like a major political event spill over into the workplace from an engagement, policy, sentiment, productivity perspective?

Together, Jess and Sarah discuss personal stories, the significance of honoring veterans, and the emotional check-in process. The dialogue transitions into the growth of HiBob and its commitment to modern HR practices, followed by a deep dive into identity, the concept of 'chosen self' versus masking, and the challenges of bringing one's whole self to work. The conversation culminates in philosophical reflections on authenticity and the systems that shape workplace culture.

Lance Haun, TSC’s VP of Market Insights, joins Jess and Jason to chat about AI and EX. For more than a decade, Lance has been focused on all things HR, recruiting and talent management technology. So, what’s on his mind lately? Lance wonders if we’ve taken a step back from employee experience. “Is AI the antidote or poison (maybe a bit of both)?” 

Let’s get into it! 

We had Mr. New York Times Himself on this Digital Meetup!

If you didn't catch it, Kyle Lagunas and Hebba Youssef were a NYT feature not so long ago with a pretty blasphemous exposé revealing employees aren't the only ones who hate HR -- HR hates HR. Ahhhh, who doesn't love an irreverent headline. 
Kyle explains. HR is over it -- since the pandemic for sure, maybe before. Anyone else feel that? They're burned out managing everyone else's burnout. They can't be strategic because no one will let them solve tactical messes. The C-suite keeps pulling the Almighty Chair at the Table out from under them. 
And so ironically, they're the ones we're all looking at to drive Talent Transformation for the business, AI strategy in a new human-machine teaming era of work, and sustainable work models for the future. 
Transformation Realness with Kyle on this latest episode!

Bradley Schurman, Founder & CEO of Human Change & Founder of New Rules Media, returns to the Now of Work Digital Meetup to continue the conversation on labor demographics and how it's effecting the future of work.

Whether we like it or not, change is in store.

At Human Change, they anticipate and solve challenges associated with demographic change by providing strategic foresight and strategy in labor and consumer markets to business leaders worldwide. It's their forte to understand the impact of the Great Demographic Shift as birthrates collapse and older populations grow. Here's what they've found:

Thrilled to welcome Daniel Crosby, Ph.D., who writes books with the coolest titles: 

Today he'll chat with our Now of Work community about the impact of financial stress in the workplace, why financial education isn't enough to promote financial wellness at scale, and hot new research on money, happiness, and incentivizing talent. (Heads up, talent acquisition, total rewards, wellbeing, culture, DEI, and talent development pros… this is gold for HR.)

This is such a FRESH conversation