NOW of Work

Cautious optimism is the name of the game when it comes to organizations preparing for 2023. As we step into the last month of the year, we're all about being realistic and proactive.

During this Digital Meetup, Jess Von Bank and I chatted with Brian Wilkerson about planning in the midst of economic uncertainty. Brian is the Corporate Vice President of hrQ and a national expert on talent strategy, workforce planning, and human capital management in times of business instability.

With an uncertain economy, challenges in the labor market, supply chain disruptions, big shifts in workforce dynamics, and continued global health issues, leaders and organizations need to stay agile and informed. Advanced workforce planning is one of the best ways to prepare organizations for all of the anticipated changes. Tune in

In less than a week, many people here in the U.S. will gather around their dinner table with food, family, and friends to celebrate Thanksgiving. The annual occasion often encourages us to think deeper about what we are grateful for. We all have something or someone that sparks a sense of thankfulness in our heart at this time of the year.

Gratitude may be easy to call to mind at home, but what about at work? What can you find gratitude for at work, within your team, or as you lead with purpose? How can we embrace recognition and celebration to bring more humanity to work? How does all of this tie into workforce experience and human fulfillment?

We couldn't wait to chat with Derek Irvine at Workhuman as we continue to recognize #NationalGratitudeMonth. As the Executive/Senior VP at Workhuman and author of Making Work Human, Derek helps teams WIN by creating amazing cultures. "Cultures that support and reinforce their strategies, cultures that ensure high performance, cultures that encourage recognition of effort, and that celebrate success."

Workhuman is known globally for integrating gratitude, workplace data, and human insights into a robust performance management platform. Their software helps global companies motivate and empower their teams to do amazing work and help explain how culture, blended with tech, can equal great team success.

Take a listen as Jess, Derek, and I tap into the topic of gratitude and how we can maximize it at work!

We don't have to go alone. When we think of change at work, Dan Riley encourages us to think of change as a team sport. "It's a long-game mindset. It takes all of us. TOGETHER." RADICL is all about inspired change. They provide employee experience advisory solutions to organizations that go beyond traditional engagement, performance management, and leadership development. Essentially, they unlock what people are thinking, feeling, and how they are connecting with an organization’s purpose.

Jess Von Bank and I were excited to chat with Dan because here at Leapgen, we share a similar mission to motivate teams, to humanize work, and to make work better. I talked about this recently in BusinessMatters Magazine sharing that "Work has changed forever, meaning companies must adapt...The right approach is putting people first, valuing who they are, and empowering deep connections." Dan echoes this statement, saying "We know change doesn't stop. We never arrive. Work keeps changing. We keep changing. This is work. This is life. But most importantly, a shared optimism that we CAN and WILL achieve ALL of the above - if we do it together."

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This week saw a Tale of Two Leaders, and the contrast could not be more stark. “Why is small talk even legal,” Elon Musk tweeted as workers began being slashed before he said they would. Compare this to CEO Patrick Collison’s communication to affected employees in Stripe's RIF this week. The best leadership communication we have ever seen, hands down. And the generosity shown? Unprecedented.

Jess and I chatted about both approaches as we kicked off our show. We were also joined by Serena H. Huang, Ph.D., a brilliant people analytics leader who helped pioneer people data for workforce outcomes at organizations like GE, Koch, The Kraft Heinz Company, and now PayPal. People data for business can help people thrive, not just survive at work. She also shares how we can improve employee health and well-being using data analytics, what leaders can do when they don't have data, and how to create a work environment where people not only survive but actually thrive from a psychological safety, inclusion, wellbeing, and purpose standpoint.

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How do we shift from counting people to making people count? We were so thrilled to have Steve Goldberg as our featured guest on this Digital Meetup! We’re big fans of Steve's work, both with him leading product strategy at big global companies as well as leading the implementation of HR software at some of the largest enterprises in the world.

Steve had many insights to share about how we can help people through technology. “The employee experience is so much more than the experience of using a vendor’s technology. Employee experience is whatever your employees are thinking, feeling, doing at work,” Steve shares. We also talk about how to inject more empathy into technology, how to better humanize work, and if technology will really replace people. If so, when and where will that happen in the future of work?

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From Minneapolis, to Paris, to Vegas! Jess and Jason are back from their #HRTech show travels. During this meetup, they share their recent insights from Unleash, Oracle Cloud World, and Cornerstone Convergence 2022. Take a listen to hear what's new and ahead in HR Tech, what's buzzing in the product and thought worlds, and what the future of the cloud looks like!

The job market is undoubtedly different today than it was two years ago. But what exactly has changed? How do these vast transformations impact hiring and job trends, talent availability, matching or mismatching talent? ...And what about the elephant in the room? There's several actually. During  this Meetup, Alex Zea & Ryan Malkes have an honest chat about the recession, quiet-quitting, and the power of AI to bring about sweeping change.

As our hosts, Jason Averbook and Jess Von Bank  wrap up UNLEASH in Paris, we're excited to feature Special Guest Hosts: Alexandra Zea, and Ryan Malkes. Alex is Leapgen's Client Partner & Team Lead and Ryan is our Workforce Experience Director - HR Advisory. And stay tuned for special guests Steve Jewel and Mandy Whiting!

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How has the pandemic impacted well-being at work? We take a deeper look by examining brain power on this live Digital Meetup with Lauren Waldman, a Learning Scientist and the Founder of Learning Pirate.

Lauren is one of the first learning designers globally to merge the operational function of the brain with cognitive theories to create large-scale learning designs. She's worked with employees at prominent organizations like Allstate, Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines, and Disneyland. Take a listen to this great conversation between Jason Averbook, Ryan Malkes, Lauren Waldman, and the Now of Work Community as they discuss topics surrounding our brains and how they respond to trends in the workforce!

We love HR Technology Conference & Exposition's annual Pitchfest. It's a great opportunity to give spotlight and stage to new innovation, new voices, and new approaches to solving old HR and talent problems. This year's lineup was as good as ever; a field of 33 was narrowed to 6. A winner of one of the most sought-after awards in our industry was announced. The winner was: SPOTLYFE!

We couldn't wait to chat with Team SPOTLYFE following their big win. They tell the story that won the prize, why they think they're grabbing headlines in the current talent market, and how supporting PEOPLE outcomes supports WORK outcomes. They also share their latest research on burnout and the hustle culture, two big factors affecting the quality of our everyday lives. 

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We can't believe that HR Tech Conference was just last week! Our team is still riding high after the amazing energy at the conference and all of the great insights shared. We were excited to share a full HR Tech Conference Recap on today's Digital Meetup! Joined by Harry West, Leapgen's VP Team Leader & Customer Partner, we shared the biggest highlights, takeaways, and insights from the largest HR Tech event globally. We couldn't wait to share what we learned about the state of work and what's brewing in HR Tech!