The origin story of making this episode happen all started with a social media thread. This one, in fact: https://bit.ly/3RvUNBE

Industry advisor, Steve Goldberg posted something about onboarding as IMMERSION in job, team and culture --- which got my co-host Jess Von Bank's quick response and the attention of Meg Bear, President & SPO of SAP SuccessFactors, and Gordon Ritchie, Principal Consultant, Skills Architecture & Transformation at Skill Collective.
So we decided to take this conversation to the community. We hashed out one of the most important moments that matter for your workforce — and the biggest ROI opportunity for business. Jess likes to call it Onboarding & Ongoing. How can we treat this critical step in the talent journey as a strategic launchpad and not a tactical checklist? Especially as so many organizations profess to become skills-based, to prioritize employee well-being, and to create true connection to corporate values?

A platform that gives employees the freedom and flexibility to choose the type of benefits that they want to fit their own personal needs? Sign us up! We can't wait for you to listen to our chat about employee experience, the data behind diversifying benefits, and the how Compt is changing the NOW and future of work with Amy Spurling, CEO and Founder of Compt

Compt's mission is simple. They help companies build and scale flexible employee perks, stipends, and rewards that delight teams. Named the Innovative HR Platform of the Year in 2021, Compt supports global teams with fully customizable HR Tech software to fit a company's needs. Whether it's a health and wellness stipend, student loan stipend or equipment stipend, they believe that benefits should and can align with an employee's life stage. In this new world of work Compt believes that "Fair pay and health insurance are merely table stakes. To truly support your team, remain competitive, and retain top talent, you must offer meaningful benefits to every lifestyle."

Their CEO, Amy's experience as a former three-time CFO and two-time COO managing Finance and HR fuels Compt's belief that companies and employees can achieve much more together when employees are fully supported. 

We talk a big game when it comes to workforce experience, culture, and employment opportunities. But for vast portions of the world's potential labor market, getting a job depends on getting TO a job. Transportation itself is a vehicle to opportunity. 

Meet Boyd Reid and Erich Ko, two sons of immigrant families, the co-founders of Hop In Technologies, who understood this when they decided to solve the problem of work by solving the problem of accessible work. Oh, and there's a silver lining, too. 

By solving for mass transit to major employers, we can make a collective dent in ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) initiatives. It's a win-win: increasing employment and quality of life by getting more people to work, raising the economic viability of more of our communities, creating community by taking better care of people where you live, and addressing a really common recruiting and retention problem in sectors like manufacturing, retail, hospitality, and healthcare. 

Headed to HR Technology Conference on Oct 10-13? Still on the fence? Reason #117 to go (you could say #1 reason): The Women in HR Technology Summit is included in your premium pass, and it's the only conference program like it.

Jeanne Achille is the Program Chair for Women in HR Tech, and she covered the origins of this powerful summit with my co-host, Jess Von Bank! HR is dominated by women, even at executive levels where the numbers normally skew toward men. So why this summit and these topics?

Jess and Jeanne also discussed the programming for Women in HR Tech, which includes six sessions and keynotes designed to provide valuable insights into topics that impact everyone in the workforce, including how to generate new leadership opportunities for women, and how to build cultures of trust. 

In this episode, you'll get an exclusive sneak peek of the speakers and content from Heather Bussing, Jennifer Dole, Marilyn Pearson Hendricks, and Sarah J. Rodehorst. They all popped into our Now of Work community meetup to preview conversations around technology-supported gender equality, driving organizational change, the power of culture, and pay equity.

Everyone is talking about AI– how to use it, what jobs it might do, and who or what tasks it might replace. Like any tool, it has the potential to fundamentally change the nature of work, and it will absolutely reshape the skills people need to be successful.
That's why we were excited to have two special guests join us on this episode of the Digital Meetup! Jess and I welcomed Katarina Berg, CHRO of Spotify, and Dr Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic, Chief Innovation Officer of ManpowerGroup, to our Now of Work Community. We talked about the impact of #AI on skills in the workplace, how AI is changing the nature of work, plus the risks and opportunities for the human side of the equation.
Katarina led the Spotify's talent transformation when they grew from a startup to an international company. She excels at reinventing processes to establish an environment where creative people can thrive. We loved talking with her about the impact of AI and organizational reengineering, and how to achieve great business results during times of great change.
In addition to his role at ManPower Group; a global staffing and recruitment firm, Dr. Tomas is a social scientist and associate at Harvard’s Entrepreneurial Finance Lab. He's written 12 books, including his latest: I, Human: AI, Automation, and the Quest to Reclaim What Makes Us Unique. We picked his brain for his thoughts on AI, the psychology of talent, and how science-based tools can improve an organization's ability to predict performance.

Don't call it retirement. Lexy Martin said that she's simply 'redirecting.' "I can't stand the word 'retire' and I failed the first time I did so, but this time, it will take." Lexy may be leaving Visier after 55 years in the HR Tech and people analytics business, but she will redirect her energy to passion projects, pursuing a future self that will satisfy her as much as research. 
That's quite the thing at 78 years old. To have contributed 5 decades and a giant legacy to the HR Technology industry and know you haven't done everything that satisfies you yet.
But, couldn't let Lexy "redirect," without giving her a proper toast and send off! Listen here for a special industry farewell to Lexy Martin. We walked down memory lane of her 55 year career, shared her learnings, and had some amazing stories from other special guests that have been instrumental to her contributions over the years.
If you're lucky enough to know Lexy, you know she's both a Master Researcher and Master Gardener, an early pioneer of People Analytics and vocal advocate for inclusive solution design, an avid world traveler, and one of the first women analysts in work tech. "Lexy has been my cheerleader from the start, as I have been hers, and I am one of AT LEAST 100 WOMEN who can say that," my co-host Jess Von Bank shared. 
💡 READ MORE from Lexy about her decision and her learnings after 50+ years in the tech industry: https://bit.ly/3OOO5EY

On today's Digital Meetup, we talked about the Perceptyx and Hum acquisition and what it means for the future of the employee experience. Jess Von Bank and I were so excited to welcome Lisa Sterling, Perceptyx's Chief People Officer, to our live broadcast!

Perceptyx is a top employee listening and manager effectiveness platform. Humu is a tech tool that uses science-based ‘nudges’ to influence positive behavior change and improve business performance. With this acquisition, Humu is poised to solve a big challenge when it comes to employee listening.

"Perceptyx will integrate Humu’s extensive library of behavior nudges in its People Insights Platform, allowing organizations to deliver personalized nudges to both leaders and employees, customized to the behavior each individual or team wants to improve. Perceptyx will be the first company to enable a 'nudge' process that engages the entire workforce to take action and make work better," they shared in their press release.

Our special guest, Lisa Sterling, is a listening expert exclusively focused on EX, with a deep portfolio of listening tech and intellectual capital. "This acquisition will change the game for Perceptyx, our people, our customers and their people," she explained.

Jess Von Bank and I introduced Sam Beiler to our interactive chat. Sam is the CEO/ Co-founder of Boostpoint, which uses AI to target and place highly personalized recruitment ads on social media.
Their platform combines technology, social media, text messaging, and recruiting strategies to help leaders attract more qualified candidates, simplify hiring, and boost their employer brand. 
We could not wait to chat with Sam about AI's impact on recruiting and social media, how bias and privacy laws can impact recruitment practices, and how the face of recruiting and job hunting has changed. "AI should be the connecting point between humans and the organization. Not the sole replacement," Sam shared. 
Jim Holincheck, Principal of Transformation Services here at Mercer/Leapgen also joined in on our discussion to share highlights from our recent Generative AI for HR webinar. Did you catch it? Jim and I provided a recap of the webinar, which included how Generative AI is transforming HR leadership and what actions leaders should take to support the growth of their organizations. 
With over 54% of organizations dipping their toes into the Generative AI pool, but only 18% implementing it, you'll definitely want to give this episode a listen!

"My parents were born to sharecroppers in Southern Georgia. (They) would have to miss school to pick cotton during harvest season. I saw these messages of bias, racism, and oppression, even as a child...Whatever environment you're in there's a label that is either thrust upon you or that you cling to for recognition. So, I've always been intrigued by this work. When you’re imbued with empathy… when you see injustice around you, you can either be part of the solution or part of the problem. And my goal is to be part of the solution."

Marc is the SVP of Racial & Social Equity and Culture at California Life Sciences. His goal is to make the life sciences industry more diverse and equitable. He also spearheaded the first DEI program at Vail Resorts, creating an intentional cultural shift within their employee and customer experience efforts, to create a more inclusive space for their workforce and clientele.

Kate Graham joined us as our special guest co-host on this episode of our NOW Digital Meetup. Kate has an incredible track record providing clear voice and a healthy perspective on the trends, challenges, and innovations relevant to people, work, and technology. 

We loved following her work at Fosway Group and UNLEASH. Now it's time to check in on Kate's recent move back to the vendor side (what a win for Cornerstone OnDemand!). She had some really fantastic advice for both HR Tech vendors AND consumers. It has to do with transparency, being realistic, and better storytelling. Kate and I can't wait to bring this fresh conversation to the community. 

BTW, where's Jess Von Bank? She checked in from the course during our Meetup to share their progress! If you've been following us for a while, you know Jess loves to race. During this epsidoe, Jess began a 200-mile Ragnar Relay from the Canadian border (Blaine, WA), running along the glacial Cascade and Olympic Mountain ranges, Deception Pass, and Puget Sound before she crossed the finish line with her team on Whidbey Island, sometime in the afternoon. Go, Jess!