What happens when an executive quietly outsources performance reviews to ChatGPT? Or when your C-suite is loudly preaching about AI adoption while refusing to touch the tools themselves? In this episode, I sit down with Talk HR to Me columnist and Head of People at Quantum Metric, Alana Fallis, to tackle real listener questions in a live advice-column format.

We dig into the messy realities of AI in the workplace—from misplaced trust in automated reviews, to the awkward theater of “innovation” at the executive level, to the human side of employee fears around automation. And yes, we even unpack the HR dilemma of whether an employee in recovery should be allowed to stock the breakroom fridge with non-alcoholic beer.

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Layoffs are often treated like a dirty secret—a rushed, impersonal process designed to move people out the door with as little friction as possible. But the way you offboard employees says just as much about your company culture as the way you welcome them in. In this episode, I sit down with Jena Dunay, founder of Recruit the Employer and host of Culture Uncovered, to talk about how organizations can approach layoffs, exits, and alumni relations with dignity—and why that matters more than ever.

We dig into the bad habits that keep companies scrambling at the eleventh hour, the power of communication over cash, and why alumni networks and boomerang employees should be a core part of your talent strategy. Offboarding isn’t just the end of the employee lifecycle—it’s the part that makes the circle whole.

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If you’ve ever sat through a personality test during hiring and thought, “This feels a bit like corporate astrology”—you’re not wrong. In this episode, I talk with Jason Hreha, Founder & CEO of Persona, about why so many workplace assessments are built on outdated theories and questionable science, and how to separate the gimmicks from the tools that actually help you hire better. We dig into what reliability and predictive validity really mean, why they’re non-negotiables for any credible test, and where most HR teams go wrong in applying behavioral science to talent decisions.

Jason also shares his work on a new leadership-focused assessment that aims to measure two very different—but equally valuable—leadership archetypes: transformational and operational. From structuring interviews to making personality data a meaningful (but not overblown) part of your hiring process, this conversation is a crash course in evidence-based talent evaluation.

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The word “engagement” gets thrown around a lot—but what does it really mean in today’s workplace? In this candid, first-half conversation with Kamaria Scott, industrial-organizational psychologist and founder of Enetic, we take a hard look at how the definition of engagement has drifted, how the psychological contract between employees and employers has frayed, and why trust is harder to come by in the aftermath of layoffs, AI hype, and corporate euphemisms.

Kamaria brings the receipts. From the history of engagement theory to the real human consequences of gig work and bad layoffs, she unpacks what it means to create work that actually matters—and why loyalty isn’t what it used to be. This episode sets the stage for a broader dialogue about how we redefine value, trust, and meaning in a world of accelerating automation and shrinking safety nets.

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• Check out Enetic and Manager Momentum Operating System

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Most leaders assume that transparency around pay and finances will sow discord or fuel envy. Mel Price is living proof that the opposite is possible. As co-founder and CEO of Work Program Architects, she’s spent the last 15 years running a firm with full salary and financial transparency—by design, not by accident. The result? A company where people understand how money moves, why decisions are made, and how their own work ladders up to business outcomes.

In this episode, we talk about what it really takes to implement radical transparency—from open books and compensation committees to staff-run hiring and contract signing. Mel shares what she's learned from building a distributed leadership model where every employee is given the tools and data to think (and act) like an owner.

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HR leaders say they want a seat at the table—but too often, they show up without speaking the language. In this episode, David talks with Julie Mahfouz Rezvani, Managing Director of The Orion Group, about the critical gap between HR's people expertise and the commercial acumen needed to drive real business impact. Julie brings clarity to the misunderstood concept of "HR as a cost center," unpacking the ways HR can become indispensable by translating people insights into financial impact.

They dig into the basics: How does your company make money? What's your revenue per employee? And if you can't answer that, why should your CFO listen to you? It's a candid conversation that calls HR professionals to step up, understand the business model, and learn to speak the language of the C-suite—not by mimicking it, but by reframing people problems in business terms.

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What happens when your mission statement no longer fits the company you're building? For Chase Warrington, Head of Operations at Doist, that question wasn’t rhetorical—it was a radical prompt that reshaped their culture. In this candid, live conversation recorded from the lawn of a remote work conference in Austin, Chase and David Rice unpack how purpose gets defined, tested, and redefined in remote-first companies—and why so many organizations still get it wrong.

We dig into why aligning your purpose with actual customer needs isn’t just a branding exercise—it’s a cultural imperative. Chase shares how Doist uses radical candor, documented values, and consistent reinforcement to build a culture where purpose isn't wallpaper. It’s a mirror. Whether you’re trying to refresh your mission statement or just make it mean something again, this episode offers a grounded look at how to move from performance to authenticity.

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We’ve heard all the usual suspects when it comes to remote engagement—Slack check-ins, virtual happy hours, maybe an annual engagement survey if we’re lucky. But what if the problem isn’t the tools, but the assumptions? In this episode, David Rice sits down with Dr. Adora Ikwuemesi, whose recent qualitative study of remote workers in Nigeria reveals a much deeper, more nuanced picture of what truly drives—or erodes—remote engagement.

Adora walks us through her seven-part framework that emerged from conversations with 24 remote workers. Spoiler: it’s not just about more communication; it’s about better connection. From the physical realities of working without reliable electricity, to the surprising role that fun plays in fostering commitment, this conversation strips engagement down to its real-world components—beyond perks and policies. If you think your team is “fine,” you may just be missing the silence before the storm.

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Candor is easy to value and hard to operationalize. It takes more than writing "feedback" on a poster and hoping people magically feel safe being honest. In this episode, I talk to Valentina Gissin, Chief People Officer at Garner Health, about how her team institutionalizes candor and turns culture into lived behavior—not empty slogans.

We dig into radical practices like publishing peer and upward feedback company-wide, cultural onboarding through case studies, and pushing back against the illusion of "culture fit" during hiring. Valentina also shares what she carried over (and what she left behind) from her time at Bridgewater, one of the most studied and controversial company cultures in corporate America.

This conversation is a blueprint for any leader asking the hard question: how do we make our culture real at scale?

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Most new managers aren't failing because they're bad at the job. They're failing because no one ever told them what the job actually is.

In this episode, David talks with Lia Garvin, author of The New Manager Playbook, about the real barriers keeping new managers from delivering results. It's not a lack of ambition or intelligence. It's a complete absence of clear expectations, practical support, and trust—from both directions.

They unpack why performance reviews so often feel arbitrary, how workplace surveillance backfires, and why calling your team a "family" is setting everyone up for disappointment. Whether you're newly promoted or managing the managers, this episode will reframe how you think about delegation, accountability, and what it really takes to lead.

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• Check out Lia’s book: The New Manager Playbook and the Managing Made Simple podcast

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