POPS! The People Ops Podcast

We’ve all felt the pain of losing employees this year, whether they’re folks from your own business or servers at a local restaurant. 

On this special Author’s Cut episode of POPS!, host Didi D’Errico dives into the financial costs of losing staff with Kevin Marasco, Zenefits’s Chief Marketing Officer and co-author of People Operations. He reveals why the real cost of losing star players and even unmotivated employees is significant, and how to get ahead of it.

Additional Resources:

• Employee Motivation Guidebook: https://www.zenefits.com/learn/employee-motivation/?utm_source=clubzen&utm_medium=organic-social&utm_campaign=06-28-2021-employee-motivation 
• Order your copy of our book People Operations: Zenefits.com/pops-book
• Be one of the first 10 people to send Didi a note at [email protected] to win a copy of the book

On this episode, you’ll hear: 

• [01:20 - 03:30] How losing unmotivated employees takes a toll on your business
• [03:30 - 07:00] Motivating your people with play, potential, and purpose
• [07:15 - 10:45] Calculating the true cost of losing employees
• [10:45 - 14:00] Getting ahead of employee loss

If your organization is returning to in-office work, you may be wondering: Are we responsible if an employee contracts COVID at our workplace?

Marie Kulbeth, COO and General Counsel at SixFifty, joins the show to explain the nuances of liability, help you minimize risk, and share how you can proactively protect your workforce.

Additional Resources:

• Review OSHA’s COVID-19 recommendations
• Get help creating COVID-19 safety plans and policies from SixFifty
• Order your copy of our book People Operations: Zenefits.com/pops-book
• Submit your People Ops questions: https://www.zenefits.com/workest/ask-a-question/

On this episode, you’ll hear: 

• [01:00] Required COVID-19 precautions
• [02:00] Additional ways to mitigate risk for your employees
• [06:20] Tips for communicating your policies well

Unlimited PTO is a popular time-off policy, especially in the tech field. It can be a great benefit for your employees, but Lora Patterson, Senior People Ops Advisor at Zenefits, recommends you consider its implications to ensure the policy works well for your company.

Lora reveals the potential pitfalls of unlimited PTO and gives 5 recommendations to help make a policy like this work for your company.

Additional Resources:

• Order your copy of our book People Operations: Zenefits.com/pops-book
• Submit your People Ops questions: https://www.zenefits.com/workest/ask-a-question/

On this episode, you’ll hear: 

• [00:00] Common reasons for implementing unlimited PTO
• [01:10] Considerations for your policy name
• [01:40] How to set helpful expectations
• [03:20] Why manager approval can keep PTO manageable
• [04:21] The benefits of a PTO calendar
• [04:52] FMLA and PTO interactions to plan for

If you’re feeling burnt out at work, don’t jump ship just yet.

Author, speaker, and “failed HR lady” Laurie Ruettimann warns quitting may not be the solution to your work woes.

Laurie joins the show to share her journey from miserable employee to vibrant leader and reveals how you can embrace a lifestyle of learning. Listen to hear her simple recommendations for discovering joy at work.

On this episode, you’ll hear:

• [03:45 - 06:00] How to debunk the “arrival fallacy”
• [06:30 - 08:30] Why your personal life matters to your work life
• [09:00 - 12:45] How to embrace a lifestyle of learning
• [13:00 - 15:30] Laurie’s 30-day learning challenge
• [16:00 - 19:00] What to consider when re-assessing your career

After you listen:

• Order your copy of our book People Operations: Zenefits.com/pops-book
• Follow the podcast
• Submit your People Ops questions: https://www.zenefits.com/workest/ask-a-question/

Once upon a time, people stayed at the same job for most of their career. Now, typical employee tenure has shortened to 4.1 years.

What’s changed? And can short-term loyalty be a good thing?

Danny Speros, VP of People Operations at Zenefits, dives into these shifts and explains how shorter tenure can help both employees and employers along their journeys.

Additional Resources:

• Order your copy of our book People Operations: Zenefits.com/pops-book
• Submit your People Ops questions: https://www.zenefits.com/workest/ask-a-question/

On this episode, you’ll hear:

• [00:00] Why employee tenure has shortened
• [01:00] Qualities to look for in new hires instead of long tenure
• [02:00] Danny’s perspective on hiring and turnover

A record number of people resigned from their jobs in 2021 and over half of the workforce is considering changing jobs in the next year. With over 10 million open jobs, it’s safe to say most of your employees are being recruited by someone else.

Danny Speros, VP of People Operations at Zenefits, explains this competitive talent market means you need to re-recruit your staff. But you don’t need an elaborate process. Re-recruiting is a chance to check in with your people, understand how they feel about their current role, and learn where they want to grow.

In this episode, Danny reveals how thoughtful questions and simple changes can help people feel better about their job and career trajectory.

Additional Resources:

• Order your copy of our book People Operations: Zenefits.com/pops-book
• Submit your People Ops questions: https://www.zenefits.com/workest/ask-a-question/

On this episode, you’ll hear: 

• [00:00] Why you need to re-recruit your employees
• [01:30] A simple approach to re-recruiting
• [02:30] Conversation starters to check in with your people

Small- to medium-business owners know great people are key to success.

Ankur Patel, Director of Product Marketing at Zenefits, joins the show to share how to build up the people who keep your organization running.

We discuss 4 HR trends you need to pay attention to in 2022:

• Greater flexibility and work-life balance
• Wellbeing benefits
• Increased diversity and inclusion
• Greater digital adoption

Ankur leaves us with practical action steps to implement today so you can care for the people behind your business.

On this episode, you’ll hear:

• [02:30 - 07:30] What’s driving changes in HR
• [07:30 - 13:30] Trend #1: Greater flexibility and work-life balance
• [13:30 - 22:00] Trend #2: Wellbeing benefits
• [22:00 - 26:30] Trend #3: Increased diversity and inclusion
• [26:30 - 29:00] Trend #4: Greater digital adoption
• [29:00 - 35:00] Action steps you can take today

After you listen: 

• Order your copy of our book People Operations: Zenefits.com/pops-book
• Follow the podcast 
• Submit your People Ops questions: https://www.zenefits.com/workest/ask-a-question/

Whenever we begin a new year, it's important to review your employee handbook to see if there are any changes you need to make. After a year like 2021, it’s absolutely critical to ensure your policies are up to date.

Lora Patterson, Senior People Ops Advisor at Zenefits, shares where she recommends you focus your attention to ensure your handbook stays current and remains a helpful resource for your employees.

Additional Resources:

• Order your copy of our book People Operations: Zenefits.com/pops-book

On this episode, you’ll hear: 

• [00:30 - 01:00] Why you may need to add a remote work policy
• [01:00 - 02:15] Considerations for new COVID-19 policies 
• [02:15 - 02:30] Thoughts on updating your company holidays
• [02:15 - 03:00] State updates to look out for

Hiring remote employees could be your greatest advantage, but it could also be your greatest challenge.

If you want to have remote employees, you need to stay on top of regulations and logistics to set yourself and your employees up for success.

Lora Patterson, Senior People Ops Advisor at Zenefits, guides us through the process and helps us get ahead of potential remote hiring headaches.

Additional Resources:

• Order your copy of our book People Operations: Zenefits.com/pops-book

On this episode, you’ll hear: 

• [01:00 - 02:00] When to update work locations
• [02:00 - 04:00] PTO and FMLA policy variations to look out for
• [04:00 - 05:45] How to handle termination, breaks, required documents, and office equipment
• [05:45 - 07:45] Tips for keeping remote employees connected to your company

When it comes to your business strategy, building an inclusive culture is not only the right thing to do, it’s the smart thing to do. Research by McKinsey revealed companies that adopt a systematic approach to inclusion are more successful than those that don’t. Yet, McKinsey also found just 29% of organizations had a positive response to the topic of inclusion.

Marchelle Wright, Chief People Officer at Group Black, joins host Didi D’Errico to explain why building an inclusive culture is critical to success and shares simple steps you can take as a small business to prioritize inclusion.

Additional Resources:

• Diversity and inclusion are paramount to welcoming your employees: https://www.zenefits.com/learn/diversity-and-inclusion-ebook/ 
• Order your copy of our book People Operations: Zenefits.com/pops-book

On this episode, you’ll hear: 

• [00:45 - 02:00] What it means to create an inclusive culture
• [02:00 - 04:00] Insights from recent McKinsey research
• [04:00 - 07:00] Opportunities for small companies to weave D&I into their DNA
• [07:00 - 08:30] Why you need to gather pulse feedback