The HR Hub

The HR Hub

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The HR Hub episodes

  • Workplace Investigation: When Someone Lies

    False allegations in workplace investigations are somewhat rare. Or are they?

    HR professionals need to know how to recognize and handle a bad faith complaint when one comes up. Bob Stenhouse, founder and CEO of Veritas Solutions and a former police investigator and undercover officer, explains the difference between unfounded, vexatious, and bad faith complaints. He also covers counter allegations and why employers need a policy on bad faith allegations.
    Key takeaways:
    🤷 An unfounded complaint is not a false one. Many complainants believe their own account, even when the evidence does not support it.
    👹We don't usually use the word 'lying'. Usually these are called bad faith.
    🫵 Counter allegations are common. Sometimes both parties breached policy, and sometimes the counter allegation is retaliation.
    🧐 Investigators must keep an open mind to all possibilities, including a false allegation. A closed mind leaves findings open to legal challenge.
    00:00 Intro
    00:48 Unfounded vs. bad faith complaints
    02:44 Vexatious vs. bad faith explained
    04:13 Why investigators avoid saying “lying”
    05:15 Handling counter allegations
    07:32 Does it matter who started it?
    08:37 Can an investigation be harassment?
    10:22 Why employers need a bad faith policy
    12:07 Acting on dishonesty without a policy
    13:32 False allegations in the #MeToo era
    15:13 Keeping an open mind
    16:17 Where “he said, she said” came from
    17:01 Finding Bob and Veritas Solutions
    **Find Bob**
    Website: https://veritassolutions.net/
    LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bob-stenhouse/
    Book: Truth Matters: A Guide to Conducting Successful Workplace & Other Administrative Investigations: https://www.amazon.ca/s?k=Truth+Matters+Bob+Stenhouse
    **Find Andrea (me)**
    Website: https://thehrhub.ca/
    LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrea-adams1/


    19 min
  • How to Run Effective Stay Interviews

    Stay interviews are not just to keep employees who are thinking about leaving. They help HR and leaders gather employee insights to build a better organization.

    Juli Prizant, founder and president of OptiPeople Resources, explains how stay interviews compare to exit interviews and engagement surveys, who should conduct them, and what to do with what you hear. Juli has spent more than 30 years building people systems for growing companies.

    Key takeaways from this

    • Stay interviews or exit interviews? It is not an either - or.
    • Stay interviews or engagement surveys? Engagement surveys give you an organization-wide pulse. Stay interviews are more targeted and work well during change, new leadership, or high turnover.
    • The interviewer should be someone employees trust to protect the information they share. That is often HR or an outside party, since people rarely tell their manager or their boss's boss everything.
    • Juli calls them "tell me more" interviews, which avoids implying that only flight risks are being interviewed.
    • Set expectations up front. You will listen and look for themes, and some concerns won't be fixed. Substantive issues like harassment or leadership problems still get addressed.


      • 00:00 Intro

      00:51 Stay interviews vs exit interviews
      02:04 Who should conduct stay interviews
      03:05 When to run stay interviews
      03:42 Stay interviews vs engagement surveys
      05:22 Reframing them as "tell me more" interviews
      05:52 Interviewing flight risks and everyone else
      08:35 Stay interviews for hard-to-fill roles
      10:08 When an employee says "don't apply"
      11:34 When a stay interviews feels like blackmail?
      13:20 Setting expectations at the start
      15:06 Juli's top stay interview questions
      16:12 Turning interviews into trends
      19:05 Act on feedback or don't ask
      19:38 Where to find Juli

      Find Juli

      Website: https://optipeopleresources.com/
      LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/julianne-juli-prizant-8a57321/
      Other links: https://www.julianneprizant.com/ (speaker and advisory site). Her blog, OptiInsights, is on her OptiPeople Resources website.

      Find Andrea (me)

      Website: https://thehrhub.ca/
      LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrea-adams1/


      21 min
    • Compensation Systems - A Complete Guide

      Building an effective compensation framework is essential for creating fair compensation systems, having something defensible and sustainable, meeting pay transparency requirements, attracting top talent and, importantly, defusing pay disatisfaction!

      Shawn Raible, founder of GamePlan Total Rewards, breaks down the structure of sustainable pay systems, from market positioning to job evaluation. Learn how to construct clear pay bands, prevent title creep, and implement practical governance without overcomplicating your HR processes.
      Key points from the discussion:
      - There are 5 pieces of the system starting with the comp philosophy
      - Job architecture helps price roles more easily and accurately
      - Career frameworks are part giving you another lens to look up and down and across the organization
      - You don't have to benchmark every role - 50% should be enough
      - Governance so that there is structure for managing tough decisions without undermining integrity of the system (and defeating the whole purpose)
      00:00 The 5 Compensation Framework Building Blocks
      04:03 Defining Your Compensation Philosophy
      05:34 Compensation Positioning and Peers
      09:31 Job Architecture vs Job Descriptions
      11:24 Managing Title Creep
      12:29 Career Frameworks and Leveling Tracks
      15:14 Building Pay Bands and Benchmarking
      18:31 Where to Start with Your Compensation Framework
      21:17 Compensation Governance
      25:12 Why Compensation Frameworks Fail
      **Find Shawn**
      Website: https://gameplantotalrewards.ca/
      LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/seanraible/
      **Find Andrea (me)**
      Website: https://thehrhub.ca/
      LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrea-adams1/


      29 min
    • Systems Thinking in HR

      HR has a a lot of processes. Together they make systems. Each program must connect directly back to core business goals and the business strategy. Former VP of HR Jim Utley explains why standalone performance reviews and disconnected processes create organizational friction instead of performance.

      Learn how aligning performance management, job design, compensation, and regular coaching builds a cohesive people strategy that drives genuine employee engagement.

      Key Takeaways:

      • Why annual performance reviews fail when disconnected from ongoing coaching and compensation decisions
      • How putting performance management at the center links business planning directly to workforce capacity.
      • Why managers must communicate the "why" behind daily tasks to give frontline roles purpose.
      • The reality of corporate culture and why HR rightly plays a supporting role.


        • 00:00 Intro

        00:42 Common Breakdowns in HR Programs

        01:25 Why Annual Reviews Fail so Often

        04:38 Balancing the Tension Between Development and Compensation

        06:32 Fast-Paced Planning Versus Chaos

        08:10 Systems Versus Isolated HR Processes

        09:30 Performance Management at the Core

        12:55 Drivers of Engagement: Autonomy and Achievement

        14:05 HR Role in Corporate Culture

        16:34 Identifying Disconnected HR Symptoms

        20:38 Managing Layoffs Without Workplace Fear

        22:34 Learn More


        Find Jim

        LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jim-utley-b0608b15/
        Book Titles or other link: People Working: Doing Things That Matter

        Find Andrea (me)

        Website: https://thehrhub.ca/
        LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrea-adams1/

        25 min
      • Organizational Conflict: You Don't Have to Terminate or Performance Manage

        Conflict resolution is the option most organizations skip when two

        employees stop being able to work together. Chartered mediator Michelle Phaneuf explains how facilitated conversations resolve workplace conflict, what the process looks like from first call to solution, and why letting someone go often kicks the can down the road. If the problems stem from your systems you aren't fixing anything. Michelle is a partner at Workplace Fairness West in Calgary with more than 15 years in conflict management.
        What you will get from this episode:
        ⚙️ Why conflict that looks like a clash between two people is often a systemic problem that will re-emerge again with new people.
        💸 The cost comparison organizations rarely consider: restoration versus the cost of firing one of the people then recruiting, hiring and retraining a replacement
        😶 The prep is the most important part as usual. You're not just going to go into a meeting cold.
        💪 How to handle the power difference when the conflict is between a manager and an employee

        ‼ Why she uses the words 'workplace restoration'. 'Mediation' has a lot of mental baggage and more than is probably warranted.

        Success will not two employees who are now best friends. But also, that is not unheard of.
        00:00 Intro
        00:58 When organizations decide restoration is worth it
        02:08 The emotional energy employees have to spend
        02:47 The cost of workplace restoration versus the cost of replacing someone
        03:22 Psychological safety and organizational risk
        03:54 Conflict never stays between two people
        04:29 Why not just fire someone?
        04:48 Systemic issues behind individual conflict
        06:02 Walking through a facilitated conversation
        07:21 Preparing each person
        08:39 Confidentiality and differences in authority
        09:17 Building understanding before finding solutions
        10:21 How the in-person conversation starts
        11:35 Why Michelle avoids the word mediation
        12:06 What makes restoration successful
        13:43 Power dynamics between manager and employee
        15:16 Defining success
        16:41 The continuum of working relationships
        17:22 Red flags that restoration will fail
        19:05 How long the process actually takes
        21:35 Restoration with whole teams
        22:06 Where to find Michelle
        **Find Michelle**
        Website: https://workplacefairnesswest.ca/michelle-phaneuf/
        LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michellephaneuf/
        Firm website: https://workplacefairnesswest.ca/
        **Find Andrea (me)**
        Website: https://thehrhub.ca/
        LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrea-adams1/


        24 min
      • Contractor or Employee? Explaining the Difference

        Independent contractors are easier than employees right? Flexibility, less risk. So many employers create that contract AND unknowingly create legal, financial, and tax liabilities for themselves. Employment lawyer Brady Farmer, partner with Mathew Dinsdale Clarke, explains so much about this and why written contracts do not shield companies from liability when the daily working relationship looks like standard employment. You will learn the specific tests courts use to evaluate control, tools, and financial risk, plus how HR can safely transition misclassified workers.

        Key Takeaways:
        - Courts assess the full context of the relationship rather than relying on your contract.
        - When an someone is supervised, works fixed hours, uses company-supplied equipment and can't subcontract? Employee.
        - Misclassified contractors can retroactively claim overtime, holiday pay, vacation pay, and common law severance.
        You can fix the problem and Brady provides advice on how to go about in the video.
        00:00 Intro
        02:06 The key legal tests
        06:17 The value of the contract
        07:12 Why companies prefer contractors
        09:16 The costs of getting it wrong
        10:22 The potential tax liabilities
        11:41 Fixing the problem
        13:41 Liability limits and civil claims
        15:08 More info
        Find Brady
        Website: https://matthewsdinsdale.com/
        LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brady-farmer-077235108/
        Firm Profile: https://matthewsdinsdale.com/bio/brady-farmer/
        Find Andrea (me)
        Website: https://thehrhub.ca/
        LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrea-adams1/


        16 min
      • How to create an HR Strategy that will actually work

        Most HR strategy fails because HR confuses their programs with actual business impact. In this conversation, Ranya Nehmeh, founder of Elevare HR Advisory and former HR leader at the OPEC Fund and European Central Bank, breaks down how to build a people plan that will make HR indispensable. We explore why initiative overload hurts performance and how to connect business goals directly to people outcomes.

        Key takeaways from this episode:
        3️⃣ HR strategy has 3 components. It's simple and not.
        📈 Organizations with aligned people and business strategies are 3.5 times more likely to outperform similar companies
        😟 Why our strategies fail so often
        🤐 How we stop talking about our programs
        🍎 The Steve Jobs approach: cut programs that do not support bottom-line outcomes.
        Really it was surprising how much was packed into this episode. Ranya has clearly done some quality thinking.
        00:00 What makes an HR strategy good
        01:54 HR strategy support for business strategy - in one sentence
        02:36 Five root causes of strategic failure
        04:44 Agility and constant change are not the same thing
        05:55 Getting leadership support
        07:13 Cutting initiatives - but we like them!
        08:56 Managers role in HR strategy
        10:10 What metrics to track
        11:36 How to start building your strategy
        13:01 Learn more
        **Find Ranya**
        Website: https://elevare-hr.com/
        LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ranyanehmeh/
        Book Titles: The People Strategy Playbook, In Praise of the Office
        **Find Andrea (me)**
        Website: https://thehrhub.ca/
        LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrea-adams1/


        15 min
      • Job Analysis for the AI Era

        Job analysis provides the foundational framework needed for many activities of HR. It also will help you understand work and adapt your workforce as artificial intelligence reshapes daily tasks and organizational roles. Dr. Edie Goldberg joins the conversation to explain the critical difference between quick job descriptions and structured task analysis, offering practical advice on legal

        defensibility, future-oriented job design, and removing workplace toil.
        Key Takeaways:
        - The important difference between performing a detailed job analysis and drafting a basic job description.
        - Why observation yields far richer data than simple interviews or surveys.
        - How to weight task frequency against task criticality for proper role evaluations.
        - The legal benefits of rigorous job analysis in hiring and development.
        - How to use task analysis to identify where AI can eliminate operational toil.
        - Strategies for conducting future-oriented job analysis on roles that do not exist yet.
        00:00 Why job analysis is important
        01:42 Job analysis versus job descriptions
        03:39 Steps to conducting a job analysis
        06:39 Balancing task frequency and importance
        09:10 Legal value of job analysis
        10:41 Why companies skip proper job analysis
        12:41 Task analysis
        14:34 Redesigning jobs to remove toil
        17:32 Analyzing rapidly changing roles
        19:08 Future oriented job analysis method
        21:00 Where AI belongs in HR functions
        22:38 Resources for learning job analysis
        24:07 Transforming workflow for better outcomes
        **Find Edie**
        Website: https://www.elgoldberg.com/
        LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/edie-goldberg-phd/
        Book Titles: Performance Enablement: A New Model for Driving Organizational Performance
        **Find Andrea (me)**
        Website: https://thehrhub.ca/
        LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrea-adams1/


        27 min
      • Communicate Well - Even When You Feel Like a Fraud

        Going into a presentation and feeling terrible? Watch this. You can do it AND do a good job.

        Building workplace confidence and executive communication skills is essential for driving career growth and establishing credibility in
        leadership. Dr. Andrea Wojnicki, an executive communication coach with a doctorate from Harvard Business School, shares actionable strategies to manage imposter syndrome, use body language, and project authority even when you're swimming in self doubt.
        Key Takeaways:
        - Imposter Syndrome is Growth: Experiencing imposter syndrome often signals that you are actively pushing your limits and taking
        professional risks.
        - Reframing your Anxiety: The body's physical response to anxiety and enthusiasm is nearly identical so reframe your nerves.
        - Socially Distanced Self-Talk: Addressing yourself in the second person ("Andrea, you've got this") causes your brain to process the statement as trusted external advice.
        - The Three-Point Body Scan: Checking posture, hand visibility, and
        direct eye contact immediately projects executive presence in any
        meeting room.
        - Expansive Posture for Credibility: Confident professionals naturally take up physical space, signaling trustworthiness and capability to peers and senior leaders.
        - Self-Concept Clarity: Focus on your specific, unique strengths rather than generic self-praise to build durable, authentic confidence over time. Self awareness pays off.
        00:00 Intro
        0:59 Defining imposter syndrome
        02:23 The connection between credibility and confidence
        06:11 The history of imposter syndrome
        14:03 Reframe your anxiety
        18:23 Use the second person
        21:34 Do a body scan
        27:11 Authenticity not required (exactly)
        **Find Andrea Wojnicki**
        Website: https://talkabouttalk.com/
        LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andreawojnicki/
        **Find Andrea Adams (me)**
        Website: https://thehrhub.ca/
        LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrea-adams1/

        33 min
      • 5 Plays for Psychological Safety

        There are specific and tangible ways to build psychological safety on teams and help your clients do it too.

        Leadership consultants Karolin Helbig and Minette Norman share five practical plays from their psychological playbook series to help human resources professionals and business executives transform our team cultures. The tactics are easy to do although sometimes they require you to be your better self.
        Key Takeaways
        - Humility required: Asking "What am I missing?" invites ideas and
        discussion.
        - Listening: You've heard about the importance of listening - and it's
        necessary for psychological safety too. We need to listen to understand rather than listening to formulate your next response.
        - Being the better person: When challenged, before you get defensive... pause!
        - Normalizing Intelligent Failure: When we talk about embracing failure, it's not ALL failure. We still have to smart about the failures we embrace.
        And so so much more!
        00:00 Intro
        00:45 Defining psychological safety
        02:44 An overview of the 5 plays
        05:45 Simple ways to invite opinions
        07:46 Listening
        11:58 When you are attacked
        16:28 You might be justified
        17:41 Maybe you won't have to confront the person
        21:33 Embracing risk and failure
        23:56 Creating inclusion
        26:32 The importance of inclusion (it's biology
        **Find Karolin & Minette**
        Website: https://www.thepsychologicalsafetyplaybook.com/
        LinkedIn Karolin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/karolinhelbig/
        LinkedIn Minette: https://www.linkedin.com/in/minettenorman/
        Book: The Psychological Safety Playbook
        **Find Andrea (me)**
        Website: https://thehrhub.ca/
        LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrea-adams1/


        30 min

      About The HR Hub

      From the publisher's feed

      Practical advice for mid-level HR professionals navigating real workplace challenges. Weekly interviews with experts who deliver solutions and insights you can actually use.