Virtual team building could make anyone cringe. The invite shows up, eyes roll, and half the team is suddenly googling "how long does food poisoning last".

And most of us in HR were never actually trained for this. We're just handed the task on top of everything else.

So I talked with Lee Rubin, co-founder of Confetti, about what makes virtual events work (and what makes them flop).

We talked about what events can't fix (e.g. bad management). And we discuss the humanizing effect of seeing your intimidating boss laugh during a murder mystery game — how it's harder to reduce someone to a caricature when you've actually had fun with them.

Lee also shares her hot take: participating in team building is part of a remote workers job, as long as it's during paid hours and you're given real permission to disconnect. Team-building is part of anyone's job if they are paid to do it - there's a reason leadership spends money on it.

This episode is sponsored by Confetti. They've got a special offer for HR Hub listeners here:

https://try.withconfetti.com/oyze1

Get $75 off your first booking using code TRY75B

*** Connect with Lee ***

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rubinl/

Check out Confetti: https://www.withconfetti.com/

*** Connect with Andrea ***

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

Website: https://thehrhub.ca/

If you're in HR and deal with payroll - or just need to work closely with them - getting this wrong can damage your career. Steven Van Alstine from the National Payroll Institute walks us through what HR professionals need to understand about payroll to avoid costly mistakes. And to be more effective in that critical relationship!

We cover what payroll actually does beyond "paying people," the critical information you need to provide for new hires and employee changes, and why payroll professionals can seem so inflexible. Steven explains the real compliance risks, the staggering financial responsibility payroll carries, and what can happen if things go wrong.

You'll learn why manual payroll runs are not ideal, the difference between payroll dates and processing deadlines, and how to build a partnership with payroll that benefits everyone. Whether you're responsible for payroll yourself or just need to understand how it works, this episode will help you avoid the mistakes that damage employee trust and put your organization at compliance risk.

Key topics:

• What payroll professionals actually do and why it matters
• Critical information needed for new hires, changes, and terminations
• Why payroll seems inflexible and how to work with those constraints
• The real financial and legal risks of payroll mistakes
• Best practices for HR-payroll collaboration
• 
  

Guest: Steven Van Alstine, VP of Professional Standards and Education, National Payroll Institute

Resources: National Payroll Institute at payroll.ca, Learning Payroll courses for HR professionals

And this episode was requested by a listener! Let me know what other HR topics you'd like covered.

Find me, Andrea Adams on Linkedin or my Website https://thehrhub.ca

Is your HR strategy isn't aligned with your business strategy? You might think it is, but when Nadia Uberoi walks through what alignment actually looks like - the quarterly planning meetings, the initiative prioritization, the pushback on random requests - it becomes clear most of us are just reacting, not strategizing.

Nadia heads people operations at Garner Health. It's a rapidly growing 400-person healthcare tech company with a Big Hairy Audacious Goal: transforming the US healthcare economy. No small task. But what's fascinating is how she's builds an HR infrastructure that enables that mission instead of just supporting it.

We dig into her planning hierarchy that connects everything from their mission down to what HR works on this Tuesday. She breaks down her concept of "run the machine vs improve the machine" which was a refreshing look at the day-to-day vs strategy. Running payroll? That's running the machine - non-negotiable. Redesigning your performance management process? That's improving the machine - and it needs to connect to business strategy.

The conversation was particularly interesting when we talked about managing our "customer service" mindset in HR. It has it's uses but is overdone when we jump at every request. Nadia's take: look at how every other function prioritizes. They don't drop everything because of one request. Why should we?

She also shared what she wishes Garner had prioritized earlier (employer branding) and walked through their actual quarterly planning cadence - who meets when, what gets discussed, and how HR initiatives actually get resourced.

For mid-level HR professionals trying to be more strategic and less reactive, this episode gives you some substance to work with.

Topics covered:

• The planning hierarchy from mission to quarterly deliverables
• Run the machine vs improve the machine framework
• Managing the customer service mindset in HR
• Quarterly planning process and meeting cadence
• Why employer branding matters earlier than you think
• How to tie HR initiatives to business pillars

About Nadia:Nadia Uberoi is Head of People at Garner Health, a healthcare technology company focused on helping people get the best care at the best price. She previously spent four years at Chewy.

About Andrea

I am an HR consultant to small and medium businesses in addition to running my Podcast & YouTube channel. My sweet spot is organizations with people-related crisis AND a commitment to learning.

Why can't employers find workers when talented people can't find jobs??Dr. Nita Chhinzer from the University of Guelph joins me to unpack what's happening in job markets right now. Employers are drowning in thousands of identical AI-polished resumes while qualified candidates are locked out of opportunities.So how do we fix that? Well part of it is assessments. Nita's research identifies four things employers actually hire for that never show up in job ads: professional maturity, attitude/coachability, willingness to work, and time management. Companies are going back to employee referrals and networking events, essentially crowdsourcing their recruitment because of the problem they have finding good people.On top of that, entry-level jobs have are disappearing which will bite sooner or later. Most promotions are internal... so where are the people they are going to promote? We've eliminated the pipeline and then wonder about bench strength. There's more... like AI. AI is not the sole reason there is so much restructuring. We're seeing the effects of geopolitical uncertainty, demographic shifts, and companies moving from talent hoarding to "just-in-time" hiring to avoid the exposure of carrying so many employees. AI is only a part.For new grads wondering where their entry point went, Nita talks about piecing together a career through contract work, internships, and building your personal brand. It may be tiring but, in today's market, it's what employees need to do. At least, if they do that, they have more control. For HR folks doing hiring, we need to do things different too and some of the answers are in the discussion. But this will continue to evolve.

**Find Dr. Nita Chhinzer in the following places**https://www.linkedin.com/in/nitachhinzer/https://nitachhinzer.com/https://www.uoguelph.ca/lang/people/nita-chhinzer**Find Andrea Adams in the following places**https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrea-adams1/https://thehrhub.ca

Feeling overwhelmed at work isn't the same as feeling burned out. What's happening right now might be worse.

Josh Cardoz, Chief Creative and Learning Officer at Sponge, recently wrote a white paper called "Mobilising Generation Numb" that captures what's he believes is really going on in workplaces. And it resonates.

People are showing up but they're detached. They're going through the motions without bringing their best selves. And it's not just a few people - it's happening at scale.

We talk about the data showing that employees are cynical, exhausted, overwhelmed, and seeking community in ways we haven't seen before. Twenty percent of the workforce experiences daily loneliness. Forty-five percent of organizations report low trust cultures. During the pandemic, we saw five years of digital transformation happen in 30 days, and that pace never slowed down.

Josh explains what "enshittification" means and how it's affecting our work lives. He also offers practical advice for HR professionals who want to actually help their people instead of just checking compliance boxes.

This is about understanding what's really happening with your workforce and doing something useful about it.

**Connect with Josh and Sponge**White paper: https://www.spongelearning.com/en/meet-generation-numbConnect with Josh: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshcardoz/Sponge Learning: https://www.spongelearning.com/**Connect with Andrea**Website: https://thehrhub.ca/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrea-adams1/

Working moms are burning out at higher rates than almost any other group in the workforce. The reasons are complicated, but it will clearly impact organizations.

In this episode, I talk with Dr. Rosina McAlpine about what's really happening with working parents and what might actually help.

Dr. Rosina is a work and family wellbeing expert who works with HR leaders to build family-friendly workplaces. She runs Win Win Parenting and has developed workplace programs that help organizations support their working parents.

We dig into why moms are more stressed than dads, why generic wellness programs don't work for parents, and what the statistics tell us about working parent burnout across the globe (!!). Rosina shares her five-step framework for HR leaders who want to create workplaces where parents can thrive, not just survive.

We also tackle the tough questions:

• Why should employers care when having kids is a choice?
• What about employees without children who feel resentful? And
• How can organizations support parents without breaking the bank?

If you're an HR professional trying to figure out how to support working parents, or if you're a working parent yourself looking for validation and solutions, this conversation has something for you.

Topics we cover:

• The mental load on moms
• The statistics on working parent burnout (they're not good)

• Rosina's five-step framework for family-friendly workplaces
• How to measure the impact of parenting programs
• Why supporting parents benefits all of society

** This is a link to Dr. McAlpine's 5-point Guide:

https://www.winwinparenting.com/closing-the-gap-in-parent-support-guide

**Find Dr. Rosina McAlpine**

Win Win Parenting: https://winwinparenting.com

For working parents: https://drrosina.com

**Find Andrea Adams**

https://thehrhub.ca

https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrea-adams1/

Too often, people blame workplace problems on another generation. Baby Boomers won't change. Gen X is disengaged. Millennials are needy. Gen Z won't work hard.

I have always wondered if this was mostly wrong. And... it is.

Generational researcher Cam Marston has spent decades studying how different age groups work together, and he joined me to bust some myths. In this conversation, we get into what's actually true about generational differences versus what's just convenient stereotyping.

The big revelation: most of what we label as "generational" is actually about *life stages*—and those life stages are happening five years later than, say, 30 years ago. A 25-year-old today is more like a 20-year-old from previous generations in terms of independence, career clarity, and adult responsibilities.

Cam explains why this matters for how our leaders lead, give feedback, and build teams. It matters a lot of HR when we hear the complaints about generations. Now you'll have some facts!!

- Org culture beats generational differences every time.

- When you have strong leadership and a good workplace environment, these supposed generational conflicts mostly disappear.

- It's FAR easier to blame "kids these days" than our leaders to examine their leadership

- Different age groups receive feedback differently and this is a LIFESTAGE.

If you've ever heard a leader complaining about a particular generation at work, this episode will give you better tools for understanding what's really going on and how to coach for different results!

Guest: Cam Marston - generational researcher, speaker, and author of five books on workplace generations

Topics:

• Why every generation gets called "entitled" when they're young
• How affluent societies keep people younger longer
• The five-year life stage gap changing workplace dynamics
• Why Gen Z might struggle with taking responsibility
• How to give feedback that actually works across age groups
• What makes some teams gel across generational lines
• 
  

**Connect with Cam Marston**Website: https:/CamMarston.comPodcast: What's Working with Cam Marston**Connect with Andrea Adams**LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrea-adams1/Website: https://thehrhub.ca/

Are reference checks worth the effort?

Most HR professionals have never actually changed a hiring decision based on a reference check. So are we wasting our time, or are we doing wrong?

James Lord has spent 10 years in the reference checking industry and argues we're missing the point entirely. Instead of using references to confirm decisions we've already made, he explains how to turn them into a hiring tool that reveals information you can't get anywhere else.

In this episode:

• Why most reference checks feel pointless (and how timing could fix this)

• The "highlight reel" problem with resumes and interviews
• Why James calls references a "SWOT analysis of a candidate"
• The risks of doing unstructured references
• How technology can automate the process without losing valuable insights
• What to do when companies have "no reference" policies
• The difference between reference checking a CEO vs. a cashier

About James Lord:James works with RefApp and has been in the talent industry for over a decade, specifically focusing on reference checking companies.

Connect with James:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jameswlord/Email: [email protected]: refapp.com

Connect with Andrea:

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

Email: [email protected]

Website https://thehrhub.ca

As an HR Consultant I'm commonly asked "how much severance should I pay?" and the answer is it depends and maybe you should consult a lawyer.

This episode is for Americans. I spoke with employment lawyer Leah Stiegler from Woods Rogers who outlined what drives severance decisions in America.

We cover the critical difference between what you're legally required to pay (often nothing) and what makes business sense when you're trying to avoid litigation which is likely to cost you a lot more than severance.

What you'll learn:

• Why severance is almost purely a business decision in the US
• The biggest mistake people teams make around severance
• The importance of employment contracts
• When you need a lawyer
• Factors that determine severance amounts: age, position level, and litigation risk

Leah is engaging and shared why paying severance without a legal release is like giving someone a bonus and then letting them sue you anyway. We also talked about disparagement clauses - how do you enforce them anyhow?

No matter why you are terminating, this episode gives you a framework for thinking through the risks and costs involved.

About Leah Stiegler Leah is a management-side employment lawyer and partner at Woods Rogers. She hosts the YouTube series "What's the Tea in L&E" and was recently interviewed by the New York Times for her workplace romance article (also a podcast episode!).

Find me at https://thehrhub.ca

Have you ever wondered why payroll seems so inflexible? Even annoying? Or why they seem to get upset over minor things? I certainly have.

Steven Van Alstine from the National Payroll Institute joined me to break down the typical relationship between HR and payroll departments. And, of course, give us advice.

In this episode:

• The hidden complexity behind what looks like "just pressing a button"
• Why payroll professionals are sooo risk-averse
• What keeps payroll people awake at night
• Simple fixes
• The strategic value payroll brings which is a missed opportunity for HR

There were insight behind the payroll scenes as well as tactical advice. Pay is at the heart of the customer experience and we, in HR, have an obligation to get this right.

About Steven Van Alstine:Steven is the Vice President of Professional Standards and Education at the National Payroll Institute. He's worked in payroll for decades and recently presented at the National Payroll Conference on HR-payroll collaboration.

Connect with me:This is The HR Hub - practical insights for mid-level HR professionals who want to advance their careers and do better work. Subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts for weekly episodes with HR experts.