The hybrid work debate isn't going away, so we need to consider the research. Most companies sent people home during the pandemic and didn't do much to support a different work style. And they haven't fixed this post-pandemic either. Spoiler alert: it's not working.

Dr. Peter Cappelli, Director of Wharton's Centre for Human Resources, and workplace strategist Dr. Ranya Nehmeh joined me to discuss their new book "In Praise of the Office: The Limits to Hybrid and Remote Work."

This isn't about forcing everyone back to the office - it's about being honest about what's actually happening in most hybrid workplaces.

What we unpack:

• A lot of people coffee badge - show up, get coffee and leave
• Meeting overload in remote and hybrid work
• How proximity bias is skewing promotions (and what HR can do)

• The red flags that signal your hybrid setup is failing
• Why individual KPIs might be sabotaging teamwork
• Practical strategies for companies mandating return-to-office

The bottom line: Flexibility can work, but we cannot assume that hybrid or remote work manages itself. Whether you're defending remote work or pushing for office returns, this conversation will challenge your assumptions and give you practical tools for whatever arrangement you choose.

"In Praise of the Office" releases September 30th, 2025

Find me, Andrea, https://thehrhub.ca

Is AI in recruiting revolutionizing or just hype? Matt Alder, talent acquisition futurist and host of the top 1.5% Recruiting Future podcast, separates fact from fiction in this conversation about what AI can actually do for your hiring process right now.

If you've been wondering whether the hype is worth paying attention to - or if you're tired of vendors promising AI will solve all your hiring problems - listen up.

What we cover:

Matt explains

- where AI is genuinely useful today (interview scheduling, candidate communication, standardized job descriptions) versus where it's still mostly hype.

-why putting resumes into ChatGPT is a legal and privacy nightmare waiting to happen. Some dedicated companies are already being held accountable!

- interview intelligence - AI that records interviews and coaches interviewers.

We also discuss if AI can handle entire interviews. Well it can, but should it? Matt uses the airplane pilot analogy - autopilot can technically fly the whole flight, but passengers still want a human in the cockpit. The same principle applies to recruiting.

Find Matt on LinkedIn, his website or via his book.

Find me at https://thehrhub.ca

Is AI going to replace your entire workforce or transform how we perform talent management. To some degree? The answer is more nuanced than the extreme hype would suggest.

Dr. Reece Akhtar, organizational psychologist and CEO of Deeper Signals, cut through the hype to talk about what's actually happening in talent management. As someone who teaches at NYU and writes for Forbes and Harvard Business Review, Reece brings both academic rigor and practical experience.

In this episode, we talked how AI will impact virtually every stage of the employee journey - from recruitment to development to succession planning. But instead of the usual "AI will change everything" narrative we typically hear , Reece explained why he thinks it will be somewere in between and why soft skills are so important.

What we cover:

• Why AI adoption will follow two parallel paths one of which is replacing as many people as possible with AI
• The three lasting skills that will always matter in any workplace
• How to evaluate AI tools
• Why you should plan for AI
• Real examples of AI making talent insights more accessible for someone without a phD

Key takeaway: The future isn't about humans vs. machines - it's about humans WITH machines doing better work together.

Connect with Reece on LinkedIn or visit deepersignals.com

Find me [email protected] or via LinkedIn

#TalentManagement #AIinHR #FutureOfWork #EmployeeEngagement #HRStrategy

60% of people have been in a workplace romance - and 43% of those apparently end in marriage! So maybe we shouldn't be trying so hard to prevent them? But we should take precautions.

Management-side attorney Leah Stiegler from Woods Rogers joined me to discuss the messiest workplace romance situations she's encountered (think: affairs, stalking, and executives caught on video with prostitutes). More importantly, we cover what HR should actually be doing about workplace relationships.

In this episode:

• Why prevention might be the wrong strategy
• The three policies that can save your sanity (including "love contracts")
• When awkwardness becomes harassment
• Real stories that'll make you cringe
• Practical advice for navigating romance drama at work

Guest: Leah Stiegler, Partner at Woods Rogers law firm and creator of "What's the Tea in L&E" video series

Do you have a workplace romance horror story? Please comment! Preferably keeping it safe for work - even if things happened at work! LOL

I always wondered if my workaholic dad's habits were healthy. Or if he was driven by the urge to be a dedicated provider?

Turns out there's a big difference between working hard and being a workaholic - and workaholics could be costing organizations.

Dr. Catherine Connelly from McMaster University is shared more eye-opening research on an HR topics - this time workaholism and the connection to workplace ethics. We talked about why your most dedicated employees might actually be the ones cutting ethical corners.

In this episode:

• The real difference between being busy and being a workaholic
• Why workaholics are more likely to morally disengage at work
• The surprising connection between dedication and tunnel vision
• "Idiosyncrasy credits" - how high performers build up goodwill to get away with bad behavior later
• Red flags to watch for when hiring (and managing) potential workaholics
• Building systems that keep even your best employees ethically grounded

Catherine's research challenges what we think we know about workplace dedication. Sometimes the people most invested in "organizational success" are the ones who'll justify anything to achieve it.

This is a must-listen for any HR professional managing high performers or trying to build truly healthy cultures. Plus, Catherine's research is open source, so you can dive deeper after listening.

Connect with Dr. Catherine Connelly on LinkedIn or at : connellyresearch.com .

What's your experience with workaholism in your workplace? I'd love to hear your thoughts!

So I just learned about PEOs (Professional Employer Organizations) and these are so well established in the USA but news to me!

Paul Aemisegeo from Payroll Mart gave me the straight talk on what PEOs actually do versus what they promise to do. If you're a smaller organization dealing with expensive health insurance, multi-state compliance headaches, or just trying to offer competitive benefits without the enterprise budget, this one's for you.

The key insight? PEOs can solve your benefits and compliance backend, but don't expect them to handle your day-to-day HR tasks. That performance conversation? Still yours. That tricky leave situation? Also, still yours.

We dive into who should consider a PEO (spoiler: if you're in New York with under 100 employees, definitely listen), how to evaluate them, and why so many companies end up switching PEOs multiple times.

Plus Paul shares the real considerations if you're thinking about leaving a PEO - because apparently that's a whole thing too.

Perfect listen if you're evaluating HR vendors or wondering if there's a better way to handle benefits and compliance.

Find Paul on Linkedin at https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulaemisegeo/ or at Payroll Marthttps://payrollmart.com/As usual you can find me on Linkedin or through my website https://thehrhub.ca/

Most retention strategies are just expensive band-aids.

This week I spoke with Dr. Roger Gerard, who spent 23 years as Chief Learning Officer in healthcare and has a refreshingly simple perspective on how to keep people around.

Roger breaks it down to five promises that leaders need to make - and more importantly, keep. Those promises have to do with listening with respect, helping people grow, helping them be successful, competitive compensation, and having their back when things go wrong.

But we also talked about the tension within the promises. For example, we're not going have someone's back when they've done something deeply unethical.

We also dig into why so many organizations have created a loyalty problem. Employers expect it from employees but don't appear to it back.

If you're dealing with retention issues and tired of surface-level solutions, this conversation will give you some ideas.

Find Roger at rogergerard.com and check out his book "Lead with Purpose." Find me at thehrhub.ca

How does HR impact a company's sale price? Lindsay Osmond, former VP of HR and current business optimization expert, discusses the role HR plays in making companies 'sellable'.

From employment contract liabilities to cultural red flags that derail deals, Lindsay explains what buyers really look at when they are making a decision. The information she shares can help position you as a strategic business partner in the process.

Key takeaways include the specific metrics buyers care about, why people are your only true competitive advantage, and how to navigate the complex post-merger integration process.

Find Lindsay at https://www.linkedin.com/in/lindsay-osmond-ba-bmgmt-cphr-a399064/Find Andrea at https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrea-adams1/ or https://thehrhub.ca/

You've invested in coaching training for your managers. You've rolled out the initiative company-wide. So why does it still feel like you're pushing a boulder uphill?

HR consultant Debbie Pearmain has spent 25 years watching organizations struggle with this exact problem. In this episode, she reveals the uncomfortable truth: most coaching cultures fail because companies are only training half the relationship.

Debbie shares research showing that 82% of employees feel stuck "below the line of accountability" and explains how coaching becomes the vehicle for moving people above that line. But here's the kicker - it only works when both managers AND employees understand their role in the coaching partnership.

What you'll learn:• Why the accountability crisis is costing your organization more than you think• The performance equation that determines when to coach vs. when to train vs. when to mentor• How to build the trust and psychological safety that makes coaching actually stick• The strategic implementation approach that gets buy-in from everyone• Why your high performers might be getting the wrong type of support

If you've ever wondered why some managers excel at coaching while others struggle, this conversation will give you perspective

Guest: Debbie Pearmain - HR Consultant with 25+ years experience in leadership development and employee engagement. Find her at onestophr.ca

Host: Andrea Adams - Follow the HR Hub on LinkedIn and subscribe for more episodes that tackle the real challenges facing HR professionals today.

Is your organization ready for the impact of AI? In this both reassuring and alarming episode I spoke with Ross Sparkman, Senior Director of Workforce Strategy at Walmart and author of "Strategic Workforce Planning," to address one of the biggest concerns facing HR at the moment.

Ross brings his wealth of experience from roles at Meta and Nike to shed light on how AI will transform the workplace—not by eliminating jobs wholesale, but by fundamentally changing how work gets done. Contrary to alarming headlines, Ross reveals that most CEOs aren't planning mass layoffs but instead are looking to redirect human talent toward higher-value work.

Find out why HR must take the lead in preparing organizations for this shift through strategic job redesign, skills forecasting, and change management. Learn how AI can actually help HR professionals assess which tasks are prime for automation and how entry-level positions will evolve as tactical work becomes automated.

This is something that keeps me up at night. All HR should be thinking about this!

#HR #AIinHR #WorkforcePlanning #FutureofWork #HRtechnology

Find Ross' new book on Amazon! Strategic Workforce Planning: Developing optimized talent strategies for future growthYou can find Ross on LinkedIn   / ross-sparkman  You can find me https://thehrhub.ca/or on Linkedin   / andrea-adams1