Both my guests for this episode have appeared on the #HRTechChat video podcast previously - and it only made sense to host the two of them this time, at the same time. Why? Betterworks CEO Doug Dennerline and Vice President of HR Transformation Jamie Aitken have co-authored and published a book titled "Make Work Better," and our discussion revolved around it.

Let's get something out of the way first. Employers have six ways to Sunday to make work better: make scheduling better for work-life balance, make onboarding better for immediate employee engagement (and faster time-to-productivity), make payroll better so employees get paid incorrectly less often, make on-the-job learning better so staff can build their careers...

Have I missed anything? Probably, and we've been talking about how to make work better for years. Over 10 years ago, when I worked with executives at one of the well-known vendors of technology for workforce management, we argued (correctly) in our thought leadership that you could make work better for retail associates by modernizing WFM systems.

The list goes on. You could start anywhere to make work better. One of the best places to start to make work better, however, is by upending tired old approaches to measuring and assessing employees' performance. More specifically, the central tenet of Doug and Jamie's book is that you can make work much, much better by dispensing with performance management that revolves around the tedious annual performance review.

We've all heard the tongue-in-cheek term, The beatings will continue until morale improves. Well, what are we doing? We can do better than rely on an approach developed by the U.S. military early in the last century and specifically for military scenarios. As for the private sector, "massive research shows that it doesn't change performance," Doug said. "It's a ridiculous thing. Yet people still do it. So, this book was aimed at helping people understand the value of making the change, and giving them a bit of a roadmap on what happens when you do that" and insight into "the profound impact it has on companies that are brave enough to make the change."

What kind of organization doesn't want performance to improve? What's great about leaving the traditional annual review behind is that employees' performance finally does improve -- the goal all along. New approaches aided by the state of the art in cloud software for this (like Betterworks) promote regular dialogue between managers and their direct reports, result in greater workforce engagement overall, and elevate the caliber of leadership throughout the organization.

Over time, in fact, turning away from the old ways of performance management can be an important precursor to organizational transformation -- and HR transformation, certainly. Traditionally (and tellingly), HR departments have always measured success vis-à-vis performance management in simple terms of completions -- "as opposed to impact, what is it that you're trying to achieve?" Jamie said. "Well, it's not just 'check the box.' We need to have a completely different way of showing up for our employees. We need to be thinking about different ways to get them engaged, and focused."

HR departments end up escaping this cost-center-reinforcing mentality and, armed with rich data on workforce performance and engagement, elevate their own standing with organizational leadership. Getting out of the past and into the future of work with their performance management, in other words, is good all around for everyone involved.

For an example of how this plays out, watch this episode of #HRTechChat from last summer, when we interviewed Betterworks user Jeff Andes, vice president of talent management at University of Phoenix.  And I almost forgot: another member of leadership at Betterworks appeared on the podcast last year. In the meantime, and as always, Doug and Jamie were great guests.

#HRTechChat: Make Work Better with Betterworks' Doug Dennerline & Jamie Aitken

Welcome back to another episode of #HRTechChat, the Podcast where we explore the latest trends, innovations, and strategies in the ever-evolving world of HR technology. I'm your host, Jennifer Dole. And on today's show, we have a very special guest joining us again, someone who has made a significant impact in the HR tech landscape with her expertise and thought leadership. She's a trailblazer, she's an innovator, and she's a true advocate for leveraging technology to drive positive change in the workplace. Welcome back, Pamela.

In this episode, we delve into the challenges that HR leaders face. The job market and talent shortage are hot topics in the news, with economic factors and uncertainties impacting companies' hiring strategies. As Pamela points out, the predicted recession seems to be pushed further into the future, and HR leaders must navigate these changing landscapes. One significant shift in the market is the emphasis on skill building. Upskilling, reskilling, and alternative routes to acquiring skills are gaining prominence in talent acquisition.

State governments, organizations like STAR, and initiatives like "Grads of Life" are recognizing the value of skills over traditional degrees. This shift opens up opportunities for underserved and diverse populations who may possess the necessary skills but lack formal education credentials. Pamela highlights the importance of tapping into underrepresented groups and using technology to increase visibility and encourage their participation in the job market.

However, she also emphasizes that skills cannot be solely assessed based on a list on paper. Real conversations and understanding how individuals acquired and applied their skills are crucial. As technology evolves, HR leaders can leverage advancements to gain more insights into candidates' capabilities and potential fit within the organization.

The conversation then transitions to the role of HR leaders as curators of company culture. Pamela explains her choice of the word "curate" and its definition: selecting, organizing, and presenting using professional or expert knowledge. HR leaders are tasked with carefully choosing the elements that shape the company's culture. With a myriad of responsibilities, they must prioritize and focus on areas that need attention, such as candidate experience, talent acquisition, skills development, and internal mobility.

To curate the culture effectively, HR leaders must be aware of external factors, such as market trends and talent gaps. By using their professional expertise and knowledge, they can make informed decisions and drive positive change within the organization. The key lies in carefully selecting the right initiatives and strategies that align with the company's goals and values.

In conclusion, this episode sheds light on the challenges faced by HR leaders in the talent marketplace and their role as curators of company culture. By embracing skill-based hiring, leveraging technology for inclusivity, and curating the right elements, HR leaders can create a positive and thriving workplace environment. Stay tuned for more insights and discussions on HR tech trends in future episodes of #HRTechChat.

#HRTechChat with Pamela Stroko: Challenges and the Role of HR Leaders in Curating Culture

Some may appreciate the play on the title of a mid-1970s philosophical novel, “Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance,” others the Eastern twist on Western theology. Regardless, original Zen and the art of integration strategy is the absolutely essential and crucial understanding that cloud-to-cloud integration is a process and a way of life, never something that eventually ends because it will ever finally be perfect. Vendors in HCM that acknowledge and embrace this universal truth will save money, increase sales, and improve their customer retention — all major competitive advantages.

This episode of the video podcast is something we call the #HRTechChat Showcase, a version of #HRTechChat wherein our guests not only chat with us, but also share slide decks or other visual cues to help convey their ideas. So, if you’re listening to us on one of the audio platforms where we syndicate, this time you may want to look for us on YouTube so you can view the video.

My guests were all-around experts in the granularities of cloud integration: Chief Technology Officer Jeff Tremblay and President Pierre Rousseau of The Cloud Connectors, an integration platform-as-a-service (iPaaS) where they and their fellow co-founders invented and use Clouddata™, a native-to-cloud-integrations computer language.

Listening to vendors of software-as-a-service (SaaS) for human capital management (or any other domain of the enterprise, for that matter), a buyer might be forgiven to believe solution providers have solved cloud-to-cloud integration once and for all with application programming interfaces (APIs). But they haven’t — far from it. An HCM technology stack chockful of countless APIs hanging together via no more than a slew of corresponding point-to-point integrations is, as the cliché goes, a recipe for disaster. Vendors experience what TCC calls the Wall Effect, a hockey-stick graph where the cost of integration (TCoI) for maintaining everything suddenly increases exponentially to sap resources and siphon talent away from innovating. The challenges comprise far more than what appears above the waterline of the Integration Iceberg, an apt metaphor TCC invokes.

To use another cliché, Clouddata is a game-changer. To pull from the related research note that we recently published, “Clouddata does for integrations what SQL has done for relational databases. Much like SQL delivered relational database coding from the very complex language CODASYL, Clouddata fulfills the same role for integrations. Clouddata makes it easy to build complex integrations that enable businesses to scale.”

There’s more, of course. Critical as Clouddata is, it takes more than a breakthrough in computer language to make cloud-to-cloud integration better, more manageable and affordable over the long term. And there’s even more, and at this point, I really should just let Pierre and Jeff do the explaining.

I happen to like the concept of #HRTechChat Showcase, by the way. Perhaps you’ve wondered at times what a briefing with an industry analyst is like, for example. Or, you just like seeing slide decks or other props when learning something new. Some don’t like PowerPoint, but we’ve all seen their impact and effectiveness elevate immeasurably when the caliber of presenter is really good. And, in Jeff and Pierre, we have really good, high-caliber presenters for this episode, indeed.

#HRTechChat Showcase: Original Zen and the Art of Integration Strategy

The talent acquisition of today is nonlinear. By this, we mean it’s all one thing, not a siloed process with many activities taking place in an orderly fashion or readily apparent, repeatable sequence. James Galvin should know. Our guest for this episode of the #HRTechChat video podcast, James is CEO and co-founder of Starcircle, a Cork, Ireland–headquartered vendor of cloud software and services designed to result in truly effective talent acquisition campaigns by looking at these as holistic efforts and considering sourcing first, and not last — an idea embodied in a term Starcircle uses: long-tail talent.

Take artificial intelligence, for example. It’s difficult to discuss modern talent acquisition without mentioning AI. This is because AI has entered the fray of talent acquisition for good. This is not hype. At the same time, however, “there’s a lack of understanding around how AI is going to fit into talent acquisition,” said James during the podcast. “And one thing’s for sure is: it’s not going to do your work for you. ”

The issue goes back to the tried-and-true old adage about relying on computers: garbage in, garbage out. Known perhaps even better for its acronym, GIGO is the idea that it doesn’t matter how powerful a computer is: if the data going in is bad (i.e., garbage), the computer will spit out something of very little value (i.e., again, garbage).

AI is the result of highly advanced, sophisticated computing, which of course means that GIGO applies to AI, too. Say you’re an employer. Say there’s an open role. Not that it necessarily matters for the example, but say it’s an executive role that you’re trying to fill. You’re certain of the qualities and characteristics you want or believe you need in new candidates for an open role. But who’s to say your certainty is warranted?

Very few ask the question, and once you inform the AI in your talent acquisition technology with whatever ideas you have, you’ll get the candidates you requested. The problem is, your idea of what you want or need is probably a little or way off the mark when it comes to what you actually need or should want. Apply the AI without any thought to this deep consideration, and never mind the disservice to diversity: you risk perpetuating deep-seated organizational dysfunction.

Talent acquisition is no longer a clean chain of neatly defined in-tandem events or occurrences culminating in a hire. Just as there is an emerging new talent acquisition suite for the future of work, in other words, so there is an emerging new process to go about finding and acquiring new talent. As the one who is planning talent acquisition for your organization, you could take this holistic view of talent acquisition and think of yourself as being at the center of a circle. A circle is a nice visual for the idea of something being nonlinear, after all.

On this episode of the podcast, James and I went on what you might characterize as a walkabout. AI was just one topic. Our discussion touched on talent acquisition in a deep way:

how approaching recruiting as if it were a sales funnel is a mistake, James believes — precisely because talent acquisition has become so nonlinear
why sourcing is anything but transactional and should be the first (instead of last) thing employers rethink in their approach to recruiting
what friction in hiring is and how lessening this friction helps employers engage with their talent pipelines and avert candidate abandonment down the line

#HRTechChat: James Galvin, CEO and Co-Founder of Starcircle

Marta Weinstock, my guest for this episode of the #HRTechChat video podcast, is senior director of operations at California-based Rutherford Investment Company. Part of her charter at Rutherford Investments is to get human capital management as efficient as possible. Under the aegis of her leadership and the help of isolved, the employer's journey along the road to HCM maturity has been sweeping and inspiring. With isolved, Marta has brought order to a previously dysfunctional, disorganized HR ecosystem. Leading the charge for digital transformation from the inside, Marta has witnessed first-hand not only the excellent capabilities found in isolved's software-as-a-service People Cloud™, but also the highly attentive approach of isolved's HR services team.

#HRTechChat: Marta Weinstock, Senior Director of Operations at Rutherford Investment Company

This episode of the #HRTechChat video podcast welcomes Playvox Chief Marketing Officer Michelle Randall. The sole focus of Playvox's cloud software for human capital management for is the call center industry. When it comes to workforce management, especially scheduling, call centers are complex, challenging. Plus, everything we hear about the importance of the employee experiences is magnified at call centers. And everything we know about the impact of a positive employee experience on the customer experience is amplified at call centers. Deploy technology capable of improving agents' quality of work-life balance, their employee wellbeing, and customers will have those positive experiences when they need it the most: when they get in touch with the call center. Michelle dives into the particulars, and I highly recommend tuning in.

#HRTechChat: Michelle Randall, Chief Marketing Officer at Playvox

Welcome back to another episode of HRTechChat, where we dive into the latest trends and strategies in human resources and workplace technology. In this podcast episode, our host, Jennifer, is joined by HR expert Pamela Stroko to discuss a pressing topic - the staggering 59% of the workforce who are quietly quitting their jobs. Pamela sheds light on the concept of the ""Dead Zone,"" the time of day when remote or hybrid workers are not available to their managers. This lack of trust and connection to work has contributed to the decline in productivity and engagement among employees.

Pamela introduces a concept called the ""Ambition Recession,"" a term coined by Gad Levanon, which points to the decline in employee ambition and engagement since the pandemic. She highlights that we need to shift our focus from where people work (in-office, remote, hybrid) to the quality of the work and the experiences employees have within the organization. The key is to activate employees and connect them deeply to their work to foster greater engagement and productivity.

One solution Pamela suggests is using technology like the People Activation Platform offered by Pro Habits. This platform helps employees connect with their work by guiding them through daily tasks, setting goals, and providing feedback. It brings visibility to the work employees are doing and helps build trust between managers and their teams.

Another tool discussed in the podcast is BlueBoard, which provides recognition experiences as rewards. Instead of traditional gifts or events, employees can choose an experience that is meaningful to them, such as a vacation with family, attending a sports event, or going on a hike. These experiences create positive intent, energize employees, and increase their commitment to the organization.

The podcast emphasizes that organizations should focus on connecting employees to their work and creating meaningful experiences rather than just solving for the physical location of work. By activating employees and igniting their passion for their jobs, companies can boost productivity, engagement, and overall organizational success.

In conclusion, Pamela and Jennifer leave us with the reminder that within each individual lies the potential to be fully engaged and energized by their work. As leaders, it is our responsibility to find that spark and encourage it to shine, fostering a culture of productivity and enthusiasm.

#HRTechChat: The "Ambition Recession" and Activating Employees with Pamela Stroko

At the very tail end of May 2023, the enterprise artificial intelligence software and services vendor Veritone announced the acquisition of Broadbean, a global recruitment technology company. Given that PandoLogic joined the family of Veritone companies in mid-summer 2021, we invited an expert each from PandoLogic and Broadbean to appear on the #HRTechChat video podcast and discuss synergies between the two now-Veritone companies. Joining us for this episode were Faisel Samseer, director of partnerships, development and growth for Broadbean, and Nikos Livadas, vice president of partner development for PandoLogic.

 

Viewers (and listeners at the many audio podcast platforms where #HRTechChat syndicates) know we typically have in-depth discussions and communication with our guests in the "virtual greenroom" in the run-up to each episode. This episode is no different. Over a couple meetings and several detailed email exchanges, Nikos, Faisel and I discussed how the two vendors' shared circumstances under the aegis of Veritone ownership afford them the same kind of benefits normally found in any business partnership of this magnitude and scale.

The joining of these two companies is natural in many ways. PandoLogic started out as an AI-based programmatic advertising solution for recruiting and quickly and significantly grew its capabilities from there, delighting customers along the way. As for Broadbean, "Today, we're the world's leader in job distribution technology," said Faisel. "We enable our clients to blast out their jobs to multiple platforms at the same time." He elaborated on Broadbean's large global footprint: "We say we're global. We have offices throughout the world," and Broadbean supports around 7,000 job board integrations.

So, just how, exactly, do Broadbean and PandoLogic complement each other? "I think we all can agree that the bedrock of a successful AI platform is the amount of data that it has on the back end to fuel its algorithms and engines," said Nikos, pointing to the the "immense reach that Faisal was talking about earlier in data and combining it with the power of what PandoLogic has done in the AI space."

This is true. No matter the type of AI, it always evolves better the more data it has access to. We see this in AI-based scheduling software and AI-predicated self-evolving skills ontologies. Outside human capital management -- and inherent in their very name -- "large" language models thrive most when as much data as possible (i.e., from human input) feeds them. It only stands to reason that this same fundamental rule of AI applies when it comes to AI and talent acquisition.

 As Nikos shared in a note to me ahead of the recording, "As our resellers and referral partners embrace the new Veritone HR Solutions set, they will be able to leverage our new expanded global footprint to expose our combined offering in more geo-locations than ever before possible. This will allow our partners to focus on their core competencies while relying on Broadbean/PandoLogic to handle the logistics and distribution aspects."

 Veritone's history in the AI space is long, "and they're a formidable player in AI when it comes to media advertising and voice technologies," said Nikos. Leveraging all that newfound data in a creative way will help the companies' customers find and engage with the best candidates for their open roles. "This is phenomenal for our partners as well," Nikos continued, "and we're looking forward to working with our partners under this new umbrella.

#HRTechChat: A Deep-Dive Into PandoLogic Owner Veritone's Acquisition of Broadbean

#HRTechChat: Navigating the Talent Shortage: A Creative Approach to Skills-Based Hiring

In the rapidly evolving landscape of HR technology, the future of learning is being reshaped by the transformative power of AI. In our latest HR Tech Chat episode, we sit down with Larry McAlister and Josh Irmler, CEO and founder of Landdai, to explore how AI is revolutionizing the way we approach learning and development. Together, we delve into the exciting possibilities of generative AI, the fears surrounding AI's impact on jobs, and the game-changing concept of personalization. Join us on this journey as we uncover the key insights and strategies to thrive in the golden age of HR technology.

#HRTechChat: Unleashing the Potential of HR Tech: How AI is Revolutionizing Learning and Development

This #HRTechChat between Workforce Software's CMO Sandra Moran, and 3Sixty Insights' Distinguished Advisor, Steve Goldberg, delves into many aspects of the employee experience for desk-less workers. Findings are shared from the WFM Tech vendor's annual Global EX Study, and the two experts talk about implications as well as intersecting topics that would be of interest to most HR professionals and leaders. The commitment to a better worker experience is evident from the leading software vendor's executive, and the genuine passion for improving outcomes for both employees and employers comes through quite clearly from the participants.

#HRTechChat: A Chat with Workforce Software on the Deskless Worker Experience

Organizations are struggling with how to better engage their people. If you want better results, people have to be connected to work. Research shows us that 77% of people in organizations today are just doing the bare minimum. Getting beyond the bare minimum to better productivity, connection with team members, a better business performance is about making a personal connection to the work and creating Indvidual pathways to development and career growth. Retention, team performance, innovation, belonging, and passion for the work, all improve when people can see the connection between what they do and what the business delivers in the marketplace.

#HRTechChat: Connection Is the Key to Delivering Exceptional Business Performance

Lucia Valerio, the head of HR at Lexar since 2023, boasts a remarkable 20-year journey in the HR world. Her expertise lies in HR strategy, where she has been instrumental in driving organizational growth and revolutionizing employee engagement through transformative HR strategies. In a conversation with Dylan Teggart, Lucia delves into her principles on revisiting the fundamentals, its implications for HR leaders and businesses, and the transformative impact of new trends and technology on the future of work.

#HRTechChat: Unlocking HR Excellence with Lucia Valerio's Transformative Strategies

The buying cycle for enterprise software and technology shouldn't be a power struggle between departments. 3Sixty Insights is a research, advisory, and consulting firm providing deep understanding of how to bridge the gap in perception and priorities between stakeholders. Through our research, we unearth strategic approaches for streamlining the decision-making process, successfully managing solutions, and maximizing value from business software and technology investments.

New tracks tagged #Human Capital Management