Tech disengagement happens when tools intended to make our work easier actually make things more difficult. It compounds what we do, forcing us to find workarounds or abandon the tech outright. How can you bridge the gap between technology and business needs? 

On this episode of the HR Break Room® podcast, HR Technology Conference co-chair Steve Boese dives into the topic and helps you identify tech disengagement and spots the pitfalls of the technology generation gap. Along the way, he’ll examine the implications of a workforce that’s struggling with tools that are supposed to help.

Boese also discusses:

•  how tech disengagement affects the workforce
•   understanding tech in a multigenerational workforce
• spotting the difference between bad tech and too much tech
• managing mental health and burnout related to tech disengagement 

In this episode of the HR Break Room® podcast, we welcome Paycom’s director of HR business services, Tiffany Gamblin, and Sharlyn Lauby, president of HR consulting firm ITM Group.

In honor of Women’s History Month, Gamblin and Lauby discuss women in the workplace, their influence and how organizations can best support them.

From women in leadership to trends in benefits policies to the engagement opportunities of employee resource groups (ERGs), our guests discuss how women can be empowered to bring their unique perspectives to work and add value that sets an organization apart from the rest.

Our guests will discuss:

• statistics about women in the workforce
• the importance of the manager-employee relationship
• how mentoring programs benefit women in the workplace
• creating a positive environment for sharing feedback

As employees place an ever-increasing premium on work-life balance and mental health, time off plays an even more significant role in the modern workplace. That’s why it’s essential that the modern HR professional stay abreast of the terms, nuances and technology surrounding this benefits staple.

Trish Steed, co-founder of H3 HR Advisors joins the HR Break Room® podcast to break down the many factors of the common benefits program.

Steed brings industry insight and first-hand experience as she discusses the future of benefits, mental health, PTO policies, unpaid time off, employee vacation blackout periods and more. Drawing from her own experience, Steed also examines how automation and the right tech helps HR professionals streamline their work and uncover greater efficiency.

Trish Steed and our host will discuss:

• the latest in HR technology and automation
• the future of work
• the nuances surrounding time-off approvals
• time-off policy samples
• preventing burnout

Delayed time-off decisions can create an avalanche of problems. Scheduling is slowed down, budgeting is hampered, employee trust may erode and the risk of non-compliance fines grow ever larger. Nobody wants time-off requests to languish in limbo — and for good reason! In this episode of the HR Break Room® podcast, HR Technology Conference co-chair Steve Boese shares his take on where pain points may arise in the time-off process when things aren’t automated, the realities of staffing shortages and more. Listen in as Steve Boese discusses: ·       the ins and outs of automated time-off request decision-making·       maintaining the human touch as you embrace automation ·       developments in HR technology and the future of work ·       ensuring fairness and reducing bias in time-off decision making ·       the benefits of automated time-off tracking

LinkedIn’s first chief HR officer, Steve Cadigan, continues his HR Break Room® visit with a discussion about employee well-being and the idea of workplace wellness. He examines wellness in a professional context and shares ways employers can support their teams.

Cadigan earned his workplace culture expertise overseeing LinkedIn’s recruitment, engagement and culture strategies during a period of tenfold growth. He’s an avid proponent of in-person workplaces, a topic he took on in his bestselling 2021 book, Workquake.

In this second episode of his two-part discussion, Cadigan addresses:

·        wellness in the workplace

·        mental health and employee well-being

·        the importance of a healthy workplace culture 

·        employee wellness programs and human connection in the workplace

Most people understand that diversity and inclusion in the workplace are important, but can we do more than simply recognizing this as a fact? Is it possible to leverage diversity and inclusion to build a positive organizational culture, improve work quality and increase productivity?

LinkedIn’s first chief HR officer, Steve Cadigan, joins the HR Break Room® podcast to answer questions about investing in the diversity of your workplace.

Cadigan earned his workplace-culture expertise as he oversaw LinkedIn’s recruitment, engagement and culture strategies during a period of tenfold growth. He’s an avid proponent of in-person workplaces, a topic he took on in his bestselling 2021 book, Workquake.

In the first episode of this two-part discussion, Cadigan discusses:

• diversity in the workplace
• leveraging your workforce
• the future of work
• the significance of investing in your people
• cultivating a richer human experience

Stress has a sneaky way of turning into burnout before we can recognize the symptoms and take steps to protect our mental wellness. Can cutting-edge science help us regain some of our lost calm?

For that answer, we turned to a leading scientist.

Astrophysicist, author and all-around science ambassador Neil deGrasse Tyson, Ph.D., visits the HR Break Room® to take on the myth of multitasking. Multitasking can lower productivity, increase the amount of time needed to complete a task, create stress and lead to burnout. We often think of multitasking within the context of work; however, this applies to all areas of life.

Technology is often seen as the cause of excessive multitasking in our busy lives, but these modern tools may also provide the solution as we look for ways to cope in these times of information saturation.

Tyson discusses ways to identify the onset of burnout and proven strategies for reducing stress and recovering the ability to think clearly and effectively.

Want to learn more about how multitasking at work may be contributing to cognitive overload in your workplace? Read our blog post!

With so many administrative duties on HR’s plates, multitasking can quickly give way to mental exhaustion and cognitive overload. The solution? Automating basic HR and payroll tasks!

In the evolving world of work, automation is a double-edged sword. Sure, it opens doors to better, more efficient HR processes. But it can also introduce complex challenges.

Join Steve Boese, HR Technology Conference chair, on a journey through the world of HR automation. We’ll address the fundamental questions around the concept and how it redefines the employee experience.

In this episode of HR Break Room®, we’ll explore how to:

• free HR, create efficiencies and inspire forward-thinking leadership through task automation
• embrace HR automation, avoid common pitfalls and maintain the human touch
• simplify data management, onboarding and HR analytics with automation 

We’ve come a long way since the Industrial Revolution. From the electronic semiconductor to employee-guided payroll, read the story of HR automation.

As AI and other technologies continue their rapid advance, effective cybersecurity that can evolve with the times becomes equally important.  

In comes John Riggi — veteran FBI agent, senior representative to the CIA, a member of the White House Cyber Response Group and the American Hospital Association’s very first advisor for cybersecurity and risk. With years of experience in a variety of fields, Riggi visits  HR Break Room® to discuss all things cybersecurity.

Riggi and host Morgan Beard discuss the critical importance of data security in the sphere of payroll and HCM. Riggi also offers tips for business leaders who want to stay ahead of the curve to protect themselves, their employees and their customers.

Key takeaways from this episode of the  HR Break Room include:

·      understanding the importance of cybersecurity

·      securing data through internal controls

·      actionable tips for business leaders rethinking their cybersecurity measures

In order to create opportunities for transformational success, your employees first must have the freedom to be themselves. Emotional transparency and inclusivity are key to achieve this, and no person has demonstrated these values quite like Robin Roberts, the versatile co-anchor of the top-rated morning news program, ABC’s Good Morning America.

In this previously recorded episode of HR Break Room®, Roberts shares her perspective on the many obstacles employees may encounter and how to use that adversity to succeed in the workplace. Her unique story paves the way to opening a new conversation centered on efforts extending beyond the traditional definitions of diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging.

Join us as Roberts recounts her path from small-town Mississippi to inspiring millions daily nationwide by sharing her journey, and ways she has worked to provide others a sense of psychological safety and well-being in the workplace.

Key takeaways

·        A workplace can create a safe environment to support its employees through adversity.

·        Transparency benefits people in both their personal and professional development.

·        How to move past the idea that diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging efforts are more than just boxes to be checked, and move toward a more holistic, personal approach.

Guest: Futurist Mike Walsh

You may have heard about it at work or on the news. It’s artificial intelligence or “AI” for short — a complex subject that’s still evolving. While some people express concern, others are optimistic and excited. Regardless of the hype or the pundits’ daily hot take, the future of work is something nearly everyone is experiencing in real time.

Futurist Mike Walsh has been a leading authority on disruptive innovation and digital transformation. In this episode of the HR Break Room® podcast, he uses his expertise to break down all things AI and technology as he helps clarify what we can expect in the workplace during these interesting times.

Listen as Walsh and host Morgan Beard discuss:

·        the quickly evolving landscape of work

·        how AI will impact the workplace

·        leadership challenges arising from digital transformation