HR Happy Hour

HR Happy Hour 201 - Putting the Fun into Analytics Recorded Thursday January 29, 2015 Hosts: Steve Boese, Trish McFarlance Guests, Mike Psenka, Ed Pertwee, Jennifer Payne In the latest HR Happy Hour Show, Trish and Steve recorded a live HR Happy Hour show from the recent Brandon Hall Excellence conference, where Mike, Ed, Steve and Trish conducted a panel discussion on how to leverage data and analytics for HR and organizational success. Mike and Ed both shared some excellent examples, (both in the panel and in the HR Happy Hour podcast), of how, where, and to what effect data and analytics are making an impact in workforce planning, compliance, and to improve business results. There are some amazingly powerful applications for using data in a wide variety of contexts - where to locate company facilities, the effect of demographic shifts on performance, and how long commute times impact engagement and satisfaction. Additionally, Steve defended Carmelo Anthony of the Knicks, Trish let us know that the number '201' should not be said as 'two hundred and one', and we learned that a husband should never question the strength and intensity of his wife's labor contractions. As always, you can listen to the current and all the past shows from the archive on the show page here, on our HR Happy Hour website, and by subscribing to the show in podcast form on iTunes, or for Android devices using Stitcher Radio (or your favorite podcast app). Just search the iTunes store or your podcast app for 'HR Happy Hour' to add the show to your subscriptions. This was a really fun show with some fantastic guests and we hope you enjoy listening!

HR Happy Hour 200 - Celebrating the Final Conversation on Employee Engagement? Broadcast LIVE Thursday January 22, 2015 - 8PM ET Hosts: Steve Boese, Trish McFarlane Guest: Paul Hebert Call in 646-378-1086 For the celebratory 200th Episode of the HR Happy Hour Show, Steve and Trish will broadcast LIVE just like in the old school HR Happy Hour Show days, this Thursday at 8:00PM ET. Long time friend of the showm and frequent guest Paul Hebert will be along for the ride as we talk employee engagement, hopefully for the last time ever on the show. We have beaten this subject TO DEATH and still we are no closer to 'solving' engagement, or even deciding if it can be solved. So this week on the show we will beat the topic around one last time, see if there really is a solution to engagement, and maybe and finally move on to more interesting subjects. Like robots. And the Internet of Things. And basketball. Additionally, we will have some fun looking back at the history of the HR Happy Hour and have some laughs at Steve's expense. This will be a really fun show, especially since we will be back LIVE this Thursday at 8:00PM ET. Hope you can join us and jump in to the conversation on the Twitter backchannel - use hashtag #HRHappyHour to join the fun.

HR Happy Hour 199 - Employer Branding from the Inside Out  Recorded Tuesday January 20, 2015 Hosts: Trish McFarlane, Steve Boese Guest: Jason Seiden, CEO Brand Amper In the latest HR Happy Hour Show, Trish and Steve welcomed back our friend Jason Seiden, CEO of Brand Amper, one of 2014's 'Awesome New Startup' technologies from the HR Technology Conference to get an update on what has been happening with Brand Amper, and to talk about engaging employees in the brand and mission of the organization. Often 'brand' initiatives are drawn up in corporate boardrooms or by expensive external consultants without much thought or acknowledgement of what the actual brand messengers and deliverers, the employees, think or feel or believe. Jason talks about the importance and power of leveraging actual employees and what they actually think and believe and aspire to in creating, communicating, and executing the brand promises and delighting customers. Additionally, Trish and Steve lamented the sorry state of Email in the workplace, (it is NEVER going to die), and Jason shared why he wears the same black H&M shirt everywhere he goes. Steve is 100% with Jason on this strategy, while Trish has some concerns about the mental well-being of both of the gents. Remember to subscribe to the show on ITunes, or for Android devices, using Stitcher Radio. Just search for 'HR Happy Hour' and subscribe to never miss a show. This was a really fun show, and we hope you enjoy listening!

HR Happy Hour 198 - What HR Will Be Talking About in 2015 (and some things HR needs to stop talking about) Recorded Thursday January 8, 2015 Hosts: Trish McFarlane, Steve Boese For the first HR Happy Hour of 2015, Trish and Steve dug into some of the topics that HR leaders will be talking about in 2015, and hit a few topics that (Steve especially) thinks HR needs to let go of this year. Loosely based on a post Steve led off the year with, Trish and Steve talked about some of the big 2015 topics in HR - predictive analytics, retention, talent having the upper hand, and HR as marketing. We also hit some of the the things that HR needs to step back from, whether from overuse, lack of success, or simple silliness.  Additionally, Steve was SHOCKED to find out the actual HR people spend at least part of their Sundays having discussions about HR issues on Facebook, Steve made a case for wearing the same outfit to work every day (Trish strongly disagreed), and Steve was unable to pronouce the word 'ephemeral', As always, you can listen to the current and all the past shows from the archive on the show page, on our HR Happy Hour website, and by subscribing to the show in podcast form on iTunes, or for Android using Stitcher Radio (or your favorite podcast app). Just search the iTunes store or your podcast app for 'HR Happy Hour' to add the show to your subscriptions.

HR Happy Hour 197 - Non-predictions for HR in 2015 Recorded Tuesday December 23, 2014 Hosts: Steve Boese, Trish McFarlane For the might-be-the-final show of 2014, HR Happy Hour hosts Steve and Trish took a quick look back at some of the big themes in HR and HR technology in 2014, (data, really BIG data. And also analytics too), while coming to a fast agreement while this may have been a trend in 2014, that actually speculating or predicting on future trends is kind of silly. What makes a trend anyway? Do any of these HR predictions matter? We also hit on some thougths about what 2015 might hold for HR and HR tech (Note: these are NOT predictions), and hit upon one of the most interesting current stories impacting work and technology - the recent hack and leak of Sony Pictures Entertainment. Long story short - EVERY HR shop has loads of sensitive HR and employee data getting passed around the organization in Excel spreadsheets. And you put way too much private stuff in Emails. Be careful out there friends. Additionally, Trish staked out a plan to do a live HR Happy Hour Show from the Tournament of Roses parade in 2016 and Steve pitched a potential live New Year's Eve show for next week. This was a fun show about some of the big things happening in HR and HR tech and hope you find the show fun as well. Happy HR Holidays!

HR Happy Hour 196 - Career Management and Technology Recorded Thursday November 20, 2014  Hosts: Steve Boese, Trish McFarlane Guest: Joe Brooks, CEO Zapoint This week on the HR Happy Hour Show, Trish and Steve were joined by Joe Brooks, CEO of Zapoint, an HR tech solution provider that focuses on employee career management, individual and organizational skills identification and mapping, and by providing access to learning content to help employees build out their skills and achieve their career objectives. We talked about some of the most common barriers to effective career planning - lack of visibility into existing opportunities, limited ability to assess if you were a good 'fit' for a given role or career path, and lack of transparency and willingness of managers to develop and share talent.  The conversation also touched upon the HR and organziational leader's need to have a better understanding of aggregate skills and capabilities of the organization's talent - to help enable organizational objectives and to facilitate ongoing succession planning. Joe also shared some insights into how organizations can have success in meeting both sets of these challenges - for employees as well as leadership - by leveraging modern technologies like Zapoint and their innovative skills mapping and career management tools. Also, Steve and Trish talked about the potential release of 'Facebook at Work', Steve (finally) remembered what day it was, and we reminisced about the long gone Google Wave produce. This was a fun and interesting show and many thanks to Joe and to the folks at Zapoint for sharing their insights.

HR Happy Hour 195 - HRevolution 2014 Recap Recorded Thursday, November 13, 2014 Hosts: Steve Boese, Trish McFarlane This week on the HR Happy Hour Show, hosts Steve and Trish reviewed the HRevolution 2014 event, held November 7 and 8 in Grapevine, Texas. Steve and Trish talked about several of the big themes from the HRevolution event - the Disruption of HR and workplaces, the importance of creativity in HR and in business, and the need for HR professionals and leaders to take more time to actively think about innovation and new ways to do both HR and business. This was a great event to be a part of, and in the best HRevolution tradition, the discussions, (like the one Trish and Steve have on this week's show), are ongoing, and the community of HRevolution friends, (and HR Happy Hour listeners), are keeping the ideas and conversations alive. Additionally, Steve forgets what day it is, ('Is today Wednesday?') and Trish tosses out some potential locations for the next HRevolution event to be held in November 2015. This was a fun conversation and thanks for checking out the show!

HR Happy Hour 179 - Data Driven HR (Live from Equifax Workforce Solutions Forum 2014) Recorded Tuesday, April 1, 2014 Hosts: Steve Boese, Trish McFarlane Guests: Dann Adams, President, Equifax Workforce Solutions and Mike Psenka, Senior Vice President Workforce Analytics, Equifax Workforce Solutions Last week Steve and Trish were able to attend Equifax Workforce Solutions Annual User Conference in Scottsdale, AZ and sit down with Dann Adams and Mike Psenka to talk about some of the ways that more advanced capability and increased availability of data and analytics are changing the way HR gets done, and increasing the opportunities for HR to contribute significant business value. Data is increasingly the 'must have' resource for HR leaders. It can allow the leveraging of that data and the related insights on pay, turnover, and job movement from a wide swath of industries and millions of data points in order to give organizations a better understanding of how their workforce trends stack up to their peers. It also means using data and decision support tools to ensure the organization is making the right decisions and remaining compliant with complex ACA requirements. On the show, Dann and Mike share a few examples and offer some insights as to how HR organizations can get the most value from these data driven approaches. This was a fun and informative show and I would like to thank Dann, Mike, and everyone at Equifax Workforce Solutions for allowing the HR Happy Hour Show to be a part of Forum 2014.

HR Happy Hour 178 - 'Making Talent Data Actionable' Recorded Friday March 21, 2014 On the latest HR Happy Hour Show, hosts Steve Boese and Trish McFarlane sat down with Mark Brandau, Vice President of Solution Marketing at SAP, responsible for Cloud Solutions including SuccessFactors to talk about talent management, Talent Reviews, and how some of the latest developments from SuccessFactors including the new 'Presentations' capability are helping to make workforce and talent data accessible and actionable. If you have been in HR or line management long enough you know how tedious, manual, and downright painful traditional Talent Review meetings can be. Lots of paper, lots of manually created PowerPoint decks, lots of people trying to make some of the most important talent management decisions for the organization but spending too much time on executing the process and not enough making the important, strategic decisions that the business demands. Modern technologies for Talent Reviews have come light years from where they were just a few years ago, and the modern HR organization can now have advanced capability to rate, review, align, and develop talent all in one place. This was a fun and informative show and I would like to thank Mark and the folks at SAP for being a part of the HR Happy Hour Show

HR Happy Hour 177 - Analyze This! Recorded March 3, 2014 Recently,on the HR Happy Hour Show, hosts Steve Boese and Trish McFarlane sat down with Mike Cooke, Chairman and CEO of Brandon Hall Group, and welcomed him to the show.  With Trish's recent career change to joining Brandon Hall Group as the VP of HR Practice/ Principal Analyst, this seemed like the opportune time to discuss what analyst firms do and how HR leaders can be helped by the advisory services they provide in addition to the research.  In this episode, we talked about some of the upcoming research Brandon Hall Group is working on as well as the recently launched HR Systems Survey.  It was an interesting look behind the scenes of the HR Analyst industry and process and we hope you enjoy the conversation with Steve, Trish, and Mike.

HR Happy Hour 176 - 'Big Bets for HR' Recorded live at Oracle HCM World - Thursday February 6, 2014 In a special HR Happy Hour Show, hosts Trish McFarlane and Steve Boese were able to record live from Oracle HCM World event with Oracle's Bertrand Dussert, VP of HR Transformation and one of the sharpest guys around when it comes to understanding modern HR, and the critical role of technology in that transformation to modern HR. Bertrand has had a great and varied career as an HR practitioner and executive, which sets him apart from many of the typical HR software company execs you'll encounter. He knows the challenges that come with being an HR and business leader playing in the big leagues, and can lend this expertise and insight to the clients he works with in his role as a trusted advisor for Oracle. In the show, we talked with Bertrand on some of the most interesting technological trends and the opportunities they will present - the 'Big Bets for HR' as it were. We hit upon wearable devices, the internet of things, predictive analytics and more. And at every turn Bertrand helps us break down the topic and see what it all might mean for HR leaders in the future. It was a really fun, lively, and quick 30 minutes or so, and I hope you take some time this week to check out the show. Thanks again to Bertrand and to everyone over at Oracle for making it possible to record the HR Happy Hour live and on site from Oracle HCM World.

HR Happy Hour 175 - Improving Communication, Collaboration, and Coaching LIVE - THURSDAY January 9, 2014 - 8:00PM EST Call in on 646-378-1086 Tweet your questions and comments - use the Twitter hashtag #HRHappyHour This week in the first LIVE show of 2014 hosts Steve Boese and Trish McFarlane are excited to bring Sean Conrad, Senior Product Analyst & Sales Trainer at Halogen Software back to the show this week.  Sean and Halogen are both big supporters of the HR Happy Hour and we feel equally strong about what Halogen Software has added to the industry over the years.  This week, we plan to talk about ways that organizations can improve their communication, collaboration and coaching techniques.   Halogen recently launched two new modules to address these needs.  Their new 1:1 Exchange meeting module and the Halogen Myers-Briggs module introduce innovative approaches to workforce improvements.  Listen in as we talk about the modules as well as other ways organizations can approach these challenges. Sean is a interesting and fun guy and it should be a great show - make your plans to join us LIVE on Thursday or catch the replay anytime from the show page here or using iTunes or on Stitcher Radio on Android devices.

HR Happy Hour 174 - Oracle HCM World Preview: Modern HR  Recorded Thursday December 19, 2013 This week on the HR Happy Hour Show, Steve Boese and Trish McFarlane sat down with Gretchen Alarcon, Vice President of Oracle HCM Strategy for Oracle, for an interesting and fun conversation about some of the most important challenges facing the modern HR leader and the organization as we head into 2014, as well as how advances in HCM technologies are helping organizations to meet those challenges, and to offer some ideas about what some of the most intriguing HR and workplace technologies will have in store for us in the future. Additionally, Gretchen gave us a preview of the upcoming and inaugural Oracle HCM World event to be held February 4-6, 2014 at the Venetian in Las Vegas. At Oracle HCM World, there will be over 100 sessions featuring HR leaders, industry experts, and recognized thought leaders sharing their insights and experiences - all designed to help attendees improve emplopyee enagement, to provide new strategies for talent attraction, development, and retention, and to support professional networking and knowledge sharing. It was a fun and enlightening conversation with Gretchen, and many thanks to her and the Oracle HCM team for joining us this week. Note: This is the final show of 2013 - thanks as always for listening and Happy Holidays and we will see you in 2014!

HR Happy Hour 173 - How Data is Changing Recruiting  Recorded Friday November 22, 2013 This week on the HR Happy Hour Show, Steve Boese and Trish McFarlane sat down with Eric Owski,VP of Product Strategy for Bright.com, for an interesting and informative conversation about how data,machine learning, and really sophisticated algorithms are helping organizations better understand the fit and potential for high performance of their candidates, and increasing the chances of making better hires while reducing the time and expense to make screening and hiring decisions. It is still a challenge for many HR and Recruiting organizations simply to manage the volume of applicants that they are seeing for many positions, and to have the ability to spende the time and resources attempting to ensure they are engaging with (and hiring) the very best people that they can. Bright.com offers an approach and a solution that is based on millions of data points, informed by talent and recruiting professionals' input,and validated by the companies 

HR Happy Hour 172 - HRevolution and HR Tech 2013 Recap LIVE - Thursday October 17, 2013 - 8:00PM EDT Call in on 646-378-1086 Follow and join the backchannel conversation on Twitter - use the hashtag #HRHappyHour This week the HR Happy Hour is back with a special LIVE show with a recap and review of all the happenings at the recent HRevolution and HR Technology Conferences. Join hosts Trish McFarlane and Steve Boese for a look back at both events - the sessions, the parties, the exhibits and all the fun from what was a memorable HR week in Las Vegas. If you were in attendance at either HRevolution or HR Tech, then you are invited to call in to talk with Steve and Trish and to share your thoughts and observations from the events. Who made you think? Who made you laugh? What was the most amazing HR Technology that you checked out? We will hit all the highlights and also have a few laughs as well. You won't want to miss this one, as the HR Happy Hour returns with a LIVE show, Thursday, Octover 17, 2013 at 8PM EDT.