Category: Culture

HR Secrets Revealed: Imperfect Humans at Work: Leah Part 1

HR Secrets Revealed: Imperfect Humans at Work: Leah Part 1

In this episode of True Stories at Work, host Michelle Aronson introduces Leah, a management-side attorney with great insights and stories about the human side of work.

Leah takes us through her journey from dreaming of being the boss to finding her path into employment law. We explore the imperfections of humans at every level of the workplace, including two executives caught in an intimate embrace after hours on a conference room table.

We discuss some legal challenges of remote work (mouse jigglers, anyone?) and the evolving impact of AI on HR practices, while emphasizing the importance of keeping human connection at the heart of performance management.

Don’t miss the workplace confession about a stairwell romance, brought to life by an AI voice. And stay tuned for the next episode where we discuss the off-limit dinner party trifecta of: sex, tech, and politics!

00:00 Introduction

02:33 Leah’s Story

10:34 Stories at Work

30:18 Workplace Confessions

32:32 Culture + Strategy Lab

32:47 Haiku for Leah

A bit about Leah:

Leah Stiegler is a principal and management-side employment lawyer at the Virginia-based law firm Woods Rogers. She stars in her own YouTube series, What’s the Tea in L&E, where she and a colleague tackle – with good humor and straightforward advice – topics that HR leaders really need to navigate.

What is your favorite piece of leadership advice? Strive for servant leadership. A manager who is willing to put on flame-resistant overalls on the manufacturing floor is going to be one with fewer complaints against him.

A few favorite HR resources: Bloomberg Law helps me in my practice, local SHRM chapters are always incredible for networking.

Stories are what we remember and how we connect, so please share yours with me

Let’s talk about your people strategy

Tell a story!

Make a Workplace Confession

Host: Michelle Aronson

From Forensic Finance to HR Heights: People are What Truly Impact the Numbers: Jolene

From Forensic Finance to HR Heights: People are What Truly Impact the Numbers: Jolene

Have you ever wondered about how your people and culture influence your business financials? In this True Stories at Work episode you get to meet Jolene who began in Financial Forensics on wall street to turning around companies through HR… using culture as her gateway drug into shaping companies for the better. You’ll hear how moving 33 times during the grades K-12 impacted her ability to connect quickly and build trust. Jolene shares her union negotiation tactics, call to action for leaders to be authentic, and how to solve HR problems by looking at them from a different angle. You will also learn how she used those connection skills during her union negotiations. We discuss the challenge of entitlement, catty behavior at work and how incredible it can be when you don’t do things the way you’ve always done them.

And don’t miss the workplace confession, read in an AI voice, to hear some of the more subtle ways that culture drives financials by reducing theft or sabotage at work.

Timeline
00:00 Introduction
02:19 Jolene’s Story
08:07 Stories at Work
30:27 Workplace Confession
36:30 Haiku for Jolene

Resources

Curious about the cost of culture on your company + the value of authenticity at work, here are some links to get started:

Not Just Soft Skills: Corporate Culture as a Key Company Value Driver | Columbia Business School

Managing Authenticity: The Paradox of Great Leadership (hbr.org)

What is Authentic Leadership? (The Theory and Model) (youtube.com)

 

Stories are what we remember and how we connect, so please share yours with me

Let’s talk about your people strategy

Tell a story!

Make a Workplace Confession

Host: Michelle Aronson

Editor: Bella Hutchins

Bring Your Zing: The Art of Building a Strong Culture: Stella

Bring Your Zing: The Art of Building a Strong Culture: Stella

In this episode of True Stories at Work, host Michelle Aronson sits down with Stella, an HR executive, who shares her journey from sales to Human Resources during the 2009 housing crisis. Stella opens up about the art of building a strong company culture, highlights the core values driving her employees, and reflects on her career journey across three different industries. Don’t miss the workplace confession to find out what happens when three people try to hide in the same closet—for very different reasons!

00:00 Introduction

03:12 Stella’s Story

09:12 Stories at Work

22:22 Workplace Confession: The Closet Incident

24:48 Culture + Strategy Lab

25:04 Haiku for Stella

 

Resources

Curious about the importance of culture or where to begin building one, here are some links to get started:

Corporate Culture In A New Era: Views From The C-suite (harvard.edu)

Changing Company Culture Requires a Movement, Not a Mandate (hbr.org)

Stella drops some wisdom:

Stella’s favorite resources? Other HR professionals. Building a network of experts as a sounding board is essential—especially if they’re smarter than you! And don’t forget to offer support in return. Stella’s best friend, a labor & employment attorney, is a prime example of how handy these connections can be. Nurture your network so you’re always one connection away from the answer or advice you need.

Stories are what we remember and how we connect, so please share yours with me

Let’s talk about your people strategy

Tell a story!

Make a Workplace Confession

Host: Michelle Aronson

Editor: Bella Hutchins

Accidentally HR: From Car Sales to the C-Suite: Keri-Lynne

Accidentally HR: From Car Sales to the C-Suite: Keri-Lynne

In this episode of ‘True Stories at Work,’ Michelle Aronson interviews Keri-Lynne (KL), a seasoned HR professional who transitioned from sales and marketing to human resources by accident. KL shares her unique journey from selling cars to becoming a Chief People Officer, highlighting the importance of career ownership, empathy in leadership, and navigating challenges during the pandemic. She also discusses her experiences with global HR projects and the critical role of culture in organizations. The episode concludes with KL’s perspectives on career growth, a listener’s workplace confession, and advice for taking charge of one’s career.

 

Accidentally HR: From Car Sales to the C-Suite: Keri-Lynne

00:00 Introduction

02:39 About KL

12:34 Stories at Work

30:59 Workplace Confessions

34:16 Haiku for KL

Haiku

KL’s a baller.

Wants you hustling for big dreams,

you’re the shot caller.

 

Resources

Curious about career development + having essential conversations at work, here are some links to get started:

What’s Holding Back Your Career Development? (hbr.org)

A Managers Guide to Having the Most Essential Conversations With Your Employees

Wanna be a Baller – for your listening enjoyment 🙂

About our guest: Keri-Lynne Shaw is a Fractional Chief People Officer who started in the trenches and learning the hard way, KL has mastered the nuances of compensation dynamics and is dedicated to empowering people to recognize their market and negotiate with intent.

Stories are what we remember and how we connect, so please share yours with me

Let’s talk about your people strategy

Tell a story!

Make a Workplace Confession

Host: Michelle Aronson

Editor: Bella Hutchins

Rockstar to Recruiter: Living on the Talent Acquisition Treadmill: Travis

Rockstar to Recruiter: Living on the Talent Acquisition Treadmill: Travis

This episode of ‘True Stories at Work’ hosted by Michelle Aronson features a conversation with Travis, an experienced HR professional and Talent Acquisition leader. Travis shares his journey from aspiring to be in a rockstar to falling into Human Resources. Travis discusses the challenges, surprises, and emotional moments he has faced in his career. He reflects on a powerful moment with an executive coach that changed his outlook on leadership and his life. We discuss the importance of HR in business strategy, the value of coaching, and the need for companies to be transparent and aligned in their values and actions.

0:00 Rockstar to Recruiter: Living on the Talent Acquisition Treadmill: Travis
00:01 Introduction
02:05 Travis’ Story
11:36 Stories at Work
28:41 Workplace Confession
33:11 Haiku for Travis

Resources

Curious about the benefits of coaching + how to set yourself up for success in college and life, here are some links to get started:

Leaders Need Professional Coaching Now More Than Ever (hbr.org)

The Secret Syllabus – A Guide to the Unwritten Rules of College Success

Stories are what we remember and how we connect, so please share yours with me

Let’s talk about your people strategy

Tell a story!

Make a Workplace Confession

Host: Michelle Aronson

Editor: Bella Hutchins

HR and Culture Shock, From the US to the UK: Dina

HR and Culture Shock, From the US to the UK: Dina

Did you ever think it would be easy to work in England, because you already speak the language?  Well tune into this episode of ‘True Stories at Work’ to meet Dina, an executive coach and former HR professional, shares her experiences working in human resources across different cultures and the unique challenges that come with it. She shares challenges with the English language and culture while working in the UK, New York City and Texas. You’ll learn why she quit a job to save herself from a bad boss. And how she stays adaptable, resilient, and trusts herself to always move toward a better version of herself. We wrap it up with a workplace confession involving a playful prank in the parking lot involving a squirty wiper washer and a boss.

0:00 HR and Culture Shock, From the US to the UK: Dina
02:21 Dina’s Story
06:54 Stories at Work
30:15 Workplace Confession
33:24 Haiku for Dina

Resources

Curious about Culture Shock + How Damaging a Bad Boss is at work? Here are some links to get started:

Helping Expatriate Employees Deal with Culture Shock (shrm.org)

How Damaging Is a Bad Boss, Exactly? (hbr.org)

Stories are what we remember and how we connect, so please share yours with me

Let’s talk about your people strategy

Tell a story!

Make a Workplace Confession

Listen to the show

 

Host: Michelle Aronson

Editor: Bella Hutchins

Ahoy HR! Take a Journey into Human Resources on a Cruise Ship: Lauren

Ahoy HR! Take a Journey into Human Resources on a Cruise Ship: Lauren

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to live with your coworkers on the ocean for 8-months each year? In this True Stories at Work episode you get to meet Lauren. Who wanted to be a pirate, astronaut and is now an HR leader on a cruise ship.

Michelle Aronson hosts Lauren, who aspired to be an astronaut, however ended up in HR after a health issue crashed her aerospace engineering dreams. Lauren talks about her practices in addressing HR issues and the unique challenges she faces living and working on a cruise ship, including dealing with staff from 30-40 different nationalities, overseeing personal issues that become HR matters, and handling romantic relationships on board. HR is personal, as Lauren recounts a heart-wrenching incident of an immigration scam involving one of her potential hires. The episode wraps up as Lauren shares how she changed her approach to HR after laying off an entire hotel staff at the beginning of the pandemic… and how she makes HR personal and connected to improve her workplace.

00:00 Introduction
02:09 Lauren’s Story
07:19 True Stories at Work
36:25 Workplace Confession
40:05 Haiku for Lauren

 

Resources

Curious about cross-culture challenges + how to connect more deeply with colleagues at work, here are some links to get started:

How Cultural Differences Can Impact Global Teams

Forming Stronger Bonds with People at Work

Stories are what we remember and how we connect, so please share yours with me

Tell a story!

Make a Workplace Confession

 

Host: Michelle Aronson

Editor: Bella Hutchins

 

Haiku for Lauren

Lauren is not a pirate.

But achieves her HR dreams…

as she sees (seas(;)) the world.

From HR Challenges to AI Opportunities: Karen

From HR Challenges to AI Opportunities: Karen

How does an HR professional build a connected, inclusive, and tech-forward culture? Find out in our latest podcast episode with Karen, who considers herself an accidental tourist in HR! #HRLeadership #InclusiveWorkplace #Podcast

In this episode, Karen shares her experience crafting a culture to support high-growth companies. She discusses the importance of creating an inclusive culture and how to align the executive team and care for the HR team. We discuss how to keep culture (and humans) in focus as you implement technology for your HR practices. Karen shares that “employees want to know that tomorrow will be better than today and that they have a say in it.”

00:00 Introduction

01:55 Karen’s Story

05:45 Stories at Work

32:02 Workplace Confession

37:29 Haiku for Karen

Resources

Curious about culture and tech at work, here are some links to get started:

4 Ways AI Will Disrupt the HR Function in 2024 (shrm.org)

Artificial Intelligence in the Workplace (shrm.org)

Talent Management in the Age of AI (hbr.org)

 

Stories are what we remember and how we connect, so please share yours with me

Let’s talk about your people strategy

Tell a story!

Make a Workplace Confession

 

Haiku for Karen

Karen understands…

Connection is essential

in work and in life.

 

Host: Michelle Aronson

Editor: Bella Hutchins

HR is Not Your Junk Drawer: Lauren Part 2

HR is Not Your Junk Drawer: Lauren Part 2

This True Stories at Work episode begins where my last podcast episode dropped off, with Lauren on the brink of her first leadership role and her first sexual harassment investigation (at the same time!).

Lauren shares a few of the ‘insane moments’ she has experienced during her career and how reveals how these experiences have shaped her into a better HR professional.

We discuss the many challenges that HR faces, the shifting expectations of employers, and how HR is often the junk drawer for everyone else’s people problems.

The episode wraps up with a workplace confession (and debate) from a former colleague of Michelle’s that increased his empathy toward Michelle and pets left in cars.

Timeline

00:00 Introduction

01:40 Lauren’s Journey to HR Leadership

02:31 Lauren’s First Sexual Harassment Investigation

03:33 The Aftermath of the Investigation

05:49 Lauren’s Reflections on Her HR Career

06:11 Lauren’s Most Insane HR Moment

15:43 Lauren’s Workplace Pet Peeve

18:31 The Changing Landscape of HR in a Post-COVID World

22:41 Workplace Confession

29:44 Thanks for Listening

Resources

Curious about the topics discussed on the show, here are some links to learn more:</p>

Company Culture Is Everyone’s Responsibility (hbr.org)

3 Myths About Hiring People with Criminal Records (hbr.org)

Guns in the Workplace: What Has Changed, and What Can Employers Expect? (shrm.org)

Stories are what we remember and how we connect, so please share yours with me

Let’s talk about your culture and strategy

Tell a story!

Make a Workplace Confession

Ask a question+ make a suggestion

Rip off the Band-Aid and Have the Hard Conversation: Michael

Rip off the Band-Aid and Have the Hard Conversation: Michael

HR leaders have difficult conversations, around an incredible range of topics “It would just be easier to say, we don’t want you around than to say, hey, I need you to wear a bra to work.”

Welcome to True Stories at Work, where we discuss the best things about working in Human Resources. The people, the stories, and the things that happen at work that we didn’t know even about… workplace confessions!

I’m a recovering HR executive, certified coach, and business school professor who knows that THE BEST stories happen at work, from heartbreaking to heartwarming, from hilarious to outrageous.

In a past role, I was a member of a magical HR executive committee, pulled together by a Group Purchasing Organization to represent a variety of members from each region of the country.… and I loved going to the meetings to connect with them, learn what they were doing, and hear their great stories! Today, you get to meet Michael, who was a member of that executive committee.

You will get to hear his journey into and out of HR. As an attorney, he shares “The importance of ripping off the Band-Aid and having difficult conversations, even when they are uncomfortable” and even when they don’t go as planned.  “It’s actually hard to do the things when you’re in the moment and experiencing it as a human as well”

He shares a story that demonstrates the impact that subtle, non-verbal behaviors can have on feelings and perceptions “even if I’m not saying it, or even if it’s not intentional, simply the, the chair I pick is sending a message.”

The approach he took to teaching people how to treat his HR team, and how he reinforced  “that HR is not just a punching bag”.

Micheal shares a great practice to keep your leadership team connected to the people in your company who are impacted by your decisions “It’s easy to start thinking about people as simply numbers or FTEs as opposed to remembering that real people are losing their jobs, and those are having real impacts on their life.”

At the end, you get to hear a workplace confession, something that happened at work that never made it through the doors of HR. This one is about me… a director sharing a story about me that he wanted to confess on my behalf, how generous!

Curious about how to improve your skills with difficult conversations?

Here are some links to get started:

How to Handle Difficult Conversations Gracefully | Psychology Today

Things to Do Before a Difficult Conversation (HBR)

How to Create a Strong Culture (shrm.org)

Stories are what we remember and how we connect, so please share yours with me

Let’s talk about your people strategy

Tell a story!

Make a Workplace Confession

Haiku for Michael

Michael knows that growth,

Requires difficult words to…

Be shared with kindness.

#HumanResources #Podcast #TrueStoriesAtWork

#Career #Culture