HR Happy Hour Network

Seeing the Future: Prediction Markets on the Rise With Gen Z
Hosts: Jack McFarlane and Nicholas Schlemmer

Summary
In this episode of The Play by Play, Jack and Nick break down the growing world of prediction markets and explore why platforms like Kalshi and Polymarket have captured the attention of Gen Z. They discuss how these markets work, the appeal of their stock-market-like experience, and the combination of instant gratification, financial anxiety, and easy access that may be fueling their popularity. But with the excitement comes real financial risk. Jack and Nick dig into the potential downsides of speculative trading and gambling, including the danger of dipping into savings, chasing losses, and betting money that someone can't afford to lose. Their takeaway: if you're going to participate, understand the risk and keep it to money you can genuinely afford to lose.
Then the guys lighten things up with the debut of the Play by Play Prediction Market — using imaginary coins instead of real money to make their picks for the upcoming college football season. From Ohio State and Michigan to Utah, BYU, LSU, Miami, Clemson, Indiana, and Georgia, Jack and Nick put their predictions on the record for conference champions, playoff contenders, and the national championship.
It's part financial trends, part Gen Z perspective, part college football preview — and 100% Play by Play.

Takeaways
What prediction markets are and how they work
The connection between Gen Z, financial anxiety, investing, and instant gratification
The financial and behavioral risks associated with gambling and speculative trading
Jack and Nick's approach to responsible betting
The first-ever Play by Play Prediction Market
College football conference and national championship predictions
A football-themed final Quote of the Show


Thank you for joining the show today! Remember to subscribe wherever you get your podcasts!
The HR Happy Hour Network is sponsored by Workhuman.
Nearly 9 in 10 HR leaders say they don't have a strong leadership bench. Workhuman's Future Leaders gives organizations a smarter way to build one. Future Leaders is the first talent intelligence solution to identify high-potential VP+ talent already within your workforce—up to four years before promotion. Using proprietary AI and real-time recognition data, it uncovers the leadership signals hidden in everyday work long before traditional succession planning can. It's a smarter, data-driven approach to building tomorrow's leaders. Learn more at Workhuman.com. Thanks for joining us.

Are You Feeding AI the Wrong Data? The Leadership Signals You're Missing
Hosts: Steve Boese and Trish Steed
Guest: Tom Libretto, President at Workhuman

Summary
AI is only as powerful as the data behind it. As organizations race to deploy new AI tools, they may be overlooking one of the richest sources of workforce intelligence already available to them: the everyday moments that reveal how work actually gets done.
In this HR Happy Hour episode, Steve and Trish welcome Tom Libretto, President of Workhuman, to explore why traditional HR data often tells only part of the story, and how recognition data can provide a more human, contextual view of skills, collaboration, influence, leadership potential, and organizational impact.
Tom explains the value of zero-party data: information employees voluntarily share in their own words about the contributions they see happening around them. When recognition is specific and meaningful, those messages can become a powerful source of intelligence about the workforce—capturing signals that transactional HR systems were never designed to see. The conversation also explores how AI can turn those signals into actionable workforce insights. Tom shares how Workhuman is using recognition data to identify potential future leaders years before promotion, surface “talent magnets” who consistently develop others, and help organizations better understand whether employees' work is actually aligned with strategic business priorities.

Topics include:
Why organizations need to think as carefully about what they feed AI as they do about the AI technology itself
The limitations of transactional and declarative HR data
What zero-party data is and why recognition can provide an unusually rich source of human intelligence
How recognition reveals skills in action, collaboration patterns, influence, values, and contribution
Why the quality and specificity of recognition messages matter when using the data with AI
How AI and recognition data can help identify future leaders years earlier than traditional succession planning
What HR leaders should consider as they build a richer, more trustworthy data foundation for AI-powered workforce decisions


Thank you for joining the show today! Remember to subscribe wherever you get your podcasts!
The HR Happy Hour Network is sponsored by Workhuman.
Nearly 9 in 10 HR leaders say they don't have a strong leadership bench. Workhuman's Future Leaders gives organizations a smarter way to build one. Future Leaders is the first talent intelligence solution to identify high-potential VP+ talent already within your workforce—up to four years before promotion. Using proprietary AI and real-time recognition data, it uncovers the leadership signals hidden in everyday work long before traditional succession planning can. It's a smarter, data-driven approach to building tomorrow's leaders. Learn more at Workhuman.com. Thanks for joining us.

Workplace Connection: What Drives Motivation, Retention, and Performance
Host: Steve Boese
Guest: Jason Lauritsen, Workplace strategist, Executive advisor, Keynote speaker, and co-author of the Human Connection Study

Summary
In this episode of At Work in America, Steve Boese speaks with workplace strategist, advisor, and keynote speaker Jason Lauritsen about the Human Connection Study, a large-scale research project examining how connection shapes the employee experience. The study includes responses from more than 286,000 employees across nearly 1,700 organizations, providing a deeper look at what connection is, how employees experience it, and why it matters to organizational success.
Jason explains why workplace connection extends beyond relationships with managers and colleagues. Employees also need to feel that their work matters and that they understand and believe in the purpose and direction of their organization.
The conversation explores the study’s most surprising findings, including why connection to organizational purpose may be even more influential than having strong workplace relationships—and what HR and business leaders can do to create the conditions where connection can flourish.

Topics include:
Why connection should be viewed as a driver of performance rather than simply a cultural benefit
The difference between relational connection and resonance connection
The four primary dimensions of workplace connection
Why organizational purpose and direction have such a powerful influence on employees
How connection affects motivation, retention, inclusion, and advocacy
How managers can create moments where employees feel seen, heard, and understood


Thank you for joining the show today! Remember to subscribe wherever you get your podcasts!

The HR Happy Hour Network is sponsored by Workhuman.
Nearly 9 in 10 HR leaders say they don't have a strong leadership bench. Workhuman's Future Leaders gives organizations a smarter way to build one. Future Leaders is the first talent intelligence solution to identify high-potential VP+ talent already within your workforce—up to four years before promotion. Using proprietary AI and real-time recognition data, it uncovers the leadership signals hidden in everyday work long before traditional succession planning can. It's a smarter, data-driven approach to building tomorrow's leaders. Learn more at Workhuman.com. Thanks for joining us.

How Culture Can Make or Break AI Adoption
Hosts: Mervyn Dinnen
Guest: Nick Holmes, VP of Learning and Culture, and Founder of Culture Nova

Summary
In this episode of HR Means Business, Mervyn Dinnen speaks with Nick Holmes, organizational culture researcher, VP of Learning and Culture, and founder of Culture Nova. Nick is currently completing a PhD focused on developing a clearer, more relevant definition and measurement of organizational culture.
Together, they challenge the common question, “What will AI do to our culture?” Instead, Nick argues that leaders should ask, “What kind of culture do we need for AI to work?”
The conversation explores why organizations often confuse familiarity with genuine understanding, how AI can expose existing weaknesses in trust and psychological safety, and why successful adoption requires far more than introducing new tools. It requires leaders to rethink how information flows, how people learn, how change is communicated, and how work itself is designed.

Key Takeaways
How an organization’s existing culture shapes AI adoption
Why AI often amplifies cultural strengths and weaknesses
What an AI-ready organizational culture looks like
Why leaders must model responsible and thoughtful AI use
How AI can increase workload rather than reduce it
The relationship between AI adoption and psychological safety
Why frontline and location-based workers must be included in the AI conversation


Thank you for your continued support of the show and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts!
The HR Happy Hour Network is sponsored by Workhuman.
Nearly 9 in 10 HR leaders say they don't have a strong leadership bench. Workhuman's Future Leaders gives organizations a smarter way to build one. Future Leaders is the first talent intelligence solution to identify high-potential VP+ talent already within your workforce—up to four years before promotion. Using proprietary AI and real-time recognition data, it uncovers the leadership signals hidden in everyday work long before traditional succession planning can. It's a smarter, data-driven approach to building tomorrow's leaders. Learn more at Workhuman.com. Thanks for joining us.

Moments That Matter and Shape Employee Trust: Lessons from SHRM 2026
Host: Steve Boese
Guests: Tom Fischer, Marketing Leader
Brian Elfrink, Product Leader
Troy Hupp, Product Leader for Employee Verifications
Erin Derby, Sr. Director, Partners and Alliances

Summary
In this special episode of the HR Happy Hour recorded live at SHRM 2026, Steve Boese brings together insights from four conversations with leaders from Experian Employer Services to explore how compliance, HR technology, and connected systems influence the moments employees remember most. From onboarding and employment verification to workforce compliance and HR technology ecosystems, this episode examines how organizations can reduce friction, build trust, and create better employee experiences during life's biggest moments.
Whether an employee is starting a new job, buying a home, relocating, or navigating changing regulations, the systems supporting those experiences matter more than ever.

Topics include:
Why compliance has become an essential part of the employee experience
How employment verification impacts major life events like home purchases and government benefits
The growing importance of connected HR technology ecosystems
Why automation should enhance—not replace—human service
How organizations can balance innovation, compliance, and employee trust
Practical advice for evaluating HR technology partners
Why the "back office" increasingly defines the employee experience


Thank you for joining the show today! Remember to subscribe wherever you get your podcasts!

The HR Happy Hour Network is sponsored by Workhuman.
Nearly 9 in 10 HR leaders say they don't have a strong leadership bench. Workhuman's Future Leaders gives organizations a smarter way to build one. Future Leaders is the first talent intelligence solution to identify high-potential VP+ talent already within your workforce—up to four years before promotion. Using proprietary AI and real-time recognition data, it uncovers the leadership signals hidden in everyday work long before traditional succession planning can. It's a smarter, data-driven approach to building tomorrow's leaders. Learn more at Workhuman.com. Thanks for joining us.