HR Happy Hour Network

The Sacred Cow Problem: When Founders Protect the Wrong People
Host: Sabrina Baker

Summary
For people managing HR in a company of 1–500 employees, sacred cows aren't just frustrating — they're destabilizing. This episode is about what happens when leadership protects the wrong person and HR is expected to clean it up.
Sabrina breaks down why this is misdiagnosed as a performance problem when it's actually a protection problem, what visible inconsistency does to the rest of your workforce, and three concrete moves for navigating it without authority: priming the feedback before you need to deliver it, bringing patterns instead of isolated incidents, and packaging decisions rather than escalating problems.
She also covers what to do when you don't have a survey or formal project to anchor the setup conversation to — and what it looks like when a leader keeps hedging even after you've done everything right.
The honest reality: sometimes something major has to happen before a founder acts. Knowing the difference between an influence problem you can solve and a leadership problem you can't is part of the job.

Key Topics
What makes someone a sacred cow — and why it's almost never hidden
The real cost: it's not a fairness issue, it's a retention and standards issue
Three moves for navigating without authority
When nothing changes, and how to keep the conversation alive


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.
Employees recognized for milestones are three times more likely to believe their company actually cares about them. Three times. So why are companies so bad at it? The stale bagels. The branded swag. The audacity. Workhuman believes milestones deserve their moment. A space for the people who know you best — your actual work circle — to reflect on your journey, your wins, your impact. The inside jokes. The big moments. All of it. It's called Service Milestones. AI finds the right people. Automation handles the rest. And employees choose their own reward — from millions of options, curated just for them. Milestone like you mean it with Workhuman, a proud supporter of the HR Happy Hour Network. Find out more at workhuman.com. Thanks for joining us.

Agentic AI Meets HR: Paychex Introduces WISE for SMBs
Host: Steve Boese and Trish Steed
Guest: Ryan Bergstrom, Chief Product Officer at Paychex

Summary
On this episode of At Work in America, Steve Boese and Trish Steed are joined by Ryan Bergstrom to discuss the launch of Paychex Wise AI and what it means for the future of payroll, HR, and workforce technology.
The conversation explores how AI is reshaping the small business experience by reducing administrative burden, surfacing real-time workforce insights, and helping organizations move from reactive processes to proactive decision-making. Ryan shares how Paychex is approaching AI through the lens of “augmented intelligence,” helping organizations streamline payroll, compliance, workforce management, and employee support while keeping humans firmly in the loop.
The discussion highlights the growing pressure facing small and midsize businesses, from compliance complexity and workforce changes to tool sprawl and operational overload. The episode also dives into how agentic AI can help organizations identify anomalies, guide managers through next steps, and automate repetitive work without sacrificing trust, security, or oversight.

Chapters
02:10 Challenges Faced by Small and Medium Businesses
05:56 The Strategic Role of AI in HR and Payroll
08:07 Revolutionizing Payroll with AI Assistance
11:56 Real-Time Anomaly Detection and Compliance
13:20 Introducing Paychex WISE
18:23 Security, Trust, and Data Privacy in AI
25:00 Customer Feedback and Adoption of AI Tools
27:04 Training and User Onboarding
28:23 Future Outlook

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

This episode of At Work in America is sponsored by Paychex, an industry-leading human capital management (HCM) company that helps businesses of all sizes succeed with its award-winning combination of digital HR technology and advisory services. Have you met WISE? Workforce Intelligence Strengthen by Expertise or WISE isn’t just an AI feature. It’s an intelligence platform trained on 50 years of real workforce data, built into the system that already manages your business. And when the work calls for human judgment, real Paychex advisors are there for support. Where others give you tools to help with HR work, WISE is built to reduce how much HR work you have to do at all. To learn more about WISE, the AI that gets work done, head to paychex.com/ai.

The HR Happy Hour Network is sponsored by Workhuman.
Employees recognized for milestones are three times more likely to believe their company actually cares about them. Three times. So why are companies so bad at it? The stale bagels. The branded swag. The audacity. Workhuman believes milestones deserve their moment. A space for the people who know you best — your actual work circle — to reflect on your journey, your wins, your impact. The inside jokes. The big moments. All of it. It's called Service Milestones. AI finds the right people. Automation handles the rest. And employees choose their own reward — from millions of options, curated just for them. Milestone like you mean it with Workhuman, a proud supporter of the HR Happy Hour Network. Find out more at workhuman.com. Thanks for joining us.

From Data to Dialogue: Building a Listening Organization
Hosts: Mervyn Dinnen
Guest: Nick Court, CEO at the People Experience Hub

Summary
In this episode of the HR Means Business podcast, Mervyn hosts Nick Court to explore how organizations can move beyond mere data collection to become truly listening entities that understand, respond, and evolve with their employees. They shares ideas and insights on building a listening culture, leveraging technology, and empowering employees in your organization.

Chapters
00:00 The Importance of Listening in Organizations
06:03 The Role of Surveys in Listening Strategies
08:56 Creating a Culture of Listening
11:43 Always-On Feedback: A Double-Edged Sword
17:29 Ownership and Action in Listening
20:42 Building Trust in a Listening Culture
23:18 The Skills and Mindset of Effective Leaders

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.
Employees recognized for milestones are three times more likely to believe their company actually cares about them. Three times. So why are companies so bad at it? The stale bagels. The branded swag. The audacity. Workhuman believes milestones deserve their moment. A space for the people who know you best — your actual work circle — to reflect on your journey, your wins, your impact. The inside jokes. The big moments. All of it. It's called Service Milestones. AI finds the right people. Automation handles the rest. And employees choose their own reward — from millions of options, curated just for them. Milestone like you mean it with Workhuman, a proud supporter of the HR Happy Hour Network. Find out more at workhuman.com. Thanks for joining us.

AI in HR: Driving Adoption, Impact, and Real Results
Host: Steve Boese and Trish Steed
Guest: Tony Truong, VP of People Strategy at Chime

Summary
On this episode of At Work in America, Steve and Trish are joined by Tony Truong from Chime to explore putting AI into practice across people operations, and reshaping how HR teams recruit, support employees, and make decisions in real time.
From reducing recruiting cycle time to resolving the majority of employee inquiries through AI-powered self-service, this conversation moves beyond theory and into real-world application. The discussion highlights how data, automation, and thoughtful change management come together to create more responsive, efficient HR functions.
At its core, this episode looks at what it truly takes to adopt AI in a way that works—aligning technology with culture, building trust in new systems, and using AI not just to automate tasks, but to improve how people experience work every day.

Chapters
02:51 The Impact of AI on Work Processes
05:57 AI in Recruiting: Transforming Traditional Practices
08:48 Feedback and Adoption of AI Tools
11:54 Measuring Success: Metrics in AI Implementation
17:50 Enhancing Employee Service Delivery with AI
20:46 Cultural Alignment and AI Responsiveness

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

The HR Happy Hour Network is sponsored by Workhuman.
Employees recognized for milestones are three times more likely to believe their company actually cares about them. Three times. So why are companies so bad at it? The stale bagels. The branded swag. The audacity. Workhuman believes milestones deserve their moment. A space for the people who know you best — your actual work circle — to reflect on your journey, your wins, your impact. The inside jokes. The big moments. All of it. It's called Service Milestones. AI finds the right people. Automation handles the rest. And employees choose their own reward — from millions of options, curated just for them. Milestone like you mean it with Workhuman, a proud supporter of the HR Happy Hour Network. Find out more at workhuman.com. Thanks for joining us.

The Future of Work: AI and Gen Z in HR
Hosts: Jack McFarlane & Nick Schlemmer

Summary
In this episode of The Play By Play, hosts Jack McFarlane and Nick Schlemmer talk about the evolution of AI in HR. They explore how AI is transforming HR practices, from recruitment to employee development, and how Gen Z's values are shaping the future workplace. Discover the latest trends, tools, and ethical considerations in HR tech. Listen in!

Chapters
00:00 Entering the Real World
02:15 The Impact of AI on HR
08:04 Predictive AI: Identifying Employee Flight Risks
11:02 Personalized Training and Employee Development
14:30 Internal Mobility and Career Advancement
16:38 Digital Twins and Ethical Dilemmas
18:29 The Impact of AI on Entry-Level Jobs
23:17 Gen Z's Influence on HR Practices

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.
What if your wins at work didn’t have to stop there? Workhuman’s employee recognition platform is built on the world’s largest rewards marketplace – tying recognition for great work to the things people love outside it. Crush a project: snag that baking dish you’ve been eyeing. Hit a milestone: Celebrate with a weekend getaway. With over one million gadgets, gift cards, and experiences, something is redeemed for in Workhuman’s in-house store every 3 seconds. Each reward deepens connections, boosts engagement, and helps fuel a culture that knows their work matters, and has the receipts to prove it. Head over to workhuman.com to learn more. Workhuman – a proud supporter of the HR Happy Hour Network. Thanks for joining us.