HR Happy Hour Network

The HR Happy Hour Network Welcomes "Take a Different Seat"

Hosts: Steve Boese & Trish Steed

Guest: Chris Havrilla, Podcast Host & Founder of AI Alchemists™

Summary

The HR Happy Hour Media Network is welcoming a new show to the network: Take a Different Seat, hosted by longtime technology strategist, analyst, advisor, and product leader Chris Havrilla.

In this introductory conversation, Steve and Trish sit down with Chris to talk about the idea behind the new series, the experiences she brings to it, and why perspective matters more than ever as...

From Low-Wage Work to Career Opportunity: Building Better Talent Pathways

Host: Steve Boese

Guest: Connor Diamond-Yauman, Co-CEO of Merit America

Summary

In this episode of At Work in America, Steve is joined by Connor Diemand-Yauman, for a conversation about economic mobility, workforce development, and creating stronger pathways from low-wage work into sustainable careers.

Connor shares the story behind Merit America and the realization that helped inspire its work: access to education alone does not necessarily create opportunity. The conversation explores their work with adults in low-wage jobs and...

The Crossroads of HR: AI, Judgement, and the Future of the Profession

Hosts: Mervyn Dinnen

Guest: David D'Souza, Writer, keynote speaker, and advisor

Summary

In this episode of HR Means Business, Mervyn is joined by David D’Souza, former Director of Profession at the CIPD, for a wide-ranging conversation about the future of HR and the capabilities professionals will need to navigate what comes next.

David reflects on how the profession has evolved and why HR’s value cannot be defined by HR alone. Rather than beginning with pro...

Compliance Is Cool: Using AI to Make Employment Law Easier

Hosts: Steve Boese and Trish Steed

Guest: Kimball Dean Parker, CEO at SixFifty

Summary

In this episode of At Work in America, Steve and Trish welcome Kimball Dean Parker, CEO of SixFifty, for a conversation about how technology and AI are changing the way organizations manage employment law and compliance.

Kimball shares the story behind SixFifty and why employment law became such an important problem to solve. With regulations varying across states, cities, and counties — and changing constant...

The Q4 Scramble: Setting Boundaries Before Budgeting & Open Enrollment Begin

Host: Sabrina Baker

Summary

September is the Sunday evening of the business calendar—summer vacations end, executive energy surges, and suddenly every department wants everything finished before December 31st. For small business HR leaders (1–500 employees) operating without a bench of specialists, handling Open Enrollment, 2027 budgeting, and performance reviews all at once can lead straight to severe Q4 burnout.

In this episode of HR Connection, Sabrina breaks down how to move away from telling leadership "we're too busy"—a phrase executive...

Is the Culture You Have the Culture You Think You Have? How to Read the Culture Signals

Hosts: Steve Boese and Trish Steed

Guest: Meisha-ann Martin, Ph.D., VP of People Research at Workhuman

Summary

In this episode of the HR Happy Hour Show, Steve and Trish are joined by Meisha-ann Martin, VP of People Research at Workhuman, for a conversation about moving beyond stated values and getting a clearer picture of how culture actually shows up across an organization.

The conversation explores one of the biggest sources...

Ghosting the Ghost Jobs: Navigating Today’s Hiring Nightmare

Hosts: Jack McFarlane and Nicholas Schlemmer

Summary

In this episode of The Play by Play, Jack and Nick dig into the increasingly complicated world of modern job hunting, beginning with the rise of ghost jobs - job postings that remain online even when an organization may not actually be hiring for the position.

Jack shares his own experiences navigating job postings and discusses why organizations may keep positions listed, while Nick offers a different perspective from the golf industry, where professio...

What Signals is Your Culture Sending Out into the World?

Hosts: Steve Boese and Trish Steed

Guest: Saima Rashid, Chief Marketing Officer at Workhuman

Summary

It’s easy to point to a careers page, recruiting campaign, company values, or social media presence. But ultimately, an employer brand is shaped by something much harder to manufacture: what employees actually experience inside the organization.

In this episode of the HR Happy Hour, Steve Boese and Trish Steed welcome Saima Rashid, Chief Marketing Officer at Workhuman, for a conversation about the evolvi...

Reclaiming the Plot: HR’s Role in the AI Transformation

Hosts: Mervyn Dinnen

Guest: Dr. Kelly Monahan, Future of Work and AI Advisor

Summary

In this episode of HR Means Business, Mervyn welcomes Dr. Kelly Monahan, future of work and AI advisor and author of Reclaim the Plot, for a conversation about what it means to redesign organizations for a world where humans and AI increasingly work together.

Kelly argues that many organizations are approaching AI transformation too narrowly - focusing on efficiency and automation without thinking deeply...

Rebuilding Pathways to Work: Removing Barriers for Overlooked Talent

Hosts: Steve Boese and Trish Steed

Guest: Dr. Lee Bowes, CEO of America Works

Summary

In this episode of At Work in America, Steve and Trish speak with Dr. Lee Bowes, CEO of America Works, about what it takes to reconnect people with meaningful employment - and why employers may be overlooking individuals who have the ability and desire to contribute.

Dr. Bowes shares lessons from decades of helping people navigate challenges including disabilities, employment gaps, limited transportation, justi...

How Work Gets Done Now, and the Signals for How to Measure It

Hosts: Steve Boese and Trish Steed

Guest: KeyAnna Schmeidl, Chief Human Experience Officer at Workhuman

Summary

Work has outgrown the org chart. Today, work moves across teams, projects, functions, technologies, and informal networks that traditional workforce metrics were never designed to capture. Headcount, turnover, productivity, and performance data still matter - but they rarely tell the full story of how work gets done or who is making it possible.

In this episode of the HR Happy...

The Accidental Manager Trap (And How to Fix It)

Host: Sabrina Baker

Summary

What happens when your top individual contributor gets promoted to manager but receives zero training on how to actually manage people?

In small and mid-sized businesses (1 to 500 employees), "accidental managers" are created every day. While these star performers have great intentions, placing them in management without guardrails creates massive legal, financial, and operational risks, from wage-and-hour violations to undocumented performance issues and mishandled medical disclosures.

In this episode of The HR Connection, host Sabrina Bak...

Workplace Movie Hall of Fame - America's Sweethearts 2026

Hosts: Steve Boese and Trish Steed

Summary

In this episode of At Work in America, Steve and Trish return to Netflix’s America’s Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders to unpack the workplace lessons found throughout Season 3.

Following significant changes to DCC compensation, the conversation moves beyond whether these highly visible performers are being paid fairly and into deeper questions about the employee experience. Steve and Trish explore the tension between longtime leaders and a largely Gen Z workforce, the importance of meaningful...

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 d...

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 traditio...

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 ma...

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...

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 verific...

How Leaders Can Build AI-Native Organizations

Host: Steve Boese

Guests: Brian Solis, Head of Global Innovation - Dave Wright, Chief Innovation Officer, ServiceNow

Summary

On this episode of System of Record, Steve Boese is joined by Dave Wright and Brian Solis, co-authors of Infinite: How Leaders Transform Businesses with AI, for a conversation about what it really takes to become an AI-native organization. Rather than focusing on AI tools alone, they explore why successful transformation requires organizations to rethink leadership, redesign workflows, and build cultures that can continuously adapt.

T...

Leadership Development, No Budget Required

Host: Sabrina Baker

Summary

Small businesses run on homegrown leaders, high performers promoted into management with zero support for the completely different skill set that role actually requires. Sabrina argues that leadership development is already happening in every organization, whether intentional or not, because new leaders learn by watching everyone above them. If those role models are bad, the org just keeps reproducing the same gaps.

With no budget for formal programs, she walks through ways to build leadership development into work that's already ha...

AI and the Next Evolution of Performance Management

Host: Steve Boese

Guest: Bryan Hancock, Partner at McKinsey & Company

Summary

On this episode of At Work in America, Steve Boese sits down with Bryan Hancock, Partner at McKinsey & Company, to explore how artificial intelligence is reshaping the future of human resources.

Rather than viewing AI as a replacement for people, Bryan explains how organizations can use it to strengthen the human side of work - from improving performance management and coaching to creating more meaningful employee experiences. The conve...

How AI and Assumptions are Shaping Hiring in 2026

Hosts: Mervyn Dinnen

Guest: Ken Ward, Talent Acquisition Leader

Summary

On this episode of HR Means Business, Mervyn is joined by talent acquisition leader Ken Ward to explore what today's hiring market looks like from the perspective of an experienced executive candidate.

Drawing on more than 30 years in talent acquisition, Ken shares what he's learned while navigating his own career transition, including how AI is changing recruitment, why judgment still matters more than technology, and how senior professionals can reth...

Rebuilding Workplace Connection in the Age of AI and Hybrid Work

Host: Steve Boese and Trish Steed

Guest: David Goldstein, Founder of TeamBonding

Summary

On this episode of At Work in America, Steve Boese is joined by David Goldstein, Founder of TeamBonding and author of Beyond Trust Falls: The Definitive Guide to Building Teams That Click, to explore how team building has evolved beyond traditional activities into meaningful experiences that strengthen workplace culture.

David shares how intentional team experiences can create psychological safety, uncover hidden talents, and help em...

Why Gen Z is Rethinking Careers: The Rise of Skilled Trades

Hosts: Jack McFarlane and Nicholas Schlemmer

Guest: Jake Adams, Journeyman Carpenter

Summary

In this episode of The Play by Play Podcast, Jack McFarlane and Nick Schlemmer revisit the world of blue-collar work with returning guest Jake Adams, a journeyman carpenter who first joined the show at the beginning of his career journey. The conversation explores why Gen Z is rethinking traditional career paths, the growing interest in skilled trades, and how technology and AI are impacting hands-on work. Jake...

Leadership in the AI Era: How Great Managers Create Clarity Through Change

Host: Steve Boese and Trish Steed

Guest: Ben Brooks, Founder & CEO at PILOT

Summary

On this episode of At Work in America, Steve Boese and Trish Steed welcome leadership expert and Pilot founder Ben Brooks for a timely conversation on leading through uncertainty. As AI, economic shifts, and rapid workplace change continue to reshape organizations, they explore why clarity, decisive leadership, and strong workplace culture have become competitive advantages. The discussion also covers psychological safety, meaningful feedback, and pra...

Building a Culture of Innovation: What Leaders Get Wrong

Hosts: Mervyn Dinnen

Guest: Cris Beswick - Leadership, culture, and innovation expert

Summary

On this episode of HR Means Business, Mervyn is joined by leadership, culture, and innovation expert Chris Beswick to challenge one of business's most misunderstood concepts: innovation. Together, they explore why innovation shouldn't be treated as a department, initiative, or brainstorming exercise, but as the outcome of a culture intentionally designed to encourage curiosity, collaboration, and calculated risk.

Chris explains why so many innovation programs fail—...

HR Keeps Inheriting Everyone Else’s Problems

Host: Sabrina Baker

Summary

If no one owns it, HR gets it. That's not a bandwidth problem, it's an ownership boundary problem. And they require completely different solutions.

In this episode, Sabrina Baker breaks down why unowned work keeps landing on HR's plate and how HR's own greatest strength — operating in ambiguity — works against them. The more capable and willing you are to step in, the more the organization learns to route things your direction. Involvement and ownership are not the same thing. On...

Why AI Transformation Requires a New People Strategy

Host: Steve Boese 

Guest: Ravin Jesuthasan, Global Transformation Leader & Partner at Mercer

Summary

On this episode of At Work in America, Steve Boese is joined by Ravin Jesuthasan to discuss why successful AI transformation requires more than simply deploying new technology. Drawing from Mercer’s Global Talent Trends 2026 research, Ravin explains how leading organizations are redesigning work, evolving HR’s role, and focusing on skills to unlock the full value of AI. The conversation also explores employee wellbeing, workforce readiness, and the choices...

The Executive Athlete Mindset: Why Recovery Drives Better Performance

Host: Steve Boese and Trish Steed

Guest: Nicole Elizabeth Ward, AON Executive Leader & Performance Strategist

Summary

On this episode of At Work in America, Steve Boese and Trish Steed are joined by author, executive leader, and performance strategist Nicole Elizabeth Ward to explore why sustainable performance requires more than hard work and long hours.

Drawing from her book Biohacking for the Sales Athlete, Nicole shares the personal wake-up call that transformed her approach to health, leadership, and success. The con...

The World Cup of Business

Hosts: Jack McFarlane & Nick Schlemmer

Summary

Join this episode of The Play By Play, where hosts Jack McFarlane and Nick Schlemmer walk through an engaging and humorous simulation of the World Cup of Business, where major tech companies compete in a virtual tournament filled with strategic moves, AI-powered tactics, and industry insights. Discover how innovation, branding, and technology determine the ultimate champion in this lively, unpredictable event. Listen in!

Chapters

00:00  World Cup Excitement and Overview

03:05  Game Simulation Begins

12...

Workplace Movie Hall of Fame - Devil Wears Prada 2

Host: Steve Boese and Trish Steed

Summary

On this episode of At Work in America, Steve Boese and Trish Steed are back with another workplace movie hall of fame episode! They explore the themes of the new 'Devil Wears Prada 2' movie, its reflection on the modern workplace, AI's impact, and gender dynamics in leadership. This is a thought-provoking analysis of how characters evolve and what it reveals about work culture today. Listen in!

Chapters

00:00 Home Again...

Making AI Matter: Leadership, Culture, and the Future of Hiring

Hosts: Mervyn Dinnen

Guest: Matt Alder, Talent Acquisition Strategist

Summary

In this episode of the HR Means Business podcast, Mervyn hosts Matt Alder to discuss the current state and future of AI in HR. The conversation focuses on recruitment, candidate experience, and organizational readiness. Listen in to discover practical insights, real-world examples, and strategic advice for leveraging AI effectively in HR practices.

Chapters

02:14 Current State of AI Adoption in Talent Acquisition

07:57 Balanci...

Revolutionizing Women's Health in the Workplace

Host: Steve Boese and Trish Steed

Guest: Susan Thomas, Chief Commercial Officer at Lucy Rx

Summary

On this episode of At Work in America, Steve Boese and Trish Steed are joined by Susan Thomas, Chief Commercial Officer at Lucy Rx, to explore why women’s health is becoming a critical workforce and business conversation.

The discussion covers perimenopause, menopause, cardiovascular health, workplace support, and the hidden impact these challenges can have on productivity, leadership, and employee wellbeing. Susan shares how Lucy Rx is hel...

Global Hiring in 2026 : New Roles, New Technology, and New Challenges

Host: Steve Boese and Trish Steed

Guest: Lauren Thomas, Labor Economist at Deel

Summary

On this episode of the HR Happy Hour, Steve Boese and Trish Steed are joined by Lauren Thomas to discuss into the evolving landscape of global labor markets. They explore the role of technology and the emerging opportunities in AI-related roles. Lauren shares insights from Deel's recent State of Global Hiring Report, revealing how companies are prioritizing talent over cost and the growing significance of...

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...

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...

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...

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 re...

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<...

Inside the Pay Gap: What’s Changing for Women at Work

Host: Steve Boese

Guest: Noreen Farrell, Executive Director at Equal Rights Advocates

Summary

On this episode of At Work in America, Steve is joined by Noreen Farrell from Equal Rights Advocates to break down what’s really happening with pay equity, transparency, and workplace fairness right now.

As policy enforcement shifts and cultural expectations evolve, they explore why progress on gender and racial equity is becoming more uneven—and in some cases, reversing. From the widening pay gap to the...