In episode 158, Coffey talks with Ashley Smalley about recent HR trends and news items related to employee engagement and workplace culture.  They discuss Gallup's global survey on gender differences in employee engagement; the importance of leadership communication and employee feedback; the concept of "personality hires" and its potential drawbacks; productivity anxiety among employees; and the dangers of making broad generalizations about demographic groups in the workplace. Links to stuff they talked about are on our website at https://goodmorninghr.com/EP158 and include the following topics: Women's Engagement Advantage Disappears in Leadership Roles 42% of Employee Turnover Is Preventable but Often IgnoredWhat's a personality hire? Here's the value they bring to the workplace Have we entered an era of ‘toxic productivity’? Good Morning, HR is brought to you by Imperative—Bulletproof Background Checks. For more information about our commitment to quality and excellent customer service, visit us at https://imperativeinfo.com. If you are an HRCI or SHRM-certified professional, this episode of Good Morning, HR has been pre-approved for half a recertification credit. To obtain the recertification information for this episode, visit https://goodmorninghr.com. About our Guest: Ashley Smalley is the Founder of Smalley Consulting, a certified human resources professional, a trusted consultant, and an adept facilitator in the workplace culture sphere. Her passion is for people to enjoy their work because they enjoy the people with whom they work, and she accomplishes this with her talent for tailored leadership and people development strategies. Her eclectic work experience from retail, local government, oil and gas, and the local church has given her a unique perspective on people in the workplace, regardless of industry. She uses that perspective to bring practical teaching that can be utilized immediately. Ashley Smalley can be reached at Smalley Consulting Website Follow Ashley on LinkedIn  Follow Ashley on Facebook Follow Ashley on Instagram Follow Ashley on Youtube About Mike Coffey: Mike Coffey is an entrepreneur, human resources professional, licensed private investigator, and HR consultant. In 1999, he founded Imperative, a background investigations firm helping risk-averse companies make well-informed decisions about the people they involve in their business. Today, Imperative serves hundreds of businesses across the US and, through its PFC Caregiver & Household Screening brand, many more private estates, family offices, and personal service agencies. Mike has been recognized as an Entrepreneur of Excellence and has twice been named HR Professional of the Year. Additionally, Imperative has been named the Texas Association of Business’ small business of the year and is accredited by the Professional Background Screening Association. Mike is a member of the Fort Worth chapter of the Entrepreneurs’ Organization and volunteers with the SHRM Texas State Council. Mike maintains his certification as a Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR) through the HR Certification Institute. He is also a SHRM Senior Certified Professional (SHRM-SCP). Mike lives in Fort Worth with his very patient wife. He practices yoga and maintains a keto diet, about both of which he will gladly tell you way more than you want to know. Learning Objectives: 1. Develop effective communication strategies and feedback mechanisms to increase employee engagement and reduce turnover. 2. Evaluate hiring practices to balance personality fit with necessary skills and consider the impact on existing team dynamics. 3. Implement individualized approaches to employee management, avoiding generalizations based on demographics and focusing on understanding each employee's unique needs and motivations.