Is it time to scale your HR team? Deciding when and how to scale the HR department can be a delicate task. Who do you hire? What role should your second HR person play? How do you scale in a small or large company? If these questions are on your mind, then this episode is for you. BambooHR’s Head of HR, Anita Grantham, and HR Business Partner, Vanessa Brulotte, sit down to explore the best practices for making your next HR hire. They explain why you should always start with a solid strategy...

When CEOs team up with their HR leaders, it can only mean good things for the wider business. It means a more strategic recruitment drive, better performance management, and more alignment on company goals. In this episode of HR Unplugged, Vanessa Brulotte and Anita Grantham sat down with Sam Devyver, the CEO of EasyLlama, live from Vegas at the Transform 2024 event to talk about how to make that all-important relationship happen. Sam shares his take as a CEO who works closely with HR...

Firings and layoffs are never an enjoyable part of HR or leadership. But it’s important that there’s a robust process in place to manage the transition and it’s handled with compassion. In this episode of HR Unplugged, our Head of HR, Anita Grantham and HR Business Partner, Vanessa Brulotte, discuss how to manage firings and layoffs in the right way. We discuss the best practices, do’s and don’ts, and how to build a process that protects the company and provides the best chance of the...

How do you compensate team members fairly so that they’re happy and don’t start looking elsewhere? In this episode of HR Unplugged, we welcomed back Alex Bertin, BambooHR’s Head of Total Rewards, to talk more about compensation and benefits strategies. Alex sits down with our Head of HR, Anita Grantham, to discuss when leaders should talk to employees about compensation, how to build efficient pay processes, pay transparency, and more. Alex and Anita also tackle the debate on whether on-site...

Recruitment is always a tricky part of HR, but there are ways to be more strategic in your approach to ensure a high quality of hire.  In this episode, we welcomed Casey Bailey, Head of People at Deel, to talk about recruitment and interviewing strategies. Casey and Anita Grantham break down their favorite interview questions to ask, how to decide which questions to prioritize, and how to approach different types of interviews.  Casey explains how you don’t always need a formal applicant...

A growing mental health crisis, particularly since 2020, has put HR professionals on the front line in many organizations. This, coupled with the difficulties of the job, such as dealing with redundancies, legal issues, employee emotional wellbeing, and even employee death, means that HR needs support more than ever.   Joining the podcast is Julie Turney, Founder and CEO of HR@Heart Consulting, who shares lots of brilliant ideas for people in HR to get the support they need to do their jobs...

Without a good performance review process, managers risk leaving employees unhappy, unproductive, and unaligned on goals that affect personal progress and the business.   So how do you fix a broken performance review process?  In this episode of HR Unplugged, we welcomed special guest Adam Weber, Chief Evangelist at 15Five, to share his perspective and advice for leaders. Adam is the host of the HR Superstars podcast and leads the HR Superstars community alongside his main role. His book...

Are you ready to put data front and center of your HR strategy? Data is a crucial tool to help you make decisions that will improve employee engagement, relations, retention, and more. Without it, HR teams are left guessing, without a clear direction to follow. But how do you begin to use data effectively?  In this episode of HR Unplugged, Anita and Vanessa sit down with Will Clive, Chief People Officer at Pluralsight, to swap ideas, advice, and insights on using data within HR. They explore...

Did you know 70% of new hires decide if their role is a good fit within just one month? This means leaders don’t have long to make a good impression on new employees.  So how can businesses ensure a good experience for new hires and prevent repeated staff turnover?  On this episode of HR Unplugged, our Head of HR, Anita Grantham, and HR Business Partner, Vanessa Brulotte explore why onboarding isn’t a one-size-fits-all experience – it should be tailored for the needs of the business and the...

A clear, thought-out paid time off (PTO) system brings a plethora of benefits to your organization, including improved job satisfaction, staff retention and recruitment help. Plus, it can encourage employees to be more loyal, motivated and productive. So how can business leaders build a PTO strategy that truly benefits their team? On this episode of HR Unplugged, our Head of HR and HR Business Partner, Anita Grantham and Vanessa Brulotte, explore how leaders can instill a culture that...

If you don’t have a compensation philosophy tied to your mission, vision and values, it’s time to start building one. Carefully considering compensation allows you to gauge how transparent you will be with your employees as well as attract and retain top talent.  But what are the first steps towards building a philosophy that works for you?  Alex Bertin, Head of Total Rewards, is back on HR Unplugged to walk us through brand-new BambooHR data on compensation. He shares what lessons businesses...

Many companies want to improve their efforts when it comes to diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI). But progress doesn’t happen overnight. So what first steps can leaders take to ensure it becomes and remains a top priority?  Hiring isn’t easy, period…and adding DEI into the mix can often make it harder, especially when recruiting in industries that typically aren’t diverse. That’s why your DEI strategy needs to be long-term, so you can identify and nurture the people you want to...

Every company wants the best talent out there, so it can be challenging to stay ahead of the competition. What worked for your recruitment process in the past may no longer be the best option, as recruitment and onboarding expectations change.  A great way to stay ahead of the recruitment game is to embrace network hiring. Network hiring means tapping into your network and connections to find talent. Part of that is building a great referral process to encourage current employees to refer...

Company culture sits at the heart of every organization, whether it’s been carefully defined or otherwise. But how can managers ensure they’re building a culture of collaboration, compassion and strong communication?  To foster a positive company culture, you must connect it to your mission, vision and values, establish clear goals and respond positively to employee feedback. Get the culture right and passionate employees, satisfied customers and improved business performance will follow.  On...

As HR leaders, we’re in the business of people – and if your people aren’t happy, it can cause major roadblocks for a business, drive top talent away, and affect company culture.  We invited Jennifer Decker, Director of HR and Senior Client Services Manager at Donaldson Capital Management, to join HR Unplugged and share her insights into what HR can do to boost employee happiness, wellbeing, and engagement.  Jennifer and BambooHR’s Anita Grantham and Vanessa Brulotte explore the actions HR...

With employee retention remaining one of the biggest challenges for companies, it’s more important than ever that you build a great benefits package that keeps top talent on board. Building a comprehensive benefits package for employees can go a long way in helping them feel supported and valued – and it can do wonders for employee retention.  To build a total rewards package, you need to think beyond base pay. In fact, in a competitive talent market, competing on compensation alone is no...

Competition for talent is at an all time high, and this trend extends to the HR industry as well. To optimize recruitment efforts, processes need to be rigorous. So what are the most effective best practices for identifying ideal candidates?   On this episode of HR Unplugged, Anita Grantham, Head of HR, and Vanessa Brulotte, Human Resources Business Partner, are joined by Mason Calaiaro, Leadership Talent Acquisition Manager at Greenhouse Software.  Mason shares expert tips on choosing the...

It doesn’t matter what industry you’re in, leaders are absolutely crucial to the future of your business.   $366 million is spent globally on leadership development per year and around half of that is in the US alone. There’s also proof that this figure will grow, so what should businesses and HR teams be thinking about when it comes to fostering the next generation of leaders?  In this HR Unplugged episode, BambooHR’s Human Resources Business Partner, Vanessa Brulotte, joins Head of HR,...

The use of AI tools is growing in just about every industry right now, and HR is no exception. In fact, many HR leaders are using it as part of their day-to-day processes and are seeing great results.   However, AI is not a replacement for HR professionals, and it’s important to be aware of the shortcomings as well as the benefits. To get a well-rounded picture of the state of AI in HR, we welcomed the Head of AI at BambooHR, Alan Whitaker, to the podcast.  Alan explores the pros and cons of...

Many companies have a small HR department, maybe even a couple of people, to handle HR for the entire business. It can be tricky to manage as a small team, but we’ve put together some best practices to help.   In this HR Unplugged episode, we welcomed Lisa Lindsey, Founder, Consultant & Coach of Peale Piper, to share her tips and tricks for small HR teams.   Key Moments:  What a small HR team looks like  When to hire another HR professional Why you should think about company goals  How to...

Brought on by an uncertain economic environment and augmented by the pandemic, ‘quiet hiring’ has become a phenomenon that is starting to reshape the workplace. But what is it and what does it mean for HR leaders?   In this episode of HR Unplugged, Head of HR Anita Grantham and HR Business Partner Vanessa Brulotte welcome Senior Manager & HR Business Partner Kelsey Tarp to the show to talk more about this.   They walk us through the three different kinds of quiet hiring, lay out the pros...

Employee turnover and how to reduce it is often one of the biggest challenges we face in HR. However, it’s a fact of life that employees will leave one day, and it’s something that HR leaders need to deal with in the right way.  Whether employees are leaving by choice or through layoffs, it’s important to make the leaving process as positive an experience as possible. Not only will this help with the transition, but it’ll also help protect existing employees and the leavers themselves, who...

When the time comes for you to move on from a company, you set the tone for how you want to leave things. Being a good leaver means walking away on good terms and making the process a positive experience both for you and the company you’re moving on from.  To discuss this in more detail, we invited Jennifer Pomerantz, Director of People Operations at Zuva, to join BambooHR’s Anita Grantham and Vanessa Brulotte on the podcast.   We discuss the things to consider before leaving a role, how to...

Everyone wants to be recognized for doing good work – and yet many leaders don’t make employee recognition a priority.   As a result, employees can feel undervalued and unrecognized for their hard work, and may even start looking for jobs elsewhere. In this episode of HR Unplugged, we welcomed special guest Trevor Larson, CEO of Nectar, to talk about how employee recognition can go a long way in making people feel valued at work.  Trevor joins Anita Grantham, Head of HR, and Vanessa Brulotte,...