behind the scenes
SUPPORTING PEOPLE WITH
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Hello sweeties!!
I promised some friends at Transform to test out some new intros although the resounding feedback was “hi haters” was perfect….
We’re gonna keep playing with it!
I’m currently under the weather so I’m gonna keep this short and sweet today.
📺 This week we have HR Therapy and I hope to see you there! I’m buzzing from Transform and def have some thoughts to share with my crew this week.
☕ And next week we’re doing a virtual Transform debrief. Even if you didn’t go this is a good chance to hear what went down from folks!
Now, let’s get into my Transform highlights!!
RECAP
The Transform highlights:Copy anchor linkCopied
Reporting live from Transform!!!!
JK, writing this from my bed because Transform utterly knocked me out. Currently I have no voice!!! Chugging lemon ginger honey tea and praying my voice comes back soon for the week I have planned.
Transform was a whirlwind of meetups, dinners, coffee dates, happy hours and panels. My friend calls it HR summer camp and it certainly felt like that.
Today’s edition will break down the themes we were hearing and dive into some panels I spoke on & attended.
This will not come as a shock to you at all but the biggest theme was AI. What we’re doing with it, how it's revolutionizing our processes and even what gaps it can create.
The underlying theme was clear: the equation is humans + AI not just one over the other.
BUT my biggest takeaway wasn’t actually AI related… it was that now, more than ever, we need our community.
Having HR leaders in your corner who understand what you’re going through and help support you through this massive time of change will be a game changer.
❤️ Seeing the Safe Space community show up and share how impactful it has been to have each other filled my heart with so so so much joy. As we say, you can always sit with us.
Now, onto some other themes that weren’t AI related…
On being a thought leader:Copy anchor linkCopied
The brilliant Kim Minnick and I took the stage to talk about our journeys of being thought leaders, what we’re learned from posting on the internet and how to get started.
3 takeaways:
To get over the cringe: No one cares as much as you do about what you’re posting! Most people will forget your post so spend less time worrying about the cringe and more time caring about what YOU think of your work.
To stay motivated: Content isn’t a sprint and you have to pace yourself or you will burn out. Look at building systems that work for you. I keep a note of content inspo and ideas that I use when i’m not feeling motivated.
What you can gain from posting: friends, confidence, opportunities honestly the upside is endless.
➡️ To get started here are some words of encouragement directly from Kim:
Strip down the advice you already give freely to your friends, employees, and colleagues. Find the golden nugget or wisdom at its core, reframe it for a wider audience, then just click post!
📷 Photo cred: Rachel Ackerman
On DEI:Copy anchor linkCopied
I attended an incredible session featuring Jen Laurie, Alex Seiler, Brian Little, and Erin Dangerfield called The Silent Fallout of DEI Rollbacks.
I was pleased to see this topic on the agenda because we’ve all witnessed the backlash against DEI. It’s been frustrating to say the least but to hear four incredible people share what they’re observing and how the work is STILL continuing left me with a lot of hope.
Some nuggets:
- As our administration changes, our identities do not.
- The work still continues and many teams have found ways to keep DEI alive.
- There is a real effect on people doing this work, some DEI leaders are burned out and uncertain and that can make it hard for them to execute work at a high level.
- Some leaders are worried about the general safety of their families and that is very real and have to recognize the position they are in.
- We must create space and encourage leaders to set space aside for important conversations, reminding them it's okay to not have the perfect answers or words but creating space is the first step.
- You can’t control the external force but you can control what’s happening inside your org.
- Look at your interview processes, career planning and make sure things are fair.
On the wellbeing <> performance connection: Copy anchor linkCopied
Another panel I was THRILLED to see was Polly Barnes and Lívia de Bastos Martini on Mastering the Art of High-Performance Wellbeing.
You mean to say we’re finally talking about the wellbeing and performance connection?? YESSS because we all know that it exists.
I was so curious to hear Livia talk about her work at Wellhub and how they built and embrace a wellbeing culture. Her background was also fascinating to me because she had an unconventional path into HR!
Some nuggets:
- The answers in HR aren’t always obvious because there’s a huge array of answers depending on your structure and business challenges.
- Wellhub did the research: 89% of employees think prioritizing their wellness improves performance
- One of the coolest things about HR is you can build cultures through rituals and feelings.
- Wellbeing and performance can feel at odds, but their experience shows the opposite: without healthy wellbeing, you can't achieve sustained high performance.
- Start with an honest convo with leadership on what they are trying to achieve with wellness initiatives and link it to the business objectives.
Polly ended the session by asking Livia about 1 thing she would do differently if she started this job again.
➡️ Her answer: success can come at the expense of yourself, you have to figure out what is the right balance for you.
Find your people:Copy anchor linkCopied
Transform gave me a chance to hop on some panels, connect with others and we had one big FIRST this year…
A Safe Space booth!
Because no one should feel lonely in HR.
You need your crew and it was evident IRL that community > all.
(HUMAN) RESOURCES
- Project Hail Mary is a hit! The book was fab highly recommend!
- Apple rethinks AI strategy and pivots
- Gas prices are impacting spring break travel
- Nobody trained you on ethical AI hiring and it shows. eSkill is here to help!*
- TSA will be paid this week
*This one is brought to you by one of my amazing brand partners
WORK-LIFE BALANCE
- 📚 What I’m reading: The Listeners by Maggie Stiefvater. I was on my college campus this past weekend and wandered into a bookstore and scoped this book up. I open up to the first page and I see that the story starts with a letter address to someone on my college campus. Yupppp. At that point I thought me and this book were meant to be!! I was drawn in by what the book is about and I’m staying for how it started.
- 📺 What I’m watching: Something Very Bad is Going to Happen. I randomly started this horror/thriller show on Netflix and truly I have no idea what’s going on other than I'm scared. Yuppp, so let me get past episode 1 and I will report back.
- 📱 What I’m hitting up the group text with: home remedies for being sick. My go to is lemon ginger honey tea but i’m willing to take any other suggestions to get over this cold!!
SONG OF THE WEEK
🎧 New Perspective, Panic at the DiscoCopy anchor linkCopied
If you watched Jennifer’s Body you may recognize this song or you just love Panic at the Disco as much as me???
Either way this song is a BOP.
“I wanna live a life from a new perspective”
If only more folks embraced this idea…
I hope you enjoyed this, please let me know what you think and what other topics you'd love for me to cover. I'm allll ears.
Reminder: Take care of yourself and know that I support you.
