So I just learned about PEOs (Professional Employer Organizations) and these are so well established in the USA but news to me!
Paul Aemisegeo from Payroll Mart gave me the straight talk on what PEOs actually do versus what they promise to do. If you're a smaller organization dealing with expensive health insurance, multi-state compliance headaches, or just trying to offer competitive benefits without the enterprise budget, this one's for you.
The key insight? PEOs can solve your benefits and compliance backend, but don't expect them to handle your day-to-day HR tasks. That performance conversation? Still yours. That tricky leave situation? Also, still yours.
We dive into who should consider a PEO (spoiler: if you're in New York with under 100 employees, definitely listen), how to evaluate them, and why so many companies end up switching PEOs multiple times.
Plus Paul shares the real considerations if you're thinking about leaving a PEO - because apparently that's a whole thing too.
Perfect listen if you're evaluating HR vendors or wondering if there's a better way to handle benefits and compliance.
Find Paul on Linkedin at https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulaemisegeo/ or at Payroll Marthttps://payrollmart.com/As usual you can find me on Linkedin or through my website https://thehrhub.ca/
Most retention strategies are just expensive band-aids.
This week I spoke with Dr. Roger Gerard, who spent 23 years as Chief Learning Officer in healthcare and has a refreshingly simple perspective on how to keep people around.
Roger breaks it down to five promises that leaders need to make - and more importantly, keep. Those promises have to do with listening with respect, helping people grow, helping them be successful, competitive compensation, and having their back when things go wrong.
But we also talked about the tension within the promises. For example, we're not going have someone's back when they've done something deeply unethical.
We also dig into why so many organizations have created a loyalty problem. Employers expect it from employees but don't appear to it back.
If you're dealing with retention issues and tired of surface-level solutions, this conversation will give you some ideas.
Find Roger at rogergerard.com and check out his book "Lead with Purpose." Find me at thehrhub.ca
How does HR impact a company's sale price? Lindsay Osmond, former VP of HR and current business optimization expert, discusses the role HR plays in making companies 'sellable'.
From employment contract liabilities to cultural red flags that derail deals, Lindsay explains what buyers really look at when they are making a decision. The information she shares can help position you as a strategic business partner in the process.
Key takeaways include the specific metrics buyers care about, why people are your only true competitive advantage, and how to navigate the complex post-merger integration process.
Find Lindsay at https://www.linkedin.com/in/lindsay-osmond-ba-bmgmt-cphr-a399064/Find Andrea at https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrea-adams1/ or https://thehrhub.ca/
You've invested in coaching training for your managers. You've rolled out the initiative company-wide. So why does it still feel like you're pushing a boulder uphill?
HR consultant Debbie Pearmain has spent 25 years watching organizations struggle with this exact problem. In this episode, she reveals the uncomfortable truth: most coaching cultures fail because companies are only training half the relationship.
Debbie shares research showing that 82% of employees feel stuck "below the line of accountability" and explains how coaching becomes the vehicle for moving people above that line. But here's the kicker - it only works when both managers AND employees understand their role in the coaching partnership.
What you'll learn:• Why the accountability crisis is costing your organization more than you think• The performance equation that determines when to coach vs. when to train vs. when to mentor• How to build the trust and psychological safety that makes coaching actually stick• The strategic implementation approach that gets buy-in from everyone• Why your high performers might be getting the wrong type of support
If you've ever wondered why some managers excel at coaching while others struggle, this conversation will give you perspective
Guest: Debbie Pearmain - HR Consultant with 25+ years experience in leadership development and employee engagement. Find her at onestophr.ca
Host: Andrea Adams - Follow the HR Hub on LinkedIn and subscribe for more episodes that tackle the real challenges facing HR professionals today.
Is your organization ready for the impact of AI? In this both reassuring and alarming episode I spoke with Ross Sparkman, Senior Director of Workforce Strategy at Walmart and author of "Strategic Workforce Planning," to address one of the biggest concerns facing HR at the moment.
Ross brings his wealth of experience from roles at Meta and Nike to shed light on how AI will transform the workplace—not by eliminating jobs wholesale, but by fundamentally changing how work gets done. Contrary to alarming headlines, Ross reveals that most CEOs aren't planning mass layoffs but instead are looking to redirect human talent toward higher-value work.
Find out why HR must take the lead in preparing organizations for this shift through strategic job redesign, skills forecasting, and change management. Learn how AI can actually help HR professionals assess which tasks are prime for automation and how entry-level positions will evolve as tactical work becomes automated.
This is something that keeps me up at night. All HR should be thinking about this!
#HR #AIinHR #WorkforcePlanning #FutureofWork #HRtechnology
Find Ross' new book on Amazon! Strategic Workforce Planning: Developing optimized talent strategies for future growthYou can find Ross on LinkedIn / ross-sparkman You can find me https://thehrhub.ca/or on Linkedin / andrea-adams1
Should you abandon DEI? A research-based perspective on navigating current pressures.
Companies are being told to cancel DEI programs, wipe them from websites, and pretend structural barriers don't exist. But what if you believe these initiatives are important for your hiring market and your values?
Dr. Catherine Connelly, HR professor and researcher, joins me to discuss the real-world pressures HR professionals are facing around DEI - especially when your head office says "stop" but you know it's the right thing to do.
We dig into what's actually happening legally vs. politically, what the research says about which DEI practices actually work (spoiler: mandatory training isn't the magic bullet), and practical strategies for continuing this work even when you can't call it "DEI" anymore.
This isn't about politics - it's about smart HR practices that help you attract and retain the best talent while protecting your organization legally.
In this episode, we cover:
About Dr. Catherine Connelly:HR professor and researcher focused on workplace behavior, employee well-being, and diversity. Find her research at connellyresearch.com or connect at connell@mcmaster.ca
Resources mentioned:Timothy Snyder's "On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century" | McMaster Center for Research on Employment and Work (Mcrew)
Find Andrea at https://thehrhub.ca/
We've been thinking about motivation all wrong in HR. After 23 years as a Chief Learning Officer in healthcare, Dr. Roger Gerard reveals why traditional motivation tactics actually backfire - and shares what leaders should do instead.
If you've ever wondered why your recognition programs aren't working, why throwing money at retention problems doesn't stick, or how to actually engage your team without gimmicky incentives, this episode is for you.
In this conversation, we explore:
Key Quote: "I don't get up on Monday morning waiting for somebody to motivate me. I know what I want to do with my day, with my time, with my life. Nobody has to motivate me for any of that. I motivate myself, and I believe that's true of most professionals. What leaders do is we mess it up."
This episode will challenge how you think about motivation, compensation, and employee engagement. Roger's insights are based on decades of real-world experience and research, not just theory.
About Dr. Roger Gerard:Roger Gerard is a speaker, author, and executive coach who spent 23 years as Chief Learning Officer at a healthcare organization in Wisconsin. He's the author of "Lead with Purpose" and "Owning the Room" and has worked with thousands of employees across multiple industries to cultivate authentic engagement.
Resources mentioned:
Connect with Dr. Roger Gerard:Website: rogergerard.com
Perfect for: HR professionals, people managers, executives, and anyone who wants to understand what actually drives human performance at work.
Subscribe to HR Hub for weekly conversations with HR experts who share practical, evidence-based insights you can use immediately.
Have a question about motivation, engagement, or consulting? Email me at andrea@thehrhub.ca or connect with me on LinkedIn.
You've been asked to facilitate a meeting? Chances are you learned by trial and error (like most of us)!
In this episode, I sit down with professional facilitator Robin Parsons of Parsons to demystify what makes group discussions actually work. Robin shares how she spends 1-2 hours preparing for EVERY hour of facilitation—proving that great facilitation isn't magic, it's methodical.
We dig into the powerful ORID model (Objective, Reflective, Interpretive, Decisional) that transforms how you structure any discussion. Robin explains why addressing emotions is essential (and how to do it without making everyone uncomfortable), plus practical strategies for handling those tricky participants we all dread.
If you're leading strategic planning sessions or guiding important decisions, this gives you tangible tools to make a difference in your facilitation game. It sure did for me. So don't wing it—learn some real strategies!
Robin referred to ICA Associates for training. Find them here: https://ica-associates.ca/Find Robin herself at https://www.parsonsdialogue.com/And, as ever, find me at https://thehrhub.ca
After 4.5 years of hosting the HR Hub and hitting nearly 10,000 subscribers, I'm sharing a few insights that have shaped how I think about HR practice. This solo episode breaks down seven critical lessons I've learned from interviewing over 150 HR experts - and some of these might challenge how you practice!
From the hard truth about why HR programs get cut to the business development skills you actually need for consulting, these aren't your typical HR platitudes. I'm talking about real, practical wisdom that can change how you approach your career and daily work.
You'll discover why psychological safety isn't just a buzzword (and how it drives real business results), the uncomfortable reality about receiving feedback that nobody talks about, and why DEI initiatives deserve the same grace we give other business programs.
Whether you're looking to advance in your HR career, considering consulting, or just want to be more effective in your current role, these seven lessons will give you a fresh perspective on what it really takes to succeed in HR.
What You'll Learn:
Connect with Andrea:
Are your engagement initiatives actually working? In this refreshing and funny take , HR consultant Debbie Pearmain cuts through the fluff and reveals what actually moves the needle on employee engagement after 25 years in the field.
Discover why your managers have an 80% impact on engagement success, why third-party surveys show dramatically different results than internal ones, and the science behind what employees really need (hint: it starts with fair compensation, not pizza parties).
If you're fear investing in engagement initiatives that don't deliver results, this episode provides the honest, practical framework you need. Learn how to connect with employees at both the head AND heart level to drive impressive business outcomes: 21% higher profitability, 87% better retention, and 92% higher
Connect with Debbie at https://onestophr.ca/or find her on LinkedIn!Find me (Andrea) https://thehrhub.cacustomer satisfaction.
Ever notice how we train leaders to give feedback but rarely teach them how to receive it?
Also: did you know 70% of people feel uncomfortable receiving feedback, and 37% avoid it altogether? If you've ever felt that pit in your stomach when someone says "Can I give you some feedback?" you know what I am talking about. This episode got personal because I am definitely in the 70%.
Pam Schmidt and Organizational Development expert and owner of Pam Schimdt Consulting breaks down why feedback often feels threatening, how power dynamics silence honest input as leaders rise in organizations, and practical strategies for receiving criticism without becoming defensive. You'll learn:
If you can master this, you will transform feedback from something to dread into a valuable tool for professional development!
Find Pam on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/pamschmidt1/
And me: andrea@thehrhub.ca
Feeling overwhelmed by workplace challenges? This episode delivers practical resilience strategies for HR professionals juggling strategic initiatives with daily operational demands.
Resilience expert Beverly Beuermann-King breaks down her SOS framework (Situation, Ourselves, Support) and shares 10 key traits that help you bounce back from setbacks. Learn to identify your specific stress triggers, quiet your racing "monkey mind," and spot warning signs before burnout hits.
Beverly offers no-nonsense advice on maintaining control during uncertainty and explains when it's time to seek additional support. Perfect for mid-level HR pros who need to maintain their own well-being while supporting others through organizational change.
Walk away with actionable tools to not just survive workplace chaos, but actually flourish both professionally and personally.
Ever had an employee claim they're underpaid compared to the market? In this episode, I chat with compensation expert Carolyn Kildare about the nuts and bolts of effective salary benchmarking.
We dive into how to respond when employees bring outside salary data to you, where to find reliable compensation surveys, and how to build credibility in your benchmarking process. Carolyn shares practical wisdom from her years at Mercer and as owner of Cadence Compensation to help you navigate these challenging conversations.
Key topics we cover:
Perfect for HR professionals looking to strengthen their compensation strategy and confidently handle those tricky "but everyone else pays more" conversations.
Find Carolyn at https://www.cadencecompensation.ca/ or on LinkedInFind me as always: https://thehrhub.ca
Is your L&D team flying blind? In this episode, I sit down with edtech strategist and author Lori Niles-Hofmann to unpack why data-driven learning design is a game-changer for HR professionals.
Lori reveals how borrowing tactics from marketing can transform training effectiveness and explains her practical "duct tape approach" for organizations without perfect data systems. We explore everything from using digital body language to predict learning needs to her bold prediction about AI coaches replacing traditional courses.
Whether you're struggling to measure learning impact or looking to modernize your training approach, this conversation delivers actionable insights for mid-career HR professionals ready to elevate their L&D strategy.
Guest: Lori Niles-Hofmann, EdTech & AI Transformation Strategist and author of the upcoming "The Eight Levers of EdTech Transformation"
Topics covered:• Why intuition alone fails in learning design• Essential data points every L&D team should track• Overcoming common barriers to data-driven approaches• How A/B testing can revolutionize your training effectiveness• The future of personalized AI-powered learning
This episode is also sponsored by iSpring - an all-in-one e-learning solution that makes creating training easier.
Also check out: 👉 Lori's new book "The Eight Levers of EdTech Transformation" coming this spring👉 Lori's course on LinkedIn Learning about Data-Driven Learning Design https://www.linkedin.com/learning/data-driven-learning-design👉 My website for consulting to SMBs - https://thehrhub.caALSO this episode is sponsored by iSpring - an all-in-one e-learning solution that makes creating training easier. Check out my demo: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e8q-zhHHvkUhttps://www.ispringsolutions.com/They have offered discount codes (good until the end of 2025) as follows: 'ANDREA-SUITE' - For purchasing iSpring Suite with a 10% discount.'ANDREA -SUITE-MAX' - For purchasing iSpring Suite Max with a 10% discount.
Connect on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrea-adams1/ or find me at https://thehrhub.ca for consulting to SMBs.
Let's plan for 5 years down the road with a thousand moving pieces - many of which you have zero control over. That's strategic workforce planning.
I have had a growing interest in workforce planning with the rise of AI. I don't want to be doing miserable HR - like mass layoffs when you didn't plan for the shift in 30% of tasks to AI.
My guest this week, Ross Sparkman, has literally wrote the book on strategic workforce planning. When you google 'workforce planning books' his book, 'Strategic Workforce Planning: Developing optimized talent strategies for future growth' comes up and the 2nd edition came out last week! He is currently the Sr. Director of Workforce Planning at Walmart and held similar roles at Nike and Meta.
It's complicated, but we need to plan for the future:
- What roles and skills do we need now? In the future? When in the future?
- What risks impact our plans? And how will we mitigate?
- Do we have the right mix of full-time, part-time and contingent workers?
- Are we hiring in the right places?
And so many more. Workforce planning is the pinnacle of big picture HR. Ross tells us how to do it in the short-term and then how to scale up to the bigger picture.
Check it out! And read the book - I can hardly think of another topic where reading the book would be more important.
Find Ross' new book on Amazon! It was just published last week: Strategic Workforce Planning: Developing optimized talent strategies for future growthYou can find Ross on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/ross-sparkman/You can find me https://thehrhub.ca/or on Linkedin https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrea-adams1/
80% are just fine, 15% skirt the edges, and 5% are evil.
The latter 20% explain why compliance is such a big thing in HR.
Anyone who follows my show closely knows I am interested in understanding the impact of power. I spoke with Dr. Catherine Connelly who is an expert in HR and in Canada's temporary foreign worker (TFW) program. The TFW program, arguably, represents one of the greatest power imbalances in any Canadian workplace.
So what can HR learn from this power imbalance? Unsurprisngly, a lot:
😇 The TFW program demonstrates why compliance exists. Most of us are fine, but some are not and it's for the latter that compliance rules exist.
👺 It would be naive of HR not to be alert to rogue managers.
😥 When an employee with low organizational power complains, it may have taken a lot of bravery for them to come forward. If you dismiss them, they may never speak up again - and you will have missed an opportunity to learn.
😱 Some senior leaders are shocked to find out what is happening on the front lines. Organizations need good people processes to ensure this doesn't happen.
The temporary foreign worker program is not tied directly to many of us in HR. But it provides inside into what can happen when there are unchecked power imbalances.
It's a sober learning opportunity - check it out!
Find Dr. Connelly's Book Enduring Work: Experiences with Canada's Temporary Foreign Worker Program
Find Dr. Connelly in any of the following places
LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/catherine-connelly-57b70762/
https://connellyresearch.com/
https://experts.mcmaster.ca/display/connell
Find me, as always on LinkedIn or at https://thehrhub.ca
If you do any meeting or workshop facilitation, this video will make it easier! It provides an overview of facilitation and many tactical insights which I plan to apply at my next facilitation.
You never need fear that guy who slouches in his seat with his arms crossed ever again.
My guest for this was Robin Parsons. Robin owns a facilitation company called Parsons Dialogue. She has been doing this work for 10 years and even teaches facilitation through ICA Associates. After talking with her I can see how I would have benefited from facilitation training. Things like:
- It is important to start with ground rules.
- Humans are emotional creatures. There are stages a group goes through and you can't skip the step in which they talk about their emotions.
- If your client wants you to get the group to 'come up with the right answer themselves' beware. This is as much manipulation as facilitation.
- Robin has many HR people in her classes because we know we need the skill but didn't learn it in university.
This honestly was such a useful episode. I have some upcoming facilitation and will refer back to it. Check it out!
https://ica-associates.ca/
https://www.parsonsdialogue.com/
https://thehrhub.ca
What if your employees had the willingness and ability to respond quickly and flexibly to changing business needs? Sounds a little like a fairytale.
Maybe not. There are things you can do to build resilience in the workplace.
This whole conversation with Beverly Beuermann-King about building resilience in the workplace was a revelation. Beverly talks about resilience a lot at conferences as well as presenting workshops and participating in panels. Her company, Work Smart Live Smart is a resiliency and corporate culture focused company helping people deal with reactions to stress and live better lives.
A few things I noted:
- A lot of what she talks about aligns with what we know of engagement - but not all.
- The most intriguing part for me was about hope. Why don't we talk about hope at work more often? It makes total sense.
- We need employee creativity and ideas. So working them to burnout is not the answer.
Beverly has thought about this a lot and the message was so welcome. Check out the full discussion.
Find Beverly at Work Smart Live Smart
https://worksmartlivesmart.com/
And of course find me at https://thehrhub.ca/
This is a special episode and is part of podcasthon. Podcasthon is a global movement bringing podcasts and channels together in service of all the AMAZING not-for-profits out there. This discussion revolves around doing HR in this kind of organization.
There are so many great NFPs out there, but I am on the board of Trinity Place Foundation of Alberta. They provide housing for people who are hard to house and those with limited income. Given current housing conditions and the personal struggles of some people, this is so so important!
I was happy to interview Jennie Deneka, the dynamic and passionate CEO of TPFA. Jennie has a background in healthcare and has been at the helm of TPFA for 4 years. She is currently guiding the organization through a transformation and was happy to talk about what NFPs TRULY need from HR. LIke:
- Be a generalist. Many NFPs are smaller so you will have to do a lot of things.
- You have to be realistic. NFPs often have small budgets and you have to make do.
- Maybe you can also be really creative and get some great things done
- The mission of the organization will fuel you. It's not the only thing that matters, but it helps a lot.
It was a pleasure to do this and highlight the great work of so many charities and not-for-profits in all of our communities filling gaps and helping critical causes in our communities.
Consider donating to a charity in your community or to TPFA. You can reach TPFA at
info@tpfa.ca
HR is often shouldering the burden and leadership around the impact of societal shifts. We have to ensure the organization is prepared to respond, culture is aligned and any risks around the shift are mitigated. So we need to think about the future of work.
I was delighted to have this conversation with Anthony Ariganello, CEO of CPHR Canada and President of the World Federation of People Management. AND he is a member of the Order of Canada!
Anthony shared is big picture perspective on the future of HR. Somethings will be advanced and only get better from where they are today and there may be big shifts - like the one in the video below.
🧠 We need to continue focusing on mental health. We have made great strides but the work is not done.
😵💫 Employee engagement will continue to be critical - we need to lead around effective remote work and things like quiet quitting.
🙂 Immigrants will be important to meeting our labour needs when we are not having enough kids. HR creativity may be warranted.
🤝 We may be moving away from the hyper focus on collaboration. I'm not sure how because I think it is the reality of how work gets done, but we need to monitor.
♾️ HR is part of a system involving the HR associations and government to effect the change that our organizations need.
It was a wonderful big picture conversation with a global leader in HR. Check it out!
Check out CPHR at https://cphr.ca/
Find me at https://thehrhub.ca/
