Dive into a riveting dialogue with HR Director, Collin Gehl, as we navigate the terrains of workplace safety, self-care, and diversity. Discover how Say Yes to Education shapes a resilient and supportive environment amidst crises and the role of HR in fostering growth and opportunity.

Here are a few of the topics we’ll discuss on this episode of People Analytics:

• Employee support exceeds the punishment.
• Self-care as a personalized strategy.
• Diversity fuels organizational success.
• Addressing trauma in HR practices.
• Communication key in HR development.

Resources:

• Staff Geek
• Say Yes Buffalo

Connect with Collin Gehl:

• LinkedIn

Connect with our host, Lindsay Patton:

• LinkedIn
• Email

Quotables:

• 00:45 - We embed self-care in everything that we do. So including our supervision. So we've created policies and procedures that have helped to set up success for our full team. And as part of embedding self-care and everything we do, including supervision, if we've noted a slip in a performance, we're not quick to sort of penalize someone or assume that someone is being lazy.
• 6:30 - I encourage, you know, our staff, you know, whether or not they're here to take actual, take a break, walk away, you go for a walk. And we have about 60% of our staff are school-based. So they are, their offices are in Buffalo Public Schools because they're doing a lot of support for the students in Buffalo. And so, you know, I encourage, you know, those individuals, whatever you need to do in order to sort of take some time away during your day, at least do at least take them 30 minutes.
• 10:41 - We all are committed to the vision of our organization and our missions of our organization, really all about sort of helping to support students in Buffalo to be able to reach their full potential, whatever that looks like. And because we are all committed to that mission, it doesn't matter that we are, you know, that we're different. We all are working towards that mission and we're able to be successful because we have these different perspectives but we all have that same goal. And how we get there may differ, but we all have that same goal. We're all gonna reach it.
• 25:05 - It really fascinates me with these organizations that are so punitive towards their team, you know, where they just, they try to do things based on fear or you know, when someone says, you know, they're, look, they might be looking for another opportunity, they get all upset. And I'm like, why?
• 13:13 - That was a surprise. Someone that I had done a presentation to a class at a local university like five years ago. And this person reached out to me and said, I remember when you gave your presentation, I had, would you mind allowing one of my students to shadow you for a day? And I said, sure, sure. You know, send him in. And he came in, he just love say Yes, he loved the vibe. And he was like, oh, I would love to like stay, like, do you have any openings?

Dive into the world of HR with Shane Fisher, Director of Human Resources at Built Brands, as he shares his inspirational journey in employee development and the creation of a dream company culture at Built Brands. Get ready to discover the power of 'giving them pie' and the success stories that define the heart of HR.

Here are a few of the topics we’ll discuss on this episode of People Analytics:

• Shane Fisher's late HR start
• Developing Built's company culture
• Creating the Built Leadership Academy
• Staff empowerment and investment
• Shane's success story in HR

Resources:

• Built Brands
• StaffGeek

Connect with Shane Fisher:

• LinkedIn

Connect with our host, Lindsay Patton:

• LinkedIn
• Email

Quotables:

• 8:08 - I think I, I wanna build a leadership academy. And she was like, do it. You know, she was just like, do it, it's yours. Go. And so I was like, alright. And so, you know, the Built Leadership and Development Academy came to life.
• 9:15- It's so cool, just in this past course, you know, we had individuals who came back the following week and they were like, I was looking over my team and this person has this leadership style, and this person has this leadership style, and I think if I help them to develop that, then they're gonna be great in this position. And, you know, I almost like turned around and cried. I was like, oh my gosh. You know, it works.
• 14:01 - We realized being a manufacturing company, you know, we have our day shift, we have our swing shift. And so we came to the realization that not everyone's gonna be there at 10 o'clock or one o'clock. So we actually have three courses now. So we have a one o'clock for the day shift, we have a three 30 for the afternoon shift, and then we come in later at like seven or eight at night for our later shifts.
• 22:31 - If you don't have a positive culture, if you don't have people who really want to be here, who believe in the company, then how would those people ever benefit Built, you know, by focusing on them and, and helping them hit those goals and have that happiness and be successful and you know, go and see our product on the shelves and be like, that's what I do. I've made that. That's, that's how we benefit that. That's always got, you know, the best interest of built and the best interest of our team members.

Join us as Jodie Cenci, HR Director at Primary, shares her deeply personal journey with chronic illness and disability. From uncertain diagnoses to discovering fibromyalgia, Jody opens up about the transformative power of workplace flexibility and representation. Her story is a masterclass on empathy, resilience, and advocacy for inclusive work cultures.

Here are a few of the topics we’ll discuss on this episode of People Analytics:

• Jody's struggle with an invisible illness
• Fibromyalgia's daily impact on work
• The importance of workplace flexibility
• Navigating HR while managing disability
• Building supportive company cultures

Resources:

• Primary
• StaffGeek

Connect with Jodie Cenci:

• LinkedIn

Connect with our host, Lindsay Patton:

• LinkedIn
• Email

Quotables:

• 2:28 - It still really amazes and saddens me how little representation we have of people with disabilities. So I think it is so important. And if me as a kid, if I could have seen something like that, I can't even imagine what that would've done for my confidence to just know that like, this isn't just something that's happening to me, there are other kids like me. So it feels really special being able to work with a company that's moving that message forward.
• 6:46 - I'm an HR team of one. So I was playing both the role of HR and disabled employee in my own interactive process, which I was having with my managers who also happened to be the CEOs and Co-founders of my company. So like there was just nothing normal about like how any of this was happening. Layer on top of that, like for all of the HR people listening, we were about a week away from mid-year reviews and a month away from open enrollment. So like, the idea of going on leave just seemed like completely impossible, but also seemingly very unemployable. Like, but how do you do reviews in open enrollment with no HR?
• 16:26 - I think it's also true with a lot of disabilities, and it's certainly true with fibromyalgia, that my disability varies day to day, sometimes even hour to hour. You know, like yesterday I had a great day and I barely remembered that I had fibromyalgia, but a different day, like last week, I had a day that I kind of could tell from the get-go was not gonna end as a good day because I had a lot of meetings and sure enough, by the end of it, like unfortunately it was an interview and I was like trying my best to keep it together, but like my brain fog was real and, you know, that was a struggle. And some days I don't have enough control over my calendar to be able to prevent it and I kind of just have to like now address it head-on.
• 18:47 - I will say, so like being in HR, not only do I typically drink the Kool-Aid like I'm usually the one pouring it. Like my level of engagement is usually very high and I will say it's never been higher than it is right now. And that is the power of treating your employees like the people that they are and letting them kind of work through these things.
• 24:42 - So far, like, okay, I did get like a pretty nice voice control software, but like my hand pain's pretty bad, but like the first thing I asked for was a $25 mouse. And I was afraid to ask for that because like, I was afraid to use any budget. So like there's just things that like we can do to make this process less scary. And maybe that's because like I have HR brain of like always thinking about like, you know, HR is a cost center, how am I gonna frame this, you know, as value add. I'm like, I just need a new mouse. So it's certainly opened my eyes to what the accommodation process is really like.

Get insider HR wisdom as Nikesha Madison Director of Human Resources at The Raley’s Companies, dives into the dynamics of merging teams, fostering partnerships, and building trust within an organization. From impactful leadership to cultural integration during acquisitions, this episode is a goldmine for anyone passionate about creating a supportive, community-focused work environment.

Here are a few of the topics we’ll discuss on this episode of People Analytics:

• HR's role in strategic partnership
• Change management in mergers
• Transparency breeds trust at work
• Celebrating achievements in HR
• Continuous learning in HR leadership

Resources:

• The Raley’s Companies
• StaffGeek

Connect with Nikesha Madison:

• LinkedIn

Connect with our host, Lindsay Patton:

• LinkedIn
• Email

Quotables:

• 15:55 - It's important to acknowledge what we've achieved. You know, we all work together. We have goals that are set out in front of us, and it's important to recognize those achievements and to celebrate them so that we are all motivated to keep going. I think celebrating your achievements motivates you to achieve more.
• 17:36 - I would say to leaders to be open and honest, but also to be, have an open door for people to ask questions. So I think it's important that team members feel that they can initiate a conversation around what they're feeling and not just when a leader comes to them. And then for those who are not in leadership, I would say don't be afraid to ask questions. It's hard, as a leader, to always know exactly what everybody wants to hear and know. So I would encourage people to ask questions.
• 06:34 - So when it comes to combining two teams, is really, that's kind of what an acquisition or a merger is, right? You have, you know, a team here and a team there, and you're really wanting them to operate as one team. And so one of the things that I've seen is that you wanna look at what both areas are doing and take the best practices from each and that, you know, kind of creating a dynamic where you're doing, you know, really, really good things now because you've taken best practices from both sides. So, but change is hard, right? And it's, it's really hard for people to step away from things or habits that they've created over time. So really being sensitive and attentive to the change management dynamic of combining any two teams and communicating the why around any particular thing or idea is really, really important. Because people wanna see the benefit of a change. They don't wanna just change for the sake of changing that doesn't feel good, but understanding why that is, is very important. So I like to make sure that we communicate why we're doing things.
• 03:25 - I wanna know from that person what is the ultimate goal? What are you looking to do, how and how I can help achieve that. And then really kind of just laying out the options as I see them based on the policies of the company or the laws that are applicable and just kind of laying out like the if then scenarios, like, if you do this, then this may happen, and then have them make the decision
• 1:19 - So partnership is very important in an HR role because a lot of times the perception is that HR is there as kind of a policing agent, but really we wanna be a partner, we wanna be a thought partner on strategy. We want to be there not to create a hurdle, but to help you identify risk and then come alongside you to meet the goals that you've set for the organization. And when I say you, I mean our operational partners. We also, in my role, partner very closely with some of our other stakeholders in the organization, such as our security or asset protection department, because we are both responsible for ensuring the physical and emotional safety of our team members.