HR Data Labs

WRKdefined Podcast Network

Unlock the future of HR, today with the HR Data Labs podcast! Dive into transformative insights, expert interviews, and cutting-edge practices that empower organizations to harness their workforce’s potential. Join us for engaging discussions that will inspire you to innovate, strategize, and lead with confidence! Tune in now!

  1. How Skills Data is Transforming HR into True Business Partners

    8 JAN

    How Skills Data is Transforming HR into True Business Partners

    Craig Friedman, Talent and Skills Transformation Leader at St. Charles Consulting Group and author of Enterprise Skills Unlocked, joins us this week to discuss the shift toward skills-based organizations. He breaks down how data-driven transformations allow companies to move from simple headcount management to true capability management. Craig also shares practical advice on how to prioritize skills projects to ensure they solve real business problems and deliver ROI. [0:00] Introduction Welcome, Craig! Today’s Topic: How Skills Data is Transforming HR into True Business Partners [5:05] What does a skills-based transformation look like in practice? Shifting the talent process from an exercise in headcount management to an exercise in capability management. Moving away from static "boxes on an org chart" to using granular data that supports the entire talent infrastructure. Leveraging skills data that lives in both business systems (capabilities) and people systems (individual skills) to better align with business functions. [11:57] How different teams leverage skills data differently Why L&D teams need granular skill details, while staffing teams prioritize context on scope and scale for compensation purposes. The importance of creating an enterprise data taxonomy where different departments can agree on a skill but append their own metadata. Using machine learning to handle the searches, connections, and adjacencies required to make the data useful across teams. [26:14] The impact on Learning and Development (L&D) How real-time skills gap analysis simplifies curriculum redesign when jobs or organizational structures change. The growing need for assessment and validation to verify skills learned through informal methods like coaching or on-the-job experience. Identifying business cases where skills can make a clear difference and prioritizing them based on value and risk. [36:20] Closing Thanks for listening! Quick Quote “A lot of the reason we're doing this now when we couldn't do it before is because of these more advanced tools in data analytics and AI and machine learning that actually help us manage data at that scale.” Link to Craig's book: https://a.co/d/0naqmvh

    39 min
  2. Why Hybrid Work is Still a Mess

    11/12/2025

    Why Hybrid Work is Still a Mess

    Ranya Nehmeh, HR Strategist and Adjunct Professor at FHWien der WKW in Vienna, Austria, and Peter Cappelli, Professor of Management and Director of the Center for Human Resources at the Wharton School, join us this week to discuss some of the topics covered in their book, In Praise of the Office. We explore the current tumultuous state of Return-to-Office (RTO) mandates, why "hybrid" work is often failing to deliver on its promises, and the critical need for intentional management to foster human connection. [0:00] Introduction Welcome, Ranya and Peter! Today’s Topic: The Realities of Hybrid Work [9:15] The messiness of Return-to-Office (RTO) today Why the media narrative often contradicts the realities of small business data. Why the definition of “hybrid” varies per organization. [19:03] Is work actually getting done remotely? Distinguishing between hitting individual KPIs and maintaining organizational health. The deterioration of meeting culture and the rise of "cameras off" apathy. The loss of social norms and the difficulty of resolving conflict without face-to-face interaction. [29:50] Do policies need to change for the new world of work? Addressing proximity bias and its impact on promotions and career development. Why treating hybrid work the same as traditional office work is a management failure. Understanding the winners and losers of remote work, particularly for younger or newly onboarded employees. [46:23] Closing Thanks for listening! Quick Quote “If you really want people to come back into the office, you have to do it with intentionality.”

    50 min
  3. Maintaining Personal Agency Through AI Integration

    20/11/2025

    Maintaining Personal Agency Through AI Integration

    Bob Pulver, host of the Elevate Your AIQ podcast and a 25-year enterprise tech and innovation veteran, joins us this week to unpack the urgent need to move past "AI" as a buzzword and define what "Responsible AI" truly means for organizations. He shares his insights on why we are all responsible for AI, how to balance playing "defense" (risk mitigation) and "offense" (innovation), and why we must never outsource our critical thinking and human agency to these new tools. [0:00] Introduction Welcome, Bob! Today’s Topic: Defining Responsible AI and Responsible Innovation [12:25] What Does “Responsible AI” Mean? Why elements (like fairness in decision-making, data provenance, and privacy) must be built-in "by design," not bolted on later. In an era where everyone is a "builder," we are all responsible for the tools we use and create. [25:48] The Two Sides of Responsible Innovation The "responsibility" side involves mitigating risk, ensuring fairness, and staying human-centric—it’s like playing defense. The "innovation" side involves driving growth, entering new markets, and reinvesting efficiency gains—it’s like playing offense. [41:58] Why don’t we use AI to give us a 4-day work week? The critical need for leaders to separate their personal biases from data-driven facts. AI’s role in recent layoffs. [50:27] Closing Thanks for listening! Quick Quote “We're all responsible for Responsible AI, whatever your role is. You're either using it or abusing it . . . or you're building it or you're testing it.”

    53 min
  4. Why Your HR Tech Isn't Being Adopted (and How to Fix It)

    13/11/2025

    Why Your HR Tech Isn't Being Adopted (and How to Fix It)

    Noah Mithrush, Director of Growth Marketing at Guusto, joins us live from the UKG Aspire Conference to unpack the critical intersection of User Experience (UX) and Employee Experience (EX) in HR technology. Noah explains why so many HR programs fail to gain adoption and how even the best intentions can be derailed by a poor user experience. We discuss how to get into the user’s mindset, why HR tech should be as easy to use a consumer app, and how making the emotional journey of an employee is the key to success.  [0:00] Introduction Welcome, Noah! Today’s Topic: Rethinking User Experience to Improve Employee Experience & Program Adoption [3:53] What do people get right and wrong about user experience? Why good intentions often fail, and the common mistake of not considering all technology touchpoint for the end-user The problem of designing programs that are manually intensive for managers [10:43] How do you get into the users’ mindset to align UX and EX? Going beyond just mapping process steps to mapping the employee journey Why implementing "emotional IQ" into the design process is critical for driving program adoption [16:59] How does AI impact the employee experience? Using agentic processes to allow teams to do more with less The potential for AI to allow teams to "think differently" and fundamentally redesign the employee journey [22:28] Closing Thanks for listening! Quick Quote “What I see a lot of the time is what people get right is their intention. At the very beginning, they're trying to solve a problem . . . but when it comes to tech and the user experience, [they’re] not taking into consideration all of the points along the way of different technology [and] how the actual end-user (or employee) has to use and interact with it.”

    24 min

About

Unlock the future of HR, today with the HR Data Labs podcast! Dive into transformative insights, expert interviews, and cutting-edge practices that empower organizations to harness their workforce’s potential. Join us for engaging discussions that will inspire you to innovate, strategize, and lead with confidence! Tune in now!

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