Bringing the Human back to Human Resources

Traci Chernoff
  • 4.7 (89)
  • Management
  • Updated Weekly

People are at the center of every business--or at least they should be. "Bringing the Human back to Human Resources" is a podcast hosted by Traci Chernoff, a Senior Director of HR, who has spent 10 years in critical HR leadership roles. Traci explores the delicate balance between people and business and destigmatizes what it means to be in "Human Resources".

  1. 2d ago

    289. Policy Pulse: The Trojan Horse Hiding in Your Next Team Meeting

    This Policy Pulse episode breaks down three major employment law developments HR leaders need on their radar right now: a Supreme Court ruling that changes how federal agencies operate, an update on the Workday AI discrimination lawsuit, and a new Maryland law restricting mandatory workplace meetings. Traci and Bryan dig into what each of these means for how you operate day to day, and why "wait and see" isn't always the wrong move. In this episode: The Supreme Court just overturned a hundred year old precedent, and it changes who controls the NLRB and EEOCWhy HR leaders should brace for more whiplash every time a new president takes officeAn update on the Workday AI hiring lawsuit, and why the EEOC backing off doesn't mean you're in the clearThe specific employer mistake that can trigger a bias claim even without ever asking about disabilityWhy state level enforcement might matter more than federal enforcement going forwardMaryland's new law banning mandatory political and anti-union meetings, and why there's no small employer exceptionThe real reason this law is being called a Trojan horse for union bustingWhy having someone dedicated to regional compliance is becoming less of a luxury and more of a necessity Got thoughts or questions on this episode? Email Traci at contact@hrtraci.com and share your feedback in the comments wherever you're listening. Connect with Bryan Driscoll: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bryanjohndriscoll/ Connect with Traci here: https://linktr.ee/HRTraci Disclaimer: Thoughts, opinions, and statements made on this podcast are not a reflection of the thoughts, opinions, and statements of the Company by whom Traci Chernoff is actively employed. Please note that this episode may contain paid endorsements and advertisements for products or services. Individuals on the show may have a direct or indirect financial interest in products or services referred to in this episode.

  2. Aug 18

    288. Agentic AI and the HR Strategy Gap feat. Joey Price

    Agentic AI is already changing how HR teams buy technology, lead their people, and think about who belongs in the room when decisions about the future of work get made — and most HR leaders don't have a strategy for any of it. This week Traci sits down with Joey Price, CEO of Jumpstart HR, a TEDx speaker on AI in the workplace, and author of The Power of HR: How to Make an Organizational Impact as a People Professional. A SHRM Top 30 Under 30 alum and one of the top 100 HR tech influencers of 2025, Joey also hosts his own podcast, While We Were Working, and brings years of hands-on experience helping HR teams navigate technology decisions with humanity at the center. What We Cover - Why "if you're not at the table for digital transformation, you're on the menu" - The framework Joey built to help HR leaders actually buy technology the right way - The surprising number of HR leaders who don't have an AI strategy at all - The five workforce archetypes and where your organization actually falls - Whether AI is coming for your job, and what to do about it either way Connect with Joey Price: LinkedIn | JumpStartHR.com | The Power of HR Book | Podcast Connect with Traci: https://linktr.ee/HRTraci Disclaimer: Thoughts, opinions, and statements made on this podcast are not a reflection of the thoughts, opinions, and statements of the Company by whom Traci Chernoff is actively employed. Please note that this episode may contain paid endorsements and advertisements for products or services. Individuals on the show may have a direct or indirect financial interest in products or services referred to in this episode.

  3. Aug 4

    287. Policy Pulse: The New DEI Lawsuit Every HR Leader Should Know About

    This week's Policy Pulse segment tackles three major legal developments HR leaders need to know about: the EEOC's lawsuit against The New York Times over its DEI program, Colorado's rollback of its AI hiring law, and a Supreme Court case that could give the president the power to fire agency heads at the EEOC and NLRB without cause. Bryan Driscoll returns for another Policy Pulse segment, bringing his employment law expertise to break down the cases and policy shifts shaping workplace compliance right now. As our resident legal expert, Bryan helps translate the legal jargon into what it actually means for your business. In this episode: - The EEOC just sued The New York Times over its own DEI program, and the case could reshape how discrimination claims get proven going forward. - Colorado gutted its AI hiring law, but that doesn't mean the compliance risk disappeared. - Your AI chat history could end up as evidence in a lawsuit. - A Supreme Court case could hand the president the power to fire the heads of the EEOC and NLRB at will. - Good intentions won't protect you from a discrimination claim if your documentation doesn't back them up. Connect with Bryan Driscoll, JD: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bryanjohndriscoll/ Connect with Traci: https://linktr.ee/HRTraci Disclaimer: Thoughts, opinions, and statements made on this podcast are not a reflection of the thoughts, opinions, and statements of the Company by whom Traci Chernoff is actively employed. Please note that this episode may contain paid endorsements and advertisements for products or services. Individuals on the show may have a direct or indirect financial interest in products or services referred to in this episode.

  4. Jul 21

    286. AI Readiness: What Your Workforce Needs First Ft. Reimund Neienaber

    AI is reshaping how companies hire and how job seekers land interviews, and this week's guest is building the tools making it happen. Traci sits down with Reimund Nienaber, a seasoned HR leader and global talent development expert with more than 20 years of experience spanning telecommunications, expat HR leadership across five continents, and now consulting work at Edligo. As Director of Consulting and Customer Success, Reimund helps organizations figure out what their people actually know, where the gaps are, and how to close them as AI reshapes roles across every department. What We Talked About: Will AI Really Give Us a Two Day Work Week? Meet the AI Recruiter Agent Changing the Game The CV Feedback Job Seekers Never Get From Germany to Latin America: A Career Built on Skills, The Competency Gap Killing AI Transformation Projects The Simple Question That Starts Every Successful Learning Culture Connect with Reimund Nienaber: LinkedIn | Edligo Learning and Talent Analytics LinkedIn | Edligo.net Contact Traci: https://linktr.ee/HRTraci Disclaimer: Thoughts, opinions, and statements made on this podcast are not a reflection of the thoughts, opinions, and statements of the Company by whom Traci Chernoff is actively employed. Please note that this episode may contain paid endorsements and advertisements for products or services. Individuals on the show may have a direct or indirect financial interest in products or services referred to in this episode.

  5. Jul 7

    283. What HR Gets Wrong About Developing Future Leaders feat. Michael Timms

    Michael Timms joins the podcast to break down why most "succession planning" in organizations is actually just replacement planning in disguise, and why that distinction matters more than most HR leaders realize. Michael Timms is an internationally sought after speaker, consultant, and bestselling author who teaches leaders how to inspire accountability. He's the author of How Leaders Can Inspire Accountability, the basis for his TEDx talk "How to Claim Your Leadership Power," and Succession Planning That Works. Through his company, Avail Leadership, he partners with organizations to build high performance cultures of teamwork and accountability. What We Cover: – The real difference between succession planning and replacement planning, and why most organizations are only doing one of them – Why the nine box might be doing more harm than good in your organization – The uncomfortable truth about who actually gets to decide someone's "potential" – What the research says about how much your manager actually shapes your performance – Why most leadership competency lists accidentally describe an impossible person – The handful of behaviors that actually predict great leadership, and how to find them – A better, less political way to identify who's ready to grow – The employee headcount where succession planning actually starts to matter – Why developing people, even the ones who might leave, is never a loss Michael challenges a lot of what HR has been taught to accept as best practice, and this conversation is a great reminder of why it's worth questioning the tools we default to. Be sure to check out his TEDx talk, linked in the show notes, for more on claiming your leadership power. Connect with Michael Timms: LinkedIn | YouTube | Website | TED Talk Connect with Traci here: https://linktr.ee/HRTraci Disclaimer: Thoughts, opinions, and statements made on this podcast are not a reflection of the thoughts, opinions, and statements of the Company by whom Traci Chernoff is actively employed. Please note that this episode may contain paid endorsements and advertisements for products or services. Individuals on the show may have a direct or indirect financial interest in products or services referred to in this episode.

  6. Jun 23

    282. Why Good Employees Leave and What Actually Makes Them Stay

    Traci welcomes Dr. Carrie Graham, PhD, a training strategist specializing in scalable talent development who guides small and mid-sized organizations to achieve measurable results through strategic employee training programs. Dr. Graham's research reveals that toxic work environments aren't just unpleasant, they produce real, life-altering mental and physical health consequences for the people inside them, particularly for high-achieving women who were promised development opportunities that never materialized. What We Cover: Why retention strategies miss the point and what to focus on insteadGood people leave bad managers and what makes someone actually unequipped to leadThe real cost of a toxic environment and Dr. Graham's research findings on health outcomes for employeesWhen employees outgrow their role and how social roles shift over time and what that demands of employersWhy development starts with the individual, not what you think they bring, but everything they haven't told you yetThe free recruiting tool most companies are ignoring and how former employees become brand advocatesWhat job seekers can and should ask and the questions candidates have every right to put on the tableConnect with Dr. Carrie Graham: LinkedIn | drcarriegraham.com | YouTube | Instagram Connect with Traci here: https://linktr.ee/HRTraci Disclaimer: Thoughts, opinions, and statements made on this podcast are not a reflection of the thoughts, opinions, and statements of the Company by whom Traci Chernoff is actively employed. Please note that this episode may contain paid endorsements and advertisements for products or services. Individuals on the show may have a direct or indirect financial interest in products or services referred to in this episode.

  7. Jun 16

    281. Three Kids, a Career, and a Podcast: The Honest Update

    In this episode, Traci shares what her return to work has looked like with three kids under three, a demanding career, and a podcast. She opens up about what that took to admit, and why the "have it all" pressure lands differently when both your career and your family are simultaneously demanding more of you. She also gets into what she actually wishes workplaces understood about flexibility, and why the traditional nine-to-five model isn't built for the reality most people are living. What We Cover: — Why the show is going biweekly and what that decision actually cost Traci to make — The "100% problem" and why splitting it a million ways doesn't work — What it's like when both your career and your family are on an upward trajectory at the same time — Why "working mom" and "career mom" don't even feel like the same thing — The pseudo-flexibility trap and what true workplace flexibility would actually look like — Why HR business partners face a specific challenge when it comes to flexible work — What Traci would change if she could wave a magic wand for every woman in her situation Connect with Traci here: https://linktr.ee/HRTraci Disclaimer: Thoughts, opinions, and statements made on this podcast are not a reflection of the thoughts, opinions, and statements of the Company by whom Traci Chernoff is actively employed. Please note that this episode may contain paid endorsements and advertisements for products or services. Individuals on the show may have a direct or indirect financial interest in products or services referred to in this episode.

  8. Jun 9

    280. Building Trust at Work: The Retention Strategy Nobody Talks About

    This week, Traci sits down with Greg Roche, founder of Retention and Rewards Partners and author of The Fast and Easy Guide to Networking for Introverts, to explore why intentional connection is the most underrated retention strategy in any organization. Greg shares the "stepping over the line" framework he's used throughout his career in total rewards, walking through the exact moment an employee mentally checks out, why most organizations are trying to solve engagement from the top down when the real work happens between individuals, and what leaders can do right now to build the kind of trust that makes people genuinely want to stay. What We Cover: – The "stepping over the line" moment – what's actually happening in an employee's mind right before they quit – Why proximity created connection before 2020 and what we lost when it disappeared – Top-down engagement strategies vs. small intentional acts and why one actually works – The 15-minute calendar invite that could change how you're perceived in your organization – What happens in the brain when someone talks about themselves (and how to use it) – Why new leaders who skip relationship-building create stranger danger for the whole team – The one-question approach for building upward relationships without being awkward – How connection directly impacts talent reviews, succession planning, and career visibility – The Relationship First Playbook – five ways HR leaders can make connection a cultural value FREE GIFT: Download Greg's Relationship First Playbook for HR leaders at retentionandrewards.com/gift – five intentional practices you can put into place with your team today. Connect with Greg Roche: Retentionandrewards.com | LinkedIn Connect with Traci here: https://linktr.ee/HRTraci Disclaimer: Thoughts, opinions, and statements made on this podcast are not a reflection of the thoughts, opinions, and statements of the Company by whom Traci Chernoff is actively employed. Please note that this episode may contain paid endorsements and advertisements for products or services. Individuals on the show may have a direct or indirect financial interest in products or services referred to in this episode.

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4.7
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About

People are at the center of every business--or at least they should be. "Bringing the Human back to Human Resources" is a podcast hosted by Traci Chernoff, a Senior Director of HR, who has spent 10 years in critical HR leadership roles. Traci explores the delicate balance between people and business and destigmatizes what it means to be in "Human Resources".

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