AI Risks in HR: Bias, Leadership Buy-In, and Employee Trust
What happens when an executive quietly outsources performance reviews to ChatGPT? Or when your C-suite is loudly preaching about AI adoption while refusing to touch the tools themselves? In this episode, I sit down with Talk HR to Me columnist and Head of People at Quantum Metric, Alana Fallis, to tackle real listener questions in a live advice-column format.We dig into the messy realities of AI in the workplace—from misplaced trust in automated reviews, to the awkward theater of “innovation” at the executive level, to the human side of employee fears around automation. And yes, we even unpack the HR dilemma of whether an employee in recovery should be allowed to stock the breakroom fridge with non-alcoholic beer.Related Links:Join the People Managing People community forumSubscribe to the newsletter to get our latest articles and podcastsConnect with Alana on LinkedInCheck out Quantum MetricTalk HR to MeSupport the show
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From Layoffs to Loyalty: Building Alumni Networks That Work
Layoffs are often treated like a dirty secret—a rushed, impersonal process designed to move people out the door with as little friction as possible. But the way you offboard employees says just as much about your company culture as the way you welcome them in. In this episode, I sit down with Jena Dunay, founder of Recruit the Employer and host of Culture Uncovered, to talk about how organizations can approach layoffs, exits, and alumni relations with dignity—and why that matters more than ever.We dig into the bad habits that keep companies scrambling at the eleventh hour, the power of communication over cash, and why alumni networks and boomerang employees should be a core part of your talent strategy. Offboarding isn’t just the end of the employee lifecycle—it’s the part that makes the circle whole.Related Links:Join the People Managing People community forumSubscribe to the newsletter to get our latest articles and podcastsConnect with Jena on LinkedInCheck out Recruit the Employer and Culture Uncovered PodcastSupport the show
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Beyond Corporate Astrology: The Science and Strategy of Personality Assessments in Hiring
If you’ve ever sat through a personality test during hiring and thought, “This feels a bit like corporate astrology”—you’re not wrong. In this episode, I talk with Jason Hreha, Founder & CEO of Persona, about why so many workplace assessments are built on outdated theories and questionable science, and how to separate the gimmicks from the tools that actually help you hire better. We dig into what reliability and predictive validity really mean, why they’re non-negotiables for any credible test, and where most HR teams go wrong in applying behavioral science to talent decisions.Jason also shares his work on a new leadership-focused assessment that aims to measure two very different—but equally valuable—leadership archetypes: transformational and operational. From structuring interviews to making personality data a meaningful (but not overblown) part of your hiring process, this conversation is a crash course in evidence-based talent evaluation.Related Links:Join the People Managing People community forumSubscribe to the newsletter to get our latest articles and podcastsConnect with Jason on LinkedInCheck out Persona and Jason’s websiteSupport the show
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Redefining Engagement in a Post-Trust Era
The word “engagement” gets thrown around a lot—but what does it really mean in today’s workplace? In this candid, first-half conversation with Kamaria Scott, industrial-organizational psychologist and founder of Enetic, we take a hard look at how the definition of engagement has drifted, how the psychological contract between employees and employers has frayed, and why trust is harder to come by in the aftermath of layoffs, AI hype, and corporate euphemisms.Kamaria brings the receipts. From the history of engagement theory to the real human consequences of gig work and bad layoffs, she unpacks what it means to create work that actually matters—and why loyalty isn’t what it used to be. This episode sets the stage for a broader dialogue about how we redefine value, trust, and meaning in a world of accelerating automation and shrinking safety nets.Related Links:Join the People Managing People community forumSubscribe to the newsletter to get our latest articles and podcastsConnect with Kamaria on LinkedInCheck out Enetic and Manager Momentum Operating SystemSupport the show
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No Secrets, No Surprises: Inside a Firm with 15 Years of Open Books
Most leaders assume that transparency around pay and finances will sow discord or fuel envy. Mel Price is living proof that the opposite is possible. As co-founder and CEO of Work Program Architects, she’s spent the last 15 years running a firm with full salary and financial transparency—by design, not by accident. The result? A company where people understand how money moves, why decisions are made, and how their own work ladders up to business outcomes.In this episode, we talk about what it really takes to implement radical transparency—from open books and compensation committees to staff-run hiring and contract signing. Mel shares what she's learned from building a distributed leadership model where every employee is given the tools and data to think (and act) like an owner.Related Links:Join the People Managing People community forumSubscribe to the newsletter to get our latest articles and podcastsConnect with Mel on LinkedInCheck out Work Program ArchitectsSupport the show
The People Managing People podcast equips forward-thinking leaders to thrive in the AI era—reshaping teams, systems, and strategy without losing what makes work human. Hosted by David Rice, each episode brings real-world insights from innovators, executives, and people leaders on topics like AI in practice, people-first leadership, performance systems, and workplace culture.
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