Good Morning, HR

Hosted by Mike Coffey, SPHR, SHRM-SCP

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Oct 2026

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HR entrepreneur Mike Coffey, SPHR, SHRM-SCP engages business thought leaders about the strategic, psychological, legal, and practical implications of bringing people together to create value for shareholders, customers, and the community. As an HR consultant, mentor to first-stage businesses through EO’s Accelerator program, and owner of Imperative—Bulletproof Background Screening, Mike is passionate about helping other professionals improve how they recruit, select, and manage their people. Most thirty-minute episodes of Good Morning, HR will be eligible for half a recertification credit for both HRCI and SHRM-certified professionals. Mike is a member of Entrepreneurs Organization (EO) Fort Worth and active with the Texas Association of Business, the Fort Worth Chamber, and Texas SHRM.

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October 22, 2026Episode 27539 min

Resolving Workplace Conflict Before the Drama Gets Out of Hand with Amy McDowell & Sasha Vaikhman

In episode 275, Coffey talks with Amy McDowell and Sasha Vaikhman about resolving workplace conflict before it grows into a complaint, a resignation, or a lawsuit. ________________________ NEW! Sign up for the Good Morning HR Thursday News Brief to get a quick rundown of HR-related news items that caught Mike’s attention and read his take. Read this week’s and sign up for it here. ________________________ They discuss why workplace conflicts escalate when managers and HR avoid difficult conversations; how facilitated workplace conflict resolution differs from legal mediation and arbitration; when complaints involving harassment or discrimination belong with legal counsel instead of a facilitated conversation; how employers in Europe and Asia already use neutral facilitators to get ahead of employee disputes; running separate one-on-ones that let employees vent, feel heard, and see the impact on their team; the forward-looking question that turns a joint session into brainstorming instead of relitigating the past; modeling active listening and gently redirecting "always" and "never" language; why voluntary participation and employee buy-in drive lasting results; drafting a written agreement with specific, measurable behavioral commitments the employees create themselves; scheduling 30-day follow-ups and deciding upfront whether broken commitments carry consequences; how a documented reset supports progressive discipline without limiting the employer’s right to manage performance; what to do when the process ends in an impasse; and prioritizing facilitated resets for high-value, hard-to-replace employees so HR doesn’t become a full-time referee. For HR teams who discuss this podcast in their team meetings, we’ve created a discussion starter PDF to help guide your conversation. Download it here https://goodmorninghr.com/EP275 Good Morning, HR is brought to you by Imperative—Bulletproof Background Checks. For more information about our commitment to quality and excellent customer service, visit us at https://imperativeinfo.com. If you are an HRCI or SHRM-certified professional, this episode of Good Morning, HR has been pre-approved for half a recertification credit. To obtain the recertification information for this episode, visit https://goodmorninghr.com. About our Guest: Amy S. McDowell and Sasha Vaikhman are the co-founders of Inquiring Minds, a Houston practice providing workplace investigations, early employee conflict resolution, and HR training. Between them they have practiced more than 50 years as employment lawyers, much of it in-house in the energy sector - Amy at what was once Marathon Oil (now ConocoPhillips), and Sasha at Grizzly. Both are past Presidents of the American Petroleum Labor Lawyers Association (APLLA). Amy has spent over 25 years on sensitive workplace matters, from two-person disputes to large-scale investigations, and employers rely on her for findings that are thorough, fair, and defensible. Sasha brings nearly 25 years of legal experience, the last three of them in independent practice as a workplace investigator, alongside her separate litigation mediation practice at MediationMaven.com. The combination lets her approach conflict with rigor and empathy both. Together they’re a good balance. Amy is a soft-spoken diplomat; Sasha is tenacious, with an infectious laugh. Their company mascot is an octopus, because the octopus is a brilliant and creative problem solver (and modest). They don’t take themselves too seriously - just the work. Amy and Sasha can be reached at https://www.iminvestigations.com, https://www.linkedin.com/in/amy-mcdowell-8b3815124/ and https://www.linkedin.com/in/sasha-vaikhman-b08650101/ About Mike Coffey: Mike Coffey is an entrepreneur, licensed private investigator, HR consultant, and registered yoga teacher. In 1999, he founded Imperative, a background investigations and due diligence firm helping risk-averse clients make better people decisions. Imperative delivers in-depth employment background investigations, know-your-customer and anti-money laundering compliance, and due diligence investigations to more than 300 risk-averse corporate clients across the US, and, through its PFC Caregiver & Household Screening brand, hundreds more private estates, family offices, and personal service agencies. Imperative has been named a Best Places to Work, the Texas Association of Business’ small business of the year, and is accredited by the Professional Background Screening Association. Mike serves as a board member of a number of organizations, including the Texas State Council, where he serves Texas’ 30 SHRM chapters as State Director-Elect; Workforce Solutions for Tarrant County; the Texas Association of Business; and the Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce, where he is chair of the Talent Committee. Mike is a certified Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR) through the HR Certification Institute and a SHRM Senior Certified Professional (SHRM-SCP). He is also a Yoga Alliance registered yoga teacher (RYT-200) and teaches multiple times each week. Mike and his very patient wife of 29 years are empty nesters in Fort Worth. Learning Objectives: 1. Distinguish interpersonal workplace conflicts suited to facilitated resolution from complaints involving harassment, discrimination, or other potential legal claims that require counsel or an investigation. 2. Conduct one-on-one sessions that help employees feel heard and recognize how a conflict is affecting their team. 3. Facilitate a joint session using forward-looking questions so employees generate and own their solutions. 4. Draft a written conflict resolution agreement with specific, measurable behavioral commitments and scheduled follow-up. 5. Prioritize which workplace conflicts justify the time investment of a facilitated reset, including those involving high-value or hard-to-replace employees.

October 15, 2026Episode 27438 min

Data Analytics to Improve Workforce Management with Matt Taylor

In episode 274, Coffey talks with Matt Taylor about how employers can use the data already sitting in their HR and payroll systems to reduce turnover, manage risk, and make better decisions. They discuss how HRIS platforms, automation, and AI have made workforce analytics accessible to employers with as few as 25 employees; the compliance failures and costly employee turnover that most often convince business owners to start tracking people metrics; overlooked data in HRIS, payroll, and applicant tracking systems such as turnover by manager, PIP completion rates, and overtime trends; why inconsistent data entry undermines HR technology and the value of implementing systems with the end in mind; choosing the workforce metrics and KPIs that actually move the needle for a specific industry and workforce; structured 90-day onboarding goals and daily new hire check-ins as early indicators of engagement and quality of hire; how job description creep and remote work weaken employee connection and drive voluntary turnover; using knockout questions and applicant self-selection to improve quality of hire and reduce interview time; why one-on-one leadership conversations often yield more insight than employee engagement surveys; net promoter scores, values-based peer recognition, and EOS quarterly meetings that connect employees to company vision; and where AI agents can safely automate operational tasks and where human review remains essential for compliance and bias. For HR teams who discuss this podcast in their team meetings, we’ve created a discussion starter PDF to help guide your conversation. Download it here https://goodmorninghr.com/EP274 Good Morning, HR is brought to you by Imperative—Bulletproof Background Checks. For more information about our commitment to quality and excellent customer service, visit us at https://imperativeinfo.com. If you are an HRCI or SHRM-certified professional, this episode of Good Morning, HR has been pre-approved for half a recertification credit. To obtain the recertification information for this episode, visit https://goodmorninghr.com. About our Guest: Matt Taylor is President & CEO of Guardian HR, a people-first HR, payroll, and compliance partner that helps businesses simplify workforce management through expert guidance, employment law support, compliance services and integrated payroll solutions. Under his leadership, Guardian HR has helped organizations nationwide navigate the increasingly complex challenges of managing and supporting today’s workforce. With more than 20 years of experience in human resources and workforce management, Matt works closely with business owners, executives, and HR leaders on issues ranging from employment law compliance and employee relations to benefits strategy, payroll operations, and organizational growth. Matt can be reached at https://guardianhr.com/ and https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthewtaylorhr/ About Mike Coffey: Mike Coffey is an entrepreneur, licensed private investigator, HR consultant, and registered yoga teacher. In 1999, he founded Imperative, a background investigations and due diligence firm helping risk-averse clients make better people decisions. Imperative delivers in-depth employment background investigations, know-your-customer and anti-money laundering compliance, and due diligence investigations to more than 300 risk-averse corporate clients across the US, and, through its PFC Caregiver & Household Screening brand, hundreds more private estates, family offices, and personal service agencies. Imperative has been named a Best Places to Work, the Texas Association of Business’ small business of the year, and is accredited by the Professional Background Screening Association. Mike serves as a board member of a number of organizations, including the Texas State Council, where he serves Texas’ 30 SHRM chapters as State Director-Elect; Workforce Solutions for Tarrant County; the Texas Association of Business; and the Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce, where he is chair of the Talent Committee. Mike is a certified Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR) through the HR Certification Institute and a SHRM Senior Certified Professional (SHRM-SCP). He is also a Yoga Alliance registered yoga teacher (RYT-200) and teaches multiple times each week. Mike and his very patient wife of 29 years are empty nesters in Fort Worth. Learning Objectives: 1. Identify workforce metrics already available in HRIS, payroll, and applicant tracking systems that reveal turnover, performance, and compliance risk. 2. Select people metrics and KPIs tied to organizational objectives rather than collecting data without a defined purpose. 3. Design onboarding goals and check-ins that produce early, measurable indicators of new hire engagement and quality of hire. 4. Compare employee engagement surveys with direct leadership conversations as sources of reliable workforce insight. 5. Determine which tasks AI agents can automate safely and where human review must remain in place to manage compliance and bias risk.

October 8, 2026Episode 27340 min

The Myths, Facts, and Business Impact of Menopause

In episode 273, Coffey talks with Karissa Pfeffer about how perimenopause and menopause quietly drive attrition among experienced women and what employers can do to recognize, support, and retain them. – HRSOUTHWEST October 11-13, 2026 – Good Morning, HR listeners can use the promo code 2026-CoffeyGMHR-100 to save $100 on an HRSouthwest full conference registration at https://hrsouthwest.com ! ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- They discuss Karissa’s path from corporate finance at Rocket Mortgage to workplace menopause consulting after mistaking her own symptoms for burnout; the difference between perimenopause and menopause, typical onset ages, and surgical or chemically induced menopause; perimenopause symptoms like brain fog, poor word retrieval, fatigue, and hot flashes that undermine on-the-job performance; why managers misread perimenopause as burnout, disengagement, or declining performance in strong employees; the recognize, respond, refer framework that keeps managers supportive without diagnosing employees; how existing health plans, EAPs, and menopause benefit vendors often already cover what employees need; menopause accommodation laws and executive orders emerging in Illinois, Washington, Pennsylvania, Michigan, and the United Kingdom; the replacement cost of losing senior women leaders and why menopause support is a retention strategy rather than a wellness perk; using attrition data for women aged 35 to 55 to measure hidden workforce risk; low-cost first steps including ERG subgroups, manager training, and prescription coverage reviews for hormonal and non-hormonal therapies; and how the flawed 2002 Women’s Health Initiative study fueled two decades of fear about hormone replacement therapy. For HR teams who discuss this podcast in their team meetings, we’ve created a discussion starter PDF to help guide your conversation. Download it here https://goodmorninghr.com/EP273 Good Morning, HR is brought to you by Imperative—Bulletproof Background Checks. For more information about our commitment to quality and excellent customer service, visit us at https://imperativeinfo.com. If you are an HRCI or SHRM-certified professional, this episode of Good Morning, HR has been pre-approved for half a recertification credit. To obtain the recertification information for this episode, visit https://goodmorninghr.com. About our Guest: Karissa Pfeffer is a Workforce Menopause Consultant, Speaker, and Founder of Perimenopause Power. Drawing on more than 15 years in the finance industry, including seven years at Rocket Mortgage, she brings a business and financial lens to an often-overlooked workforce issue. Karissa helps organizations understand how perimenopause and menopause can affect retention, productivity, performance, and benefits utilization, translating women’s health challenges into measurable business impact. Her evidence-based programs equip employers with practical strategies to better support employees while strengthening workforce outcomes. Karissa has presented for organizations and professional audiences including the University of Michigan Workplace Mental Health Summit, the State of Michigan, and the National Association of Women in Construction. Karissa can be reached at Website: www.perimenopause-power.com Email: karissa@perimenopause-power.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/karissa-pfeffer/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/perimenopausepower/ About Mike Coffey: Mike Coffey is an entrepreneur, licensed private investigator, HR consultant, and registered yoga teacher. In 1999, he founded Imperative, a background investigations and due diligence firm helping risk-averse clients make better people decisions. Imperative delivers in-depth employment background investigations, know-your-customer and anti-money laundering compliance, and due diligence investigations to more than 300 risk-averse corporate clients across the US, and, through its PFC Caregiver & Household Screening brand, hundreds more private estates, family offices, and personal service agencies. Imperative has been named a Best Places to Work, the Texas Association of Business’ small business of the year, and is accredited by the Professional Background Screening Association. Mike serves as a board member of a number of organizations, including the Texas State Council, where he serves Texas’ 30 SHRM chapters as State Director-Elect; Workforce Solutions for Tarrant County; the Texas Association of Business; and the Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce, where he is chair of the Talent Committee. Mike is a certified Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR) through the HR Certification Institute and a SHRM Senior Certified Professional (SHRM-SCP). He is also a Yoga Alliance registered yoga teacher (RYT-200) and teaches multiple times each week. Mike and his very patient wife of 29 years are empty nesters in Fort Worth. Learning Objectives: 1. Distinguish perimenopause from menopause and identify symptoms commonly mistaken for burnout, anxiety, or disengagement. 2. Apply the recognize, respond, refer framework to support struggling employees without attempting to diagnose them. 3. Analyze attrition data for women aged 35 to 55 to estimate the organization’s menopause-related retention risk. 4. Evaluate existing health plan, EAP, and prescription benefits for gaps in hormonal and non-hormonal menopause treatment coverage. 5. Monitor emerging state menopause accommodation laws that may affect single-state and multistate employers.

October 1, 2026Episode 27245 min

Inclusive Recruiting Means Finding the Best Talent Available with Amie Fox

In episode 272, Coffey talks with Amie Fox about inclusive recruitment as a skills-first strategy — and why getting disability inclusion right across the hiring lifecycle unlocks better outcomes for all types of diverse talent. – HRSOUTHWEST October 11-13, 2026 – Good Morning, HR listeners can use the promo code 2026-CoffeyGMHR-100 to save $100 on an HRSouthwest full conference registration at https://hrsouthwest.com ! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ They discuss inclusive recruitment defined as removing intentional and unintentional barriers so the best-skilled candidate can move through the process without obstruction; honest, specific job descriptions that reflect actual role requirements rather than aspirational proxies and that allow unqualified candidates to self-select out; disability as the inclusion starting point — with the disability community twice as likely to be unemployed as non-disabled peers despite being frequently over-educated; the average $300 cost of a reasonable accommodation in the US and available government funding through state and county workforce boards to offset it; skills-based hiring as the most equitable screening approach because it focuses on demonstrable job-relevant competencies rather than credential proxies; AI and assistive technology as equalizers for candidates and employees with disabilities, enabling participation and independence in ways previously unavailable; designing the application process intentionally — including accessibility of job postings, assessments, and office environments — to remove barriers before the interview stage; how to handle disability disclosure in interviews, ask practical accessibility questions, and kick the elephant out of the room without legal risk; the medical model versus social model of disability and why moving past fear of offense is the key to unlocking genuine inclusion conversations; and onboarding as the most critical retention tool — including pre-start communication, 90-day planning, accommodations setup before day one, and maintaining connection so new hires know where the bathroom is. Good Morning, HR is brought to you by Imperative—Bulletproof Background Checks. For more information about our commitment to quality and excellent customer service, visit us at https://imperativeinfo.com. If you are an HRCI or SHRM-certified professional, this episode of Good Morning, HR has been pre-approved for three quarters of a recertification credit. To obtain the recertification information for this episode, visit https://goodmorninghr.com. ABOUT OUR GUEST Amie Fox is the Founder of A Fox Consulting, a trainer and keynote speaker who helps founders, HR and operations leaders in growing organisations build practical people systems that improve employee engagement, manager confidence, and business performance. She moved into this work after a portfolio career across communications, training, fundraising, corporate responsibility, and operations exposed her to how differently people experience workplaces. A key turning point was struggling to find early employment as a visually impaired woman, which shaped her understanding of hidden barriers, workplace design, and the importance of systems that help people perform at their best. Her credibility is grounded in recent and current roles: she set up A Fox Consulting, serves as a non-executive director at Vision Ireland, and has held senior CSR and operations roles at organisations including SCOPE Eyecare & Healthcare. Through her consulting, communications, fundraising, and inclusion work, she has contributed to projects with organisations such as McDonald’s, Telefonica, Deloitte, Novartis, Abbott, Newstalk, and John Sisk & Sons. Amie’s work is built around the employee life cycle as the foundation for better people performance. She supports leaders and managers through coaching, training, and mentoring designed to maximise employee engagement and performance across each stage of that life cycle. Her book Mind the Blind Spot: Decision to Done and her FoxBuzz framework are practical manifestations of her central thesis: when people feel good, they perform at their best — but that idea only becomes useful when translated into clear routines, structures, and systems that work in boardrooms and in daily operations. Amie can be reached at: Website: www.afox.ie LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amie-fox-a3420333/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/consultingafox/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@AFoxConsulting ABOUT MIKE COFFEY Mike Coffey is an entrepreneur, licensed private investigator, business strategist, HR consultant, and registered yoga teacher. In 1999, he founded Imperative (https://www.imperativeinfo.com/), a background investigations and due diligence firm helping risk-averse clients make well-informed decisions about the people they involve in their business. Imperative delivers in-depth employment background investigations, know-your-customer and anti-money laundering compliance, and due diligence investigations to more than 300 risk-averse corporate clients across the US, and, through its PFC Caregiver & Household Screening (https://pfcinformation.com/) brand, many more private estates, family offices, and personal service agencies. Imperative has been named a Best Places to Work, the Texas Association of Business’ small business of the year, and is accredited by the Professional Background Screening Association. Mike shares his insight from 25+ years of HR-entrepreneurship on the Good Morning, HR podcast (https://goodmorninghr.com/), where each week he talks to business leaders about bringing people together to create value for all stakeholders. Mike has been recognized as an Entrepreneur of Excellence by FW, Inc. and has twice been recognized as the North Texas HR Professional of the Year. Mike serves as a board member of a number of organizations, including the Texas State Council (https://texasshrm.org/), where he serves Texas’ 30 SHRM chapters as State Director-Elect; Workforce Solutions for Tarrant County (https://workforcesolutions.net/); the Texas Association of Business (https://txbiz.org/); and the Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce (https://www.fortworthchamber.com/), where he is chair of the Talent Committee. Mike is a certified Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR) through the HR Certification Institute and a SHRM Senior Certified Professional (SHRM-SCP). He is also a Yoga Alliance registered yoga teacher (RYT-200) and teaches multiple times each week. Mike and his very patient wife of 29 years are empty nesters in Fort Worth. LEARNING OBJECTIVES • Define inclusive recruitment as a skills-first, barrier-removal process and apply a five-stage framework — advertising reach, accessible information, application design, interview structure, and onboarding — to identify gaps in an existing hiring process. • Explain why disability inclusion serves as a foundation for broader inclusive hiring, and describe how accommodati...

September 24, 2026Episode 27146 min

HR News: The Court Calls Fireflies.ai to the Stand with Mallory Herrin

In episode 271, Coffey talks with Mallory Herrin about recent workplace news stories involving AI note-takers, executive accountability, sex discrimination, and performance feedback. –HRSOUTHWEST October 11-13, 2026 – Good Morning, HR listeners can use the promo code 2026-CoffeyGMHR-100 to save $100 on an HRSouthwest full conference registration at https://hrsouthwest.com! ____________________________________ They discuss how an AI meeting transcript became evidence in a gender discrimination lawsuit; why vague termination explanations invite employees to assume discriminatory intent; the admissibility and reliability of AI-generated transcripts in litigation; the board ouster of Better.com CEO Vishal Garg after $1.5 billion in losses; why leader behavior and judgment are legitimate, quantifiable performance criteria; an Arkansas hospital's loss in a sex discrimination case brought by a male surgical tech barred from deliveries; why bona fide occupational qualification defenses rarely survive inconsistent application; how third-party referral sources pressure employers into unlawful employment decisions; survey data showing 43% of managers entered employee names, performance details, or PII into public AI tools; the difference between consumer AI accounts and enterprise agreements with zero data retention; why AI chat logs are discoverable in employment litigation; the need for written AI policies, training, and HR support; why subjective feedback like "executive presence" fails employees; and why continuous real-time coaching beats annual performance reviews. For HR teams who discuss this podcast in their team meetings, we've created a discussion starter PDF to help guide your conversation. Download it here https://goodmorninghr.com/EP271 Good Morning, HR is brought to you by Imperative—Bulletproof Background Checks. For more information about our commitment to quality and excellent customer service, visit us at https://imperativeinfo.com. If you are an HRCI or SHRM-certified professional, this episode of Good Morning, HR has been pre-approved for half a recertification credit. To obtain the recertification information for this episode, visit https://goodmorninghr.com. About our Guest: Mallory Herrin is an experienced human resources consultant and industry recognized thought leader, serving as HerrinHR's CEO and Principal HR Consultant. She is a frequent speaker at HR conferences and the author of Intentional HR: A Revolution in Strategic Thinking. With over 20 years of HR experience, she holds certifications from both HRCI and SHRM. She is also the recipient of DallasHR's 2024 HR Executive of the Year Award - Small Company, and the 2025 Best Places to Work HR Impact award. Mallory is also the co-host of the fast-growing podcast 'Breakthrough with Mallory and Julie'. Mallory can be reached at: https://herrinhr.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/malloryherrin/ About Mike Coffey: Mike Coffey is an entrepreneur, licensed private investigator, HR consultant, and registered yoga teacher. In 1999, he founded Imperative, a background investigations and due diligence firm helping risk-averse clients make better people decisions. Imperative delivers in-depth employment background investigations, know-your-customer and anti-money laundering compliance, and due diligence investigations to more than 300 risk-averse corporate clients across the US, and, through its PFC Caregiver & Household Screening brand, hundreds more private estates, family offices, and personal service agencies. Imperative has been named a Best Places to Work, the Texas Association of Business’ small business of the year, and is accredited by the Professional Background Screening Association. Mike serves as a board member of a number of organizations, including the Texas State Council, where he serves Texas' 30 SHRM chapters as State Director-Elect; Workforce Solutions for Tarrant County; the Texas Association of Business; and the Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce, where he is chair of the Talent Committee. Mike is a certified Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR) through the HR Certification Institute and a SHRM Senior Certified Professional (SHRM-SCP). He is also a Yoga Alliance registered yoga teacher (RYT-200) and teaches multiple times each week. Mike and his very patient wife of 29 years are empty nesters in Fort Worth. Learning Objectives: 1. Evaluate the legal and evidentiary risks created by AI note-takers and meeting transcription tools in employment conversations. 2. Distinguish between subjective personality-based feedback and objective, actionable performance criteria that hold up under scrutiny. 3. Develop written AI use policies that protect confidential employee data and address the discoverability of chat records.

September 17, 2026Episode 27047 min

Employer Responses to Domestic Abuse with Mollie Campbell

In episode 270, Coffey talks with Mollie Campbell about how domestic abuse silently impacts the workplace and employers’ moral and business case for addressing it. – HRSOUTHWEST October 11-13, 2026 – Good Morning, HR listeners can use the promo code 2026-CoffeyGMHR-100 to save $100 on an HRSouthwest full conference registration at https://hrsouthwest.com ! ____________________________________ They discuss the prevalence of domestic abuse and why survivors are skilled at hiding it; the broad definition of domestic abuse; the workplace impact of domestic abuse on productivity, absenteeism, engagement, and retention; behavioral and physical warning signs managers can watch for — without diagnosing — and how to have a compassionate, open-door conversation that offers resources without overstepping; the critical importance of individualized employee safety planning when a protective order is in place; the tension between training managers to recognize warning signs and avoiding hypervigilance or over-diagnosis; the eight components of the Safe Place Workplace Program; and resources for survivors, including the National Domestic Violence Hotline , domesticshelters.org , and the Employers Against Domestic Abuse Alliance website . For HR teams who discuss this podcast in their team meetings, we've created a discussion starter PDF to help guide your conversation. Download it here https://goodmorninghr.com/EP270 Good Morning, HR is brought to you by Imperative—Bulletproof Background Checks . For more information about our commitment to quality and excellent customer service, visit us at https://imperativeinfo.com . If you are an HRCI or SHRM-certified professional, this episode of Good Morning, HR has been pre-approved for three quarters of a recertification credit. To obtain the recertification information for this episode, visit https://goodmorninghr.com . About our Guest: Mollie Campbell is a professional speaker, corporate trainer, and the Founder and CEO of Employers Against Domestic Abuse Alliance (The Alliance), a nationwide nonprofit organization dedicated to helping employers create workplaces where survivors of domestic abuse feel safe, seen, and supported. With more than 30 years of HR leadership experience spanning industries from healthcare to financial services, Mollie brings a rare combination of professional credibility and deeply personal insight to thetopic of domestic abuse in the workplace. As a survivor herself, she understands firsthand that the workplace can either be a lifeline for someone in crisis or a silent, complicit bystander. Through The Alliance’s signature Safe Place Workplace Program, Mollie partners with employers to implement meaningful policy, train managers and HR professionals, and establish referral systems that connect employees with life-saving resources. Her work bridges the gap between HR policy and human compassion, making the business case for employer engagement while never losing sight of the individual lives at stake. Mollie was a speaker at the SHRM Annual Conference & Expo (Orlando, June 2026), the Oklahoma SHRM Annual State Conference (Tulsa, April 2026), and will be a speaker at the Southwest HR Conference (Fort Worth, October 2026), and the Arkansas SHRM HR Conference & Expo (Hot Springs, October 2026). She has also presented for a variety of professional associations, nonprofit organizations, and corporate audiences across the region. Her message is direct: domestic abuse costs U.S. employers $8.3 billion annually, and most affected employees never speak up because no one told them it was safe to. Mollie is on a mission to change that, one workplace at a time. Mollie Campbell can be reached at: https://www.eadaa.org https://www.linkedin.com/in/mollie-campbell-1survivor/ About Mike Coffey: Mike Coffey is an entrepreneur, licensed private investigator, business strategist, HR consultant, and registered yoga teacher. In 1999, he founded Imperative , a background investigations and due diligence firm helping risk-averse clients make well-informed decisions about the people they involve in their business. Imperative delivers in-depth employment background investigations, know-your-customer and anti-money laundering compliance, and due diligence investigations to more than 300 risk-averse corporate clients across the US, and, through its PFC Caregiver & Household Screening brand, many more private estates, family offices, and personal service agencies. Imperative has been named a Best Places to Work, the Texas Association of Business’ small business of the year, and is accredited by the Professional Background Screening Association . Mike has been recognized as an Entrepreneur of Excellence by FW, Inc. and has twice been recognized as the North Texas HR Professional of the Year . Mike serves as a board member of a number of organizations, including the Texas State Council , where he serves Texas’ 30 SHRM chapters as State Director-Elect; Workforce Solutions for Tarrant County ; the Texas Association of Business ; and the Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce , where he is chair of the Talent Committee. Mike is a certified Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR) through the HR Certification Institute and a SHRM Senior Certified Professional (SHRM-SCP). He is also a Yoga Alliance registered yoga teacher (RYT-200) and teaches multiple times each week. Mike and his very patient wife of 29 years are empty nesters in Fort Worth. Learning Objectives: Define domestic abuse broadly — beyond physical violence — to include coercive control, emotional abuse, stalking, and financial manipulation, and explain why survivors often do not self-identify as victims. Identify the behavioral and performance warning signs that may indicate an employee is experiencing domestic abuse and describe how to initiate a compassionate, resource-focused conversation without overstepping appropriate boundaries. Outline the eight components of a Safe Place Workplace Program and identify at least three immediate steps an organization could take to begin creating a safer environment for survivors.

September 10, 2026Episode 26934 min

What 11,000 Undercover Interviews Reveal About Retention with Clint Pulver

In episode 269, Coffey talks with Clint Pulver about what 11,000 undercover employee interviews revealed about why people stay, why they leave, and what separates managers who are merely tolerated from the ones employees call mentors. – HRSOUTHWEST October 11-13, 2026 – Good Morning, HR listeners can use the promo code 2026-CoffeyGMHR-100 to save $100 on an HRSouthwest full conference registration at https://hrsouthwest.com ! ____________________________________ They discuss the gap between how leaders perceive their own organizations and the reality employees experience — and why employees rarely tell their boss the truth; the four manager archetypes — the removed manager, the buddy manager, the controller, and the mentor — mapped against the twin variables of standards and connection; mentorship over management as the consistent differentiator in organizations where people thrive and stay; the five Cs of mentorship — confidence, credibility, competency, candor, and care — and how each can be developed, not just inherited; why there is no universal retention formula and why getting to "the part about the individual" outperforms any generational strategy or workplace perk; the currency of recognition and why personalized, moment-based acknowledgment drives engagement far more than standardized rewards; the status check as a practical alternative to performance reviews — three questions that open a real conversation about what an employee needs, what's blocking their success, and what would keep them; why leaders who say they don't have time to connect are simply choosing other priorities, and what it costs them; and the difference between collaboration and control in difficult conversations, including how candor and trust work together when a manager can't give an employee what they're asking for. About our Guest: Clint Pulver is an Emmy Award winner, Hall of Fame Speaker, Pro Drummer and one of the world’s leading voices on employee retention and organizational culture. He’s the bestselling author of the book titled I Love It Here: How Great Leaders Create Organizations Their People Never Want to Leave and was named one of Business Q Magazine’s Top 40 Under 40 for his groundbreaking research as the Undercover Millennial. As founder and president of The Center for Employee Retention, he has helped organizations like the NBA, Microsoft, Red Bull, and NASA create engaged, loyal, and thriving workplaces. He’s also appeared on America’s Got Talent, acted in feature films alongside stars like Jack Black and Jon Heder, is an avid helicopter pilot, and—fun fact—is a proud member of the R2D2 Builders Club. He is also the president and founder of Dream Machines, a foundation that gives children with disabilities the gift and magic of flight. Clint strongly believes that a single moment in time can change a person’s life. He has traveled the world speaking to a wide spectrum of diverse audiences, challenging them to dream, excel, connect, and believe--both in themselves and in the power of others. His mantra? “It’s not about being the best in the world…it's about being the best FOR the world.” Clint Pulvert can be reached at: Your Website: | https://clintpulver.com/ LinkedIn: | https://www.linkedin.com/in/clintpulver/ Instagram: | https://www.instagram.com/clintpulver YouTube: | https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCpWB8oLO5HOjstE9gmL9Qxg About Mike Coffey: Mike Coffey is an entrepreneur, licensed private investigator, business strategist, HR consultant, and registered yoga teacher. In 1999, he founded Imperative , a background investigations and due diligence firm helping risk-averse clients make well-informed decisions about the people they involve in their business. Imperative delivers in-depth employment background investigations, know-your-customer and anti-money laundering compliance, and due diligence investigations to more than 300 risk-averse corporate clients across the US, and, through its PFC Caregiver & Household Screening brand, many more private estates, family offices, and personal service agencies. Imperative has been named a Best Places to Work, the Texas Association of Business’ small business of the year, and is accredited by the Professional Background Screening Association . Mike shares his insight from 25+ years of HR-entrepreneurship on the Good Morning, HR podcast, where each week he talks to business leaders about bringing people together to create value for all stakeholders. Mike has been recognized as an Entrepreneur of Excellence by FW, Inc. and has twice been recognized as the North Texas HR Professional of the Year . Mike serves as a board member of a number of organizations, including the Texas State Council , where he serves Texas’ 30 SHRM chapters as State Director-Elect; Workforce Solutions for Tarrant County ; the Texas Association of Business ; and the Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce , where he is chair of the Talent Committee. Mike is a certified Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR) through the HR Certification Institute and a SHRM Senior Certified Professional (SHRM-SCP). He is also a Yoga Alliance registered yoga teacher (RYT-200) and teaches multiple times each week. Mike and his very patient wife of 29 years are empty nesters in Fort Worth. Learning Objectives: Identify the four manager archetypes defined by the intersection of standards and connection, and explain the employee outcomes each one produces. Apply the five Cs of mentorship — confidence, credibility, competency, candor, and care — to assess and develop leadership capability in their own organization. Conduct a status check conversation using the three core questions that surface what employees need, what's blocking them, and what would keep them — and distinguish this approach from a traditional performance review or one-on-one.

September 3, 2026Episode 26837 min

Building a Conflict-Capable Organization with Jeff Lay

In episode 268, Coffey talks with Jeff Lay about what it means to build a conflict-capable organization, why artificial harmony is more dangerous than open disagreement, and how leaders can develop the skills and culture needed to handle difficult conversations before they become expensive problems. – HRSOUTHWEST October 11-13, 2026 – Good Morning, HR listeners can use the promo code 2026-CoffeyGMHR-100 to save $100 on an HRSouthwest full conference registration at https://hrsouthwest.com ! ________________ They discuss the concept of a conflict-capable organization as an alternative to the unrealistic goal of conflict elimination; the conflict incubator — how childhood environments and previous workplaces shape an individual's default conflict behaviors; artificial harmony versus genuine trust, and why silence in a meeting rarely signals agreement; the financial cost of unresolved conflict, including disengagement losses that don't show up on a P&L but function like money thrown in a fire; becoming fluent in the language of small things — addressing friction early before emotions escalate into "you always" and "you never" conversations; how a leader's response to the first person who raises conflict determines whether anyone ever raises it again; the challenge of coaching up when the conflict source is the leader themselves, and how HR can build the relational runway to do it; social media, generational change, remote work, and AI as compounding forces making productive conflict harder to navigate; emotional intelligence, humility, and curiosity as foundational leadership skills for conflict resolution; and the CURVE framework — cared for, understood, respected, valued, and empowered — as a diagnostic for organizational health. For HR teams who discuss this podcast in their team meetings, we've created a discussion starter PDF to help guide your conversation. Download it here https://goodmorninghr.com/EP268 Good Morning, HR is brought to you by Imperative—Bulletproof Background Checks . For more information about our commitment to quality and excellent customer service, visit us at https://imperativeinfo.com . If you are an HRCI or SHRM-certified professional, this episode of Good Morning, HR has been pre-approved for half a recertification credit. To obtain the recertification information for this episode, visit https://goodmorninghr.com . About our Guest: Jeff Lay is the Founder of The People Curve, a leadership and conflict resolution consulting practice focused on helping leaders and organizations navigate difficult conversations, strengthen workplace relationships, and build healthier cultures. With more than 25 years of leadership experience spanning nonprofit, ministry, and organizational leadership, Jeff has coached leaders through employee relations challenges, team conflict, organizational change, and workplace investigations. Jeff believes conflict is not something to avoid but a skill to develop. His work centers on helping organizations become conflict-capable—creating cultures where difficult conversations can be addressed with clarity, respect, and accountability. Jeff is a SHRM-SCP and frequent speaker for leadership teams, HR professionals, churches, and nonprofit organizations. He lives in East Texas with his wife and family and enjoys camping, reading, and cheering on the Dallas Cowboys Texas A&M football. Jeff Lay can be reached at: Website: | www.thepeoplecurve.com LinkedIn: | https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeff-lay-shrm-scp-09987a10 About Mike Coffey: Mike Coffey is an entrepreneur, licensed private investigator, business strategist, HR consultant, and registered yoga teacher. In 1999, he founded Imperative , a background investigations and due diligence firm helping risk-averse clients make well-informed decisions about the people they involve in their business. Imperative delivers in-depth employment background investigations, know-your-customer and anti-money laundering compliance, and due diligence investigations to more than 300 risk-averse corporate clients across the US, and, through its PFC Caregiver & Household Screening brand, many more private estates, family offices, and personal service agencies. Imperative has been named a Best Places to Work, the Texas Association of Business’ small business of the year, and is accredited by the Professional Background Screening Association . Mike shares his insight from 25+ years of HR-entrepreneurship on the Good Morning, HR podcast, where each week he talks to business leaders about bringing people together to create value for customers, shareholders, and community. Mike has been recognized as an Entrepreneur of Excellence by FW, Inc. and has twice been recognized as the North Texas HR Professional of the Year . Mike serves as a board member of a number of organizations, including the Texas State Council , where he serves Texas’ 31 SHRM chapters as State Director-Elect; Workforce Solutions for Tarrant County ; the Texas Association of Business ; and the Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce , where he is chair of the Talent Committee. Mike is a certified Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR) through the HR Certification Institute and a SHRM Senior Certified Professional (SHRM-SCP). He is also a Yoga Alliance registered yoga teacher (RYT-200) and teaches multiple times each week. Mike and his very patient wife of 29 years are empty nesters in Fort Worth. Learning Objectives: Distinguish between artificial harmony and genuine organizational trust, and identify the leadership behaviors that create each. Apply the "language of small things" approach to surface and address interpersonal friction before it escalates into formal conflict requiring HR or legal intervention. Assess the financial and cultural cost of unresolved workplace conflict and use that framing to make the business case for investing in manager training and conflict-capable culture.

August 27, 2026Episode 26750 min

HR News: AI Complaints, DEI Lawsuits, and Workplace Gossip with Catherine Clifton

In episode 267, Coffey talks with Catherine Clifton about AI-generated employee grievances, another lawsuit arising from a DEI training program, a Walgreens race and age discrimination case, and a Reddit scenario involving FMLA leave and workplace gossip. They discuss the rise of AI-generated employee grievances citing nonexistent laws and containing factual errors, and how employers should respond to them the same way they'd respond to any poorly written complaint; AI use by medical providers in ADA accommodation responses — including providers drawing conclusions that are legally the employer's to make; the danger of employees using AI to build one-sided cases that start with a conclusion rather than an objective analysis of facts; an EEOC lawsuit against Washington University in St. Louis arising from a DEI training that racially segregated participants over an employee's explicit objection, followed by elimination of her position after she filed an EEOC charge; the structural problems with demographic-based separation in DEI programming and the assumption that shared identity equals shared experience; the Walgreens case and the legal standard for comparators in race and age discrimination claims — including similar job, same decision-maker, comparable conduct, and disparate treatment; how summary judgment works and why consistent policy enforcement across all employees is the strongest defense against comparator arguments; the risk of employees not knowing what disciplinary action others have received, and how that gap fuels gossip and unfounded discrimination claims; and a Reddit scenario involving a coworker complaining about an FMLA-protected employee, a supervisor who deflects with "HR is aware," and how HR should respond to protect privacy while addressing cultural warning signs. For HR teams who discuss this podcast in their team meetings, we've created a discussion starter PDF to help guide your conversation. Download it here https://goodmorninghr.com/EP267 Good Morning, HR is brought to you by Imperative—Bulletproof Background Checks . For more information about our commitment to quality and excellent customer service, visit us at https://imperativeinfo.com . If you are an HRCI or SHRM-certified professional, this episode of Good Morning, HR has been pre-approved for half a recertification credit. To obtain the recertification information for this episode, visit https://goodmorninghr.com . About our Guest: Catherine has more than 20 years of experience specializing in employment law in Texas. She worked with multiple local governmental entities as an employment law attorney and also served as a legal advisor for public safety. She spent several years as an administrative services director, where she was responsible for Human Resources, Risk Management, and Payroll. She has advised clients on recruitment, selection, discipline, wage and hour, policies, and grievance matters, including federal and state laws related to labor and employment. Catherine also has experience with general municipal law, utility matters, public information, open meetings, and general governance matters. Catherine is a graduate of Southwestern University, obtained her JD from Texas Tech University. She is certified as a Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR). She joined Ross | Gannaway | Clifton, PLLC in 2022. Catherine can be reached at: https://www.gannawayclifton.law/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/rossgannawayclifton/ About Mike Coffey: Mike Coffey is an entrepreneur, licensed private investigator, business strategist, HR consultant, and registered yoga teacher. In 1999, he founded Imperative , a background investigations and due diligence firm helping risk-averse clients make well-informed decisions about the people they involve in their business. Imperative delivers in-depth employment background investigations, know-your-customer and anti-money laundering compliance, and due diligence investigations to more than 300 risk-averse corporate clients across the US, and, through its PFC Caregiver & Household Screening brand, many more private estates, family offices, and personal service agencies. Imperative has been named a Best Places to Work, the Texas Association of Business’ small business of the year, and is accredited by the Professional Background Screening Association . Mike shares his insight from 25+ years of HR-entrepreneurship on the Good Morning, HR podcast, where each week he talks to business leaders about bringing people together to create value for all stakeholders. Mike has been recognized as an Entrepreneur of Excellence by FW, Inc. and has twice been recognized as the North Texas HR Professional of the Year . Mike serves as a board member of a number of organizations, including the Texas State Council , where he serves Texas’ 30 SHRM chapters as State Director-Elect; Workforce Solutions for Tarrant County ; the Texas Association of Business ; and the Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce , where he is chair of the Talent Committee. Mike is a certified Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR) through the HR Certification Institute and a SHRM Senior Certified Professional (SHRM-SCP). He is also a Yoga Alliance registered yoga teacher (RYT-200) and teaches multiple times each week. Mike and his very patient wife of 29 years are empty nesters in Fort Worth. Learning Objectives: Apply a consistent, policy-grounded response protocol to AI-generated employee grievances — including clarifying conversations, documentation, and using complaints as opportunities to identify real underlying issues. Identify the legal elements of a valid comparator in a discrimination claim and explain why consistent enforcement of discipline across all employees is the most effective defense. Recognize the supervisor behaviors that signal cultural and legal risk — including deflecting accountability to HR and failing to redirect inappropriate peer complaints — and describe how HR can address them.

August 20, 2026Episode 26643 min

How HR is Leading AI Transformation at a Major Tech Firm with Brandon Sammut

In episode 266, Coffey talks with Brandon Sammut about how Zapier built its AI transformation from the inside out — and what HR leaders can learn from a fully remote, AI-native company that decided people and AI strategy belong in the same hands. They discuss the evolution of the Chief People Officer role into a Chief People and AI Transformation Officer and why HR is uniquely positioned to lead organizational transformation; AI transformation as one instance of organizational transformation, and why culture health and clarity of mission matter more than tool selection; Zapier's March 2023 "AI code red" as a high-contrast leadership communication strategy that didn't wait for perfect clarity before naming urgency; the importance of keeping accountability for business outcomes where it belongs while using a cross-functional Center of Excellence to provide enablement and remove friction; individual contributor identity and energy management challenges when AI eliminates tasks that provided meaning or cognitive reprieve; Zapier's customer support transformation — 50% faster resolution, higher satisfaction scores, 30-point employee engagement gains, and two entirely new types of work created from recovered human time; why AI-inflated application volume and homogenized resumes are making recruiting harder even as AI automates more of the process; Zapier's reference-heavy hiring model, which targets 50% of candidate signal from references including back-channel outreach, to counter AI-generated application fraud; the AI Fluency Framework — four competencies including strategy, growth mindset, builder skills, and accountability — used for both hiring and internal development; and why cross-person coordination is declining as individuals become more empowered, while human skills like psychological safety, feedback, and clarity become more important, not less. More information about Zapier’s AI fluency framework is available at: https://zapier.com/blog/raising-ai-fluency-bar-in-hiring/ For HR teams who discuss this podcast in their team meetings, we've created a discussion starter PDF to help guide your conversation. Download it here https://goodmorninghr.com/EP266 Good Morning, HR is brought to you by Imperative—Bulletproof Background Checks . For more information about our commitment to quality and excellent customer service, visit us at https://imperativeinfo.com . If you are an HRCI or SHRM-certified professional, this episode of Good Morning, HR has been pre-approved for half a recertification credit. To obtain the recertification information for this episode, visit https://goodmorninghr.com . About our Guest: brandon is the Chief People & AI Transformation Officer at Zapier—an AI orchestration platform powered by a fully-remote team across 40+ countries. Brandon specializes in building high-performing teams through talent and technology. He brings a diverse background spanning business development, finance, talent acquisition, talent development, education, and venture capital. Brandon Sammut is the Chief People & AI Transformation Officer at Zapier—an AI orchestration platform powered by a fully-remote team across 40+ countries. Brandon specializes in building high-performing teams through talent and technology. He brings a diverse background spanning business development, finance, talent acquisition, talent development, education, and venture capital. Brandon can be reached at LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/brandon-sammut-8147b76/ Website https://zapier.com/blog/author/brandon-sammut/ About Mike Coffey: Mike Coffey is an entrepreneur, licensed private investigator, business strategist, HR consultant, and registered yoga teacher. In 1999, he founded Imperative , a background investigations and due diligence firm helping risk-averse clients make well-informed decisions about the people they involve in their business. Imperative delivers in-depth employment background investigations, know-your-customer and anti-money laundering compliance, and due diligence investigations to more than 300 risk-averse corporate clients across the US, and, through its PFC Caregiver & Household Screening brand, many more private estates, family offices, and personal service agencies. Imperative has been named a Best Places to Work, the Texas Association of Business’ small business of the year, and is accredited by the Professional Background Screening Association . Mike shares his insight from 25+ years of HR-entrepreneurship on the Good Morning, HR podcast, where each week he talks to business leaders about bringing people together to create value for customers, shareholders, and community. Mike has been recognized as an Entrepreneur of Excellence by FW, Inc. and has twice been recognized as the North Texas HR Professional of the Year . Mike serves as a board member of a number of organizations, including the Texas State Council , where he serves Texas’ 31 SHRM chapters as State Director-Elect; Workforce Solutions for Tarrant County ; the Texas Association of Business ; and the Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce , where he is chair of the Talent Committee. Mike is a certified Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR) through the HR Certification Institute and a SHRM Senior Certified Professional (SHRM-SCP). He is also a Yoga Alliance registered yoga teacher (RYT-200) and teaches multiple times each week. Mike and his very patient wife of 29 years are empty nesters in Fort Worth. Learning Objectives: Explain why organizational culture health and mission clarity are more predictive of AI transformation success than tool selection or governance framework design. Apply the lesson of Zapier's customer support transformation to identify how recovered human time from AI automation can be reinvested in higher-value work rather than defaulting to headcount reduction. Evaluate the four competencies of Zapier's AI Fluency Framework — strategy, growth mindset, builder skills, and accountability — and assess how each applies to building an AI-ready workforce.