HR Mixtape

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Oct 2026

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HR Mixtape is a weekly human resources and business leadership podcast for HR professionals, people leaders, and executives navigating the real work of managing people. Episodes cover human resources strategy, HR compliance, workplace culture, leadership development, employee experience, payroll and HR technology, and the future of work. Whether you work in HR, talent management, people operations, or business leadership, HR Mixtape offers practical insights, expert conversations, and real-world perspectives to help you lead with confidence in today’s evolving workplace.

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October 20, 202627 min

Pizza Won't Save You: Daily Leader Habits That Keep People From Quitting

Most companies know turnover is expensive. Plenty of them still answer it with a pizza party on Friday and call that culture. Dr. Sharon Grossman, Retention Strategist at Turnkey Retention Solutions, spent years as a psychologist coaching people out of burnout before she turned to the problem companies would pay to fix. She wrote Don't Buy Their Lunch, Buy Their Loyalty and has taken the idea to the TEDx stage. In this episode, she breaks down: Why one-off perks and three-day retreats fade, and what a daily "slow drip" of leader behavior does in their place How her HABIT system (huddle, appreciation, barometer, improvement, and tracking) fits into 10 to 15 minutes at the start of every shift What happens when you plug salary and turnover rate into a simple cost formula, and why the result wakes leadership teams up Timestamps [00:02:40] Why companies wouldn't pay for burnout prevention but will pay to stop turnover [00:03:59] The pizza party problem: one-off perks that get mistaken for culture [00:05:11] Why a three-day leadership retreat fades unless people apply what they learned within 24 hours [00:09:05] Promoting top performers into management with no training, and the turnover it causes above and below them [00:12:20] The daily huddle: 10 to 15 minutes at the start of each shift, mostly spent on people [00:13:22] The anonymous smiley-face mood check that leaders say they value most [00:15:28] Asking "what do you need in order to do an even better job?" and coming back the next day with an answer [00:17:02] HABIT spelled out: huddle, appreciation, barometer, improvement, and tracking as one daily system [00:21:40] The workshop formula that turns your turnover rate into a dollar figure leadership can't ignore [00:24:30] Why AI will probably double managers' workloads instead of freeing up their time Guest Bio: Sharon Grossman, PhD, is a psychologist and industry expert dedicated to solving the employee retention crisis. With over 20 years of experience and a Doctorate from Fordham University, Dr. Grossman moves beyond surface-level perks—a philosophy captured in her book, Don’t Buy Their Lunch, Buy Their Loyalty and shared on the global TEDx stage. She specializes in translating complex psychological research into high-impact strategies that stabilize workforces and sharpen leadership decision-making. From the stage, Dr. Grossman empowers organizations to transform their culture before disengagement turns into attrition, ensuring that top talent doesn't just stay, but thrives. Brought to You by Paylocity: Paylocity is the fastest growing unified platform for HR, Finance, and IT. Paylocity brings your people, processes, and data together in one place so HR leaders can spend less time managing systems and more time doing the work that actually moves their organizations forward. Learn more at paylocity.com Keywords: employee retention, turnover cost, employee engagement, disengagement, leadership habits, daily huddles, employee recognition, peer recognition, manager training, new manager development, burnout, workplace culture, culture consistency, pulse surveys, HABIT system, performance habit system, Sharon Grossman, Don't Buy Their Lunch Buy Their Loyalty, AI and workload, HR Mixtape

October 13, 202615 min

The CEO's View: Toby Williams on AI and What's Next for HCM

Every HR leader is being told to adopt AI faster than they can evaluate it. The harder question isn't whether to use it. It's whether the company behind it can be trusted with the most sensitive data your organization has. Toby Williams, president and CEO of Paylocity, joined the company as CFO in 2017 and has led it through the busiest product launch stretch in company history, culminating in the release of Ignite AI. In this episode, he covers: Why Paylocity built Ignite Hub to give HR teams visibility and control over every AI agent running on the platform How client feedback on high volume recruiting led Paylocity to acquire the Grayscale application What happens to client data once AI enters the picture, and why it never trains outside models Timestamps [00:01:36] How a career spanning product and finance shaped Toby's focus on usability and integrated data [00:03:23] The one question every leader is asking right now about using AI productively [00:05:13] Inside Paylocity's busiest launch stretch in nine years, from Elevate and retirement to recruiting AI [00:06:00] Why Ignite Hub gives HR teams visibility into, and control over, every AI agent on the platform [00:07:22] Ignite AI utilization has doubled every quarter since launch, and what that signals about adoption [00:08:10] Why direct client conversations, not internal guesses, drive Paylocity's product roadmap [00:09:25] The recruiting pain point that led Paylocity to acquire the Grayscale application [00:11:41] Paylocity's direct answer to whether client data is ever used to train AI models [00:12:42] Why a great HCM platform still isn't enough without the service to back it up [00:14:22] The simple standard Toby uses to decide whether a new feature is worth shipping Guest Bio: As President and CEO at Paylocity, Toby is responsible for articulating Paylocity's vision, driving the company's go-to-market strategy, and ensuring operational excellence across the company. Key areas of focus include serving our clients, supporting our people and teams, capitalizing on our growth opportunities, and delivering our vision of a modern HCM platform. He joined Paylocity in 2017 as Chief Financial Officer before being promoted to President and Co-CEO in 2022. Most recently, he was named sole CEO in August 2024. Toby came to Paylocity with a breadth of software operating experience, most recently serving as Chief Product and Strategy Officer at global higher education software leader Ellucian. He also brings significant payroll and HCM industry experience, having led mergers, acquisitions and corporate development at Paychex from 2006 to 2011. He started his career as a securities and M&A lawyer in D.C. and New York and worked as an investment banker at Citigroup in New York. Toby earned a B.A. from Houghton College and an M.B.A and J.D. from Ohio State University. Brought to You by Paylocity: Paylocity is the fastest growing unified platform for HR, Finance, and IT. Paylocity brings your people, processes, and data together in one place so HR leaders can spend less time managing systems and more time doing the work that actually moves their organizations forward. Learn more at paylocity.com Keywords: AI in HR, Ignite AI, Paylocity, HCM technology, AI trust, data privacy, AI governance, HR technology leadership, recruiting AI, Grayscale acquisition, product roadmap, co-creation, AI adoption, client feedback, HR innovation, workforce technology, AI agents, data security, unified HCM platform, CEO leadership

October 6, 202627 min

Change the World Tuesday: Rethinking Recruiting for the Age of AI and Flexibility

Pay used to decide who took the job. Now the first question most candidates ask is whether they can work from home, and companies still writing postings around salary alone are losing candidates before anyone even applies. Myla Ramos, co-founder and CEO of SearchPros, built the company from a local Sacramento staffing firm into a nearly $175 million global managed service provider. She cut her company's time to hire by 45% using AI while keeping retention above 70%. In this episode, she covers: Why flexible job postings pull in 10 times more applicants than office-only roles, and why candidates will take 30% less pay to get it How SearchPros cut time to hire by 45% by pointing AI at candidates it already had, instead of chasing new ones What determines whether a new hire survives the first 90 days, and why Ramos calls it a two way responsibility Timestamps [00:01:10] Myla's early years making 200 calls a day, and the shift required to stop doing the job yourself so the company can scale [00:03:45] The origin of "Change the World Tuesday," SearchPros' internal term for rebuilding a broken process by the start of the next week [00:05:04] The widest gap between what employers say they want and what candidates actually bring to the table right now [00:08:41] What leaders get wrong about hiring and keeping Gen Z, beyond the usual complaints [00:09:21] Why SearchPros dropped its call and placement quotas in favor of measuring results [00:13:08] Why flexible postings draw 10 times more applicants than office-only roles, and why candidates will take 30% less pay for remote work [00:15:43] The real hiccups of adopting AI in recruiting, and why there's no single tool that does all of it [00:17:48] How SearchPros uses AI to mine a database of millions of existing resumes instead of chasing new candidate sources [00:19:44] Why an estimated 85% of applicants inflate their information, and the in-person interview SearchPros added to catch it [00:24:10] What actually determines whether a new hire survives the first 90 days, and why Ramos treats retention as a two way responsibility Guest Bio Myla Ramos is the CEO and Co-Founder of SearchPros, a full service provider of human capital and workforce solutions. A member of the 2024 SIA Global Power 150, Ramos has earned numerous leadership awards, including the Business Journals Most Admired CEO, Power 100, and Women Who Mean Business; and the National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO) Outstanding Women Leader of the Year. She is a finalist for the EY Entrepreneur of the Year award. Ramos is proudest of SearchPros' "Best Place to Work" recognition from numerous organizations, including Inc., the Sacramento Business Journal, and SIA. Brought to You by Paylocity Paylocity is the fastest growing unified platform for HR, Finance, and IT. Paylocity brings your people, processes, and data together in one place so HR leaders can spend less time managing systems and more time doing the work that actually moves their organizations forward. Learn more at paylocity.com Keywords: AI in recruiting, staffing industry, talent acquisition, Gen Z hiring, employee retention, flexible work, remote work, managed service provider, recruiter productivity, candidate experience, resume fraud, pay transparency, onboarding, contingent workforce, HR technology, time to hire, work from home, new hire retention

September 29, 202625 min

Speaking CFO: Winning the Budget Conversation with Finance

HR asks for a new system, more headcount, a bigger training budget. Finance says no. The instinct is to assume the idea wasn't good enough. John Sansoucie, Founder and CEO at CogNet, spent years as a CFO inside HR service companies and PEOs before he built his own business process outsourcing company, so he has sat on both sides of that budget table. In this episode, he covers: Why HR requests get denied even when they're worth funding, and what a CFO is actually listening for before approving a budget line How to turn a list of 28,000 possible metrics into the three numbers a CFO will remember What cost to serve measures and how to calculate it for any HR function Timestamps [00:01:05] John's path from CFO inside an HR outsourcing company to founding CogNet with his own former team [00:02:20] Why finance treats HR as a cost center, and the shift in language that changes that perception [00:03:18] What cost to serve actually measures and how to calculate cost per unit for HR work [00:04:04] Why John sent his newly promoted CPO 28,000 metrics, and how they got that down to three [00:05:14] The five-year cost of ownership question that ends most new software pitches [00:08:23] How John used to pitch the true cost of turnover to justify outsourcing deals [00:12:06] Why John cares more about losing star performers than his overall turnover rate [00:16:23] How to find a bestie in finance, and why that person is often junior [00:17:47] Why payroll gets scrutinized while performance management and open enrollment go unmeasured [00:22:41] Why HR doesn't have to choose between process discipline and automation Guest Bio: John Sansoucie is the Founder & CEO of CogNet, a global business process management company that helps HR service firms, staffing companies, and payroll providers scale their operations through specialized offshore teams and process automation. With more than 30 years of experience across payroll, HR technology, PEOs, and operational leadership, John brings a practical operator's perspective to conversations around HR operations, AI, and the future of work. Brought to You by Paylocity: Paylocity is the fastest growing unified platform for HR, Finance, and IT. Paylocity brings your people, processes, and data together in one place so HR leaders can spend less time managing systems and more time doing the work that actually moves their organizations forward. Learn more at paylocity.com Keywords: cost to serve, HR metrics, CFO relationship, finance and HR, business process outsourcing, HR outsourcing, turnover cost, cost per hire, regrettable turnover, HR budget, AI in HR, HR technology, process automation, Six Sigma, ISO 9001, offshore teams, PEO, payroll, workforce metrics, HR leadership

September 22, 20268 min

Leave Doesn't Wait: Managing Absence When Volume Rises and Headcount Doesn't

Leave of absence looks like paperwork until you're the one holding it. A request lands, and you're reading federal, state, local, and company policy against each other while an employee waits on an answer during the worst week of their year. Rachel Wyngaard, Senior Product Manager at Mitratech, worked in HR, talent acquisition, and recruiting before moving into product. She now leads the build and launch of Mitratech Leave, an AI-powered leave of absence intelligence platform. In this episode, she breaks down: Why leave requests keep climbing while HR headcount stays flat, and what that gap does to case quality How the tactical thing HR asks a vendor for differs from the root need sitting underneath it What changes when you design HR software for the worst day of the quarter instead of the ideal one Timestamps [00:00:16] Rachel's path from recruiting and talent acquisition into product leadership at Mitratech [00:01:01] The three problems running at once inside every leave case, and why only one of them is paperwork [00:01:41] The employee at the center of a leave case is living through surgery or a family emergency, not filing a request [00:02:14] Leave volume climbed for more than half of employers last year and staffing never followed [00:02:35] New and updated laws add qualifying reasons, stacking questions, and complexity to every single case [00:03:40] The gap between what HR asks a product team to build and what HR needs it to solve [00:04:11] What goes wrong when teams hand leave to an outside administrator, and why the liability stays home [00:05:29] Rachel's product rule: design for the most stressful version of the interaction [00:06:42] The one change small teams can make this quarter without buying anything [00:07:00] Headcount thresholds, new states, and a remote workforce that moves all change your leave obligations Guest Bio Rachel Wyngaard is a Senior Product Manager at Mitratech with a focus on building HR technology to solve real workforce problems. With deep roots in HR and talent acquisition, she brings both practitioner perspective and product expertise to the Leave of Absence space, and is currently leading the build and launch of Mitratech Leave, an AI-powered leave of absence intelligence platform. Brought to You by Paylocity Paylocity is the fastest growing unified platform for HR, Finance, and IT. Paylocity brings your people, processes, and data together in one place so HR leaders can spend less time managing systems and more time doing the work that actually moves their organizations forward. Learn more at paylocity.com Keywords: leave of absence, leave management, HR compliance, FMLA, state leave laws, absence management, leave administration, employee experience, HR technology, product management, talent acquisition, case management, compliance risk, small HR teams, remote workforce, multi-state employers, HR operations, AI in HR

September 15, 202616 min

Too Little Too Late: Why HR's Most Important Conversations Can't Wait

Retention sits near the top of almost every HR priority list. The main tool most organizations use to understand it is a conversation with someone who has already quit. Jim Link is the Chief Human Resources Officer at SHRM, the largest HR professional association in the world with more than 340,000 members. Before SHRM, he spent three decades in HR at GE, Porsche, and Randstad, where he held full HR accountability for a $5.2 billion business with up to 100,000 employees. In this episode, he covers: • Why the reasons your best performers stay are usually a different list from the reasons other people leave, and what that does to a retention plan built on exit data • How a written performance review becomes a static record that can work against the organization later, especially when the rating feeds a compensation formula • What SHRM's 2026 State of the Workplace report found about employee experience, including a 91% to 44% split in reported job satisfaction Timestamps [00:01:17] Turning the exit interview into a stay interview, and asking the people you want to keep what's keeping them there [00:01:38] Why leaders wrongly assume stay interviews will produce the mirror image of exit interview answers [00:02:22] Knowing one personal fact about every person on your team, and why that single connection changes how you manage [00:03:39] Separating performance ratings from compensation, and what happens when a 2.3 out of 5 turns into a .06% raise [00:05:39] How an overly glowing written review becomes a bad fact if the employee later exits under performance or restructuring [00:07:32] Employees and employers both know today's skills won't carry forward five years, which makes the gap solvable [00:09:10] The risk of cutting headcount before anyone in the organization understands what AI can actually do [00:12:02] What separates organizations moving the needle on manager development from the ones running the same programs every year [00:13:48] SHRM research showing 91% job satisfaction where workplace needs get addressed, against 44% where they don't [00:15:29] Treating stress and burnout as an organizational liability a CHRO is expected to manage Guest Bio Jim Link is the Chief Human Resources Officer for SHRM. With more than 340,000 members around the world, SHRM is the largest HR professional association in the world and the leading voice for matters related to workers and the workplace. Prior to joining SHRM, Link's career included roles of increasing responsibility across a variety of industries and companies including General Electric, the Pillsbury Company, Porsche Cars, and Randstad. While at Randstad North America, he led a global team of 150 HR professionals who were instrumental in transforming the company into an award-winning, inclusive, and sustainable global leader. Link consistently demonstrates dynamic and visionary thought leadership with a variety of presentations focusing on the interconnection between effective human capital management and business results. Brought to You by Paylocity Paylocity is the fastest growing unified platform for HR, Finance, and IT. Paylocity brings your people, processes, and data together in one place so HR leaders can spend less time managing systems and more time doing the work that actually moves their organizations forward. Learn more at paylocity.com Keywords: stay interviews, exit interviews, employee retention, performance management, continuous feedback, compensation strategy, internal mobility, upskilling, AI in the workplace, critical thinking skills, manager development, middle managers, employee experience, State of the Workplace, burnout, workplace stress, SHRM, CHRO, HR leadership, talent strategy

September 8, 202612 min

Work Slop: What SHRM's Research Says About AI Guardrails and the Skills Gap

A little less than half of workers now use AI regularly on the job. Of that group, 44% admit the output looks finished on the surface and holds nothing underneath. SHRM has a name for it: work slop. Dr. James Atkinson is VP of Thought Leadership at SHRM, where he leads the research teams behind that finding. He spent nine years at Gartner, finishing as Managing Vice President of Data Products for its HR research practice, and ran data products at Payscale before joining SHRM. James walks through SHRM's Skills Revolution research in this conversation. Read the full report here: https://www.shrm.org/topics-tools/research/skills-revolution-preparing-employees-tomorrows-jobs In this episode, he covers: • Why CFOs approve people investments framed as productivity gained and cost avoided, and why SHRM's navigating the C-suite research found finance leaders want that case backed by workforce data • How 44% of AI users admit to producing work slop, and where HR can step in to define what good output looks like • What SHRM's Skills Revolution research says about learning and development systems that can't track how fast skills are changing Timestamps [00:01:01] Why the labor market is uneven rather than hot or cold, and why the last two months shouldn't set your expectations [00:01:51] Healthcare keeps adding jobs as the population ages while federal employment declines and local government picks back up [00:03:13] Framing a people investment as a business opportunity with a productivity number and a cost number attached [00:04:49] SHRM's navigating the C-suite research: CFOs want the ROI spelled out and backed by workforce data [00:05:34] Turnover as the metric finance already understands, because a role sitting empty is a day of lost productivity [00:06:11] Ask your executives how they want to be presented to before you build the deck [00:06:48] Just under half of workers use AI regularly, and 44% of them admit to producing work slop [00:07:28] Why AI needs guardrails and how managers become the people who say what good looks like [00:09:12] The Skills Revolution research: skills are changing faster than learning and development systems can follow [00:11:10] Why skills inventories still haven't replaced job descriptions, and what might finally move that Guest Bio James Atkinson is the VP, Thought Leadership at SHRM, where he leads research teams uncovering key insights on the challenges and trends affecting HR and the workplace. James joined SHRM with more than 15 years of research, data, and product experience, having spent a decade in various leadership roles within the HR industry. Prior to SHRM, James was the Vice President of Data Products at Payscale, where he was responsible for the overall strategy, development, and delivery of data products for compensation professionals. He also spent 9 years at Gartner, finishing his tenure there as the Managing Vice President of Data Products for the HR research and advisory practice. Across his career, his teams have created award-winning research and data products for HR executives and their teams on topics including learning and development, total rewards, recruiting, talent management, HR strategy, HR technology, and diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging. This work has been featured in top business journals and media outlets such as Harvard Business Review, Wall Street Journal, and Forbes. James holds a PhD in Political Science from the University of Michigan and an MBA from Ohio State University. Brought to You by Paylocity Paylocity is the fastest growing unified platform for HR, Finance, and IT. Paylocity brings your people, processes, and data together in one place so HR leaders can spend less time managing systems and more time doing the work that actually moves their organizations forward. Learn more at paylocity.com Keywords: SHRM research, labor market outlook, work slop, AI guardrails, HR ROI, CFO conversations, workforce data, skills revolution, learning and development, career development, employee attrition, talent retention, healthcare hiring, HR strategy, skills inventory, job descriptions, people analytics, workforce planning, HR Mixtape

September 1, 202618 min

Vibe Teaming: How HR Turns AI Experiments into Real Adoption

Most HR teams have already run their AI experiments. A pilot here, a policy draft there. Turning that scattered activity into something people actually use on a Tuesday is a completely different problem. In this episode: Why the biggest available gains from AI now come from teams working with it together, not individuals getting better at prompting How to pick a first project by finding the rock in your shoe instead of announcing a sweeping overhaul nobody asked forWhat the three Cs (crisis, commitment, and conflict) tell you about where AI should never touch an employee interaction Timestamps [00:01:52] What an AI catalyst actually does inside an HR function, and why the job changed from building fluency to driving adoption [00:02:49] Why HR teams that feel behind on AI are not, and what the range across SHRM's membership really looks like [00:03:53] Finding the rock in your shoe, and why the most annoying problem beats the most sophisticated one as a starting point [00:07:29] Nichol's dictation method for getting a model to write her prompts, including asking for a McKinsey-style or Fast Company-style prompt [00:08:15] How vibe teaming works, including the AI wrangler role, the facilitator role, and the transcript loop that feeds the group's corrections back in [00:10:08] The loneliness problem created by heavy individual AI use, and the 70-page proposal exchange that illustrates it [00:11:22] Over 44% of people use AI daily and nearly as many run into work slop daily, and what a biweekly team session does about it [00:12:44] Eight executive assistants who used vibe teaming remotely to redesign how their C-suite works together [00:15:09] The three Cs guardrail: crisis, commitment, and conflict are the moments to keep AI out of entirely [00:17:19] Why people can always tell whether a real human was on the other side, even when they can't identify AI-generated text Guest Bio Nichol Bradford is a futurist, investor, and executive with more than 20 years across technology and human potential. Her mission is to strengthen humanity's mental, emotional, and social health (MESH) as the foundation for innovation and progress. She reaches over 100,000 people annually through thought leadership and public speaking, including TEDx. As SHRM's AI + HI Executive-in-Residence, Bradford shapes global strategies that reach 362 million workers and their families through 340,000 HR professionals in 180 countries. In June 2025 she founded and launched Human Tech Week, which drew 250 speakers and more than 1,200 attendees in its first year. That event grew out of TransformativeTech.org, the global community she co-founded and built to members in 72 countries. She also co-founded Niremia Collective, a venture fund backing the future of human potential. Bradford works at the seam between advanced technology and deep human need, with a focus on human-centered AI adoption. Before this, she operated World of Warcraft in China. Today she runs the largest network for human potential technology. Brought to You by Paylocity Paylocity is the fastest growing unified platform for HR, Finance, and IT. Paylocity brings your people, processes, and data together in one place so HR leaders can spend less time managing systems and more time doing the work that actually moves their organizations forward. Learn more at paylocity.com Keywords: AI adoption in HR, responsible AI, vibe teaming, collective intelligence, work slop, AI guardrails, human potential, SHRM, AI catalyst, HR technology, team productivity, prompting, talent acquisition AI, performance management, employee experience, change management, workforce wellbeing, human-centered AI, Nichol Bradford, HR Mixtape

August 25, 202623 min

Excess Deference: The Retirement Plan Role HR Often Gets Wrong

Most HR professionals treat the annual retirement plan review like a status update. The advisor presents, the team nods, and everyone gets back to the work they actually understand. The plan keeps running. Probably. Andrew Farrell, Retirement Plan Advisor at North County Wealth, has spent 20 years working with businesses on plan design, compliance, and the advisor relationship. He's watched the same dynamic play out across organizations of every size: HR teams that know everything about their company but defer entirely on the plan. In this episode, he breaks down: Why HR is already a subject matter expert in the room, and how to use that expertise to get more out of every advisor meeting How to draw a clear line between what HR should own and what should get handed off the moment it leaves the building Why missed payroll contributions are the most common retirement plan compliance failure, and the simple calendar habit that catches them before they become a problem Timestamps [00:00:39] Where HR's ownership starts in the retirement plan decision chain, from matching rates to enrollment [00:02:00] Why getting employees enrolled early is HR's most impactful retirement plan move, and why starting late is the primary headwind in savings [00:03:32] When auto-enrollment creates more administrative burden than it's worth, and the specific scenario where high turnover changes the math [00:05:08] The "excess deference" dynamic: why HR professionals hand over authority in advisor meetings they should be keeping [00:06:17] Why your plan advisor needs your company knowledge as much as you need their 401(k) expertise, and what a conversation of equals actually looks like [00:07:00] Asking your advisor to teach you something, and why using their availability is part of what you're paying for [00:08:18] The front door rule: what HR should own in plan administration and what to hand off the moment it leaves the building [00:11:19] Why missed payroll contributions are the most common compliance failure, and how to build the redundancy and calendar checks that catch them [00:15:38] Why "no" is a valid answer when your advisor pitches new plan features, and the ongoing operational cost of adding any bell or whistle [00:18:40] What "fiduciary" actually means, how to know if you're a named one, and the four primary duties that come with it Brought to You by Paylocity Paylocity is the fastest growing unified platform for HR, Finance, and IT. Paylocity brings your people, processes, and data together in one place so HR leaders can spend less time managing systems and more time doing the work that actually moves their organizations forward. Learn more at paylocity.com Keywords: 401k, 403b, retirement plan, fiduciary responsibility, HR compliance, auto-enrollment, plan advisor, payroll contributions, benefit design, retirement savings, plan document, financial wellness, employee benefits, retirement readiness, plan sponsor, benefits administration, excess deference, contribution timing, investment liability, HR strategy

August 18, 202622 min

The Disengagement Tax: Turning Employee Listening into Revenue

Most founders treat culture as a launch-phase item: define the values, hire people who believe in the mission, and trust that early momentum carries it forward. It does, for a while. But as the team grows, the distance between the CEO and the day-to-day experience of employees widens quietly, and the gap between what's on the website and what employees actually live starts to show. Jeannie Kidera, CEO of Kidera Culture Consulting, uses Gallup-backed research methods to help mission-driven companies turn employee listening data into concrete leadership action. Her practice is built on one argument she's made dozens of times: culture isn't a morale issue, it's a revenue line. In this episode, she covers: Why the disengaged employee who stays costs up to 34% of their annual salary every year, a figure that outweighs the turnover number most HR leaders already track How to translate an engagement argument into a money argument, and why that reframe is the most important skill an HR leader can bring to a C-suite conversation What a 90-day culture improvement plan actually looks like: the Gallup 12, one focused pain point, a pulse survey, and an action plan communicated back to employees so change is visible Timestamps [00:01:19] How teaching literature, and specifically asking "what's the subtext," directly maps to the skills needed for employee listening and interpreting between employees and leaders [00:03:33] The four Gallup stats every HR leader should have ready: 23% higher profitability, 20% higher sales, 17% greater productivity, and 10% higher customer loyalty in top-quartile engagement companies [00:05:01] The most common culture mistake founders make without realizing it: assuming that hiring mission-aligned people is enough to sustain and build culture as the company scales [00:06:00] Why rapid growth forces founders to look outward, creating a belief that culture is a soft part of business strategy rather than a direct revenue driver [00:06:42] The Gallup stat that rarely makes it into culture conversations: a disengaged employee who stays costs up to 34% of their annual salary every year, and that number compounds across teams [00:08:16] Why responding to employee survey data matters far more than collecting it, and why ignoring results is actually worse for engagement than not asking at all [00:11:28] How internal communication functions as a core component of employee experience, including why word choice, "subordinates" versus "team members," alters both morale and culture [00:12:15] How to turn an empathy-based engagement argument into a money argument, and the Gallup stat that should anchor every culture conversation with leadership [00:15:39] What it actually takes to live your company values: leadership modeling, public acknowledgment, values alignment assessments, and policies that match what you say you believe [00:18:31] Jeannie's 90-day culture improvement plan: start with the Gallup 12, identify one pain point, run a focused pulse survey, build an action plan with named owners and deadlines, and communicate it back to employees Brought to You by Paylocity Paylocity is the fastest growing unified platform for HR, Finance, and IT. Paylocity brings your people, processes, and data together in one place so HR leaders can spend less time managing systems and more time doing the work that actually moves their organizations forward. Learn more at paylocity.com Keywords: employee engagement, Gallup research, culture consulting, employee experience, mission-driven companies, startup culture, culture as revenue driver, disengagement cost, values alignment, internal communications, employee listening, 90-day culture plan, action planning, pulse surveys, people analytics, retention, people-first culture, culture ROI, HR leadership, founder culture