Why balance is the new hustle with Mai Ton

In this episode, Rhys and guest Lauren Razavi explore the world of living as a digital nomad. Lauren has been nomadic since 2013, and is the author of Global Natives, a book about the past, present and potential of work from anywhere. Lauren is also the VP of Communications at SafetyWing, an insurance platform for digital nomads. In this episode, Lauren and Rhys discuss what it would mean to build a country on the Internet, how companies can think about remote and flexible work, and why work from anywhere is the future.

This podcast episode was produced by Quill.

Rajeeb Dey calls himself an ‘accidental entrepreneur.’ After starting a venture to help give students a voice in their education when he was 17, he’s gone on to launch a national entrepreneurship competition with the government of Britain, and founded Learnerbly, a curated online learning platform that helps organizations make learning part of their culture. He and Rhys have an interesting and enlightening conversation about why continuous learning is so important in the age of AI, the importance of upskilling, and how businesses can foster learning and development. 

This podcast episode was produced by Quill.

What does it mean to ‘neurodiversify’ the workplace, and more importantly, why is it important? In this episode, Rhys sits down with Conner Reinhardt, COO @ Mentra, to help answer those questions. Conner and the Mentra team help neurodivergent jobseekers find employers that value their unique skills, and also help educate PeopleOps teams about neurodiversity. Join Rhys and Conner for an educational chat about embracing neurodiversity in the workplace, what PeopleOps leaders can do to create welcoming workplaces for all, and how Mentra is changing and shaping the conversation. 

Welcome back to New World of Work! In this episode, Rhys sits down with Ivori Johnson, Interim Head of People, Talent, and DEIB at ChartHop, for a discussion on influencing and convincing C-suite executives of the value and importance of the PeopleOps function. They will discuss making a clear case for the value of the function, especially in remote/hybrid environments, how Ivori uses her DEIB background to be an effective leader, and the PeopleOps ‘PR’ problem. Ivori will share her strategies for helping to position the PeopleOps function as the ‘hero’ of the workplace and effectively communicate its advantages to C-suite executives. 

This podcast episode was produced by Quill.

In this episode, Rhys interviews Amy Spurling, founder, and CEO @ COMPT. COMPT is an all-in-one innovative reimbursement platform that is revolutionizing benefits. Not a vendor platform by design, Amy and her team built COMPT to allow organizations to offer truly personalized benefits and stipends. Rhys and Amy dive into why personalization is the way to optimize benefits, especially for a distributed workforce, and how COMPT supports local vendors. Rhys asks Amy if benefits and stipends can ever become too flexible, and how managers can balance that tension. They also explore how personalization has improved benefits offerings outside of the tech industry. 

This podcast episode was produced by Quill.

In this episode, Rhys sits down with Massella Dukuly, Head of Workplace Strategy + Innovation @ Charter. With over a decade of experience collaborating with PeopleOps leaders to enhance organizational effectiveness, Massella emphasizes the impact that a robust and trusting relationship between PeopleOps and employees can have. The repercussions of a breakdown in these relationships are felt throughout the entire organization, highlighting the need for PeopleOps leaders to find solutions and prevent such breakdowns from occurring in the first place. Rhys and Massella delve into strategies to restore and repair these relationships and unveil ways to cultivate a work environment with engaged employees who fuel organizational performance.

This podcast episode was produced by Quill.

Welcome back to a new season of New World of Work! In the inaugural episode of season 4, Rhys sits down with Yen Tan, Co-Founder @ Kona, a Slack integration that allows managers to track morale across their teams. Yen and their co-founders started Kona in their dorm rooms after having a bad experience working remotely and knew something had to change. Since January 2020, they’ve interviewed over 800 leaders to discover their pain points when managing remote teams and built Kona to solve them. In this episode, Rhys and Yen discuss how to keep remote teams motivated during hard times, strategies for improving retention and morale among remote workers, and empowering middle managers to catch burnout early. 

Download Kona's new Remote Manager Survival Guide 2023

Check out Kona’s Burnout Report 

Learn more about Employee Disillusment with Oyster’s Disillusionment Report 

This podcast episode was produced by Quill.

As we learn to navigate this new world of work, one topic that’s become a hot-button issue for many organizations is navigating parenthood in the workplace. Juggling a full-time job while raising children is no easy feat, and it’s not always easy to predict what tomorrow will look like—especially for busy working moms. In this special panel episode of New World of Work, Rhys sits down with three working moms to get their perspective on navigating motherhood in the workplace today. Featuring Kim Rohrer, Principal People Partner at Oyster, Lisa Kennelly, Global Product Marketing Strategist at Klarna, and Lucia Aguilar, Founder of TATAM Digital Influencer Marketing, the panel discussion covers how PeopleOps leaders can best support parents in the workplace, why a flexible approach is key, and much more.

Download your free copy of Oyster’s Employee Expectations Report.

We want to hear from you! Please take a moment to share your thoughts on the New World of Work Listener Survey.

This podcast episode was produced by Quill.

From mass layoffs to sky-high inflation, we’ve all seen the devastating impacts of economic turbulence. During times of economic uncertainty, just keeping the organization afloat can be a tall order for many leaders. As a result, companies often put crucial initiatives like diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) efforts on the back burner—despite their best-laid plans. In this episode, Rhys explores how PeopleOps leaders can take steps to prevent this from happening and instead continue prioritizing DEI initiatives throughout times of economic turbulence. He sits down with Manjuri Sinha, Global Director of Talent Acquisition, Employer Branding & Onboarding at OLX Group to hear her perspective on the topic. She shares some of her expert tips and strategies for staying committed to DEI during a recession, including tangible action steps you can put in practice in your role. 

Download your free copy of Oyster’s Employee Expectations Report.

We want to hear from you! Please take a moment to share your thoughts on the New World of Work Listener Survey.

This podcast episode was produced by Quill.

During turbulent times, the leaders who are able to embody agility, adaptability, and perseverance will thrive—and so will the organizations they lead. One way to do this effectively is by leaning into the practice of scenario planning, which is one of the topics Rhys covers in this episode along with his guest, Maggie Kolkena. Rhys and Maggie discuss why scenario planning is a critical component of strategic or annual planning, and how organizations can optimize the practice for success. Maggie has been studying leadership development for 25 years, and as a result, knows all about the makings of a great leader and how they tackle effective scenario planning. She’s the Founder of Third Thought consulting, and she also recently wrote the book Today for Tomorrow: A Field Guide to Scenario Planning. During the episode, Maggie shares her words of wisdom on leadership, scenario planning, and the future of work. 

Download your free copy of Oyster’s Employee Expectations Report.

We want to hear from you! Please take a moment to share your thoughts on the New World of Work Listener Survey.

This podcast episode was produced by Quill.