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Heroes of HR

Heroes of HR

WRKdefined Podcast Network 79 Episodes Aug 21, 2026

Heroes of HR is a podcast for HR, payroll, and talent leaders navigating the real challenges of today's workforce. Each episode features candid conversations with leaders from growing, people-intensive organizations who are managing hiring, retention, compliance, payroll and change in real time. The show discusses what's top of mind, what's working, what's not, and how they're leading through workforce complexity without losing sight of the people behind it. Brought to you by isolved.

Episodes

From Zero Experience to Executive Search Mastery | SHRM '26
From Zero Experience to Executive Search Mastery | SHRM '26 Aug 21, 2026 837 How strategic human capital education transforms transactional recruiting into strategic talent advisory. Executive recruiting used to be purely transactional, focusing only on base salaries and signing bonuses. Today, top-tier candidates demand deep insight into company culture, work flexibility, and employer branding before making a move. Succeeding in modern executive search requires moving pa
HR Compliance Is Too Reactive. Carla Tells Us How to Get Ahead | SHRM '26
HR Compliance Is Too Reactive. Carla Tells Us How to Get Ahead | SHRM '26 Aug 20, 2026 628 HR teams are constantly reacting to new regulations, executive orders, and state-level changes. Carla Pittman says that's the problem. Compliance can't be something HR remembers when a deadline is approaching. It needs to be built into everyday operations, with systems that help organizations spot risk before it becomes a problem. AI, HR compliance, regulatory uncertainty, risk management, workfo
Your Frontline Is Texting, But Are You Listening? | SHRM '26
Your Frontline Is Texting, But Are You Listening? | SHRM '26 Aug 19, 2026 779 Why app downloads and email announcements fail deskless workers. Deskless workers represent the majority of the global workforce, yet corporate HR continuously tries to force them onto portals, company emails, and mobile apps they refuse to download. When engagement relies on teaching new digital habits to drivers, factory workers, and site crews, participation collapses. True alignment requires
Payday Loans Aren’t the Only Option. Bryan Explains What’s Changing. | SHRM '26
Payday Loans Aren’t the Only Option. Bryan Explains What’s Changing. | SHRM '26 Aug 18, 2026 555 Living paycheck to paycheck isn't just a low-income problem. Bryan Thomas explains why earned wage access is becoming a serious employee benefit, giving workers access to money they've already earned without having to wait for payday or turn to a payday loan. Earned wage access, financial wellness, employee benefits, recruiting, hourly workers, retention. What started mainly with hourly workers i
HR Storytelling Is Changing. Audrey Tells Us What Comes Next | SHRM'26
HR Storytelling Is Changing. Audrey Tells Us What Comes Next | SHRM'26 Aug 14, 2026 502 HR has no shortage of stories. The problem is making people care about them. Audrey Surette says the best HR storytelling starts by stripping away the jargon and finding the human story people can actually relate to. AI, storytelling, HR tech, communications, AI agents, workforce trends. As AI moves from experimentation toward real adoption, the next wave of HR stories may be less about what the
HR Is Drowning in Admin. Amy Shows Us What AI Can Take Off Its Plate | SHRM '26
HR Is Drowning in Admin. Amy Shows Us What AI Can Take Off Its Plate | SHRM '26 Aug 12, 2026 1386 HR didn't get into the business to chase W-2s, answer repetitive policy questions, check payroll reports, or coordinate endless onboarding tasks. Amy Miller thinks AI can finally give HR some of its time back. The goal isn't replacing HR. It's getting HR out of the paperwork and back with people. AI agents, payroll, employee experience, benefits, compliance, onboarding. iSolved is building a se
We Talk About Mental Health at Work. So Why Doesn't Anyone Ask for Help? | SHRM '26
We Talk About Mental Health at Work. So Why Doesn't Anyone Ask for Help? | SHRM '26 Aug 7, 2026 593 Most companies say they support mental health. Chad Sorenson believes that's not enough. Posters, policies, and Employee Assistance Programs don't matter if employees still don't feel safe asking for help.The biggest barrier to mental health at work isn't awareness. It's trust.  Mental health, leadership, psychological safety, EAP, workplace culture, employee well-being. This conversation ex
Stop Doing Annual Reviews: They Are Ruining Your Culture | SHRM '26
Stop Doing Annual Reviews: They Are Ruining Your Culture | SHRM '26 Aug 6, 2026 497 Checking boxes twice a year isn't managing performance, it's just doing a post-mortem on dead goals. Annual performance evaluations are purely rear-view mirror paperwork that completely miss real-time execution. High-performing companies treat their mission, vision, and values as living, breathing daily drivers.  Stop looking backward and start actively managing performance through continuo
Your Next Employee Might Not Be the Person You Interviewed | SHRM '26
Your Next Employee Might Not Be the Person You Interviewed | SHRM '26 Aug 6, 2026 595 Hiring remotely opened the talent pool. It also opened the door to a new kind of fraud. Rob Tiernan says identity verification has become one of the biggest blind spots in hiring, with AI making it easier than ever for bad actors to slip through the cracks. The biggest hiring risk today may not be finding talent. It may be proving who the talent really is. Identity verification, remote hiring, AI
Stop Expecting Loyalty When You Sacrifice Your People | SHRM '26
Stop Expecting Loyalty When You Sacrifice Your People | SHRM '26 Aug 6, 2026 1317 The social contract between employers and workers is broken, and real leaders need to fix it. Workplaces are facing massive trust deficits because leadership has treated corporate loyalty as a one-way street. Employees watch companies prioritize short-term shareholder equity while executing mass layoffs as a first resort instead of a last resort.  True alignment requires feedback, clear exp
The Hidden Business Cost of Ignoring Your Leaders | SHRM '26
The Hidden Business Cost of Ignoring Your Leaders | SHRM '26 Aug 6, 2026 841 Turn workplace anxiety into undeniable leadership confidence. Up to 84% of high-achievers fight an internal critic that keeps them quiet, safe, and playing small. That nagging voice isn't a medical condition—it's a protection mechanism holding back your career growth. Real leadership development isn't about buying new tech; it's about building resilience and taking control of your internal narrat
What fandom, parenting, and tech say about honesty, engagement, and modern work
What fandom, parenting, and tech say about honesty, engagement, and modern work Dec 15, 2025 1078 Modern life feels loud, fast, and constantly online, yet people still find connection in the strangest places. This conversation moves through sports fandom, parenting, technology, and generational differences to unpack how people actually relate to each other today. From shared misery over teams we love, to how phones shape honesty and attention, to why work often feels busier but less thoughtful

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