Tag: empathetic leadership

Faces of HR: Marina Farthouat’s Unexpected Path to the Top

As the Chief People Officer and Chief of Staff at Oyster, Marina Farthouat is in the business of building something truly human. She leads the people strategy for the global employment solution with a focus on creating a sustainable, inclusive, and human-centric culture across a distributed team. With a wealth of experience scaling remote organizations like Clickhouse […]

How Hershey’s Global Head of TA Is Using AI to Elevate Recruiters

As AI continues to redefine the future of work, many HR professionals have a common fear: that technology will strip away the human element of their jobs. But according to Debra Simmers, Global Head of Talent Acquisition at The Hershey Company, the opposite is true. In her upcoming session at Spark Talent 2025, she’ll discuss how […]

Faces of HR: Lena Finch’s Blueprint for Thriving Workplaces

Lena Finch‘s career path wasn’t a straight line to the HR department. She kicked things off in customer service, handling frustrated callers and learning the true meaning of empathy under pressure. Little did she know, those early days were shaping her into the exceptional HR leader she is today. “Those early days taught me how […]

Faces of HR: The “Squiggly” Path to People Success—Meet Deel’s Alice Burks

Alice Burks, Deel‘s Director of People Success, is a leader with a mission: to make sure everyone at Deel thrives. With ten years of experience guiding teams, both within companies and as a consultant, Burks has worked with fast-growing companies like Danish tech giant Trustpilot, plus global clients in IT, manufacturing, and retail.  At Deel, […]

Where Everybody Knows Your Name: Applying the “Cheers” Principle to Employee Engagement 

The iconic theme song from the sitcom Cheers captures a fundamental human desire: to be recognized, valued, and part of a close-knit community. The lyrics, “Where everybody knows your name, and they’re always glad you came,” encapsulate a culture of belonging and camaraderie. While Cheers was a fictional Boston bar, its underlying principle can be […]

Leading with Empathy: HR’s Role Amidst DEI Restrictions

For minority and LGBTQ+ employees in the U.S., the rise of DEI bans is triggering anxieties that go beyond job security. The very foundations of psychological safety and workplace belonging are being questioned. This uncertainty is taking a significant mental health toll, impacting employees both at work and beyond. In this Q&A, Sarah Reynolds, CMO […]

DEI Rollback: 3 Ways to Navigate Policy Shifts Without Losing Your Team

Corporate giants like Disney, Meta, and Target are making headlines with DEI policy reversals, spurred by recent anti-DEI executive orders. But what’s the real cost? These shifts can breed employee distrust and drive attrition. In our latest Q&A, change management expert Shannon Gabriel, VP of Leadership Solutions at TBM Consulting, reveals the critical mistakes leaders […]

The Continued Need for Kind Leadership: Impacts on Productivity and Competitive Advantage 

When I stepped into the CEO role at Dexian in July 2023, I aimed to strengthen our people-centered organization further, so that everyone would be valued and treated with respect and understanding. Our business succeeds when our people succeed. For this reason, we focus on nurturing an environment where everyone—our employees, clients, and consultants—can maximize […]

Workplace Communication Crisis? Business Leaders Are the Answer

Communication today feels like a relentless loop of Zoom calls, Teams meetings, and overflowing inboxes. We jump from task to task, rarely pausing to think, breathe, or connect. Even a well-intentioned text can land wrong, leaving teammates feeling more isolated than ever. Nearly half of workers—45%— feel emotionally drained by the end of the day […]

Meeting in the Middle: How HR Can Overcome Gen Z’s Leadership Reluctance in 2025

Across every industry, the evidence is clear: Gen Z isn’t all that interested in climbing the corporate ladder. According to a recent survey from Robert Walters North, more than half of young professionals want nothing to do with traditional management roles. And Randstad’s Workmonitor 2024 survey confirms that nearly two out of five aren’t interested in career […]