Jamie Gutfreund came on the show a few months back and said she would like to get rid of HR entirely.

I get it. Everyone has had experiences with HR that’ve been less than stellar.

Today, I speak with someone who brings a different POV. Philip Suba has worked in HR for years and believes in it, deeply. But it has to be done right.

What does right look like?

You need to really understand the business you work on. It’s not enough to know the HR stuff… how does your work support the larger goals of the organization?

You need to be ready for the hard conversations. Because you’ll have a ton of them. How you manage yourself and how well you listen to the folks you’re speaking with means everything.

You need to be human. Recognize that people’s livelihoods are at stake when you step into the room… be mindful of that and show empathy. But also, hold it together. You’re not helping anyone if you mirror their tears, anger, frustration or whatever else shows up. Give people space to feel and also, keep the conversation on point.

It’s not an easy balance to strike. But I like how Philip approaches it. He shares some of the “myth-conceptions” around HR as well, which are fun and eye opening.

Bottom line? There’s no easy answer on any of this stuff. I think it’s great some folks are willing to try an HR-less approach—let’s see what they learn. And I like that HR pros like Philip are committed to doing it better each day.

What’s your take? Is HR needed? If so, what does a great HR team look like to you?

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Welcome to the DesuckifyWork® podcast. The show where we cut through the BS and find ways to make work more fun, more human and less ridiculous. All of which makes your business more profitable, by the way.

(If you enjoy this one, please like, share, rate, review or subscribe to the podcast.)

Let the desuckifying begin.

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You can follow Philip on LinkedIn and check him out on Instagram, Facebook and YouTube as well.

If you enjoyed the conversation and would like to explore what a more human work culture could look like, I invite you to schedule a free half-hour discovery session. Type “meow” in the calendar invite and I’ll also send you a free DesuckifyWork® t-shirt!

Bye, everyone!

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Bonus question from Philip:If you’ve had an experience with any kind of HR professional that didn’t sit well with you, what would you wish that particular person did differently? If they did do it differently, would that change the way that you interact, not just with HR now, but with other employees?

What song reminds you of 6th grade?

Which one makes you feel invincible? What song got you through a hard breakup? Which one do you play after a miserable day at work?

These are the questions Shaka Mitchell asks in his Come Together Music Project. It’s helped people with opposing political views have a civil conversation about hard topics like immigration, abortion and racism. Surely it can help a creative and an account person get along during a weekly status.

This project is gold. We all have answers to these questions. And each answer helps reveal the depth of our humanity.

A depth that gets lost way too easily under the pressures of timelines and time sheets.

No timeline is worth losing our connection to our humanity. No matter what Silicon Valley or Wall Street tries to tell us.

Welcome to the DesuckifyWork® podcast. The show where we cut through the BS and find ways to make work more fun, more human and less ridiculous. All of which makes your business more profitable, by the way. This episode is part of our ongoing Prohuman Series, in partnership with the Prohuman Foundation.

(If you enjoy this one, please like, share, rate, review or subscribe to the podcast.)

Let the desuckifying begin.

You can follow Shaka on LinkedIn and check out cometogethermusic.org to learn more about his project. And be sure to visit Shaka’s Substack as well.

If you enjoyed the conversation and would like to explore what a more human work culture could look like, I invite you to schedule a free half-hour discovery session. Type “meow” in the calendar invite and I’ll also send you a free DesuckifyWork® t-shirt!

Bye, everyone!

Bonus questions from Shaka:Are there creative ways that you’ve seen people use music to bring people together at work?

And in case you’re wondering:

What song reminds you of 6th grade?Hungry Like the Wolf - Duran Duran

Which one makes you feel invincible?Unchained - Van Halen

What song got you through a hard breakup?Scar Tissue - RHCP

Which one do you play after a miserable day at work?Livin’ on a Prayer - Bon Jovi

What are your answers?

Today is my birthday. The big 5-6. Not a particularly interesting age but I’m grateful for every turn around the sun.

To celebrate the day, I’m sharing a clip from a recent guest appearance on Regina Larko‘s amazing Lead With Your Voice podcast. Regina is a wonderfully empathetic and encouraging podcast coach who helped me find my voice when I started my show a few years back. And she is a generous and thoughtful host... I loved where she took our conversation.

This clip is all about staying in touch with our humanity, no matter what technology brings into the world. I think that’s a pretty relevant birthday message, as I reflect on my 56 years of humanness.

I invite everyone to celebrate being human with me today.