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Picture of Meghan M. Biro

Meghan M. Biro

Like most people who gravitate toward HR, Meghan loves people. Early in her career, Meghan realized she was a rare people person who understood tech. As a high tech recruiter, Meghan worked with hundreds of companies, from early-stage startups to global brands like Microsoft, IBM and Google. Meghan founded TalentCulture in 2008 to lead a conversation about the future of work with her peers in HR and leadership. These days, she is consistently included in lists of top online influencers and writes about HR tech and talent management at Forbes.com, SHRM.org and a variety of other media outlets. Her career background spans recruiting, tech, marketing, branding and digital media. As an HR tech analyst, author and brand strategist, Meghan is sought after for her ideas about the future of work, is a regularly featured speaker at global business conferences, and serves on boards for leading HR and technology brands.
Picture of Meghan M. Biro

Meghan M. Biro

Like most people who gravitate toward HR, Meghan loves people. Early in her career, Meghan realized she was a rare people person who understood tech. As a high tech recruiter, Meghan worked with hundreds of companies, from early-stage startups to global brands like Microsoft, IBM and Google. Meghan founded TalentCulture in 2008 to lead a conversation about the future of work with her peers in HR and leadership. These days, she is consistently included in lists of top online influencers and writes about HR tech and talent management at Forbes.com, SHRM.org and a variety of other media outlets. Her career background spans recruiting, tech, marketing, branding and digital media. As an HR tech analyst, author and brand strategist, Meghan is sought after for her ideas about the future of work, is a regularly featured speaker at global business conferences, and serves on boards for leading HR and technology brands.
How to Hire Now - in Times of Layoffs and Uncertainty

How to Hire in 2024: Four Success Factors

If you follow tech industry news, you’re no doubt aware of ongoing layoffs at Google. Early this year, a New York Times reporter asked me to discuss the toll this is taking on the company’s culture. That was in January, after 1000 additional positions had been cut, and CEO Sundar Pichai had confirmed that more would follow. However, Google continues to recruit for a variety of in-demand roles. And this isn’t the only employer trying to figure out how to hire new talent while simultaneously purging existing staff in today’s volatile business environment. With so many organizations in the same boat, I

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Workplace Trends Should They Come With an Expiration Date - TalentCulture

Workplace Trends: Should They Come With Expiration Dates?

We publish a lot of articles at TalentCulture by terrific HR practitioners, innovators, and thought leaders. In fact, we’ve been sharing useful ideas from diverse experts for over 14 years. When we started on this journey way back in 2010, I obviously had no idea what the future would hold. But with ongoing contributions from our community, we’ve built an incredible library of wisdom about key workplace trends. Most of this content is perfectly on-trend when it is published. But recently, as I revisited a popular #WorkTrends podcast from several years ago, I began wondering about shelf life. How well do

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Building Trust Within Remote Teams A Checklist for Leaders

Building Trust Within Remote Teams: A Checklist for Leaders

It’s a universal leadership challenge. In this new work-from-wherever world, how can we get the most from hybrid and remote teams? Will we find answers in data-based performance metrics? What about simply leading with heart, consideration, and transparency? And what about trust? Consider this great line from the Deloitte 2024 Human Capital Trends report: “Imagine a world where trust between workers and their employers is the currency of work.” Yes, please. Team members who work from a foundation of trust are more engaged — more willing to put in extra effort, more willing to collaborate, and more willing to listen. Now

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The great work reset continues. Can learning seal the deal?

The Great Work Reset Continues. Can Learning Seal the Deal?

Diving into important talent strategy trends for 2024, one theme surfaces again and again. What many call “The Great Work Reset” isn’t over. Far from it. Employers still have more work ahead in resetting relationships with employees. Here’s one powerful way to move the needle — commit to ongoing employee growth. In other words, build your new working agreement around meaningful learning and development for all. What’s Happening With The Great Work Reset? In the spirit of learning, let’s dive into some context. The connection between employers and employees continues to be weakened by multiple factors. It’s still easy to find

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Top HR Advice and Insights: Key Takeaways From 2023

Top HR Advice and Insights: Key Takeaways From 2023

If you subscribe to our twice-monthly TalentCulture newsletter, or you follow us on social media, you probably know we often publish original articles by business and human resources leaders, practitioners, coaches, consultants, and others who care about the world of work. We appreciate the HR advice and insights all of our contributors share. But did you know we celebrate the most popular of these articles in a special way? Each month, we honor the most widely read new guest article with our “Impact Award for Content Excellence.” These pieces consistently exemplify the expertise and thought leadership our community has grown to

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Navigating the Affordable Care Act - Strategies and Best Practices for Employers

The Affordable Care Act: Employer Strategies and Best Practices

Sponsored by ADP The Affordable Care Act (ACA) has transformed how employers offer and deliver healthcare to their employees. Whether you’re an established employer who’s been tackling the ACA’s myriad regulations since Day One, or a newer employer navigating them now, there are two elements you can’t overlook. First, compliance isn’t an option, it’s a must. Second, the ACA isn’t simple — and there’s a lot to know. The risks of ignoring or getting ACA regulations wrong include potentially costly penalties, as well as tarnishing your carefully built employer brand. The good news is that there are plenty of resources in place

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Where Does Workplace Diversity Belong Now? Meghan M. BIro takes a close look at key trends in diversity, inclusion and belonging since the early days of the pandemic and beyond.

Where Does Workplace Diversity Belong Now?

Are you disturbed by news about organizations backtracking on workplace diversity and inclusion commitments? I certainly am. For example, a recent Wall Street Journal article declared “The Rise and Fall of the Chief Diversity Officer.” Is this just hyperbole, or is it cause for serious concern? Either way, we can’t brush it under the rug. After all, only 3 years ago, employers were scrambling to advance DEI initiatives. For many, this included new C-level positions with sweeping responsibilities. According to LinkedIn, from 2019-2021, demand for senior workplace diversity executives grew nearly 170%. This easily outpaced hiring for every other C-suite role.

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Does Everything at Work Seem Urgent? Let's Fix That. Learn better ways to apply pressure for better time management and performance in today's hybrid work cultures.

Does Everything at Work Seem Urgent? Let’s Fix That

Three years ago, the pandemic lockdown triggered a wave of relentless workplace change. Over time, we’ve all had to revamp our attitudes, expectations and behaviors when it comes to productivity and how we get work done. Yet, some people treat nearly every action item as an urgent priority. And this mindset isn’t serving anyone well. Why is workplace urgency still so widespread? And how can we let go of this counterproductive behavior? Experts say progress is possible, if we wake up and deal with the problem when it arises. But that’s not always easy, especially in our new work environment. What’s

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Strategic Learning 9 ways to prepare for the future of work

9 Strategic Learning Moves to Prepare for the Future of Work

In HR circles, we talk a lot about employee development. Often, we focus on its role in improving workforce engagement and retention. But strategic learning is about much more than that. No question, when employees have an opportunity to add new work skills to their portfolio, they become more motivated and involved in their professional growth. It may well spark a desire to stick around, earn a certificate, and aim for further advancement. Research certainly supports this assumption. For instance, 76% of employees are more likely to stay with a company that offers continuous training, according to a recent survey by

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WOTC Prescreening Employer Tax Credit Compliance

The WOTC and Prescreening: How Employers Can Stay in Compliance and Reap the Benefits

Sponsored by ADP The WOTC (Work Opportunity Tax Credit) offers businesses a tremendous opportunity for tax credits based on hiring. But for organizations to participate and leverage the advantages of this federal program, they have to be in compliance. That means prescreening applicants. Given the recent update released by the IRS that clarifies the need to prescreen, the time is now to learn more. As with so many complex tax credits and other regulations today, successfully navigating them requires not only understanding how to stay within the bounds, but then how to create a process to make it part of your

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How can employers transform talent acquisition? Learn how TIAA led the way, even before the pandemic in this case study by Meghan M. Biro

Transforming Talent Acquisition: One Employer’s Story

If your organization is like most, you’re constantly looking for ways to strengthen your workforce through smarter talent acquisition tactics. Although recruiting has shifted dramatically during the past few years, some innovative practices from the pre-pandemic era are worth another look. A Pre-Covid Lesson in Recruiting Innovation One example is the talent acquisition process at financial services provider, TIAA. Several years ago when the company completed a full-scale recruiting revamp, we spoke with Angie Wesley, then SVP and Head of Talent Acquisition. TIAA has since promoted Wesley to Head of Workforce Strategies and People Operations. She has also been named one

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How can employers keep employees onboard and engaged during uncertain times? Meghan M. Biro says flexibility is the key. Learn more...

Flexibility: Key to Employee Retention in 2023

As 2022 comes to a close, several work trends are clearly visible on the horizon. Here’s one employers can’t afford to ignore — an alarming number of employees are still leaving their jobs. For all the talk about “the Great Resignation” being behind us, turnover continues to shape the world of work. And it doesn’t seem to be fading. What’s the culprit here? In my opinion, too many employers continue to discount the need for flexibility in all its forms. Not sure if this should be a priority for you? Then consider some big-picture statistics: A recent Workhuman survey focused on workforce

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Why is humor at work such a powerful force for building a healthy organizational culture? Learn from a comedian-turned-consultant on this WorkTrends podcast

The Serious Value of Humor at Work

I’m a fan of fun work environments. So of course, I’m also a fan of humor at work. Don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying we should all pretend to be stand-up comedians. And I’m not talking about snide remarks, disrespectful jokes, or pranks at someone else’s expense. Work is serious business. But does it really need to be so very, deeply serious all the time? I don’t think so. A touch of humor is a natural way to engage people and lighten the mood. For instance, who doesn’t enjoy taking a moment to bond with a colleague over a funny

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Remote work leadership - What Matters Now? See what our Founder, Meghan M. Biro says as she reflects on how far we've come since the 2020 Covid quarantine

Remote Work Leadership: What Matters Now

In 2020, our most popular blog post discussed how leaders could move forward when Covid abruptly forced many of us to work from home. I remember writing that piece, wondering which remote work leadership practices would make the biggest impact during those uncertain, turbulent, anxiety-filled days. At that time, it was impossible to fathom what was happening, let alone how to respond. There were no experts, benchmarks, or guidebooks to point the way forward. I couldn’t predict the future any better than anyone else. Still, my message seemed to strike a chord with our community. Fortunately, necessity is the mother of

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What should employers consider about ethical AI in talent decisions? Learn the latest in this #WorkTrends podcast episode

Transforming Talent Decisions With Ethical AI

Sponsored by Reejig Countless HR tools, applications, and platforms now rely on artificial intelligence in some form. Users may not even notice that AI is operating in the background — but it can fundamentally change the way we work, think, and make talent decisions. This raises several big questions. What should we really expect from AI? And is this kind of innovation moving us in the right direction? For example, what role should AI play in skills-related talent acquisition and workforce mobility practices? With stellar talent in short supply these days, this topic has never been more important for employers to

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Empathy works in leadership. Hello, Elon Musk, are you listening?

Leadership Done Right: Yes Elon, Empathy Works

Some conversations stay with me. It could be something about the subject, the wisdom of the person I’m talking to, or the timeliness of the discussion. And sometimes, a random event triggers my recall. Case in point: The world recently watched a sad spectacle, as half of Twitter’s 7,500 employees lost their jobs when new owner Elon Musk stepped into his CEO role and promptly went on a firing spree. Apparently, he hadn’t received the memo from other successful executives that empathy works as a leadership style. Twitter is obviously grappling with numerous business issues. But it’s stunning to think this company’s

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EWA

Attract and Retain Employees with Earned Wage Access (EWA)

Sponsored by: ADP Employers are looking for new ways to stand out in terms of employee perks and benefits. One solution: earned wage access (EWA). This is a powerful tool when it comes to meeting today’s employee needs. It’s also got proven advantages when it comes to attracting talent and landing great hires right now. As a problem solver, EWA covers a lot of ground at a time when anything less than a true game-changer won’t work. Combine a 3.5% unemployment rate, more than half a million jobs added in July 2022, the continuing Great Realignment, and troubling inflation, and you’ve

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performance

To Boost Retention – Review for Projects, Not Performance

If you’re ramping up for Q4 in your workplace, you may be anticipating a slew of quarterly performance reviews. It’s your manager’s last chance of the year to address recent performance issues, map out a plan for improvement, and set a goal for what’s next year.   But if you’re concerned with retention, you may want to reconsider. Performance reviews, depending on how they’re done, may not have the right tone to fit the turbulent world of work we’re in right now. They may not support your engagement and retention challenges. Employees are jumpy — and while feedback is always a good

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Agility

Want to Fuel Agility? Understand Employee Skills

Sponsored by: Empath In today’s world of work— agility matters — and how we enable our own employees to meet our company goals, is vital. This isn’t possible without a mechanism to understand the held skill & experiences among our own contributors. In today’s world, seeking talent externally could be considered an outdated and ineffective response to fulfilling talent needs.  The future of work demands that we explore the weaknesses of this strategy. Our Guest: Carlos Gutierrez On the latest Worktrends podcast, I spoke with Carlos Gutierrez, the co-founder, and CEO of Empath, a SaaS technology platform that uses machine learning

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recruiting challenges

Recruiting Challenges for Fast Growing Startups and How to Overcome Them

Sponsored by: RocketReach Recruiting challenges face every organization — one that is particularly daunting for smaller companies and fast-growing startups. As agility is often a make-or-break for these organizations, sourcing high-quality candidates quickly is vital.   Yet, connecting with the right candidates with the right skill sets, at the right time is often elusive.   Recruiters have the very difficult task of finding these candidates, while simultaneously verifying that they possess the right skills to fulfill the role and its responsibilities. Ensuring this is often key to an organization’s ability to grow, develop and scale.  A less than “good fit” hire — can

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Financial Health

Minimize Worry and Maximize Employee Financial Health

Sponsored by: Nationwide With 2022 shaping up to be much more economically challenging for many people, more so than in 2021, folks are doing what they can to get by. A recent study performed by Nationwide said that a whopping 90% of consumers are concerned about inflation and their financial health. Do you blame them?  Some employees are even starting to reduce their 401(k) plan contributions. The economic downturn has employees feeling worried and insecure – rightfully so. Another study I just read shows that 70% of employees believe they need help from employers to achieve long-term financial security. Employers and

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Burnout

By the Numbers: Employee Burnout, Workplace Discrimination, and the Great Resignation

Sometimes research emerges that sets a new high-water mark on a troubling trend — and it’s well worth paying attention to. That’s the case with the recent Work and Well-Being Survey conducted by the American Psychological Association (APA) of 1,501 U.S. adult workers. Conducted in 2021, it remains extremely relevant to where we are now.  The survey reveals a strong connection between stress, burnout, workplace discrimination, and the Great Resignation. If that sounds like a topic you should know more about, we heartily agree. We also think that the fact that the research was conducted outside an HR-centric organization actually makes

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Leadership

Why Empathy is the New Brand of Leadership

Sponsored by: Dell Technologies When it comes to the people who work for your company, is there anything more important than understanding them and their needs? For leaders, this means seeing things from their perspective. We call this Empathetic Leadership.  Empathetic leaders can create a space where employees feel heard, valued, and understood – and when employees feel like this, guess what happens? They’re more engaged and productive at work, making them more committed to their work and your organization.  A recent Dell Technologies Study found that creating an empathetic culture helps companies succeed in today’s do-anything-from-anywhere economy. Leaders need to

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Engage and Motivate

Work Sucks, But It’s Our Fault

Burnout and dissatisfaction at work are nothing new. In fact, a recent Gallup study found that more than one-half of American workers feel disengaged at their jobs. Too often we look at work as a necessary evil. We have to do it to pay the bills, but it’s not really something we’re passionate about.  Meanwhile, business owners and leaders are left scratching their heads wondering why their employees are unhappy and unengaged. The business suffers as a result. So what’s the solution? How can businesses create a culture that engages and motivates employees where productivity and creativity actually thrive? Our Guest:

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Background Screening – What you Need to Know

Podcast Sponsored by: Accurate Background How is background screening impacted in an increasingly remote-first world of work? No doubt, the pandemic has reshaped the workplace. And in many ways, it’s here to stay. A report by Ladders revealed that by the end of this year, 25% of all jobs in North America will be remote. With that in mind, employers need to adapt their background screening practices to the new normal of remote work. Our Guest: Chief Compliance Officer at Accurate Background On our latest #WorkTrends podcast, I spoke with an experienced industry professional and SME on background screening, drug testing, and

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