Episodes

  • #13 - Tony Buffum: The Human Cloud - Driving the Future of Flexible Work

    #13 - Tony Buffum: The Human Cloud - Driving the Future of Flexible Work
    Mar 26 2026
    Tony Buffum, co-founder of The Human Cloud, joins host Jocelyn King to discuss the inevitable shift toward flexible work and the "freelance economy". Reflecting on his time at Upwork and Stanley Black & Decker, Tony explores why many HR professionals resist non-traditional staffing—citing fears of compliance, loss of control, and the "status quo" of full-time headcount. He encourages HR leaders to view themselves as the "change management function" of the organization, helping managers move from "order taking" to strategic workforce planning. Tony highlights business acumen as the key differentiator for HR professionals looking to move from administration to strategic influence. By understanding the balance sheet and partnering closely with finance, HR can transition into a "trusted advisor" or "consigliere" for the CEO. Looking ahead to the challenges of 2026, Tony advises HR practitioners to stay relevant by upskilling in agentic AI and staying hyper-aware of macroeconomic conditions to react with speed and agility. Hosted by Jocelyn King, founder and CEO of VirgilHR. VirgilHR provides instant, trusted answers to HR compliance questions—helping teams navigate federal, state, and local employment laws with accuracy and ease. To learn more, visit ⁠⁠www.virgilhr.com⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠follow Jocelyn on LinkedIn⁠⁠ for ongoing guidance and industry updates. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    28 mins
  • #12 - Tami Nutt: Rethinking the Blank Page - How Analysts Bridge the Gap in HR

    #12 - Tami Nutt: Rethinking the Blank Page - How Analysts Bridge the Gap in HR
    Mar 12 2026
    Tami Nutt, Vice President of Research and Insights for Aspect 43, shares how her 20-year career as an HR practitioner informs her current work as an industry analyst. She explains how analysts provide unbiased evaluations of technology and market trends, helping busy HR professionals connect the dots between global economics and workplace tools. Tami emphasizes that in the age of AI, HR must act as the "human experts," identifying which tasks are uniquely human and which can be handled by technology. A major theme of the discussion is the critical importance of HR compliance and change management. Tami describes compliance as the "foundation of the building"—essential for stability but often ignored until something fails. She challenges listeners to view compliance maturity not just as passing an audit, but as creating systems that make the right behaviors easy and consistent every day. Finally, she provides tips on avoiding implementation failures by making no assumptions and gathering rigorous data. Hosted by Jocelyn King, founder and CEO of VirgilHR. VirgilHR provides instant, trusted answers to HR compliance questions—helping teams navigate federal, state, and local employment laws with accuracy and ease. To learn more, visit ⁠⁠www.virgilhr.com⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠follow Jocelyn on LinkedIn⁠⁠ for ongoing guidance and industry updates. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    23 mins
  • #11 - Kimberly Prescott: Facts Over Emotion - Mastering Tough Conversations and Investigations

    #11 - Kimberly Prescott: Facts Over Emotion - Mastering Tough Conversations and Investigations
    Feb 26 2026
    Kimberly Prescott, founder of Prescott HR, joins the podcast to discuss the critical role of courage and confidence in the HR profession. Drawing from her background in the Air Force and her experience as a minority in corporate environments, Kimberly explains why HR professionals must move past the desire to "be liked" and instead focus on providing honest, fact-based feedback. She argues that avoiding difficult conversations erodes trust and lowers performance standards across the entire organization. Kimberly also introduces her "Hierarchy of Needs" for HR, asserting that strategic initiatives like culture statements cannot succeed without a solid foundation of clear policies, manager training, and consistent practices. Using the analogy of a construction site, she warns against hanging "fine art" before the drywall is up. The episode concludes with practical advice on managing investigations and coaching managers to handle conflict with clarity and accountability.Hosted by Jocelyn King, founder and CEO of VirgilHR. VirgilHR provides instant, trusted answers to HR compliance questions—helping teams navigate federal, state, and local employment laws with accuracy and ease. To learn more, visit ⁠⁠www.virgilhr.com⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠follow Jocelyn on LinkedIn⁠⁠ for ongoing guidance and industry updates. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    26 mins
  • #10 - Benjamin Langer: ROI or Storytime? Mastering the Language of the C-Suite

    #10 - Benjamin Langer: ROI or Storytime? Mastering the Language of the C-Suite
    Feb 19 2026
    Jocelyn King sits down with Benjamin Langner to discuss the profound shifts currently hitting the HR profession, which he compares to the era when email first revolutionized communication. As a Vice President for a global recruitment process outsourcing (RPO) organization, Ben acts as "HR for 1,000 other HR professionals," giving him a unique vantage point on the "AI boom" and the evolving world of work. He shares a practical framework for HR leaders in global settings, emphasizing the need to simplify and streamline core processes like onboarding and the employee lifecycle to maintain a consistent experience across different countries while managing regional nuances. The conversation dives deep into repositioning the HR Business Partner (HRBP) from a reactive role to a proactive strategic partnership. Ben argues that the key to gaining a seat at the table is solving actual business problems—such as operational bottlenecks—rather than simply launching new HR programs in a vacuum. He provides actionable advice on tailoring ROI metrics for different C-suite stakeholders, noting that while a CFO requires data-driven facts, other leaders may respond better to storytelling. Looking toward the future, Ben predicts that as automation and AI become standard, high-value human interactions will become a "premium experience" that HR must protect and prioritize. Hosted by Jocelyn King, founder and CEO of VirgilHR. VirgilHR provides instant, trusted answers to HR compliance questions—helping teams navigate federal, state, and local employment laws with accuracy and ease. To learn more, visit ⁠www.virgilhr.com⁠ and ⁠follow Jocelyn on LinkedIn⁠ for ongoing guidance and industry updates. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    20 mins
  • #9 - Erica McMannes: Tapping into the 12 Million, The Power of the Military Spouse Workforce

    #9 - Erica McMannes: Tapping into the 12 Million, The Power of the Military Spouse Workforce
    Feb 12 2026
    Erica McMannes, Chief Experience Officer at Instant Teams, joins the podcast to share her expertise in building high-performing, fully distributed workforces. Having moved 14 times as a military spouse, Erica founded Instant Teams to create a talent marketplace that connects companies with the highly skilled but often overlooked community of over 12 million military spouses. She discusses the "ethos to remote communication" that her company established long before the pandemic, highlighting that in a remote setting, connection and camaraderie do not happen by chance—they require intentional, driven structures to replace the accidental "water cooler" moments of a physical office. The episode explores the transition toward skills-based hiring and the flaws in traditional resume-focused recruitment. Erica explains how HR professionals can shift their focus to "durable" and transferable skills, using customer experience as a prime example of where military spouses excel due to their natural empathy and adaptability. For leaders struggling with distributed teams, Erica recommends "maniacal organization"—using processes and visibility systems to track productivity without resorting to micromanagement. She encourages HR to support managers through proactive communication and expectation management, ensuring that remote work environments remain transparent and trust-based. Hosted by Jocelyn King, founder and CEO of VirgilHR. VirgilHR provides instant, trusted answers to HR compliance questions—helping teams navigate federal, state, and local employment laws with accuracy and ease. To learn more, visit ⁠www.virgilhr.com⁠ and ⁠follow Jocelyn on LinkedIn⁠ for ongoing guidance and industry updates. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    24 mins
  • #8 - Lisa Elowson: Leading by Culture, Not Policy: Lessons from a Certified Mediator

    #8 - Lisa Elowson: Leading by Culture, Not Policy: Lessons from a Certified Mediator
    Feb 5 2026
    Lisa Elowson brings over 30 years of HR experience and a specialized background in mediation to discuss the unavoidable reality of workplace conflict. Lisa explains that many professionals dread conflict because they are naturally "conflict adverse," but she argues that conflict doesn't have to be toxic if it is addressed early. She compares unresolved disputes to a "Titanic iceberg," where the hidden costs, such as mental disengagement (the "quit and stay" phenomenon), investigation time, and potential lawsuits, are often far greater than what is visible on the surface. Through the lens of a certified mediator, Lisa provides HR leaders with specific techniques to navigate high-stakes employee relations issues, such as "shuttle mediation" and active listening to uncover the "gold nuggets" of what is truly driving a disagreement. She stresses the importance of HR maintaining a neutral stance, clearly communicating to all parties that they have "no dog in the fight" other than reaching a fair resolution. Lisa challenges the traditional "handbook" approach to management, urging HR to lead by culture and respect rather than strictly by policy. By meeting people where they are and facilitating face-to-face "conscious conversations," HR can move past "win-lose" scenarios to restore functional working relationships. Hosted by Jocelyn King, founder and CEO of VirgilHR. VirgilHR provides instant, trusted answers to HR compliance questions—helping teams navigate federal, state, and local employment laws with accuracy and ease. To learn more, visit ⁠www.virgilhr.com⁠ and ⁠follow Jocelyn on LinkedIn⁠ for ongoing guidance and industry updates. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    20 mins
  • #7 - Joel Greenwald: Preventative Medicine: Employment Law, Misclassification, and AI Liability

    #7 - Joel Greenwald: Preventative Medicine: Employment Law, Misclassification, and AI Liability
    Jan 29 2026
    Employment law is often reactive, but Joel Greenwald argues for a "preventative medicine" approach to protect businesses before litigation strikes. In this episode, Joel breaks down the most common legal pitfalls HR leaders face, including inadequate documentation and the rampant misclassification of independent contractors and exempt employees. The conversation turns to the cutting edge of HR compliance: Artificial Intelligence. Joel warns of the legal risks surrounding AI hiring tools, specifically "disparate impact" discrimination, and advises HR leaders on how to vet technology to avoid joint liability lawsuits. Hosted by Jocelyn King, founder and CEO of VirgilHR. VirgilHR provides instant, trusted answers to HR compliance questions—helping teams navigate federal, state, and local employment laws with accuracy and ease. To learn more, visit www.virgilhr.com and follow Jocelyn on LinkedIn for ongoing guidance and industry updates. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    14 mins
  • #6 - Walter Sabrin: Chief Talent Officer at Venture Employer Solutions

    #6 - Walter Sabrin: Chief Talent Officer at Venture Employer Solutions
    Jan 22 2026
    From "failed tennis pro" to leading a global network of over 150 recruiters, Walter Sabrin joins Jocelyn King to explore the high-stakes world of talent acquisition. Walter discusses how Venture Employer Solutions scaled from 120 to over 6,000 employees by treating HR as a strategic business alliance rather than a roadblock. The discussion tackles the "Empty Seat Syndrome"—the danger of hiring the wrong person out of desperation—and the critical importance of upskilling to retain top talent. Walter also provides a candid look at the current state of AI in recruiting, noting that while the industry buzz is loud, many candidates and hiring managers remain hesitant to broach the topic during interviews. Hosted by Jocelyn King, founder and CEO of VirgilHR. VirgilHR provides instant, trusted answers to HR compliance questions—helping teams navigate federal, state, and local employment laws with accuracy and ease. To learn more, visit www.virgilhr.com and follow Jocelyn on LinkedIn for ongoing guidance and industry updates. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    20 mins