Upgrades, ranked

It's been a while since I ran a solid 'ranked' post on the blog, and since it's the middle of a 'hard to get anything done since everyone I need to get in contact with seems to be out on vacation' week, let's take a break from the normal highbrow content and break off the definitive, unscientific, unresearched, subjective, incomplete, and 100% accurate rundown of Upgrades, ranked.

And as always, you can disagree with anything on this list, but of course you would be wrong.

Here goes:

10. Windows 10 up from Windows 7 - Windows 10 may or may not be better. It doesn't matter. Windows 10 is the PRESENT. Don't be that guy stuck in the past, clinging to a technology just because it's familiar. You label yourself a Luddite. Do you still have a Blackberry? (Don't answer that one Canadian readers).

9. 'Mid-size' up from 'Compact' - Let's face it, all the rental car companies need a serious lesson in what actually constitutes 'mid-size'

8. The 'Junior suite' instead of the standard room - Who doesn't love an uncomfortable, non-reclining arm chair?

7. 'Jelly Bean' up from 'Ice Cream Sandwich' - you can have your Apple nonsense. Who want to use an operating system called '6.2' - give me a fun name anytime.

6. 'Beach view' up from 'Resort view' - You will want to tell yourself that you won't be looking out of the window all that much. You will be wrong.

5. Gran Patron Platinum up from Jose Cuervo Especial - If you are going for flavor vs. volume. If you are going for volume, then none of this matters.

4. Oracle E-Business Suite Version 11i up from 10.7 (you have to be a major ERP geek to appreciate this, but trust me, it was BIG)

3. Courtside up from Section 307 - You'll remember courtside forever. Section 307 is just another game.

2. Bose QC 25 headphones (over the ear) up from your crappy earbuds - I bought these for myself as a birthday present a few years ago, and about 200 flights later have not regretted it for a second.

1. First class on the red eye flight from Vegas to JFK

Disagree with anything on the list? Think I left something out? Too bad, get your own blog.

Have a great Wednesday! I mean that.

VIDEO: Human Talks Show with guest Brent Skinner, Nucleus Research

A few weeks ago at the Oracle HCM World event in Chicago, I had the chance to partner with HR Happy Hour Show co-host and H3 HR Advisors CEO Trish McFarlane to record a video interview series titled "Human Talks" from the show floor.

I am excited to share this new video series that we did in partnership with Oracle. The Human Talks series is a show very similar to the HR Happy Hour Podcast where Trish and I were able to talk to HCM practitioners, analysts, and Oracle partners about some of the big issues, trends, and technologies in the HR and HR technology realms. Each episode is approximately 5 - 10 minutes or so, and well worth your time in hearing what is happening in the world of HCM. Please check out the first episode with one of our favorite industry analysts, Brent Skinner, Principal Analyst at Nucleus Research. You can check out the video HERE, or on the widget player below (email and RSS subscribers click through to see the video).

In this episode, Brent shares information on what their research is uncovering about performance management and learning and the impact from HCM technology. He also touches on how predictive analytics plays out in the workplace. Be sure to connect with Brent and Nucleus Research to learn more. 

This was a fun series of interviews and I will share future episodes of Human Talks as they are posted. 

Thanks to Trish and to our friends at Oracle for making this project possible.

PODCAST - #HRHappyHour 252 - Employee Wellbeing with Chris Boyce, CEO, Virgin Pulse

HR Happy Hour 252 - Employee Wellbeing with Chris Boyce, CEO Virgin Pulse

Hosts: Steve Boese, Trish McFarlane

Guest: Chris Boyce, CEO, Virgin Pulse

Listen to the show HERE

This week on the show, Trish and Steve were joined by Chris Boyce, CEO of Virgin Pulse, a provider of market-leading, technology-based products and services that help employers improve workforce health, boost employee engagement, and enhance corporate culture.

Chris shared some insights on how HR and business leaders can evaluate and assess wellbeing and workforce health initiatives using data and analytics, and how it is important to consider measures of success beyond employer benefit costs and health care claims or participation. The most successful wellbeing programs use data to inform changes in productivity, engagement, safety, and organizational culture. There isn't a single measure for ROI on these programs, employers have to think about their unique and specific challenges to find the measures that will most impact their organizations. Chris also shared some important information around employee data privacy and how Virgin Pulse and their client organizations keep employee data private and secure, while still allowing organizational leaders to use aggregate and anonymized data to inform decision making.

Additionally, Chris shared his thoughts on why employee and organizational wellbeing has become a more global, and holistic phenomenon, and what that means for HR and business leaders in their efforts to find, attract, develop,and retain the talent they need to meet their organizational objectives.

You can listen to the show on the show page HERE, or by using the widget player below:

This was a fun and interesting show, many thanks to Chris Boyce and Virgin Pulse for coming on. You can learn more about Virgin Pulse at www.virginpulse.com.

Remember to subscribe to the HR Happy Hour Show on iTunes, Stitcher Radio, or your favorite podcast app, just search for 'HR Happy Hour' to subscribe and never mess an episode.

PODCAST - #HRHappyHour - Digital Transformation LIVE from Inforum

HR Happy Hour 251 - Digital Transformation & The Future of Work: LIVE from Inforum 2016

Hosts: Steve Boese, Trish McFarlane

LISTEN HERE

This week on the show join Steve Boese and Trish McFarlane as they come to you from New York City and Infor's INFORUM 2016.  

Inforum is the event where Infor hosts 7,000 customers, prospects, partners, industry thought leaders, and press/analysts from 74 countries in New York City.  They provided over 1,000 breakout sessions to cover all aspects of tools that help organizations manage their business.  As analysts who attend many events each year, we can safely say that from the HCM perspective, Inforum is one of the top events when it comes to learning opportunities and innovation.  They capped off the experience with an outstanding "thank you" to attendees~ a Maroon 5 concert!

We sat down after our main-stage presentations to discuss the increasingly important topic of how the workplace is changing.  Specifically, the changes that digital transformation is bringing is making a huge impact on how organizations work.  The way that business leaders are considering the approach to this transformation is paramount to many of the attendees at Inforum and likely, to you and your organization as well.

You can listen to the show on the show page HERE, or using the widget player below:

This was an interesting and informative show and we love bringing the news to you straight from the event. Many thanks to Infor for inviting both of us to speak at the event. To learn more about Infor, please go to www.Infor.com. 

Thanks for listening and remember to add the HR Happy Hour Show to your podcast subscriptions in iTunes, Stitcher Radio, or any of the major podcast apps. Just search for 'HR Happy Hour' to subscribe.

PODCAST: #HRHappyHour 250 - Hot Topics in HR and HR Tech with Namely

HR Happy Hour 250 - Hot Topics in HR and HR Tech with Namely

Recorded July 1, 2016

Hosts: Steve Boese, Trish McFarlane

Guest Co-host: George LaRocque

Guest: Matt Straz, Founder & CEO, Namely

LISTEN HERE

This week on the show, Steve and special guest co-host George LaRocque welcomed Matt Straz, Founder & CEO of Namely, a leading provider of HR technology solutions comprisnig a full suite of HR, payroll, benefits administration, and time-tracking features for midsize organizations. 

On the show, Matt, George, and Steve talked about the continuing challenges that midsize organizations face around compliance and regulations, and how modern HR technology tools offer midsize and even small companies better access to leading and powerful technology solutions. Additionally, we talked about the increasing appetite for and adoption of mobile HR technology solutions in this market, and how at least according to Steve, we are entering a new 'Golden Age' of HR Tech.

George also shared some interesting findings from his recently released HRWINS report titled 'Where Purpose Meets Performance',  around employee engagement, cultute, technology, and benefits. Finally, Matt (beacuse Steve was irrationally fascinated), talked about Namely's recent TV commericals, and why they decided to pursue that marketing approach.

You can listen to the show on the show page HERE, or using the widget player below:

This was a fun and interesting show, thanks Matt and George for joining!

And thanks to our show sponsor Virgin Pulse, learn more about them at www.virginpulse.com.

Reminder: Subscribe to the HR Happy Hour on iTunes, Stitcher Radio, or your favorite podcast app - just search for 'HR Happy Hour' to subscribe and never miss a show!