"Soft Skills" is a Terrible Name for the Most Important Skills You Have

"Soft Skills" is a Terrible Name for the Most Important Skills You Have

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2464188/fan_mail/new] In this episode of WTF is Business Casual?!, Jenny and Sarah get real about why "soft skills" is a garbage term for the most critical thing missing from your workforce right now. Armed with a Harvard Business Review study of 70 million job transitions, they make the case that collaboration, communication, and problem-solving aren't the floor. They're the ceiling raiser.  And yet companies keep hiring, promoting, and paying for the wrong thing. Whether you're a small business owner, a people manager, or just someone who's been on hold with a chatbot for forty-five minutes, you'll leave with: * ✅ Why technical skills have a half-life of under two years, and what actually holds its value * 💡 The real reason managers keep getting promoted into roles they can't handle * 😂 A Wendy's AI drive-through that has customers ready to commit crimes * ✅ One practical thing you can do this week to start building human skills in your organization Highlights:  [00:00] Cold open: foundational skills beat specialists long-term [01:02] "Soft skills" is a bad name. Let's call them human skills [03:24] The HBR study: 70M job transitions, one big finding [04:51] Technical skill alone destroys culture [05:19] Internships vs. real-world people skills [10:23] The half-life of technical skills is shrinking fast [12:20] AI does the technical stuff — then what? [13:19] What happens when a manager reads an AI script to an employee [16:09] Why organizations invest in the wrong training [18:46] Promoted for technical skills, unequipped to lead [19:11] Gen Z, COVID, and why we're failing them [23:51] Job postings: collaboration language up, supervision language down [26:40] Why Jenny and Sarah's first product flopped (and why that matters) [27:09] The coffee shop owner who threw her barista under the bus [31:45] Engineering humans out of human resources [32:14] The Airbnb nightmare — no human, no resolution [38:45] Wendy's AI drive-through and the rage it's about to unleash [41:03] Tactical takeaway: pick one human skill and define it Visit our website: RISE Human Resources [https://www.risehumanresources.com/] Book a  call: 30 Min HR Consultation [https://outlook.office.com/book/BooktimewRiseHR@risehumanresources.com/?ismsaljsauthenabled=true] Follow us on Instagram: WTF is Business Casual [https://www.instagram.com/wtfisbusinesscasual/v]

WTF are Peanut Butter Raises?! Why Pay-for-Performance Keeps Getting Smeared

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2464188/fan_mail/new] In this episode of WTF is Business Casual?!, Jenny and Sarah talk about the "peanut butter raise" debate that's been making the rounds in HR circles. A recent industry article predicts companies are about to ditch across-the-board raises in favor of rewarding top performers only, and Jenny and Sarah have some thoughts.  Spoiler: they don't think it's actually going to happen, and they've got a decade of compensation-cycle scar tissue to back it up. From an executive team that wants to reward top performers but won't hold itself to the same standard, to the very real reason most managers would rather give everyone the same 3% than have an honest conversation about why someone didn't earn more — this one digs into why pay-for-performance sounds great in theory and falls apart the second a human has to deliver the message.  Oh, and there's also a foster dog, a pee-soaked shoe that's been migrating around someone's house for weeks, and a jewelry box that may or may not have met its end in the trash. Priorities. Whether you're an HR pro, a manager who dreads comp season, or just someone who's ever gotten the exact same raise as the guy who does the bare minimum, you'll leave with: Highlights: [00:00] AI cold open [02:16] Foster dog & pee-shoe saga [07:22] Jewelry box mishap [09:16] Topic: peanut butter raises [11:08] The stats [12:01] Why companies are pulling back [13:24] Managers avoid pay talks [16:39] Sponsor: HR Collective [18:06] Exec accountability gap [22:55] COL vs. COL vs. merit [25:50] AI vs. human HR [33:46] Bias & "top performer" [36:12] The prediction 🎧 Hit play because nobody's getting a real raise until somebody learns to have an uncomfortable conversation. Visit our website: RISE Human Resources [https://www.risehumanresources.com/] Book a  call: 30 Min HR Consultation [https://outlook.office.com/book/BooktimewRiseHR@risehumanresources.com/?ismsaljsauthenabled=true] Follow us on Instagram: WTF is Business Casual [https://www.instagram.com/wtfisbusinesscasual/v]

Affordable HR Support for Colorado Small Businesses: The HR Collective

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2464188/fan_mail/new] Most small business owners know they need HR support. The problem is figuring out what level of support they actually need. In this episode, Jenny and Sarah pull back the curtain on RiseHR's HR Collective and explain why they created it, who it's designed for, and how it helps Colorado small business owners get expert HR guidance without paying for a full-time HR professional. They discuss the most common HR mistakes they see, why Colorado employment law is especially complex, and how small businesses can avoid costly compliance issues before they become expensive problems. If you've ever wondered whether your business really needs HR support, this episode is for you. COMMON HR MISTAKES DISCUSSED *  Misclassifying employees as salaried when they should be hourly  *  Misclassifying employees as independent contractors  *  Incorrect PTO policies  *  Non-compliant sick leave practices  *  Mishandling final pay requirements after termination  *  Lack of documentation and recordkeeping  *  Poorly written employee handbooks  *  Relying on generic internet advice for Colorado-specific issues  WHO THE HR COLLECTIVE IS FOR The HR Collective is designed for: *  Colorado-based small businesses  *  Employers with approximately 1–20 employees  *  Business owners who want expert guidance without hiring full-time HR  *  Companies looking for practical HR resources and compliance support  *  Leaders who genuinely care about their people and culture  RESOURCES MENTIONED *  RISEHR COLLECTIVE:  [https://risehumanresources.com/hr-collective] *  COLORADO HEALTHY FAMILIES AND WORKPLACES ACT (HFWA):  [https://cdle.colorado.gov/hfwa] *  COLORADO FAMILY AND MEDICAL LEAVE INSURANCE (FAMLI):  [https://famli.colorado.gov] *  FAIR LABOR STANDARDS ACT (FLSA):  [https://www.dol.gov/agencies/whd/flsa] *  EMPLOYEE HANDBOOK TEMPLATES (AVAILABLE TO HR COLLECTIVE MEMBERS) [https://risehumanresources.com/hr-collective] *  HR COMPLIANCE RESOURCES AND TRAINING LIBRARY (AVAILABLE TO HR COLLECTIVE MEMBERS) [https://risehumanresources.com/hr-collective] Visit our website: RISE Human Resources [https://www.risehumanresources.com/] Book a  call: 30 Min HR Consultation [https://outlook.office.com/book/BooktimewRiseHR@risehumanresources.com/?ismsaljsauthenabled=true] Follow us on Instagram: WTF is Business Casual [https://www.instagram.com/wtfisbusinesscasual/v]

When Employees Start Making the Rules: How Leaders Should Respond

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2464188/fan_mail/new] What happens when employees stop asking and start telling? In this episode, Jenny and Sarah unpack a growing workplace trend they have been seeing with small business owners: employees announcing schedule changes, cutting their hours, demanding remote work, and assuming the answer will be yes. The bigger issue is not employee boldness. It is leadership hesitation. They dig into why so many leaders struggle to respond in the moment, how unclear expectations create bigger problems later, and why avoiding uncomfortable conversations often creates legal risk, resentment, and confusion across the team. This conversation covers the real difference between being flexible and being run over. In this episode, they cover: * Why employees are increasingly telling leaders what they will do instead of asking * The difference between a reasonable request and an unreasonable demand * Why small business owners often struggle more with boundaries than corporate leaders * How unclear expectations create confusion, inconsistency, and frustration * Why avoiding hard conversations almost always makes the problem worse * How to think through requests for schedule changes, reduced hours, and remote work * What leaders should do before saying yes to a request tied to stress, family needs, or medical concerns * Why documentation matters more than most leaders realize * The role of boundaries, accountability, and clear communication in healthy workplaces Visit our website: RISE Human Resources [https://www.risehumanresources.com/] Book a  call: 30 Min HR Consultation [https://outlook.office.com/book/BooktimewRiseHR@risehumanresources.com/?ismsaljsauthenabled=true] Follow us on Instagram: WTF is Business Casual [https://www.instagram.com/wtfisbusinesscasual/v]

The Most Expensive "Free" Lunch in HR History.

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2464188/fan_mail/new] A team gets invited to a "free" lunch with a consultant, and it ends up costing the company six months of peace. Jenny and Sarah unpack a "WTF" moment where a simple midday meeting turned into a spiral of written statements, HR investigations, and a team that stopped speaking to each other. It’s a look at how a lack of curiosity and a surplus of ego can turn a minor oversight into a total relationship wrecking ball. Spoiler: When leaders choose "investigation mode" before asking a single question, everyone loses. They dive into the ripple effect of a leader who skipped the facts to go straight for the jugular, and a leader whose "I’d tell you if you sucked" management style left her team feeling like cogs in a machine. In this episode, you’ll get: * The Anatomy of "Lunch-Gate": How a tiny miss in communication led to half a year of resentment and "mechanical" one-on-ones. * The Ego Trip: Why "hot and emotional" leadership is a recipe for collateral damage. * The Power of the Non-Apology: Why it’s so hard for leaders to just say, "I forgot, and I’m sorry this landed on you." * Assuming Negative Intent: How we "stack" stories in our heads until our bosses look like villains and our office doors stay closed. * The Empathy Deficit: A reality check on why being "black and white" at the top leads to a very grey future for your culture. Whether you’ve been thrown under the bus or you’re the one driving it, this episode is a mirror moment for anyone who’s ever forgotten that HR stands for Human Resources. Hit play. Bring your own lunch—just make sure you run it by the head honcho first. Visit our website: RISE Human Resources [https://www.risehumanresources.com/] Book a  call: 30 Min HR Consultation [https://outlook.office.com/book/BooktimewRiseHR@risehumanresources.com/?ismsaljsauthenabled=true] Follow us on Instagram: WTF is Business Casual [https://www.instagram.com/wtfisbusinesscasual/v]