Good Morning, HR

Something New!  For HR teams who discuss this podcast in their team meetings, we've created a discussion starter PDF to help guide your conversation. Download it here https://goodmorninghr.com/EP232 In episode 232, Coffey talks with Margarita Ramos about the importance and future of the employee relations function following the $11.5 million SHRM discrimination verdict. They discuss the SHRM jury verdict and its implications for HR credibility; the role of employee relations at the intersection of compliance and employee experience; proactive versus reactive approaches to workplace conflict; multiple complaint channels and manager escalation obligations; why dismissing concerns as "not illegal" undermines trust; investigation failures highlighted in the SHRM case; investigator neutrality, training, and experience requirements; when and why to use outside investigators or counsel; leadership accountability and the role of the CHRO in employee relations; the three-legged stool of employee relations, HR business partners, and employment counsel; building ER infrastructure with case management systems and data analytics; handling high-performing but high-risk leaders; transparency in employee relations processes; reducing gossip through consistent and fair investigations; and the future of employee relations including responsible use of AI in investigations. Good Morning, HR is brought to you by Imperative—Bulletproof Background Checks. For more information about our commitment to quality and excellent customer service, visit us at https://imperativeinfo.com.  If you are an HRCI or SHRM-certified professional, this episode of Good Morning, HR has been pre-approved for half a recertification credit. To obtain the recertification information for this episode, visit https://goodmorninghr.com.  About our Guest: Margarita Ramos is a highly respected Global Employee Relations executive and employment attorney with more than two decades of experience across technology, SaaS, and financial services. She is trusted by CHROs, HR Business Partners, and C-suite leaders to build scalable ER infrastructures, stabilize organizations through change, and elevate the employee experience through disciplined governance and operational excellence. With a foundation rooted in JD-trained employment law—including roles as In-House Employment Counsel at Merrill Lynch and Principal Corporate Counsel at Microsoft—Margarita developed deep legal expertise in compliance, risk mitigation, and workplace investigations.  She later translated this expertise into senior ER and HR Compliance leadership roles at VMware, Splunk, RBC, and Bank of America, where she supported complex global workforces navigating rapid growth, cultural transformation, and organizational change. Throughout her career, Margarita has been brought in to create structure where ambiguity exists. She has built and led global ER Centers of Excellence, developed investigations and performance-management frameworks, and implemented modern case-management systems such as Workday, HR Acuity, and AI-enabled governance tools. Her approach blends empathy with operational rigor, ensuring ER functions are both employee-centric and aligned with business strategy. A skilled investigator and ER strategist, Margarita advises senior leaders on workplace investigations, conflict resolution, performance management, DEI&B, and global employment compliance. She is known for her ability to translate data, case trends, and cultural signals into actionable insights—leveraging ER metrics, KPIs, and reporting to influence leadership decisions, drive fairness, and strengthen organizational culture. Her data-driven approach enables leaders to make well-informed, consistent decisions that reinforce trust and accountability across the enterprise.  Margarita has also led M&A HR integration efforts at VMware and Splunk, overseeing cultural alignment, workforce assessments, and change-management strategies during periods of significant transformation. Her leadership in these environments reflects her commitment to creating workplaces where clarity, belonging, and operational excellence coexist. Beyond her corporate work, Margarita is deeply committed to developing future talent. She has mentored first-generation college students and contributed to organizations such as Girls Who Code, Year Up, and Hobart & William Smith Colleges. At Microsoft, she provided pro bono support for Kids in Need of Defense (KIND). Outside of work, she enjoys ballroom dancing and cooking. Margarita is passionate about shaping modern, strategic, tech-forward ER functions that support organizational values, reduce risk, build leadership capability, and create an environment where employees can do their best work with trust, fairness, and accountability. Margarita Ramos can be reached athttps://www.linkedin.com/in/margarita-ramos/ About Mike Coffey: Mike Coffey is an entrepreneur, licensed private investigator, business strategist, HR consultant, and registered yoga teacher.In 1999, he founded Imperative, a background investigations and due diligence firm helping risk-averse clients make well-informed decisions about the people they involve in their business.Imperative delivers in-depth employment background investigations, know-your-customer and anti-money laundering compliance, and due diligence investigations to more than 300 risk-averse corporate clients across the US, and, through its PFC Caregiver & Household Screening brand, many more private estates, family offices, and personal service agencies.Imperative has been named a Best Places to Work, the Texas Association of Business’ small business of the year, and is accredited by the Professional Background Screening Association. Mike shares his insight from 25+ years of HR-entrepreneurship on the Good Morning, HR podcast, where each week he talks to business leaders about bringing people together to create value for customers, shareholders, and community.Mike has been recognized as an Entrepreneur of Excellence by FW, Inc. and has twice been recognized as the North Texas HR Professional of the Year. Mike serves as a board member of a number of organizations, including the Texas State Council, where he serves Texas’ 31 SHRM chapters as State Director-Elect; Workforce Solutions for Tarrant County; the Texas Association of Business; and the Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce, where he is chair of the Talent Committee.Mike is a certified Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR) through the HR Certification Institute and a SHRM Senior Certified Professional (SHRM-SCP). He is also a Yoga Alliance registered yoga teacher (RYT-200) and teach...

Something New!  For HR teams who discuss this podcast in their team meetings, we've created a discussion starter PDF to help guide your conversation. Download it here http://goodmorninghr.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Good-Morning-HR-Episode-231-Discussion-Starter.pdf  In episode 231, Coffey talks with Diondra Filicetti about the real economics of employee engagement and how leaders can drive performance by shaping environment, alignment, and activation on their teams.  They discuss why engagement is an economic lever rather than a feel-good metric; how misaligned leadership expectations undermine performance; the impact of poorly prepared managers on engagement; practical ways to evaluate team capacity before adding headcount; the critical role of culture, trust, and behavior norms in workplace performance; strategies for designing the right environment, role alignment, and activation for teams; the Pygmalion Effect and how leaders’ beliefs shape outcomes; diagnosing attitude issues versus structural problems; and using engagement needs as a framework for one-to-ones and organizational improvement.  You can find Diondra’s book “Engagement Economics: Increasing Performance & Profitability by Engaging Your People” here https://a.co/d/9mTuXIs  Good Morning, HR is brought to you by Imperative—Bulletproof Background Checks. For more information about our commitment to quality and excellent customer service, visit us at https://imperativeinfo.com.   If you are an HRCI or SHRM-certified professional, this episode of Good Morning, HR has been pre-approved for half a recertification credit. To obtain the recertification information for this episode, visit https://goodmorninghr.com.   About our Guest:  Diondra Filicetti is a Learning and Development professional, best-selling author, and two-time TEDx speaker. As the founder of Driven By Co., she helps organizations enhance performance through engaging workshops, leadership programs, and communication training. Her book Engagement Economics explores how employee engagement drives profitability and success. With expertise in adult learning and instructional design, Diondra has empowered professionals to lead with purpose, connect effectively, and inspire growth.  Diondra Filicetti can be reached at https://www.drivenbyco.com  https://www.linkedin.com/in/diondrafilicetti  https://www.facebook.com/DrivenByCo  http://instagram.com/drivenbyco  https://www.youtube.com/@drivenbyco Her book “Engagement Economics: Increasing Performance & Profitability by Engaging Your People”  https://a.co/d/9mTuXIs  About Mike Coffey:  Mike Coffey is an entrepreneur, licensed private investigator, business strategist, HR consultant, and registered yoga teacher. In 1999, he founded Imperative, a background investigations and due diligence firm helping risk-averse clients make well-informed decisions about the people they involve in their business. Imperative delivers in-depth employment background investigations, know-your-customer and anti-money laundering compliance, and due diligence investigations to more than 300 risk-averse corporate clients across the US, and, through its PFC Caregiver & Household Screening brand, many more private estates, family offices, and personal service agencies. Imperative has been named a Best Places to Work, the Texas Association of Business’ small business of the year, and is accredited by the Professional Background Screening Association.  Mike shares his insight from 25+ years of HR-entrepreneurship on the Good Morning, HR podcast, where each week he talks to business leaders about bringing people together to create value for customers, shareholders, and community. Mike has been recognized as an Entrepreneur of Excellence by FW, Inc. and has twice been recognized as the North Texas HR Professional of the Year.  Mike serves as a board member of a number of organizations, including the Texas State Council, where he serves Texas’ 31 SHRM chapters as State Director-Elect; Workforce Solutions for Tarrant County; the Texas Association of Business; and the Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce, where he is chair of the Talent Committee. Mike is a certified Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR) through the HR Certification Institute and a SHRM Senior Certified Professional (SHRM-SCP). He is also a Yoga Alliance registered yoga teacher (RYT-200) and teaches multiple times each week. Mike and his very patient wife of 28 years are empty nesters in Fort Worth.  Learning Objectives: Understand and explains the economic impact of employee engagement. Identify gaps in environment, alignment, and activation that reduce team performance. Apply practical leadership behaviors that build trust, clarify purpose, and elevate team capacity. 

Something New!  For HR teams who discuss this podcast in their team meetings, we've created a discussion starter PDF to help guide your conversation. Download it here https://goodmorninghr.com/EP230  In episode 230, Coffey talks with Linda Swindling about how HR professionals can build negotiation skills, increase approachability, and advocate more effectively inside their organizations.  They discuss why people fear negotiation and how media influences our mindset; the role of everyday micro-negotiations in building confidence; how to uncover true needs through strategic questioning; using the A-S-K framework to navigate difficult conversations; ways HR can speak up when discussions go off-track; understanding personality and negotiation styles; overcoming internal narratives that limit assertiveness; developing boundaries and protecting emotional energy; and helping leaders adopt negotiation as a core communication skill.  You can find Linda’s assessments and tools including the “What’s My DEAL Style?”, “How Well Do You Ask?” assessments and “Negotiate Like a CEO” E-Book here https://www.lindaswindling.com/assessments  Good Morning, HR is brought to you by Imperative—Bulletproof Background Checks. For more information about our commitment to quality and excellent customer service, visit us at https://imperativeinfo.com.   If you are an HRCI or SHRM-certified professional, this episode of Good Morning, HR has been pre-approved for half a recertification credit. To obtain the recertification information for this episode, visit https://goodmorninghr.com.   About our Guest:  Linda Swindling, CSP, CPAE, is a globally recognized expert in negotiation, high-stakes communication, and leadership influence. Ranked among the Top 15 Negotiators in the World by Global Gurus for six consecutive years, she equips leaders and professionals to negotiate what matters—from closing major deals to dealing with workplace drama with confidence and clarity.  A Certified Speaking Professional and inductee into the National Speakers Association’s Speaker Hall of Fame (CPAE), Linda is also a Professor of Practice in Negotiation and Dispute Resolution at the University of Texas at Dallas.  Her negotiation expertise was refined in the courtroom and the boardroom as a practicing corporate attorney and later, a strategic advisor to CEOs. During her 10 years practicing law, Linda became a partner and a mediator, successfully negotiated several million-dollar deals, and resolved cases that “couldn’t be settled.”  For more than 25 years, she has delivered innovative, research-based programs which result in better conversations, proactive dispute resolution, and high-performance leaders and teams. You won’t hear anecdotal or intangible theories based on books she read. Instead, you get strategies that produce breakthrough outcomes and lasting results.  Linda’s clients include Fortune 100 companies, government agencies, and associations seeking to boost performance, build resilient cultures, and champion change. The creator of the popular Passport to Success book series, she is the author/co-author of more than 20 books including Ask Outrageously, Stop Complainers and Energy Drainers, and The Manager’s High-Performance Handbook.  Whether she’s speaking from the stage or coaching executives behind the scenes, Linda empowers professionals to use their voices effectively, resolve conflict respectfully, and negotiate durable outcomes that benefit all parties.  Linda Swindling can be reached at: https://www.facebook.com/JourneyOnLindaSwindling https://x.com/LindaSwindling https://www.linkedin.com/in/lindaswindling/ https://www.youtube.com/@LindaSwindling  About Mike Coffey:  Mike Coffey is an entrepreneur, licensed private investigator, business strategist, HR consultant, and registered yoga teacher. In 1999, he founded Imperative, a background investigations and due diligence firm helping risk-averse clients make well-informed decisions about the people they involve in their business. Imperative delivers in-depth employment background investigations, know-your-customer and anti-money laundering compliance, and due diligence investigations to more than 300 risk-averse corporate clients across the US, and, through its PFC Caregiver & Household Screening brand, many more private estates, family offices, and personal service agencies. Imperative has been named a Best Places to Work, the Texas Association of Business’ small business of the year, and is accredited by the Professional Background Screening Association.  Mike shares his insight from 25+ years of HR-entrepreneurship on the Good Morning, HR podcast, where each week he talks to business leaders about bringing people together to create value for customers, shareholders, and community. Mike has been recognized as an Entrepreneur of Excellence by FW, Inc. and has twice been recognized as the North Texas HR Professional of the Year.  Mike serves as a board member of a number of organizations, including the Texas State Council, where he serves Texas’ 31 SHRM chapters as State Director-Elect; Workforce Solutions for Tarrant County; the Texas Association of Business; and the Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce, where he is chair of the Talent Committee. Mike is a certified Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR) through the HR Certification Institute and a SHRM Senior Certified Professional (SHRM-SCP). He is also a Yoga Alliance registered yoga teacher (RYT-200) and teaches multiple times each week. Mike and his very patient wife of 28 years are empty nesters in Fort Worth.  Learning Objectives: Identify the psychological barriers that make negotiation feel uncomfortable for most professionals. Apply the A-S-K framework to improve preparation, questioning, and next-step planning. Strengthen leadership communication by encouraging employees and executives to clearly express what they really want.  

Something New!  For HR teams who discuss this podcast in their team meetings, we've created a discussion starter PDF to help guide your conversation. Download it here https://goodmorninghr.com/EP229  In episode 229, Coffey talks with Frank Davis and John Surma about navigating OSHA inspections and preventing costly workplace safety violations.  They discuss how employers misunderstand OSHA obligations; when OSHA reporting and injury-logging rules apply; the most-cited OSHA violations; triggers that prompt an OSHA inspection; why it is illegal to for OSHA to schedule an inspection with an employer; the importance of carefully limiting the scope of the inspection; OSHA’s interviews managers and employees—and the impact of each on the inspection’s outcome; documentation requests and timelines; citation outcomes and settlement options; and proactive strategies to prepare for inspections and avoid penalties.  Good Morning, HR is brought to you by Imperative—Bulletproof Background Checks. For more information about our commitment to quality and excellent customer service, visit us at https://imperativeinfo.com.   If you are an HRCI or SHRM-certified professional, this episode of Good Morning, HR has been pre-approved for one hour of recertification credit. To obtain the recertification information for this episode, visit https://goodmorninghr.com.   About our Guest:  Frank Davis is Board Certified in labor and employment law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. His clients know he is ready to use his knowledge to manage a crisis on a moment’s notice. In fact, in the last year, he managed labor relations matters and workplace safety inspections and fatalities in over 35 different states.   Frank’s experience managing crisis events makes him especially suited to counsel clients on strategies to avoid catastrophic litigation and other cost-savings efforts: - Evaluation of exposure to workplace health and safety hazards. - Preparation of workplace safety compliance strategies and policies. - Managing employee relations to avoid litigation and resist organizing drives by unions; and - Management of relations with unions to avoid frivolous grievances and exposure to contract liability.  Because of Frank’s specialized skillset, his clients frequently retain him to handle a variety of sensitive matters: - Fatalities and other reportable injuries in the workplace; - Collective bargaining of labor contracts; - Labor arbitrations; - Union campaigns; - Contract litigation; and - Litigation before the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) and the Occupational Safety and Health (OSHA) Review Commission.  He also represents clients in whistleblower matters under a broad range of statutes, including the OSH Act, the Surface Transportation Assistance Act, and the Clean Air Act. Frank handles all phases of these complaints, from initial investigation to final litigation before administrative law judges and appeals to federal court.  John Surma is a lawyer with 30 plus years of experience dealing with OSHA, workplace health and safety issues, and counseling employers on those issues. He deals with a variety of state and federal agencies, has responded to over 400 fatalities and 2,000 OSHA inspections.  Frank Davis and John Surma can be reached at https://ogletree.com/people/frank-d-davis/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-surma-75980214  About Mike Coffey:  Mike Coffey is an entrepreneur, licensed private investigator, business strategist, HR consultant, and registered yoga teacher. In 1999, he founded Imperative, a background investigations and due diligence firm helping risk-averse clients make well-informed decisions about the people they involve in their business. Imperative delivers in-depth employment background investigations, know-your-customer and anti-money laundering compliance, and due diligence investigations to more than 300 risk-averse corporate clients across the US, and, through its PFC Caregiver & Household Screening brand, many more private estates, family offices, and personal service agencies. Imperative’s Top Ten Red Flag Candidates, November 2025 Every month, Imperative reports hundreds of records to our clients.  While Imperative always encourages clients to review candidates’ criminal history as but one factor in evaluating their fit for a role, these candidates’ histories caught our attention this month. 1. Household Staff/Nanny Client Candidate: Prostitution Petit larceny 2. Nonprofit Client Candidate: Misuse of client funds by a lawyer (four counts) 3. Hospitality Client Candidate: Willful child cruelty (causing great bodily injury under the age of five years, victim was particularly vulnerable, or taking advantage of a position of trust to commit offense) Driving under the influence, 2 cases Reckless driving on a highway See the rest of the list here: https://www.imperativeinfo.com/blog/2025/12/03/top-ten-red-flag-candidates-november-2025/ Learning Objectives:  Identify when OSHA reporting and recording rules apply and what events trigger each requirement. Evaluate common OSHA violations to prioritize hazard prevention strategies. Prepare supervisors and frontline employees for OSHA interviews and onsite inspection protocols. Navigate the inspection, citation, and settlement processes to reduce organizational risk.  

Something New! For HR teams who discuss this podcast in their team meetings, we've created a discussion starter PDF to help guide your conversation. Download it here https://goodmorninghr.com/EP228In episode 228, Coffey talks with Kelly Bubolz about the evolving drivers of workplace burnout and practical ways employers can build healthy, high-capacity teams.They discuss how rapid technological change is straining employee capacity; the shift from pandemic-era mental-health burnout to operational overload; the role of role clarity and workflow optimization in preventing exhaustion; the behavioral warning signs of advancing burnout; the hidden cost of dysfunctional meetings; the impact of remote work structure on cognitive load and productivity; proactive workforce metrics HR should track; cultural myths that drain energy and reinforce burnout; improving cross-functional collaboration and workflow design; and how organizations can align operations around true value creation.Good Morning, HR is brought to you by Imperative—Bulletproof Background Checks. For more information about our commitment to quality and excellent customer service, visit us at https://imperativeinfo.com.If you are an HRCI or SHRM-certified professional, this episode of Good Morning, HR has been pre-approved for half a recertification credit. To obtain the recertification information for this episode, visit https://goodmorninghr.com.About our Guest:Burnout survivor turned business strategist, Kelly Bubolz knows what it takes to go from running on fumes to being intentional with energy that people want to follow. With 20+ years in HR leadership, she’s transformed her own high stress physical collapse into a powerhouse mission. Guiding the recharge through redesigning the ways of work, cutting through chaos and into sustainable energy.Kelly Bubolz can be reached at: https://www.kbtrainingconnections.com https://www.linkedin.com/in/kelly-bubolz-73b65011 https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61579197120672 https://www.instagram.com/kellybubolzAbout Mike Coffey:Mike Coffey is an entrepreneur, licensed private investigator, business strategist, HR consultant, and registered yoga teacher. In 1999, he founded Imperative, a background investigations and due diligence firm helping risk-averse clients make well-informed decisions about the people they involve in their business.Imperative delivers in-depth employment background investigations, know-your-customer and anti-money laundering compliance, and due diligence investigations to more than 300 risk-averse corporate clients across the US, and, through its PFC Caregiver & Household Screening brand, many more private estates, family offices, and personal service agencies. Imperative has been named a Best Places to Work, the Texas Association of Business’ small business of the year, and is accredited by the Professional Background Screening Association. Mike shares his insight from 25+ years of HR-entrepreneurship on the Good Morning, HR podcast, where each week he talks to business leaders about bringing people together to create value for customers, shareholders, and community.Mike has been recognized as an Entrepreneur of Excellence by FW, Inc. and has twice been recognized as the North Texas HR Professional of the Year. Mike serves as a board member of a number of organizations, including the Texas State Council, where he serves Texas’ 31 SHRM chapters as State Director-Elect; Workforce Solutions for Tarrant County; the Texas Association of Business; and the Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce, where he is chair of the Talent Committee. Mike is a certified Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR) through the HR Certification Institute and a SHRM Senior Certified Professional (SHRM-SCP). He is also a Yoga Alliance registered yoga teacher (RYT-200) and teaches multiple times each week.Mike and his very patient wife of 28 years are empty nesters in Fort Worth.Learning Objectives:1. Identify the behavioral and operational indicators of burnout before they reach crisis levels.2. Evaluate how role clarity, workflow design, and meeting structure affect employee capacity.3. Apply proactive metrics and cultural practices that reduce energy drain and strengthen productivity.