What the FTE? - Tackling the tough questions about the future of work.

This week on What the FTE? we rethink one of the most overlooked levers in talent strategy, how we pay people. Traditional pay cycles were built for bookkeepers, not workers. Sean Paulseth, Head of Revenue, Canada at ZayZoon, is here to show why pay timing matters as much as pay level. We dig into how on‑demand pay reduces financial stress, boosts retention and becomes a strategic advantage in frontline and hourly workforces. Sean shares how pay innovation works in practice, the guardrails that protect workers and why leaders need to ask payroll teams a new question about compensation design.Enjoyed the episode?👉 Get the full playbook on this topic: www.certn.co/blog👉 Join thousands of HR leaders receiving our weekly HR insights: www.certn.co/podcast

This week on What the FTE?, Andy speaks with a cybersecurity founder about how AI and remote hiring have changed where risk shows up inside companies. What starts as a conversation about modern tools quickly reveals how resumes, PDFs, and automated applications can open the door to serious security threats.They discuss why rushed hiring creates blind spots, how insider risks actually emerge, and why patterns and gut instinct still matter. The episode also explores hiring people who think like owners and building trust in small, fast-moving teams.If you’re building in an AI-driven world, this episode is a clear reminder that trust takes time, shortcuts are costly, and the basics still matter most.Enjoyed the episode?👉 Get the full playbook on this topic: www.certn.co/blog👉 Join thousands of HR leaders receiving our weekly HR insights: www.certn.co/podcast

This week on What the FTE?, we go to war with the CV. Former Australian Army Captain turned HR disruptor, Josh Hill, joins us to dismantle outdated hiring systems and explain what “discovery-led hiring” actually looks like. From military simulations to startup chaos, Josh shares how to slow down the process, ask better questions, and get radically clear on fit — before you ever post a job. If you’ve ever rushed to fill a seat and regretted it, this one’s for you.Enjoyed the episode?👉 Get the full playbook on this topic: www.certn.co/blog👉 Join thousands of HR leaders receiving our weekly HR insights: www.certn.co/podcast

This week on What the FTE?, we hear from Chris Milligan, founder and CEO of Konfir (the UK tech company collapsing hiring timelines from weeks to seconds). Chris shares how open banking, GDPR, and machine learning have created a faster, more trusted way to verify employment data. They unpack the power of consent-based systems, the future of verification, and what it takes to scale lean in uncertain times. For HR leaders, it’s a sharp look at how data infrastructure is quietly reshaping hiring, onboarding, and trust itself.Enjoyed the episode?👉 Get the full playbook on this topic: www.certn.co/blog👉 Join thousands of HR leaders receiving our weekly HR insights: www.certn.co/podcastChris shares how open banking, GDPR, and machine learning have created a faster, more trusted way to verify employment data. They unpack the power of consent-based systems, the future of verification, and what it takes to scale lean in uncertain times. For HR leaders, it’s a sharp look at how data infrastructure is quietly reshaping hiring, onboarding, and trust itself.Enjoyed the episode?👉 Get the full playbook on this topic: www.certn.co/blog👉 Join thousands of HR leaders receiving our weekly HR insights: www.certn.co/podcast

This week on What the FTE?, Maya Bellay sits down with Katy Hoszka, Global Total Rewards Leader at Certn, to talk about the real power behind pay. From building salary bands from scratch to navigating the messy truth of transparency, Katy shares how fairness, trust, and storytelling intersect inside a modern reward strategy. They unpack why equity—not equality—drives performance, how to win executive buy-in, and what it really takes to build systems employees believe in. If you think rewards are just HR’s domain, this episode will change your mind.Enjoyed the episode?👉 Get the full playbook on this topic: www.certn.co/blog👉 Join thousands of HR leaders receiving our weekly HR insights: www.certn.co/podcast

This week on What the FTE?, we’re joined by Aubrey Blanche, global inclusion strategist and founder of The Mathpath, to tackle one of HR’s most stubborn challenges: how to actually operationalise your values.Aubrey breaks down a practical 3-part framework that turns your values from vague poster copy into real decision-making tools for hiring, reviews, and culture. She shares what most companies get wrong, what it means to “design for equity,” and how to balance fairness with performance in high-growth environments.This episode is a must-listen for HR leaders ready to stop talking about culture and start building it.Enjoyed the episode?👉 Get the full deep dive on this topic: www.certn.co/blog👉 Subscribe for weekly HR strategy updates: www.certn.co/podcast

When things get messy, culture’s usually the first thing to go. But Stacy Parkinson has led teams through chaos, and still walked away with top culture awards.In this episode, Maya Bellay interviews Stacy about the complexities of maintaining organizational culture during times of significant change.Enjoyed the episode?👉 Get the full deep dive on this topic: www.certn.co/blog👉 Subscribe for weekly HR strategy updates: www.certn.co/podcast

What happens when you get executive hiring wrong? In this episode, executive search leader Marianne Bulger joins Melissa Marsellison to unpack the unseen forces that shape high-stakes recruitment. From CEO blind spots to broken team dynamics, this is a candid look at what really derails the hiring process - and how to fix it. Expect sharp insights on trust, alignment, candidate experience and why transformational hires demand more than a slick CV.Enjoyed the episode?👉 Get the full deep dive on this topic www.certn.co/podcast

This week’s guest, Anitta Krishan, shares how burnout in the tech trenches led her to breathwork, Bali, and a whole new philosophy of leadership that’s gaining serious traction: embodied leadership. Anitta is the Chief Culture Officer at Hoogly AI and former VP, Global Head of People & Strategy at TikTok.Enjoyed the episode?👉 Get the full deep dive on this topic: www.certn.co/blog👉 Subscribe for weekly HR strategy updates: www.certn.co/podcast

Still think cybersecurity isn’t an HR problem?Think again. Discover how insider threats start with hiring. Learn why HR is key to cybersecurity and how smarter screening can prevent credential leaks and internal fraud.Enjoyed the episode?Get the full deep dive on this topic: www.certn.co/blogSubscribe for weekly HR strategy updates: www.certn.co/podcast

On this episode, Certn’s Donal Greene and Doug Beavis dive into the rise of deepfakes, synthetic candidates, and the AI-fueled fraud risks reshaping hiring.From a real CEO impersonation attempt to tips for deepfake-proofing your TA process, this one’s unmissable.

The HR landscape is evolving, and fast. As AI moves from concept to practical application (albeit more slowly than some people predicted), HR leaders are stepping into a new kind of responsibility: leading both people and intelligent systems. Krista Skalde, a seasoned global talent executive, captures it well: “The future is now.”In a world of job design disruption, hybrid workforces, and machine-human teaming, here’s what HR leaders need to know, and do, to stay ahead.Enjoyed the episode?👉 Get the full deep dive on this topic: www.certn.co/blog👉 Subscribe for weekly HR strategy updates: www.certn.co/podcast