Take It Online : HR Meets AI

The Happy Employees!

For the milestone 50th episode of Take It Online, host Brittain Wells pulls back the curtain on The Happy Employees with co-host YV from Zivy. Wells shares her journey from a behavior analyst working with vulnerable populations to organizational culture advisor, revealing how poor workplace culture doesn't just hurt businesses but burns people out of entire industries. The conversation explores the critical link between employee contentment and business performance, with Wells arguing that true workplace happiness isn't constant joy but sustainable contentment where employees stop hitting snooze buttons because they're excited to start their workday.
The episode introduces The Happy Employees' AI plugin that analyzes Slack conversations to generate Employee Happiness Scores, measuring everything from communication patterns to response latency. Wells explains how the platform identifies negative, positive, and neutral factors affecting workplace culture while maintaining employee anonymity. Beyond the technology, he emphasizes the human element through culture advisors who observe actual workplace dynamics and implement simple yet effective changes. The discussion reveals how behavior analysis principles apply to organizational performance, treating culture improvement like performance management for the business itself rather than just individual employees.
Music By: Harvey Waldman

Peformance Improvement Plans

Performance Improvement Plans have become workplace weapons disguised as development tools, with 72% of employees viewing them as termination paperwork rather than genuine growth opportunities. Host Britton Wells and guest Nicole Gill dissect why traditional PIPs fail spectacularly, revealing that only 36% of employees actually improve under these plans. The conversation exposes the fundamental flaw: most managers skip crucial expectation-setting conversations and jump straight to documentation mode, creating distrust instead of development.
The duo explores practical alternatives that actually work, emphasizing honest conversations, collaborative development plans, and manager accountability. They highlight how proper expectation setting, regular feedback, and genuine investment in employee growth can transform potential terminations into success stories. The episode serves as a wake-up call for organizations still relying on outdated performance management tactics that damage culture while failing to achieve their stated goals.
Music by: Harvey Walman

Stop Interrupting Others

In this episode of "Take It Online" host Brittain Wells sits down with her colleague Nicole Gill to have an open and honest discussion about the ongoing issue of interruptions in the workplace. The two acknowledge that interruptions can stem from a variety of motivations, ranging from a desire to contribute ideas quickly to an underlying need for control and dominance in a conversation.
Throughout the dialogue, Brittain and Nicole unpack the nuances of "good" versus "bad" interruptions, examining how intent and communication styles can shape the impact. They offer insightful strategies for addressing habitual interrupting behaviors, such as utilizing video feedback to raise self-awareness and establishing collaborative ground rules. Ultimately, the hosts emphasize the importance of fostering mutual understanding, respect, and a willingness to adapt one's communication approach in order to cultivate more productive, inclusive workplace dynamics. Listeners are sure to come away with a renewed perspective on managing the delicate balance of interruptions.
Music by: Harvey Waldman
Tip: You can listen to the podcast at 1.25X to better grasp the content faster.

Startup Decision Trust

In this episode of Take It Online, host Brittain Wells explores the delicate balance between quick decision-making and trust in AI startups with co-hosts Akhila Nagula and Nicole Gill. The conversation centers on a real-world scenario where a major decision was made without the usual team consultation, revealing the intricate dynamics of startup decision-making. Akhila explains that successful startups operate like "slimes" - flexible entities that can reshape themselves around their core mission and purpose, with trust serving as the binding agent that allows founders to make rapid gut decisions when needed.
The discussion reveals that early-stage startups rely heavily on intuition and gut feelings, much like the stories behind Netflix, SpaceX, and FedEx. As companies mature and gain more resources, the decision-making process shifts from instinct-driven choices to data-driven approaches. The hosts emphasize that the key to effective startup decision-making lies in understanding team perspectives, maintaining pure intentions aligned with company mission, and developing the cognitive ability to quickly weigh pros and cons across multiple scenarios. This balance of trust, speed, and strategic thinking becomes the formula that separates successful startups from those that get bogged down in endless deliberation.
Music By: Harvey Waldman

Zivy: End Message Chaos 2

In this episode of Take It Online, host Brittain Wells sits down with YV and Vivek, co-founders of Zivy, a groundbreaking AI solution addressing workplace communication overload. The discussion centers on how constant notifications create mental burden and anxiety, with YV and Vivek explaining how Zivy helps prioritize and synthesize workplace communications by displaying one message at a time and categorizing content intelligently. Brittain highlights the product's thoughtful design, including its calming interface and mindfulness prompts that appear when tasks are complete—features particularly valuable for overwhelmed managers who struggle with multitasking and need support maintaining team communication without sacrificing their productivity or wellbeing.
Music by: Harvey Waldman

Zivy: End Message Chaos 1

In this engaging episode of Take It Online, host Brittain Wells sits down with Zivy founders YV and Vivek to explore how their innovative AI solution transforms workplace productivity. Born from their experience at Razorpay, one of India's largest fintechs, Zivy addresses the challenge of maintaining employee motivation and productivity as organizations scale. Their web application intelligently filters communications across platforms like Slack, Gmail, and Jira, analyzing variables from sender roles to message tone to surface what truly matters. By eliminating the 90% of irrelevant messages managers typically face, Zivy enables professionals to focus on high-leverage work that brings fulfillment and purpose back to their daily tasks.
 
Music by: Harvey Waldman

Human EQ vs AI Part 3

In this thought-provoking episode of Take It Online, host Brittain Wells explores the delicate balance between managerial support and professional boundaries when dealing with employee grief. The conversation with Leisse Wilcox examines why high-achieving employees often return to work prematurely after personal tragedy and the physiological impacts that affect their performance. The discussion evolves into a fascinating exploration of the manager-versus-therapist debate, with Wilcox offering the insightful metaphor of "building gates rather than walls" - creating clear boundaries while maintaining compassion.
The episode challenges popular workplace rhetoric about "family-like" environments, emphasizing instead a professional framework that allows humanity without sacrificing accountability. Wells and colleagues highlight the importance of decisive leadership during crisis, making difficult decisions for struggling employees while maintaining the perfect Venn diagram between compassion and productivity.
Music by: Harvey Waldman

Human EQ vs AI Part 2

In this insightful episode of Take It Online, host Brittain Wells explores the delicate art of managing workplace conflict between high-performing employees. Comparing AI-generated advice with human emotional intelligence, the conversation illuminates how effective conflict resolution requires personalized approaches rather than one-size-fits-all solutions. The discussion emphasizes creating structured conversations with clear agendas, allowing space for "airing grievances," and tailoring communication styles to the specific personalities and power dynamics involved. Wells and colleague Akhila highlight the importance of somatic awareness and powerful coaching questions like "What story are you telling yourself?" and "What are you making this mean about you?" - tools that help managers cut through mental clutter and address the emotional underpinnings of workplace tension.
 
Music by: Harvey Waldman

Human EQ vs AI Part 1

In this part 1 of a three part episode of Take It Online, host Brittain Wells pits emotional intelligence expert Leisse Wilcox against Anthropic's Claude AI to analyze workplace scenarios requiring emotional intelligence. Through a public relations crisis scenario, Wilcox demonstrates the nuanced human approach to emotional intelligence by emphasizing accountability, vulnerability, and rebuilding trust and safety—areas where Claude provides theoretical frameworks but lacks practical application. The episode brilliantly highlights how AI can serve as a valuable tool but cannot replace the human capacity for relationships, nuance, and authentic emotional connection in leadership situations.
Music by: Harvey Waldman

Modern Employee Benefits

In this lively episode of Take It Online, host Brittain Wells and colleagues Akhila Nagula and Nicole Gill dig into what makes an attractive workplace benefits package. The trio dissects traditional expectations versus innovative perks, from unlimited PTO to onsite childcare. Their spirited debate highlights the tension between remote work flexibility and return-to-office incentives, questioning whether free lunches and game nights actually motivate employees facing long commutes. The conversation reveals how different benefits appeal to diverse workforce segments, showcasing that while some perks might seem universal, their value varies dramatically depending on individual circumstances and priorities.
 
Music by: Harvey Waldman