Best Melanie Schmeelke Podcasts (2024)

1
Can you really focus on employee happiness and still drive performance? 40:24

2+ y ago40:24

40:24

Some may see a practical emphasis on employee emphasis as being in opposition to driving performance. Ryo Hanalei Zsun, the Culture Maestro at Zappos makes a compelling case against that mindset in this episode of The CultureOps podcast.By Ben Branson-Gateley

1
Understanding the true cost of a negative workplace culture 35:12

2+ y ago35:12

35:12

How can you tell if your culture is a healthy and inclusive one founded on trust? How do you bring policies to life? Gemma McCall, CEO and co-founder of CultureShift joins us to discuss her experiences of negative workplace cultures, their impact and her expert advice on how to manage and combat them.…

1
What matters more now - company culture or flexible working? 40:56

2+ y ago40:56

40:56

We’re in the middle of the biggest shift in what people expect from work in the last 50 years. Team members are more willing to move jobs more quickly to maximise their compensation - so how can you as a business refresh your culture and policies to better hold onto top talent and attract the best?Hung Lee, author of Recruiting Brainfood, joins us …

1
How compensation affects your culture 36:06

2+ y ago36:06

36:06

Compensation isn’t the only thing employees care about now - which is not to stay it’s not still vital to their experience, performance and happiness. Jonas Bøgh Larsen, Co-founder and CEO of Pento - CharlieHR’s new payroll partner, joins us to discuss how people should navigate compensation to boost performance, attraction and retention and suppor…

1
How to codify and update your values to boost performance 37:45

2+ y ago37:45

37:45

You've codified your values into a functional, high performing culture. But how do you move from an early stage, speed oriented culture into something that fits your current team and business goals? Chloe Bartle, Head of People and Culture at Trouva, came out of the pandemic of 2020 with a stronger team in need of a re-coding of their values which …

1
How to build a culture that confronts racial bias 43:54

2+ y ago43:54

43:54

It can be tricky figuring out a framework and the key cogs of any organisation to work on to confront racial bias and rectify inequalities. Daisy Auger-Dominguez has been doing that good work at the likes of Google, Disney and now VICE Media, and has a new book on the subject out.She joins us to share her knowledge on the subject and make a case fo…

1
We'll be back soon 0:36

2+ y ago0:36

0:36

The CultureOps Podcast is going on a short mid-season break.We’ll be back in a few weeks with new guests and new episodes on the nuts and bolts of building great company culture.By Ben Branson-Gateley

1
How to build a remote-first culture and prioritise the virtual employee experience 44:19

2+ y ago44:19

44:19

For many, WFH is here to stay. Daphnée Laforest, an expert in remote-first organisation strategy and the Founder of Modern Leaders speaks to us about how you can build a great remote-first company with a strong, supportive culture that fosters inclusion, engagement and performance.By Ben Branson-Gateley

1
Crafting courageous, autonomous cultures 36:05

3y ago36:05

36:05

How do you build a culture that fosters courage, the understanding that each opinion matters and avoids the trap of leadership teams thinking they always know best?Karin Hurt, CEO of Let’s Grow Leaders and author of Courageous Cultures joins us to discuss the tools and necessity of building a courageous, autonomous culture.…

1
Building a continually self-improving culture through feedback 39:17

3y ago39:17

39:17

Shivani Berry, CEO & Founder of Ascend says the best leaders are feedback magnets. But how can you turn what is often a scary thing, into something beneficial for the company and culture you’re crafting?By Ben Branson-Gateley

1
Why inauthentic cultures fail, and how to build a real one. 34:45

3y ago34:45

34:45

Camilla Boyer, head of internal communications and culture at Hopin, joins us to discuss why a safe and diverse space along with building trust is crucial to crafting a genuine culture for your business.By Ben Branson-Gateley

1
The importance of culture in the cohesion of high performing teams 45:12

3y ago45:12

45:12

Khoi Tu, author of SuperTeams joins us to talk about high performing teams, and why leaders are vital to trust, cohesion and inclusivity in team construction. Without them, you can’t build a business or a high performing team that will go the distance and hit business milestones.By Ben Branson-Gateley

1
How Oatly’s culture of purpose affects discretionary effort and employee engagement 34:46

3y ago34:46

34:46

Laura Wyatt, People and Culture Manager at Oatly has never seen an employee resign. In the wake of COVID and with many companies experiencing ‘the great resignation’, businesses need to be more creative and intentional with employee engagement than ever before.In this episode we dive into how Oatly’s culture of purpose and intention has impacted em…

1
How to harness and support career journeys to boost business and individual performance 36:52

3+ y ago36:52

36:52

Laurie Ruettimann, author of ‘Betting On You’, joins us to discuss how to find the sweet spot of allowing people to work with purpose, meaning and career growth in a way that impacts profitability and revenue.By Ben Branson-Gateley

1
How we’re shaping our culture at CharlieHR 48:11

3+ y ago48:11

48:11

The Charlie Team dig into the journey culture within the team has changed, grown and been codified, as CultureOps, over the years. 5 years of learnings and iterating on the core values our policies and processes are measured against turned over by CharlieHR’s CEO Ben Gateley, Chief of Staff Amy Cowpe, Product Manager Oyinda Bamgbose and Growth Edit…

1
How your lack of diversity is hurting your business’s culture and performance 38:06

3+ y ago38:06

38:06

How do you deal with diversity debt and the pressures from investors to hit milestones and find growth at almost all costs?Chacho Valadez, Principal at Backstage Capital, joins us to dig into those big, important issues that affect not just business performance but culture, retention and attraction too.…

1
How and why you should maximise autonomy in your team 29:52

3+ y ago29:52

29:52

Evgeny Shadchnev the founder and ex-CEO of Makers makes the argument that autonomy alone isn’t what will benefit your team most. Evgeny shares their wealth of experience and advice on what aspects are most key to developing a culture which supports growth and business success in this episode of The CultureOps Podcast.…

1
How to implement a culture of authenticity and encourage team candour 49:26

3+ y ago49:26

49:26

Webflow’s Sean Page joins us to discuss how they’ve made space for vulnerability and authenticity to attract culture adds and improve team wellbeing.By Ben Branson-Gateley

1
OOO - Back Soon! 1:13

3+ y ago1:13

1:13

We're going on a short mid-season break to make sure we're always bringing you the best content we can. See you in April!By Ben Branson-Gateley

1
2020 hit our team hard mentally and emotionally. How can I help them and the business reset for success in 2021? 43:35

3+ y ago43:35

43:35

Disconnected, disheartened, exhausted and misaligned. Teams, have been hit hard by 2020 in both their working and personal lives. 2021 will hopefully look better and very different to last year, but how can you help your team set up for success and reset after a long and trialling year?Advice, experiences and insights from Rajeeb Dey MBE (Founder a…

1
How to craft a parent-friendly culture. 36:55

3+ y ago36:55

36:55

Small businesses can’t afford to continue to hire predominantly young, childless team members. But it’s impossible to hire smart, driven people who have children without developing a culture that welcomes and enables them to do their best work.Rachel Carrell, Founder of Koru Kids, shares her insights, advice and experiences of building a parent-fri…

1
How do we stop people leaving when internal promotions keep getting delayed? 36:25

3+ y ago36:25

36:25

Every individual thinks and expects different types of promotions and if they’re denied them for too long motivation and team retention will suffer. But how can you manage promotions in a way that works for both the individual and the business?Advice, experiences and insights from Rajeeb Dey MBE (Founder and CEO of Learnerbly), Charlotte Hamill (CO…

1
Does having a purpose improve business performance? 37:09

3+ y ago37:09

37:09

Dr. Marcia Goddard, Neuroscientist & Culture Lead at Tony’s Chocolonely, discusses the positive effects and trade-offs on retention, attraction and performance of teams guided by an overarching company mission that feels impactful in the wider-world.By Ben Branson-Gateley

1
Can a 4 day work week really work? 45:07

4y ago45:07

45:07

4 day work weeks, fully remote, fully distributed and high performing - everyone knows Buffer’s team are on the forefront of progressive policies. But how is a policy of a 4 day work week affecting their team and their business?Nicole Miller, People Operations Manager at Buffer reflects on the impacts, successes and short comings of the policy she …

1
How do you make your team more responsible for their own development? 43:35

4y ago43:35

43:35

L&D is vital to company success and the retention of your team. But how do you motivate them to take more responsibility with their own development - without holding their hands through it?Advice, experiences and insights from our experienced panel: Rajeeb Dey MBE (Founder and CEO of Learnerbly), Jessica Hayes (VP People at Whereby), Charlotte Hami…

1
How to consciously craft your culture for a creative, productive workplace. 38:30

4y ago38:30

38:30

Bruce Daisley was the VP for Twitter Europe for 8 years and is a key player in the workplace revolution as a best selling author in the space. Achieving successful outcomes goes hand in hand with a creative workplace. Ben speaks to Bruce about the importance of actively crafting a motivating culture that emphasises choice, creativity and productivi…

1
How do you build a culture where people “care personally” ? 45:32

4y ago45:32

45:32

Kim Scott is the author of the best-selling book Radical Candor. Kim shares her experiences of developing a growth mindset, digging into the real examples that led to the creation of the Radical Candor framework. Listen in to the advice which has helped many businesses craft cultures of feedback and enable their teams to perform to their best poten…

1
How do you deal with an existing toxic culture? 39:18

4y ago39:18

39:18

Aside from employee happiness, a toxic culture can be detrimental to retention, attraction and the ability of your team to give their best. But how do you undo it, when it's already established?Experiences, advice and insights in conversation with Jessica Hayes (VP People & Talent at Whereby), April Williams (Founder of Can?Did!, HR & Talent Consul…

1
How do you manage the challenges to company culture as you grow? 35:50

4y ago35:50

35:50

Our panel dive into the most common challenges to scaling company culture as you grow. Heading into a period of expansion and rapid hiring can instils fear of losing that close-knit, candid and productive team culture. But how can you manage that culture shift?Experiences, advice and insights in conversation with Rajeeb Dey (Founder & CEO of Learne…

1
How to build and scale a business with a culture of performance and accountability. 34:49

4y ago34:49

34:49

In this episode we discuss the truths unearthed from the typical startup mantras of culture and performance. Lessons in culture and its importance from a veteran of business building.Alex Depledge has founded and built two successful businesses from scratch. Through the years, they’ve made mistakes in building a culture of excellence and accountabi…

1
My CEO isn’t leading by example - what do I do? 33:21

4y ago33:21

33:21

If a CEO doesn't embody the qualities they ask for from their team it can be hard hard for company culture, engagement and productivity to thrive. But what can you do to tackle this issue, if you’re not in a position to set the example yourself?Experiences, advice and insights in conversation with Rajeeb Dey MBE (Founder & CEO of Learnerbly), April…

1
How to receive feedback well even if you hate it. 37:16

4y ago37:16

37:16

This is one for both employees and managers - because both the individual and business performance will suffer if individuals take feedback poorly.Practical advice on how to receive feedback well by reframing it in your mind and how to give feedback to someone who you know struggles to receive it.Experiences, advice and insights in conversation wit…

1
Two people on my leadership team don’t get along. How do I fix this? 38:06

4y ago38:06

38:06

This goes beyond relationships. If the leadership team don’t get along, your teams and businesses will suffer.In this episode of There's This Thing At Work, our expert panelists Jessica Hayes (VP People & Talent at Whereby), Charlotte Hamill (COO of Born Social), Rajeeb Dey (Founder & CEO of Learnerbly) and Tom Fraine (Chief People Officer at Bulb)…

1
How can I get useful, constructive feedback from my manager? They just give me useless, unhelpful comments. 33:17

4y ago33:17

33:17

In the latest episode of the There’s This Thing at Work podcast, our panellists share their tips on how to encourage honest, actionable feedback in your team - whether it be from your own manager or for other managers at work.Experiences, advice and insights in conversation with Tom Fraine (Chief People Officer at Bulb), April Williams (Founder of …

1
We were wrong about culture fit, we should be hiring for values fit. 30:12

4y ago30:12

30:12

We thought the key to building strong culture through hiring was screening for culture fit. Turns out, we were wrong - it’s a value fit that will be the greatest asset to your team and business.We speak to Bretton Putter, author and CEO of CultureGene, about how and why companies should be screening for values fit when hiring - and how to define, e…

1
How to build a culture that is both professional and allows people to be themselves. 34:31

4y ago34:31

34:31

It can be difficult and seemingly impossible to build a culture that is professional and tuned in, but also open to quirks and people enjoying their days at work. One that is both focussed on business success but also gives room for real relationships to form and for people to have fun with their colleagues.We speak to Angela Bradbury the Chief of …

1
How to get your company talking about their mental health. 37:42

4y ago37:42

37:42

How can you encourage and equip your team leaders to have supportive, constructive conversations with their teams about their mental health? It’s impossible to leave your mental health at the door every morning, so it’s vital that companies do more to support and talk about it.We speak to James Routledge the founder and CEO of Sanctus, a company on…

1
"My team are uncomfortable having honest conversations. How can we change that?" 38:40

4y ago38:40

38:40

Our panel of People leaders in boundary-pushing successful businesses share exactly how they managed to keep honesty at the core of their businesses. Losing those key aspects of startups that attract people as you scale can be detrimental to the mental health of your team, employee retention and business success. So here’s how you avoid that loss w…

1
How to use one-to-ones to improve your culture, remotely. 36:58

4y ago36:58

36:58

The effects of a good one-to-one on your culture and personal relationships at work can be enormous. But in the current work climate of high-intensity, remote work, it’s even harder and more important to do them well.We speak to Phill Burton, the COO of Bloom & Wild about how one-to-ones have worked for them in a remote setting and strengthened the…

1
How to enable your team to bring their emotions to the workplace. 33:28

4+ y ago33:28

33:28

Bringing your full self to work is in our opinion both difficult and important. Building a culture of openness and support can help your team feel safe, and achieve those ‘productivity gains’ in the healthiest way possible. Because no one can be a ‘good, productive employee’ 100% of the time.We speak to Carolyn Stransky, a software developer, journ…

1
On remote working; don’t give up your office just yet. 36:05

4+ y ago36:05

36:05

The environment in which our teams work has a huge impact on productivity, motivation and business success. Many companies have been taking their teams fully remote, but that may not be the best choice for all.We speak to Tushar Agarwal the CEO and Co-Founder of Hubble and Forbes 30 under 30, about why the office isn’t dead, and how teams and busin…

1
How to run probation periods fairly and productively. 38:34

4+ y ago38:34

38:34

The most important element of a new hire’s probation period is communicating correctly. How do you set expectations, measure success and utilise two-way feedback in a way that is most beneficial to your new hire and your business?We speak to Chris Edson, the CEO and Co-Founder of Second Nature and a Forbes 30 under 30, about how they have improved …

1
How to hire for the future, remotely. 30:33

4+ y ago30:33

30:33

COVID-19 has not only changed hiring and growth at present, it has arguably also changed the future of team-makeup hiring.Following on from our discussion last week about how the demands on your team makeup are changing - we speak to Phillip Blaydes, the Founder and Co-CEO of Talentful about how to build that team you’ll need, remotely and fairly.…

1
Is the team you needed in the past, the team you’ll need for the future? 31:34

4+ y ago31:34

31:34

A company without a successful team can never become a successful company. So how can you build a team that operates as a growth engine for the new, future-looking ways of work and avoid creating a bottleneck that inhibits progress moving forward?We speak to Charlotte Melkert, Co-Founder and CEO at Equalture about how you can optimise your team for…

1
The role of therapy in the workplace 34:15

4+ y ago34:15

34:15

Therapy can be a means to improving employee wellness, and therefore business health - which begs the question - should workplaces be looking to provide therapy for their employees?We speak to Philippa Richardson, the Founder of The Circle Line, about how and why businesses should consider therapy for all employees an essential part of their wellne…

1
Should businesses be responsible for employee financial wellbeing? 29:14

4+ y ago29:14

29:14

In the age of mass furlough, many staff members have had to absorb a 20% reduction in their pay. These tough decisions may have helped businesses stay afloat, but there are also ways your company can help your employees - furloughed or not, weather the storm.We spoke to Grace Tolley-Smith, co-founder and CPO at Bippit, about how and why businesses …

1
Getting communication right and aligning your business when remote working. 36:35

4+ y ago36:35

36:35

The vital factor to making a culture of autonomy and trust work, is communication.Now that many teams are remote, aligning everyone and nailing that seamless communication is both key and difficult to productivity and maintaining that culture of trust.We speak to Sarah Mourtada Sich, the Head of Marketing at Work.Life about how they’re maintaining …

1
How Bulb built an agile culture that took them from the office to remote work. 33:12

4+ y ago33:12

33:12

How do you define an agile culture that runs through every team at your company and prepares you for quick, dynamic shifts? Most teams and businesses have faced a dramatic shift in working styles - and the implications big and small, business and personal, are wide-ranging.We speak to Tom Fraine the Chief People Officer at Bulb about how they manag…

1
How to support the mental and emotional wellbeing of your team during COVID-19 31:59

4+ y ago31:59

31:59

How can small business leaders lookout for the emotional and mental wellbeing of their teams remotely and during this period of increased stress and tension?We talk to Robert Rees, Director of The Grove Practice, an accredited psychotherapist, about mental health and its role in the COVID-10 pandemic, and how to deal with your own and support that …

1
How small businesses will survive and thrive after COVID-19 38:32

4+ y ago38:32

38:32

How can small business leaders overcome the shock their companies and teams are suffering during this pandemic - and think about how to develop strong teams and cultures in the long-term that will get us through the short term?We speak to Charlotte Hamill the COO of Born Social about how she’s thinking about what comes next, what policies and proce…

Podcasts Worth a Listen

Melanie Schmeelke Podcasts

Podcasts Worth a Listen

Quick Reference Guide