Up Next @ Work
When every day feels like a new adventure, Up Next @ Work delivers the insight and intelligence you need to succeed. Join HR influencers, Jeanne Achille and Katie Achille of The Devon Group, who believe better communications are vital for making sense of what’s happening around you. Listen in as Jeanne and Katie chat with the thought leaders, practitioners, and providers sitting at the intersection of people, processes, and technology to discover what’s Up Next @ Work.
Episodes
June 16, 2026 • 35 mins
In this "high velocity" edition of Up Next @ WorkTech, Kate Achille from The Devon Group and George LaRocque of WorkTech break down the critical intersection of legal friction, evolving corporate staffing strategies, multi-million-dollar government tech overhauls, and the sweeping shifts rewriting the rules of HR management.
Episode highlights include:
The IBM lawsuit: Age discrimination meets automated rejection
People ...
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May 19, 2026 • 44 mins
Welcome to another packed episode of Up Next @ WorkTech, the crossover podcast featuring George LaRocque and Kate Achille.
In this edition, George and Kate break down the rapidly shifting intersections of AI and the technological developments redefining the modern workplace.
The Gen Z Dilemma: The hosts dissect a recent viral commencement speech where graduates booed a corporate narrative praising AI and billionaires.
...
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May 4, 2026 • 44 mins
Kate Achille and George LaRocque are back after taking time off for travel and industry events, ready to dissect the complex, often contradictory state of the modern workplace. This latest episode of Up Next @ Work Tech dives into April's "layoff season," considering the different strategies companies are taking; the rise of token maxing and AI leaderboards; the potential impact of recent changes at DOL; and an exclusive breakdown ...
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March 19, 2026 • 32 mins
In the latest episode of Up Next @ WorkTech, Katie Achille and George LaRocque navigate another packed week of industry turbulence, from Workday's ongoing age-discrimination lawsuit to Senator Hassan's public rebuke of data-broker practices reaching HR Tech.
Episode highlights include:
Meta's recent acquisition spree, followed by rumors of major layoffs
New research from Brookings forecasts profound AI disruption, with a ...
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February 28, 2026 • 47 mins
In the latest episode of Up Next @ WorkTech, Katie Achille and George LaRocque dive into the latest updates impacting the world of work, from companies like Accenture tying promotions to AI usage and Burger King's voice agent Patty tracking upsells and friendliness scores to the security risks of OpenClaw and the soon-to-be omnipresence of the AI native everything.
Episode highlights include:
AI‑driven performance management ...
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February 11, 2026 • 44 mins
Katie Achille and George LaRocque are back with a fast-moving breakdown of the changes over at Workday, the hype and hazards of vibe coding as it relates to the software market at large, findings from the latest Corporate Equality Index, and more.
Episode highlights include:
Does Workday’s CEO transition signal deeper strategic and market pressures?
Vibe coding might be accelerating, but remains risky, lacking co...
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February 3, 2026 • 47 mins
In this crossover episode, Katie Achille sits down with Pete A. Tiliakos and Julie Fernandez, hosts of the popular podcast, HR & Payroll 2.0, to discuss where public relations stands in 2026 in the HR tech space. During their rapid-fire conversation, Katie, Pete, and Julie cover everything from the value of the industry analysts to the ongoing emergence of AEO and GEO.
Episode highlights include:
The trouble with the t...
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January 27, 2026 • 34 mins
2026 kicks off with a jolt as Katie Achille and George LaRocque unpack a wave of developments reshaping HR tech. They dive into the new class action lawsuit against Eightfold, exploring what it signals to the market, around AI transparency, vendor accountability, and compliance.
The conversation widens to worker power, including Microsoft's landmark agreement with Australian labor unions, and the heated rhetoric coming out of Dav...
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January 6, 2026 • 34 mins
As we start the New Year, Jeanne Achille welcomes guest Robert Mattson of Intrigue Communications and Coaching to Up Next @ Work. Mattson helps us understand the importance of storytelling on a corporate level, leaning into the tried-and-true three-act structure: the introduction, the conflict, and persuasive conclusion. He discusses the curse of knowledge and why storytelling from the inside out doesn’t produce optimal resu...
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December 15, 2025 • 26 mins
In this episode of Up Next @ Work, Jeanne Achille speaks with Tracee Bowles, CPP, SHRM-SCP, Global Payroll & Workforce Management Advisory Practice Leader at The Hackett Group (R). Tracee’s expertise in payroll is unprecedented – whether discussing geo-fencing, mobile-based workforces, job costing in the construction industry or certified payrolls – she understands what’s complicating the inherent c...
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December 8, 2025 • 37 mins
In episode five of Up Next @ Work Tech, Katie Achille and George LaRocque talk through the turbulence defining today's labor market. From conflicting signals and the rise of AI-driven HR roles to the urgent need for thoughtful regulation, Katie and George consider how to navigate this liminal moment.
Key Takeaways
Gartner's predictions for the HR roles of the future
The disconnect between layoffs and stock market highs
...
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November 26, 2025 • 33 mins
In this installment, Katie Achille and George LaRocque dissect the paradox of HR Tech funding, Workday’s Pipedream acquisition, payroll automation failures, workplace safety concerns, and The Economist’s claim that HR has “taken over the world.”
Key Takeaways
Despite $4.9B invested in 2025, early-stage founders face unprecedented challenges in raising capital.
Workday’s acquisition of Pipedrea...
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November 11, 2025 • 27 mins
In this episode, George LaRocque and Katie Achille dig into another whirlwind week in HR and Work Tech, from massive valuations and new funds to geographic exits and the morass of missing data.
Key Takeaways
Demand and the impact on valuation
The ethics and economics of AI training
How durable skills are influencing a shift toward "boring jobs"
The need for alternative data sources
Clever marketing reminds us t...
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October 28, 2025 • 37 mins
Katie Achille and George LaRocque are back with another episode of Up Next @ WorkTech, and this time, they're talking about everything from the latest M&A wave to hit HR Tech to Microsoft's introduction of "Mico," the so-called Clippy of the modern era.
Key Takeaways
Humanly, Jack & Jill, Findem and FairNow were out there making moves.
Is AI augmenting our work or coming for our jobs? Seems like the jury's still ...
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In this episode of Up Next @ Work, Jeanne Achille talks to Phillip B. Wilson, labor lawyer turned leadership consultant and CEO of LRI Consulting Services. While there’s no shortage of leadership advice out there, it’s rare to find a proven framework that sticks. Drawing from his Amazon No. 1 bestseller, The Leader-Shift Playbook, Phil shares what he believes drives meaningful change in the workplace: approachable leade...
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October 20, 2025 • 29 mins
In this must-listen episode, host Jeanne Achille sits down with Beth White, the dynamic founder of MeBeBot, to explore how AI is transforming the employee experience—and why HR professionals must take the lead in this shift. Beth shares her fascinating journey from decades in HR to leading enterprise retail tech sales, where she learned firsthand how consumer experience principles can and should be applied to the workplace.
...
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October 13, 2025 • 29 mins
In the first episode of "Up Next @ WorkTech," George LaRocque and Katie Achille look at AI in recruiting, HR Tech lawsuits, resume optimization, applicant tracking systems (ATS), workforce planning, HR compliance, and future of work trends.
Key Takeaways
Workday’s age discrimination lawsuit moves forward, with court-mandated social media outreach and protected client disclosures—raising major compliance and reputat...
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September 8, 2025 • 26 mins
In this episode of Up Next @ Work, Jeanne talks with Ranya Nehmeh, a senior HR strategist based in Vienna, about her latest book titled “In Praise of the Office: The Limits to Hybrid and Remote Work.” Co-authored with Peter Cappelli of the Wharton School, the book delivers a balanced, research-based approach to navigating the complex landscape of remote and hybrid work. Jeanne and Ranya explore when in-office works best...
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August 25, 2025 • 31 mins
Recent research from Gallup puts U.S. employee engagement at only 31 percent. That means for every one of your three employees sitting around the conference room table, two of the three might be looking for a new job or doing the minimal amount of work to get by. There’s a direct correlation between engagement and culture, and Jenni Catron, author of “Culture Matters,” joins host Jeanne Achille for this episode of...
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August 11, 2025 • 33 mins
In this episode of Up Next @ Work, host Katie Achille sits down with Joey Price and Tami Nutt of Aspect43 to demystify the role of the HR tech analyst in 2025. What exactly is an analyst today, and how have their responsibilities evolved?
Joey and Tami bring their decades of HR practitioner experience to the conversation – discussing how analysts serve as strategic advisors to both HR leaders and tech vendors alike. From dec...
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