Inclusive AF at HR Tech: Best of 2024–2025
Key Takeaways
- HR Tech conference highlights from 2024 and 2025 reveal what initiatives actually move the needle in the workplace.
- Curtis Forbes from Mustard Hub demonstrates how effective peer recognition can drive preventable turnover down to zero at a single site.
- Michael Wenning from Passive shares the story of a COBOL developer who successfully opened doors that years of traditional pitching failed to budge.
- Rewarding tenure and simply logging time at a company is fundamentally different from truly recognizing and rewarding actual talent.
- Katee Van Horn and Jackye Clayton strip away the corporate jargon to discuss real workplace culture and what happens to people on the ground.
Two years of HR Tech conversations, cut down to the moments that still hold up. Katee Van Horn and Jackye Clayton on the floor in 2024, then the guests from HR Tech week 2025 who showedus what actually worked: a COBOL developer who opened a door three years of pitching couldn't, a retention tool that took preventable turnover to zero at one site, and why rewarding time isn't the same as rewarding talent.
Chapters
0:00 Cold open
0:17 Jackye and Katee on the HR Tech floor (2024)
3:15 Layoffs before Halloween (2024)
5:04 Skip the shiny object (2025)
7:23 Curtis Forbes, Mustard Hub: peer recognition and zero turnover (2025)
8:28 Michael Wenning, Passive: the COBOL guy (2025)
9:12 Michael Wenning: rewarding time, not talent (2025)
11:18 Outro
Recorded at and around HR Tech in 2024 and 2025.
Subscribe and join the inclusive conversation! Don't miss an episode of the Inclusive AF Podcast—stay connected and stay informed on diversity, equity, and inclusion topics. Follow us now!
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the focus of the Inclusive AF Podcast episode on HR Tech?
This episode cuts down two years of HR Tech conversations from 2024 and 2025 to highlight the moments, tools, and strategies that still hold up in the workplace.
Who is Michael Wenning and what did he discuss at HR Tech 2025?
Michael Wenning from Passive is a guest who shared insights about a COBOL developer who broke through hiring barriers and discussed the critical difference between rewarding time versus rewarding talent.
How did Curtis Forbes and Mustard Hub achieve zero preventable turnover?
Curtis Forbes from Mustard Hub utilized an effective peer recognition approach that successfully brought preventable turnover down to zero at one of their sites.