What the FTE? - Tackling the tough questions about the future of work. – Details, episodes & analysis

For years, the conversation has revolved around productivity, efficiency, and retention. Though, organizations that win are the ones that master connection at scale. Let’s discuss the elephant in the room: engagement.

Certn’s CEO, Andrew McLeod, sits down with Steve Cadigan, LinkedIn's first Chief HR Officer and a renowned talent advisor. While AI presents immense opportunities for efficiency and scalability, the true potential of AI lies in how we balance its power with a human-centric approach.

Certn’s CEO Andrew McLeod interviews Maya Bellay, Global People & Culture Advisor, to discuss how HR leaders can navigate this conversation. Maya brings a holistic, human-centered approach to people strategy, considering both business goals and employee well-being.

In the debate between RTO mandates and flexible hybrid models, the real question for HR is: What do we want to achieve with in-person work? 

Corey Shaw believes that the best HR leaders embrace the mindset of customer experience. They see candidates as valued customers and hiring managers as talent champions.

The best recruitment programs focus on delivering a personal, caring, and authentic experience for every candidate, ensuring that they feel like their passion, expertise, and curiosity truly matter.

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82% of first-time managers receive no training, yet they have more impact on retention and engagement than executives.

In this episode, Melissa Marcelissen breaks down why leadership training needs to start at the first level, why DEI without real culture change fails, and how HR can fix the leadership gap.

Hiring fast can fill roles, but hiring smart builds teams that last. In a competitive market, it’s not just about getting people through the door, it’s about bringing in the right people who will help your company grow and thrive. So how do you scale without sacrificing quality? Let’s dive in.

Certn CEO Andrew McLeod sat down with ⁠Zack Cormier⁠, a senior sales and strategy leader at ⁠VidCruiter⁠, a company specializing in structured video interviewing and recruitment automation software to talk about hiring. Not the buzzy, AI-driven, “future-of-work” kind. I mean the actual, messy, inconsistent interview process that most teams are still running behind the scenes, where managers go rogue, bias creeps in, and interview “best practices” are more of a rumour than a reality.

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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.

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Martin Hauck joins What the FTE? to cut through the chaos of HR tech in 2025. Martin shares his litmus test for real ROI, why tool curiosity beats trend-chasing, and what every HR leader should be asking before they buy.

Enjoyed the episode?

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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.