Capitalizing on Chaos

Most companies collect more employee feedback than ever, yet the best ideas still never reach the people who can act on them. Recorded live at XDay, this episode of Empowering Workplaces brings together Sanja Licina, PhD, President of Employee Experience at QuestionPro, and Dr. Ethan Burris, one of the leading researchers on employee voice, to talk about why people stay quiet at work and what leaders can do about it. Ethan shares what his research has found: most employees regularly hold back ideas, and the most valuable ones often never make it to their manager. He explains why an AI chatbot alone won’t fix that, how AI could help turn raw, frustrated comments into ideas executives will actually act on, and a simple way to prioritize feedback when there’s too much to handle. If you run employee surveys and wonder why so little changes afterward, this conversation is for you. Guest: Dr. Ethan Burris is a leading expert on employee voice, psychological safety, and speak-up culture. He serves as the King Ranch Chair Professor of Management and Senior Associate Dean for Academic Affairs at the McCombs School of Business at the University of Texas at Austin. With over 20 years of research on why employees speak up or stay silent, Dr. Burris has also spent significant time as a visiting scholar with Microsoft's HR Business Insights Group and Google's People Analytics team, alongside partnering with numerous Fortune 100 and 500 organizations. Useful links: Sanja Licina, PhD on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sanjalicina Dr. Ethan Burris on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ethan-burris Learn more about QuestionPro: https://www.questionpro.com/

AI can speed up your work, but it can't make your people decisions for you. In this episode of Empowering Workplaces, Sanja Licina, PhD, President of Employee Experience at QuestionPro, talks with Marcela Mury, Senior People Analyst at Wise, about how HR teams can use AI with confidence while still thinking for themselves. You'll hear why having access to data isn't the same as knowing how to use it, how to spot when AI is getting it wrong, what managers can do to help their teams learn, and why curiosity may be the most important skill in HR right now. Guest: Marcela Mury is a Senior People Analyst at WISE with a background in Industrial Engineering, project management, and HR consultancy. Active as both a practitioner and educator, she is the co-founder of People Analytics Tropical and is passionate about data literacy, ethical decision-making, and humanizing workplace analytics. Useful links: Marcela Mury on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcela-mury-49a74b13b/ Sanja Licina, PhD on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sanjalicina Learn more about QuestionPro: https://www.questionpro.com/

Loneliness at work isn't about how many people you sit near. It's the gap between the connection someone wants and what they actually feel, and it's quietly draining engagement, retention, and productivity across even the most "connected" teams. In this episode, Sanja Licina, PhD sits down with talent management leader Megan Bickle to unpack why proximity doesn't equal belonging, why managers and remote workers are among the loneliest, and what the data actually says about the business cost of disconnection. More importantly, they get practical. Megan and Sanja break down concrete, mostly free moves at three levels: what organizations can build into their culture and listening strategy, what managers can do in a single one-on-one, and what any individual can start this week. If you own employee experience, engagement, or people strategy, this one gives you a playbook, not just a diagnosis. Useful links: Megan Bickle on LinkedIn: ​​https://www.linkedin.com/in/meganbickle/ Sanja Licina, PhD on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sanjalicina/ Learn more about QuestionPro: https://www.questionpro.com/ Book a demo: https://info.questionpro.com/employee-listening

In this episode, Sanja talks with Dr. Alexis Fink, an experienced industrial-organizational psychologist who has shaped workforce strategy across global giants including Meta, Microsoft, and Intel. Dr. Alexis shares stories from her career bridging the gap between corporate strategy, daily execution, and human talent. She discusses what it takes to use data to ensure the entire ecosystem thrives , and how organizations can drive business success while simultaneously improving the personal lives of their teams. The conversation explores how people analytics teams can better align with business strategy by partnering with finance, sales, and operations, the importance of understanding different human experiences to build true empathy, and the ways AI can be leveraged to reduce repetitive drudgery and unconstrain teams. Dr. Fink also reflects on the necessity of cultivating a multidimensional identity to build resilience and combat burnout in today's demanding environments. Guest: Dr. Alexis Fink is a leader defined by her profound empathy and lifelong commitment to ensuring that the human remains at the heart of human resources. With an extensive background in organizational transformation and people analytics, she has led initiatives at companies like Meta, Microsoft, Intel, and BASF. Today, in her post-corporate season, she advises startups, teaches, and consults to help create workplaces where everyone truly belongs. Useful links: Dr. Alexis Fink on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexisfink Sanja Licina, PhD on LinkedIn: https://ar.linkedin.com/in/sanjalicina Learn more about QuestionPro: https://www.questionpro.com/ Check out the AI playbook recently published by the Stanford Digital Economy Lab: https://digitaleconomy.stanford.edu/publication/enterprise-ai-playbook/

In this episode of Empowering Workplaces, Sanja sits down with Aoife O’Brien, founder of Happier at Work and author of the book Thriving Talent. Drawing on her twenty-year corporate career and a Master’s in Organizational Behavior, Aoife discusses how leaders can move away from "old school" command-and-control styles toward environments where people truly flourish.

What does it really mean to create a psychologically safe workplace and can you actually measure it? In this episode of Empowering Workplaces, host Sanja Licina, PhD sits down with Dr. Serena Huang, AI leader, people analytics expert, and author of The Inclusion Equation. Together, they explore the intersection of data, AI, and human behavior, unpacking how organizations can move beyond good intentions and start building environments where people feel safe to speak up, contribute, and challenge the status quo. Serena shares insights from her experience leading AI and analytics at companies like PayPal, GE, and Kraft Heinz, including the surprising moment when an algorithm predicted her own resignation. The conversation dives into responsible AI, bias in hiring technologies, and why psychological safety is far more nuanced than most organizations realize. If you care about leadership, culture, and the future of work, this episode offers both practical frameworks and thought-provoking perspectives on turning data into meaningful change.

In this gripping episode of Empowering Workplaces, host Sanja welcomes Rob Kalwarowsky—an MIT-trained engineer, former NCAA All-American, and author of the bestseller Capitalizing on Chaos: The Executive's Guide to Succeed in Disruption. Rob opens up about his deeply personal journey from high-achieving "performance robot" to surviving a rock-bottom mental health crisis triggered by a toxic work environment. Today, he bridges the gap between raw human experience and cold, hard data to help leaders navigate the unprecedented uncertainty of 2026.

In this episode of Empowering Workplaces, we welcome Clint Kofford, President and Managing Director at LeaderWorks. Clint introduces us to the Family 360, a 360 feedback tool created at LeaderWorks to help leaders understand how they show up at home just as much as they do in the office.He shares his own experience going through the process, the surprising lessons it revealed, and why he believes strong family relationships create a flywheel effect that fuels professional success. This conversation goes beyond leadership strategies, it’s about creating alignment between who you are at work and who you are for the people who matter most.Visit LeaderWorks website and learn more about the Family 360: leaderworks.co

On this episode of Empowering Workplaces, hosts Sanja Licina, PhD, and Guille Santana sit down with Dr. Shonna Waters and Dr. Erin Eatough, co-founders of Fractional Insights, to explore the findings of their report, The Risk of Angst, and explain why unmet needs like security, significance, and growth silently drain employee performance and engagement.You’ll also learn about three dominant work mindsets: Universalists, Transactionalists, and Stewards, and how leaders can shift their cultures to meet diverse expectations.If you care about performance, retention, and designing better workplaces for everyone, this episode offers powerful insight, clear data, and immediate takeaways.Download The Business Risk of Work-Related Angst Study: https://www.fractionalinsights.ai/the-business-risk-of-work-related-angst 

In this episode of Empowering Workplaces, hosts Sanja Licina, PhD, and Guille Santana sit down with Malvika Jethmalani, founder of Atvis Group and Women Shaping AI. Malvika shares her journey from finance to HR, how data and analytics drive her people strategy work, and what inspired her to launch a movement to ensure women have a seat at the table in the future of AI. Together, we talk about representation, impact, and what practical steps can help close the gender gap in AI today.Join Women Shaping AI here