And the award for best HR pro goes to...

Hi everyone! It’s been a minute. Welcome back from the holiday haze and cheers to a bright new year. Speaking of cheers—Keep that champagne flowing. It’s Awards Season! And we’ve got a newsletter coming your way worthy of a Hollywood Star. ?

The nominations are in!

Which HR trends are we predicting to win big in 2024? Here are the top ones we’ve got our money on:

?? A strong emphasis on Employer Brand. This is the year to level up your employer value proposition.

?? Thoughtful hiring… How will you guide business leaders through prioritization of business initiatives and the corresponding hiring decisions?

?? Attention on retention. Some hypothesize that employees have been waiting out the economic unsteadiness and will now be actively on the market again. What are you doing to ensure you retain talent?

?? Crack the code on office vs. remote vs. hybrid for your company. Help leaders find the right balance between different work modes and communicate well thought-out reasoning to employees.?

?? Data! Data! Data! More than ever, HR pros should leverage data through HR tech and AI to help business leaders have line of sight for innovation in 2024.

Nail that red carpet interview.

Your next one-on-one probably isn’t happening on the red carpet, but it should feel just as important.

These are the 5 most common mistakes we see leaders making in one-on-one meetings.

1. Rescheduling—or worse—canceling the meeting.
2. Letting project updates dominate the conversation.
3. Mistaking performance reviews for one-on-one meetings.
4. Doing most of the talking.?
5. Expecting your direct reports to open up before doing so yourself.

Any that we missed?

The commercial break crash…

We love to believe celebrities are just like us… which means they probably get burnt out from the cameras and caviar. Do they take naps during the commercial breaks? We would.

We asked our audience last month what they do to combat burnout and were surprised that only 7% voted that they talk with their manager. What can leaders do to make employees feel more comfortable talking about burnout? Drop your ideas in the comments.

Shining a light on diverse voices and perspectives. ?

Did you know that Lily Gladstone just became the first Native American woman to be nominated for an Oscar? We love seeing the diversity in representation and it's a great reminder to take a look at your own strategy for promoting belonging and inclusion.

What are you doing to create belonging for diverse groups in your company? If you’re looking for some inspiration, here are a few simple ways to start.

• Hold a potluck and encourage people to bring in foods that represent their different cultures.
• Start a bookclub and invite members to choose authors that offer a diverse perspective.
• Give employees a volunteer day where they can contribute to a cause they’re passionate about!
• Invite employees to share their stories during heritage months such as Black History Month in February or Women’s HIstory Month in March.?

The after-party! Bambooligans in the Wild!

Join us for the after-party, happening in Cabo, with our favorite Mandi West ! Get her tips below!

The one thing you cannot miss: You have to do the whale tour because you also get to see Land’s End up close and personal. Doesn’t hurt to book the pirate ship to do so.

The best thing you ate??I dream of the Smoked Kampachi Ceviche all the time.

Know before you go: Plan travel ahead of time. Uber is there but can’t go to the airports. Lump activities together to save money on travel or book activities that offer travel. +1 if you book a hotel that offers free airport travel.

Pop Quiz ??

Q: Who has the most Oscar nominations of all time?

A: John Williams. His first nomination was in 1968 for Valley of the Dolls and his 54th nomination comes in this year for Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny.