EP 68 Universal Basic Income, SHRM, The Return of Britt Davies, and PhenomeCon Ghost Adventures

Britt Davies is back, which on The HR Life Podcast officially makes her a repeat offender. She showed up on Labor Day morning with coffee in a BYU Yeti mug, while Steve drank apple cider straight from the jug.  Britt has spent 22 years in Utah HR, most recently as a CPO, and now runs Next Level HR, where she helps companies break up with their PEO. Fair warning: Tony opens with a disclaimer that this one gets a little spicy. Britt goes after Johnny C. Taylor's SHRM '26 keynote with a question that's hard to shake. If HR has been falling short for thirty years, who's been handing out the certifications that whole time?

Then the conversation gets big. Universal basic income, AI layoffs, and whether our future looks more like a Star Trek replicator or a WALL-E recliner. Britt argues for a wage floor over a monthly check. She explains why the unemployment system may punish the very people trying to retrain or start something new, and she pitches an idea about grandparents and daycare that might have you calling your mom. Tony and Steve push back, nobody storms off, and everyone still plans to hang out at Phenomicon. So who should pay for the workers AI displaces? Can HR lead AI adoption without writing its own pink slip? And the question that matters most: would you rather meet Bigfoot, or get an email from HR that says "Can you come see me?"

A special shout out to PhenomeCon and the amazing crew that let the team crash the party.  Learn more about the annual event at: https://www.phenomecon.net/

Learn more about the 30 Seasons of Ghost Adventures at: https://www.discoveryplus.com/show/74a0b187-22a7-47ee-8132-bf9fd15f86cc/s30  The guys we met were the nicest people.  Thanks for letting us ambush you in the hallway and the incredible thing you did for Steve's daughter!  She wont forget, and neither will we.

Learn more about Britt Davies at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brittdaviespeople/

Learn more about Fantastic Tony Benjamin at: https://www.thegrangellc.com/

Learn more about Steven "Big Deal" Smith at: https://thehiringtreebook.com/

Learn more about the Books mentioned on the podcast at: https://thehiringtreebook.com/hr-life-podcast

Learn more about Dyno Outfitters at: https://www.utahviaferrata.com/

Learn more about MegastarHR at: https://www.megastarhr.com/

Learn more about Pucks for Autism at: https://www.pucksforautism.com/

Learn more about Thrive Life Project at: https://www.thrivelifeproject.org/