Latest / Recruiting Evolution / Best of FDE | Empowering Talent: Market Shifts, Digital Strategy, and Industry Challenges with Joanie Bily, CEO at EmployBridge
Transcript
- Kortney Harmon [00:00:00]: Welcome to the Full Desk Experience, your ultimate resource for insights and expertise in the staffing and recruiting industry. I'm your host, Kortney Harmon and I am thrilled to introduce our special Best of Episodes series. In this curated collection, we're revisiting the most impactful and thought provoking conversations from our archives. Whether you're a seasoned listener or new to our community, you these episodes offered invaluable knowledge and inspiration for professionals and the talent industry. Join us on this journey through the Full Desk Experience. Greatest Hits Every episode promises to deliver actionable advice, fresh perspectives, and the latest trends in staffing and recruiting. Get ready to rediscover or experience for the first time the conversations that have made a lasting impact on our listeners and and the industry at large. Tune in weekly as we unlock treasures from our podcast vault and bring them to you, our valued audience. Kortney Harmon [00:01:00]: Enjoy. Hi, I'm Kortney Harmon, Director of Industry Relations at Crelate. This is the Industry Spotlight, a series of the Full desk experience, a Crelate original podcast. In this series, we will talk with top leaders and influencers who are shaping the talent industry, shining a light on popular trends, the latest news, and the stories that laid the groundwork for their success. Welcome back to another episode of the Full Desk Experience Industry Spotlight. Today I have the pleasure of speaking with Joanie Biley. She's the Chief Experience Officer at Employbridge, which is one of the largest staffing firms in the country. She has over 25 years in experience in the talent industry and really has her finger on the pulse when it comes to trends impacting today's workforce. Kortney Harmon [00:01:53]: Because after all, she is the Chair of the ASA American Staffing association, works closely with business leaders across all sectors on their talent strategy. And don't forget to add author and speaker to her list of accomplishments. Today we're going to tap into Joanie's insights on the current state of the job market, maybe trends to watch for, and her advice for companies seeking skills to scale their organizations and workforce going into 2024. Joanie, so great to have you on the show today. Thank you so much for joining us today. Joanie Bily [00:02:27]: Thank you Kortney. It's great to be with you today and thrilled to join you on this podcast. Kortney Harmon [00:02:33]: Amazing. So for our listeners that are here, obviously I know you through ASA and all the other women in leadership, all the wonder, wonderful things that you're a part of. But do us a favor, talk to us a little bit about you, your role, whether it's at Employ Bridge and kind of your journey that got you here. Joanie Bily [00:02:50]: Sure, I'd be happy To I can't believe it because it makes me sound so old, but I have spent just about 30 years in this industry. Hard to believe. I fell into the industry, you know, really didn't know much about it. I thought when I graduated college that I would probably end up going into social work or doing something with counseling. And I actually answered an ad in the newspaper that said employment counselor. So that tells you how old I am because yes, we were still using newspaper ads back then to recruit, but the employment counselor role was really a recruiter role. It was an entry level position with a company called Personnel one, which ironically Employ Bridge actually acquired many years later. So it's like full circle. Joanie Bily [00:03:45]: My first job in the industry was with Personnel one, and now I've spent the last eight years at employbridge and this industry has just been incredible. I never knew it really existed, but I love it. I love the difference that we make in people's lives. Helping people improve their lives, connecting them with great jobs and opportunities, and providing our clients with great talent to meet their demands. And so it has been such a rewarding career. I've just kind of worked my way up. And for the past eight years with employbridge, for the most part, I was the president of the professional staffing division and absolutely loved that role of running that business and leading that team and building something very, very special. We had hyper growth and a ton of success. Joanie Bily [00:04:48]: But then most recently I expanded my role and kind of moved into a new position in 2023 as the Chief Experience Officer for all of Employ Bridge, which is really focused on taking a look at our overall experience for both our internal employees, our external stakeholders. I do a lot with kind of our brand and our public relations efforts, our insights. I run our communication strategy for both internal and external and it's just a great opportunity to have a bit of a bigger impact on the Employ Bridge. Kortney Harmon [00:05:28]: Organization and add a recent ASA chair appointed chair to that list. Joanie Bily [00:05:36]: Yes. And that is so exciting. What an incredible opportunity, first of all, just to be on the board of directors for the American Staffing Association. I've done that for, you know, over the last five years and then just took over the chair role. We have a great board, a great group of officers and really excited about the work that ASA does and really makes a difference in our industry. As you know, not only the great work with the Women in Leadership Council, but just overall, ASA is committed to protecting our industry, advocating for the staffing industry and also offering training and advancements. So very proud to be the chair of Asa this year. Kortney Harmon [00:06:26]: Congratulations. Now, one thing we didn't talk about that I want to get into briefly. You added author to your list, too, as of recently. Joanie Bily [00:06:34]: Dive in deep. Yeah, in fact, I have a copy here because I was just showing it to someone. Dive in deep. I'm a big believer in goal setting, and I talk a lot about that in the book and the importance of, you know, setting goals. What do you really want to achieve in your life, and what do you aspire to do? And. And are you living that life both professionally and personally? And one of the things that I had always wanted to do was to write a book. And I started it years ago, but I really made it a priority and completed the book and published the book just this past year, 2023. And it's really a book on advice and strategies to advance your career and also to live the best life that you desire, that you deserve. Joanie Bily [00:07:23]: And I've always been passionate about that. I guess maybe it comes back to my degree in social work or even why I got into this industry of just helping people improve their lives. There definitely is a theme there. But, yes, published the book and also decided to give all of the proceeds to the American Staffing Association Women in Leadership Scholarship Fund. So that has been a thrill for me to be able to give back as well. Kortney Harmon [00:07:53]: We'll be sure to link that in our show notes if anybody is interested in purchasing. Thank you. I love that. All right, I have a few questions, so we're going to go ahead and just jump right in. Based on your role and everything that you've seen being chief experience officer of one of the largest staffing firms in the country, what are you seeing right now in terms of talent, supply and demand? Joanie Bily [00:08:17]: It's such an interesting time in the employment industry because there's so many changes, you know, in. In the dynamics of the labor market. And I do watch the numbers very closely. You know, the first Friday of every month when the government releases the employment data, I speak about it regularly, but I also really follow the trends. And it's been interesting because people say, yes, there's been a softening in the labor market. And they're right. There has been a softening in the labor market, but it is still a very strong labor market. Unemployment is at 3.7%, which still is really at a very record low rate. Joanie Bily [00:09:02]: Unemployment has remained very low. It did spike, spike up during the pandemic, of course, when companies laid off, but then quickly rebounded. But the headline of the employment numbers would still think it's A pretty strong job market we saw in December 216,000 jobs were created. But what you really need to do is kind of dig into the numbers. And so when you dig into those numbers, you can see that certain sectors are performing better than others. So most of the job growth for the last few months has really been coming, really has been coming from like three main sectors. It's been coming from the government sector, it's coming from leisure and hospitality, and it's also coming from health care. And those sectors kind of remain very strong. Joanie Bily [00:09:52]: However, there are other sectors that have really slowed down and we've started to see even some declines which are concerning. You know, manufacturing has not been as strong. The temporary health sector has been declining, which is a concern. Last month lost 33,000 jobs. And the professional and business service sector, which is a lot of the white collar jobs, really has been struggling to add robust jobs over the past six months. Kortney Harmon [00:10:25]: Months. Joanie Bily [00:10:26]: So the job market is shifting. It's not that it's a poor job market, it's just that we're seeing growth in just particular sectors and some, you know, some are struggling. Kortney Harmon [00:10:38]: Do you see any gaps or any other warning signs on the horizon? You know, that that word recession is always looming. You know, we always, we always were. I think 2024 people are going into the year very uncertain. Do you have any words of wisdom, warning signs, or things that you maybe anticipate what 2024 may bring to us? Joanie Bily [00:10:59]: Yeah, you know, I do get asked that question quite often, and I always say, I wish I had that crystal ball that can tell us exactly what's happening. I think, you know, it is difficult to predict. But here's what I do know. Today we still have more open jobs than we do have unemployed people. So, you know, almost, almost 9 million open jobs. When you look at job listings, I think it's at 8.8. We have 6.3 million unemployed workers. So there are still more jobs than unemployed people, which is a really good sign. Joanie Bily [00:11:31]: Very low unemployment. Wages have still remained fairly strong and have been moving up. So what I see in the job market is really more of like, normalization. You know, we're not having the strong record job growth that we had in 2022. And I think that's why 23 has felt a little softer. Even though 2023 was a good year, the economy added 2.7 million jobs, which is a great sign. But we added almost 5 million jobs in 2022. So we are seeing a bit of a slowdown and a softening and I think as we look to 20, we're going to continue to see somewhat of a softening in Q1 and Q2. Joanie Bily [00:12:19]: I'm not expecting robust job growth. I do think most of the growth is still going to continue in the healthcare and the leisure and hospitality sector. But I hope that we see some normalization in some of these job losses, like in the temporary health sector. I see a lot of optimism in talking with our customers. They're planning on hiring. They're talking about adding to their workforce, adding to their payrolls. So I am hopeful that we've kind of had that soft landing and that we will see a little bit more normalization and then hopefully some growth as we look at Q3 and Q4, really that second half of 2024. Kortney Harmon [00:13:01]: I love that. That's great to hear similar conversations as I'm talking to people. They're still hesitant, but hopefully hesitant but hopeful. Joanie Bily [00:13:09]: Yeah, I think I have kind of that same outlook. You know, want to be optimistic, but also realistic. You know, at the same time, I love that. Kortney Harmon [00:13:18]: Before we started recording, you had talked about starting your strategy conversations at Deploy Bridge. Obviously with the ASA chair, you're probably talking to a lot of organizations. Do you see any shift in what staffing and recruiting firms that you've talked to maybe of what they're doing differently going into 2024 versus maybe what they did in 2023? Joanie Bily [00:13:39]: Yeah, you know, that's a great question. As I think we look at kind of the new year, it is always that clean slate and a fresh start, you know, to think about, okay, what's next? You know, Employ Bridge has had a strategy in place that we are continuing with. So we're not really changing our strategy, but we do know that there is a demand certainly to do more digitally and to be able to connect with both our talent and our clients, leveraging kind of a digital platform. So Employ Bridge. As you probably know, we did acquire Blue Crew. That was an acquisition that we strategically made. As we kind of move more to, you know, kind of delivering our services and experience through our digital platform. And so we will continue to evolve that. Joanie Bily [00:14:34]: I think companies are continuing to look at how they can leverage AI to increase productivity, to certainly stay compliant, to be more productive. There's many different avenues that they can pursue and leverage AI today. And we're still learning about that, but I see that is something that just technology continues, continues to advance our industry, and companies are really leaning into that, and they're. They're really leaning into ways that they can leverage technology to be more efficient, to be more productive, and to, you know, ultimately help them grow faster and gain more market share. So I think that trend will certainly continue. Kortney Harmon [00:15:22]: You're not wrong. AI is in every conversation of every conference and everything that we're. We're hearing. Do you see any other emerging trends or technologies that maybe will disrupt our market or maybe how businesses can better prepare for the coming AI? Or maybe your view on overall technology beyond that? Joanie Bily [00:15:41]: Yeah. Well, you know, it's funny asking that question makes me think about what we were talking about before when I said I, you could tell how old I am, that I actually answered a newspaper ad, right. And our industry has certainly evolved, right? And how we advertise, you know, for jobs today is completely different than, you know, how we did 30 years ago, how we did 10 years ago, how we did five years ago. So I do believe that we're going to continue to evolve. And the companies that don't lean in to technology and lean into AI certainly will be disrupted more than others. And I think the recruiter role is also a key role that recruiters need to really lean into the technology and the tools that they have access to so that they can learn how to use them, so that they can be more productive, so they can be more effective in their role, that they can make more placements, make more money, you know, be more successful. So I do think it will disrupt, but it's there to help us really raise the bar in every way. And so the companies and the recruiters that lean into this technology are definitely going to be the ones that see the most success. Kortney Harmon [00:17:05]: I love that you talked about digital, you talked about AI. Is there any other maybe innovative solutions that Employ Bridge is developing to help employers find and retain talent amongst this talent shortage? Obviously there's still more jobs. We're still struggling to find people. It is the name of the game, and it hasn't really changed over the years. It just ebbs and flows. Any innovative solutions that you're kind of using at employbridge to help bridge that gap? Joanie Bily [00:17:33]: Well, I love that you said bridge that gap. And yes, we definitely have some things that we're working on. One of the things that I actually lead for Employ Bridge is our Bridge to Better program. And a big part of that program is all about how we participate in the communities that we're in. But there's also a big part of the program that is dedicated to upskilling and kind of bridging the gap of the skills gap. And so the thing that I would say is there's a huge opportunity for, for employers in general, not just staffing or recruiting companies or employment agencies, but really any company out there is to identify what are the skills that you are going to need for your company today and in the future and then how are you going to train your workforce to really close that gap and make sure that they are ready for those jobs today and in the future. So employ Bridge is very committed to upskilling. We have created the Better Work Life Academy which started really, gosh, probably back in 2017, 2018, where we are offering online training and education to our talent that work for us on assignments and we really offer it to them free of charge so that they have an opportunity to improve their skills and ultimately, hopefully that's helping them get that next job and increase their pay rate and move up in an organization. Joanie Bily [00:19:13]: So our Bridge to Better program is something that we're very committed to and we are passionate about closing that skills gap for talent and for our clients. And we're going to continue to evolve that and find ways, you know, that we can offer more training and upskilling opportunities to workers. Chris Hesson-Ad [00:19:37]: Recruiting is complex. Sometimes you just need a hand, someone beside you to give you that nudge to keep you on course. Introducing the new Crelate Copilot. Copilot is Crelate's AI assistant, but it's more than just artificial intelligence. Copilot brings you recruiter intelligence. Need a quick reminder to reply to a candidate's email? Or maybe you're stuck writing up that new job description. Need a nudge to send a follow up to that client who hasn't gotten back to you? Copilot is there to help you craft it effortlessly. With over 30 skills at your fingertips, Crelate Copilot doesn't just keep you organized, it keeps you ahead of the game. Unidentified Promoter [00:20:21]: Because recruiting isn't just about filling roles, it's about building relationships. And Crelate Copilot is the partner you've been waiting for. Check us out and Crelate the future of recruiting. Kortney Harmon [00:20:41]: That's amazing. I don't hear a lot of offices doing that. So that is amazing. To be able to help and retain the the candidates that you're working with to build that alliance. So I love hearing that. Congratulations. That's such a wonderful program. Joanie Bily [00:20:54]: Well, thank you. Kortney Harmon [00:20:56]: I love it. Being the ASA chair. Obviously you're hearing a lot of key policies around jobs workers. Are you hearing anything across the country of the There's a specific focus in our industry of policies or issues that we're facing in today's workforce. Joanie Bily [00:21:16]: There's many. I think there's many different pieces of legislation that certainly could impact our industry. This past year, I think, has been challenging for many states. You know, California has had legislation that can make it very challenging for, you know, staffing firms, you know, to really remain competitive and profitable. We've had legislation also in New Jersey as well as Illinois, really focused around pay parity and equal benefits for both the temporary workers as well the company that they may be working at. And that type of legislation that you can understand, legislators are probably looking at, okay, we're trying to create parity and equality at the same time. Some of this legislation, the ones I'm just talking about, for example, can be very detrimental to our industry. And it really isn't fair because companies are looking for flexible ways that they can balance their workforce. Joanie Bily [00:22:28]: And so when you start to put laws in place that would require you to offer the same type of benefits to. To a temporary worker that may only be there for a short period of time or same pay, that could be a real challenge for an employer. So I do believe that, you know, those are just a few examples, but the American Staffing association and the legal team at ASA is so incredible with staying up to date with working with our lobbyists that really are focused on protecting and advocating for our industry and getting in front of our congressmen, our legislators, that really can impact the laws that are being written and that are getting approved. And the number one priority there is certainly to protect and grow our industry, because the work that we do really makes an incredible difference. We are a strategic partner to so many employers right across the US and we need to be there to help them and to be a resource for them. So I do believe we're going to continue to see challenging legislation, but I'm very confident that the ASA is up for that challenge and really will advocate on the behalf of our industry. And I always encourage, you know, companies that may not be part of the American Staffing Association. I would question why not? Why are you not a member? Just because ASA is protecting our industry and is helping them kind of fight those laws and stand up for our industry. Joanie Bily [00:24:07]: So if you're not a member, please reach out to the membership team, because we just offer so much value to the industry overall. Kortney Harmon [00:24:15]: The value is endless, from certifications to information. You can literally get lost in their websites very easily just in the information that they provide. So you're right. They're absolutely a wonderful resource. Joanie Bily [00:24:27]: Yeah. And I'm so glad you mentioned the certifications and the training. There's so many other opportunities, you know, that ASA provides. Kortney Harmon [00:24:35]: So absolutely love that. In a lot of my conversations, I've heard in 2023 from a lot of offices that they're re putting an emphasis on sales because, you know, the year before jobs were coming to them. They just had to find the bodies to fill them. Right. However, in our market, in the hesitant, hopeful but hesitant arena that we're in, our clients may not be at a position to like, pull a trigger, to say, yes, I'm, I'm ready to hire. We're kind of on the verge of that, but I think this year is a year that we can do for building. So do you have any recommendations to these organizations that maybe their sales aren't working where they need to be or how to boost those sales or relationships going into 2024? It's just an arm that we haven't had to flex. They're getting to the point that there may be some frustration around that. Kortney Harmon [00:25:26]: You have any words of advice for those organizations trying to boost those sales? Joanie Bily [00:25:30]: Yeah, you know, I think we're all thinking about how do we connect with our customers differently? You know, in this environment, I think we're seeing more balance because kind of come back into the job market. So that pendulum that really was over to the candidate side of being an employee market is definitely started to move back. I think employers are going to be more in charge and they're going to have an opportunity to be more strategic, more particular, and really be in a little bit more of that. The power right in the driver's seat for. For when they want to hire, what they want to hire, who they want to hire and what they're looking for. I always come back to being that strategic partner to customers, finding ways to really make sure that you're understanding what their needs are, that you're being an expert in offering them data around the market. What's happening with the employment market? I think educating companies on really the dynamics of the job market today, you know, what's happening with wages, what's happening with certain sectors. Right. Joanie Bily [00:26:42]: So, for example, like, the health care sector is still really strong, and so there could be a tremendous amount of job opportunities coming in to the health care sector versus maybe finance has kind of slowed down. So I just would offer the advice of be a market expert, know your data, know your market, your specialty, know where there's opportunity. And then you could be that trusted partner to your customer and also that expert, you know, and really building that relationship. So it's all about kind of positioning yourself, branding yourself as that expert and thinking of different ways that you can really connect with them. Kortney Harmon [00:27:25]: I love that you said that and that resonated. I was on a podcast before Christmas break, and Brad Bitley, Lauren Jones, the Shark, there's a few other people. Joanie Bily [00:27:36]: I love them. They're great. Kortney Harmon [00:27:37]: The word that came out of that podcast was engagement. The word of 2024 is going to be engagement. You're going to have to be doing it differently, more intentional, more strategic. But I love that because exactly what you said, and I know you weren't on that podcast, but it matches exactly. You have to be intentional with your engagement and how you're engaging with those people. Joanie Bily [00:27:57]: Absolutely. And if you're doing it right, it will certainly resonate and, and they're going to remember you. So even if they don't have a need right now, they will remember you. Because if you engage appropriately, it certainly can pay off for you. Kortney Harmon [00:28:12]: I love that more broad question for you. What do you see the biggest opportunities right now for companies looking to scale quickly or any pitfalls to avoid? Because this is always in the back of people's minds when we have situations like this. Like, I need to get everything right. So when we come out of this, like I'm first in line, they're thinking about scale and growth. And it's a common question I'm hearing. So do you have any advice for those people or anything to avoid? Joanie Bily [00:28:40]: Well, great question. I think, you know, in times that might be a little bit slower, it's kind of a great opportunity where you, you might have a little bit more time to kind of sharpen your pencils and sharpen your strategy. You know, think about. I always think of like a spring cleaning in a way, no matter what time of the year it is, because it's an opportunity to kind of take the time to invest in your business or even if you're an individual and to invest in yourself and really think about, okay, as a company, where can I put my efforts today to help prepare me for when things turn and it's busier, that I really am positioned to take advantage right of the market and the growth. So for companies, it needs to be all about, I kind of come back to the old people process and technology. But you need to have the right people. So taking the time to really make sure you have the right people in the right seats, are you giving them the right training? Are they learning? Do they have access to things that are really going to help you know, put more tools in their tool, tool belt so that they can advance themselves and take advantage of the market when it turns. I think of process of really taking time to standardize, to focus, to streamline and make sure that you kind of have your house in order. Joanie Bily [00:30:06]: I think that's very important. And then technology, you know, when. When things are slow, I think it's also an opportunity for a lot of companies to look at. You know, maybe now's the time. If they were going to make a change with technology or introduce a new tool, it could be a great time to do an implementation. I know many companies don't want to spend the money, but if they do it when things are a little slower, recruiters, their field, their employees can really embrace it and have more time to train and get up and running. So I would come back to kind of those foundational elements and use the time wisely to make sure that again, you have that house in order and you have a really strong foundation. Kortney Harmon [00:30:49]: I love that. Yes, absolutely. I couldn't agree more. Those are all wonderful things. And sometimes they're the things that we don't have time to think about when we're running 100 miles an hour. They often get put on the back burner. Joanie Bily [00:31:01]: That's a really good point. You might still just. If we have too many balls that we're juggling, we probably put down some. So now's a great time to prioritize. Kortney Harmon [00:31:09]: I love it. What keeps you up at night or worries you when it comes to the labor market over the next decade? Joanie Bily [00:31:17]: Well, the first thing that comes to mind is I'm still that mother that worries about my kids. So I laugh when you ask that question. It's like my head goes there first. Right. Well, even though I have two children in college, I still worry about my kids. What keeps me up at night? In all seriousness, we're all looking at the economy and saying, okay, have we had that soft landing or is it going to get worse? And I think if anything keeps me up at night, it's probably that unknown. And we all know that we can't control that. It really is out of our control. Joanie Bily [00:31:54]: But I think it kind of comes back to your last question. Question, you know, that you asked me is like, we can focus on the things that we can control. And so really just prioritizing, okay, what can I control now to make sure I'm doing everything possible to position, employ, bridge to be at its best to take advantage of the market when things start to improve? And I think that Way for the American Staffing association as well. It's what are the things that we can do now to position the future of the association to be even stronger? I think it's all about what can you control? And what are the things that you could do today that really could make a difference. Kortney Harmon [00:32:40]: Thank you for confirming that. I'll still continue to think about my children first because that's where my brain goes and mine are only 8 and 10. Good to know that that mentality won't change. Joanie Bily [00:32:51]: No, it never will. And I'm sure my parents, you know, who are in their 70s, would say the thing, they always worry about their kids, but kids always come first. And that means we have our priorities right. For sure. Kortney Harmon [00:33:03]: I love that. And. And that's such great advice about only worrying about the things that we can control, because that is very hard, especially for certain type A personalities. But it is. That is such a wonderful piece of advice. I love that it is. Joanie Bily [00:33:17]: And Kortney, I saw that you had a post that I loved that actually talked about you being kind of type A and your husband who balances you out. And I just have to say that I love the post. I thought it was fantastic and it just made me think about. It's so true. Right. Having people in your life that really kind of balance you out. I'm kind of. With you. Joanie Bily [00:33:42]: I'm also that type A and always running and going and just having that calmness because it does make you kind of stop and think and reflect. And, you know, I just really enjoyed that. So. So thank you for sharing that with us. It was great. Thank you. Kortney Harmon [00:33:57]: I appreciate that. And I'm sure it. That's a value, too, of whenever you talked about. Right. People within your teams to make sure you have that balance within your teams. It's not only true on the personal front, but our professional fronts as well. Joanie Bily [00:34:09]: Absolutely. All the way around. Such a good point. Kortney Harmon [00:34:12]: I love. I guess. What is one piece of advice? If you had to just pick one for business leaders as they go into 2024 and planning for their strategy for this upcoming year, what is one piece of advice that you would give them? Joanie Bily [00:34:27]: Yeah, it's a great question. I think the one thing that comes to mind is to clearly communicate with your teams. It's probably the most important thing you can do. So, you know, whether it's sharing the strategy, sharing obstacles or challenges that might be facing the company, any actions that are being taken, you know, just being transparent and clearly communicating, you know, what's the company's position, what's the company doing, you know, to, you know, advance themselves and protect themselves. But I think from a business leader perspective, I would just advise business leaders to be thoughtful and transparent in their communications. Kortney Harmon [00:35:16]: Great piece of advice. Is there anything you're especially looking forward to in 2024 as Employbridge embarks on their journey for the upcoming year? That may be something you're super excited about. Joanie Bily [00:35:30]: Oh, there's a lot of things I'm excited about. Probably one of the biggest things is that Employee Bridge has definitely been on a transformation. We've had so many brands. You know, I mentioned to you, I even started my career with a company called Personnel One, which we don't go to market with that brand today, but years ago it still existed a little bit here and there. And so we've really been evolving on our journey to kind of go to market as Employee Bridge and not go to market with all these multiple sub brands. And so that's been a big journey and it's a big transformation. But I'm excited about that because a lot of that's coming to fruition in 2024. And I do believe, you know, just the services that we deliver to our customers through our specialties will remain. Joanie Bily [00:36:23]: But it'll be a great opportunity for us to really go to market as one employee bridge and kind of offer all those specialties. So that's one thing is really thinking about kind of our whole go to market strategy as employbridge. But I'm also super passionate about kind of our bridge to better the difference that we make in the communities that we service and also our upskilling opportunities to partner with talent and to help them improve their lives. That's what it's all about. And so having the chance to continue to do that definitely is what motivates me and, you know, gets me out of bed in the morning and excites me about the year ahead is really making a difference in people's lives. Kortney Harmon [00:37:07]: And I can see that across your organization, meeting many amazing women leaders from your organization at the Women in Leadership Summit at Thrive. They were amazing and their excitement is just infectious. So I can't wait to see more from your guys's brand in the upcoming year as you continue to grow and really set the bar for our industry overall. Joanie Bily [00:37:31]: Well, thank you. It's a. It's a fun journey to be on, that's for sure. Kortney Harmon [00:37:36]: I love it. Joanie, thank you so much for joining us today. I'm going to go ahead and wrap us up and I will give you some time back in your day. I so appreciate you joining us. It's been incredible from your insights on what employers and workers should be paying attention to right now, whether it's the job market and the understanding where we are today. But thank you for lending your wisdom and expertise for us on the Full Desk Experience. Joanie Bily [00:38:00]: Well, thanks for having me, Kortney and I. I wish everyone a very happy New Year and the best for 2024. We're all in it together. It's been a pleasure to be on your podcast, so thanks for having me. Kortney Harmon [00:38:12]: Thank you so much, Joanie. I'm Kortney Harmon with Crelate. Thanks for joining us for this episode of Industry Spotlight, a new series from the Full Desk Experience. New episodes will be dropping monthly. Be sure you're subscribed to our podcast so you can catch the next Industry Spotlight episode and all episodes of the Full Desk Experience here or wherever you listen.