Kenneth Quidgley
Chief People Officer
Symphonic Distribution
Episode 72
HR's Secret Weapon: Treating Employees with Dignity Drives Loyalty and Profit.
Current chapter: Built by People podcast features insights from world's top HR leaders
Built By PeopleAugust 22, 2025 · 8:54
Thesis
“Kenneth Quidgley argues for a deeply human-centered HR approach, asserting that treating employees with dignity, respect, and holistic support, particularly during challenging personal situations, cultivates loyalty, boosts engagement, and ultimately drives positive business outcomes.”
Show notes
Episode Summary
In an era where HR is often reduced to compliance checklists and legal risk management, Kenneth brings a bold, refreshing reminder: people will always be human—and HR should never forget that. With nearly 30 years of experience across manufacturing, healthcare, and now global leadership at Symphonic Distribution, Kenneth has developed a philosophy that puts people before policy, without sacrificing strategy.
In this episode of Built by People, he shares how a "hospice approach" to employee relations transformed his HR practice, why he proactively recruits from WARN Act layoff notices, and how asking the right personal questions builds trust—not liability. Kenneth also opens up about a mental health support program that helped retain a struggling employee and ultimately led to that person’s promotion. If you're in HR or people leadership, this episode will reframe how you think about empathy, accountability, and the true role of HR in today’s workplace.
Key Timestamps
[00:45] – Kenneth’s 30-year HR journey: from union floors to global strategy
[02:53] – Supporting an employee through mental health struggles—without forcing them to choose between healing and work
[04:20] – How the WARN Act became a creative talent pipeline
[06:03] – Why HR must stop avoiding personal conversations with employees
[07:23] – How dignity-first immigration support shaped Symphonic’s culture
[08:25] – The AI era and why humanity must stay at the heart of HR
Takeaways
Use empathy strategically—the “hospice approach” can transform employee relations and retention
Design HR systems that treat people with dignity, from onboarding to exit
Leverage WARN Act data to recruit laid-off workers and fill hard-to-staff roles
Don’t fear personal conversations—they’re key to understanding and supporting employees
Create psychological safety around sensitive topics like immigration and mental health
Stay human in the age of AI—technology can’t replace trust, respect, and compassion
Our Sponsor
Previ is an employer network that provides private pricing for employees. Joining the Previ network allows employees to save on necessities they already pay for, such as cell phone service and insurance. Previ saves the average employee $2,200/year. Join at no cost to the company.
What you'll take away
- 1Adopt a 'hospice approach' to employee relations, focusing on holistic care and deep understanding of individual employee situations.
- 2Prioritize treating employees with dignity and respect throughout their entire lifecycle with the company, from application to separation.
- 3Utilize legal compliance tools like the WARN Act not just for adherence, but strategically for proactive talent acquisition.
- 4Overcome the fear of addressing sensitive employee situations by understanding legal boundaries and proactively offering support resources.
- 5Embrace and maximize opportunities to treat people as humans, especially as technology like AI reshapes the future of work.
What most organizations get wrong
- •HR professionals often mistakenly believe it's illegal to inquire about sensitive employee situations (e.g., domestic violence, critical illness), leading them to avoid crucial supportive conversations. Quidgley argues that understanding these situations is vital for offering appropriate benefits and resources, provided no adverse action is taken.
In Kenneth's words
“Through that experience, that's when I started to apply what I call the hospice approach when dealing with employee relations, just because there's a dynamic that happens when you take holistic care of a loved individual who's going through end-of-life crisis.”
Introduces his unique philosophy of empathetic, holistic care in employee relations, stemming from his hospice experience.
“To us at Symphonic, treating employees with dignity and respect has always been part of the foundation of our culture.”
Highlights the foundational importance of human-centered values in shaping company culture and employee experience.
“I would look at the notices and search for the healthcare organizations that were specifically laying off registered nurses, because by law they have to state the positions that are being affected. I would then actually jump into LinkedIn, search people who work there, and I would reach out to them talking to them about the benefits and the positions that we had open.”
Illustrates a strategic and proactive approach to talent acquisition by leveraging public compliance information.
“What I don't understand is why would we not want to understand what the employee may be going through to see if we have benefits, resources, or processes designed to support the employee in those type of situations?”
Challenges the common HR reluctance to engage with sensitive employee issues, advocating for proactive and empathetic support.
“The last thing they should worry about is an immediate loss of income when their lives could be potentially turned upside down.”
Demonstrates a deep empathetic stance towards employees facing external life crises, linking support to job security.
“What we do know is that people will continue to be human, and I think we should maximize those opportunities where we can treat people as humans.”
Offers a forward-looking perspective on the enduring value of human-centric HR in an increasingly technology-driven world.
The problems this episode addresses
- •Employee financial stress: 'Covering monthly expenses is the number one concern among employees.' (0:00) - *Opportunity for financial wellness programs and benefits solutions.*
- •HR professionals avoiding sensitive employee issues: Many HR professionals shy away from discussing personal crises (e.g., domestic violence, critical illness) due to fear of legal repercussions, hindering effective employee support. (6:00) - *Opportunity for training on legal boundaries and empathetic communication, or tools to manage sensitive cases confidently.*
- •Lack of strategic thinking in HR: HR professionals often struggle to move beyond administrative tasks to a more strategic role, reflected in high failure rates for certification classes. (4:06) - *Opportunity for strategic HR consulting, advanced leadership development for HR, or frameworks for 'deconstructing' HR problems.*
- •Uncertainty and fear among employees due to external factors (e.g., immigration changes): Employees facing external life-altering events need reassurance and clear communication from their employer about job security. (7:20) - *Opportunity for crisis communication plans, legal guidance for employers on supporting vulnerable employee populations, and proactive HR outreach strategies.*
In this episode
Built by People podcast features insights from world's top HR leaders
Built by People
Your career started in human resources almost 30 years ago
Your Journey in Human Resources
Kenneth Miller uses deconstructing techniques to help HR professionals solve difficult situations
Kenneth, What Strategies have you found most effective when helping HR
Kenneth believes HR has gone too far from treating people like humans
Kenneth Wolff: Treat People Like Humans
Symphonic reached out to employees who may be impacted by immigration changes
What Kind of Employee Culture Does HR Have?
Kenneth says we should maximize opportunities where we can treat people as humans
A Lesson from Built By People
Topics covered
Organizations and entities mentioned
Full transcript
Expand transcript (0 words)
Transcript is not available yet.