The TroopHR Podcast
Welcome to the TroopHR Podcast, where we bring you the best of HR and business thought-leadership in a casual coffee chat format. Our mission at TroopHR is to empower HR professionals to advance their careers, personal development and build better organizations. We promise fresh, actionable content from master practitioners, industry leaders, translating their seasoned experience into practical advice. Join us for insights, strategies and tactical take-aways to drive the HR profession forward. The TroopHR Podcast will help guide you to discover the keys to success to overcome HR challenges, and make a meaningful impact as a People Leader.
The TroopHR Podcast
Episode 59: Rethinking Workplace Performance with Melissa NG Goldner CEO of Malu Journey
Use Left/Right to seek, Home/End to jump to start or end. Hold shift to jump forward or backward.
What if the way we measure employee engagement and workplace performance is completely outdated?
In this episode of the TroopHR Podcast, Taylor Bradley sits down with Melissa Ng Goldner, Founder and CEO of Malu Journey and Head of Strategy and Research at Coqual, for a thought-provoking conversation on the future of work, employee sustainment, and why “work-life balance” may be one of the most misleading phrases in HR today. Melissa challenges traditional HR metrics like engagement surveys and compliance-driven performance measures, arguing that organizations should instead focus on psychological safety, capacity, recovery, and long-term employee sustainability.
Together, they explore the hidden impact of layoffs and organizational change, the growing fear of irrelevance in the age of AI, and why leaders must learn to support the whole human—not just the employee ID number. Melissa also shares insights from her Stanford-backed research on employee sustainment, introduces the “Fit to Thrive Index,” and offers practical frameworks for HR leaders looking to build resilient, high-performing teams in today’s rapidly evolving workplace.
If you would like to learn more about joining our community and upcoming events, please visit troophr.com.
Credits
TroopHR Founder: Tracy Avin
Show Producer: Nicole Fealey
Show Host: Taylor Bradley
Note: Transcripts generated by AI.