#21 - Peter Phelan: Becoming a Cultural Change Agent: Turning Taboo Topics and Dry Benefits into Engagement

In this episode of By HR for HR, host Jocelyn King sits down with Peter Phelan, a former Chief People Officer turned culture strategist, executive headhunter, and HR’s resident humorist. Peter shares his journey from studying HR in Ireland during the 1990s to climbing the corporate ranks in the tech sector, before taking a leap a decade ago to found his company, Values Culture. The conversation centers on the surprising intersection of comedy and human resources. Peter discusses his unique niche performing at New York City comedy clubs and major industry events like the Transform conference in Las Vegas. He explains his strict philosophy of "HR positivity"—never self-deprecating the function, but rather using clean, empathetic humor to address the absolute chaos that HR professionals face daily. Listeners will also get an inside look at Funny HR People, an open mic night Peter co-emcees in New York that serves as a therapeutic, community-building space for local HR teams. Beyond the stage, Peter delivers practical advice on how injecting humor can serve as a catalyst for accelerating trust with corporate stakeholders, easing executive tension, and humanizing rigid workplace dynamics. He highlights the boundaries of workplace comedy, the importance of reading the room, and how to safely poke fun at overblown HR buzzwords. Finally, Peter shares a classic personal story from his time at Bloomberg, proving that even within highly intense, conservative corporate structures, a single practitioner can use wit to turn dry benefit rollouts into memorable cultural moments. Peter Phelan is the founder of Values Culture, where he specializes in culture strategy and executive search for people and talent leaders. Widely known as "The Culture Doctor," he is a passionate speaker and comedian dedicated to lifting the spirits of global HR practitioners. You can connect with Peter on LinkedIn or check out his upcoming community events at www.valuesculture.com and www.funnyhrpeople.com. Hosted by Jocelyn King, founder and CEO of VirgilHR. VirgilHR is an HR compliance software designed by practitioners to deliver automated, instant compliance answers regarding federal, state, and local employment laws. To discover how to shield your organization from legal risk while freeing your team up for strategic initiatives, visit www.virgilhr.com and follow Jocelyn on LinkedIn. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices