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America's Employee Handbook

America's Employee Handbook

By: Dani Sterbinsky
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About this listen

Welcome to America’s Employee Handbook—the podcast that reimagines the U.S. government as a massive corporation called AmeriCo and explores how leadership, policy, and organizational behavior shape our daily lives. Hosted by Dani Sterbinsky, a veteran, certified HR professional, and Industrial-Organizational Psychology expert, this show breaks down governance and policy through the lens of workplace dynamics—think leadership styles, team motivation, and corporate culture, but applied to Washington, D.C.


Each episode unpacks real-world political decisions as if they were management strategies in a Fortune 500 company. From executive leadership to agency efficiency, we analyze how government policies impact citizens—aka AmeriCo’s employees—and explore what makes an effective, accountable, and high-performing organization.


Whether you’re a political junkie, an HR professional, or just someone trying to make sense of how policies affect you, America’s Employee Handbook is your guide to understanding government in a way that actually makes sense.


Clock in, join the conversation, and let’s rethink the way we manage AmeriCo.

© 2025 America's Employee Handbook Political Science Politics & Government Science Social Sciences
Episodes
  • The $400 Million Question: President Trump, Qatar, and the Flying Emolument

    The $400 Million Question: President Trump, Qatar, and the Flying Emolument
    May 21 2025

    What happens when a foreign nation offers a sitting U.S. president a luxurious, $400 million "flying palace"? In this episode of America's Employee Handbook, host Dani Sterbinsky dives into Qatar's royal family's unprecedented May 2025 proposal to gift former President Trump a lavish Boeing 747-8. Using the sharp lens of industrial-organizational psychology, Dani explores the explosive reactions across Capitol Hill, dissects constitutional boundaries, and draws compelling parallels with historic presidential gifts and notorious corporate scandals. Through vivid storytelling, insightful expert commentary, and engaging listener challenges, discover how breaches in ethical guardrails ripple through organizations, influencing culture, trust, and compliance. Tune in as Dani navigates the turbulence of emoluments, ethics, and organizational accountability—because compliance isn't just paperwork; it's the safety harness keeping AmeriCo flying smoothly.

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    AmericasEmployeeHandbook@gmail.com
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    23 mins
  • AmeriCo's Economic Climate: How Market Swings Impact Your Job & Morale

    AmeriCo's Economic Climate: How Market Swings Impact Your Job & Morale
    May 3 2025

    Ever feel like national economic headlines hit a little too close to home in your workplace? In this episode of America's Employee Handbook, we're clocking in on the economy. Viewing the U.S. government as "AmeriCo," we explore how big-picture market swings—from inflation and consumer confidence dips to sudden economic shocks—profoundly impact the employee experience.

    Join Dani Sterbinsky as she applies concepts from Industrial-Organizational Psychology to explain how economic uncertainty fuels employee anxiety, erodes trust, affects motivation, and shakes our sense of psychological safety. We'll look at real-world examples and discuss why understanding local labor markets (economic geography) is key to retention.

    Please tune in to gain practical insights on the hidden ways the economy shapes your daily work life in AmeriCo, and discover what leaders can do to support their teams through turbulent times.

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    AmericasEmployeeHandbook@gmail.com
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    27 mins
  • The DOGE Initiative: When Change Goes Wrong

    The DOGE Initiative: When Change Goes Wrong
    Apr 14 2025

    The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) initiative reveals a cautionary tale in change management. In this episode, Dani Sterbinsky applies principles of Industrial-Organizational Psychology to analyze what went wrong and what could have been done better. Learn how prioritizing empathy, fairness, and psychological safety can lead to more successful and sustainable organizational change.

    References

    Gustafsson, S., Gillespie, N., Searle, R., & Dietz, G. (2020). Preserving organizational trust during government restructuring: A case study of change management in a public agency. Organization Studies, 41(4), 645–664. https://doi.org/10.1177/0170840620901234

    Hughes, M., & Zhang, L. (2024). Revitalizing Organizational Change: A Modern Take on Lewin’s Change Model in the Digital Age. Journal of Organizational Dynamics, 35(1), 45–68. https://doi.org/10.1177/0170840623112345

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    AmericasEmployeeHandbook@gmail.com
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    30 mins
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