You Don’t Have a People Problem — You Have a System Problem | Joel Schwan

You don’t have a people problem — you have a system problem that’s showing up as a people problem.

In this episode of the Business Roundtable Podcast, host David Carr, founder of Steward Your Business, sits down with Joel Schwan, founder of Schwan Stratify, to unpack why hiring struggles, burnout, turnover, and workforce chaos are rarely about “bad employees” and almost always about broken or missing systems.

With more than 20 years of experience in workforce strategy, HR, and operations, Joel has worked with organizations including Microsoft, Google, Uber, and growing small-to-mid-sized businesses. Together, David and Joel explore how leaders can move from reactive hiring and survival mode into intentional, scalable workforce strategy.

This conversation dives into why hiring more people often makes problems worse, how unclear roles and poor onboarding quietly drain profit, and why workforce planning must be treated as an ecosystem — not a pipeline. Joel also explains when businesses should use contractors versus full-time employees, how capacity planning prevents burnout, and why succession planning and cross-functional skills protect companies from disruption.

If you’re a business owner, executive, or team leader stuck in constant hiring cycles or overwhelmed by managing people, this episode provides clarity, practical frameworks, and a healthier way forward. In this episode:

• Why most “people problems” are actually system failures
• How broken onboarding and role clarity create turnover
• The five areas every business should audit in their workforce
• When to hire full-time employees vs. contractors
• How capacity planning and succession protect growth
• Why leadership health and psychological safety matter

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