

Navigating HR Challenges, with Scott Mastley, Thread HCM (North Fulton Business Radio, Episode 814)
In this episode of North Fulton Business Radio, host John Ray interviews Scott Mastley, Chief Human Relations Officer at Thread HCM. The discussion delves into Thread’s HR software and services, emphasizing their focus on efficiency, top-tier payroll technology, and unique HR consulting services. Scott shares his unconventional journey into HR, the importance of personal and proactive client relationships, and the evolving landscape of HR regulations, including multi-state compliance and remote work challenges. He also touches on trends like unlimited PTO and cannabis regulations, offering practical advice for business owners. Scott’s insights provide valuable guidance for small to medium-sized businesses looking to enhance their HR practices.
John Ray is the host of North Fulton Business Radio. The show is recorded and produced by the North Fulton affiliate of Business RadioX® inside Renasant Bank in Alpharetta.
Scott Mastley, Chief Human Relations Officer, Thread HCM

Scott joined Thread in 2019 to develop and manage our HR Consulting services. Scott is a double Dawg with undergraduate and MBA degrees from UGA, and he is passionate about simplifying HR to support engagement.
Scott is interested in your challenges and enthusiastic about finding solutions and proactively preventing future issues. His confidence comes from 25 years of hands-on consulting, HR work, and leading HR teams with clients across multiple industries.
Thread HCM
Thread offers a way for businesses to make HR an advantage. The company believes in better workplaces, engaged employees, and peace of mind for the C-Suite.
At its core, Thread offers a top-tier technology platform that over 100,000 businesses trust and that serves over 5,000,000 employees. This all-in-one solution offers a superior approach to hiring, managing, and growing teams. With a scalable system and a variety of offerings, the iSolved platform is designed to grow alongside its clients.
Thread offers a partner relationship approach to working with clients, backed by quick, individualized service from a support team that is familiar with each business. The company believes time is valuable and doesn’t intend to waste any of it. Live response times and NPS Customer Satisfaction ratings are posted right on its website.
Lastly, Thread is a business like its clients. With a team of amazing people doing great work for their clients, Thread achieves success in turn. As a recipient of GPTW awards several years in a row, Thread aims to be a company its employees love and where candidates are eager to join. The company wants that same success for its clients and their teams too.
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Topics Discussed in this Episode
00:00 Introduction and Welcome to North Fulton Business Radio
00:36 Guest Introduction: Scott Mastley from Thread
02:46 Scott’s Journey into HR
04:20 HR Consulting at Thread
07:10 Challenges in HR: Multi-State Regulations
12:19 Cannabis in the Workplace
15:13 Remote Workforces Post-Pandemic
16:17 Effective Communication in Remote Work
17:28 Maintaining Productivity and Connection
18:27 Hybrid Work Models and Their Benefits
21:31 Challenges of Unlimited PTO Policies
24:04 Upcoming Salary Threshold Changes
26:15 Client Success Stories and Services
29:22 Contact Information and Closing Remarks
Renasant Bank supports North Fulton Business Radio
Renasant Bank has humble roots, starting in 1904 as a $100,000 bank in a Lee County, Mississippi, bakery. Since then, Renasant has become one of the Southeast’s strongest financial institutions, with over $17 billion in assets and more than 180 banking, lending, wealth management, and financial services offices throughout the region. All of Renasant’s success stems from each of their banker’s commitment to investing in their communities as a way of better understanding the people they serve. At Renasant Bank, they understand you because they work and live alongside you every day.
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About North Fulton Business Radio and host John Ray
With over 800 shows and having featured over 1,200 guests, North Fulton Business Radio is the longest-running podcast in the North Fulton area, covering business in our community like no one else. We are the undisputed “Voice of Business” in North Fulton!
The show welcomes a wide variety of business, non-profit, and community leaders to get the word out about the important work they’re doing to serve their market, their community, and their profession. There’s no discrimination based on company size, and there’s never any “pay to play.” North Fulton Business Radio supports and celebrates business by sharing positive business stories that traditional media ignore. Some media leans left. Some media leans right. We lean business.

John Ray is the host of North Fulton Business Radio. The show is recorded and produced from the North Fulton studio of Business RadioX® inside Renasant Bank in Alpharetta. You can find the full archive of shows by following this link. The show is available on all the major podcast apps, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google, Amazon, iHeart Radio, and many others.
The studio address is 275 South Main Street, Alpharetta, GA 30009.
John Ray also operates his own business advisory practice. John’s services include advising solopreneurs and small professional services firms on their value, their positioning and business development, and their pricing. His clients are professionals who are selling their expertise, such as consultants, coaches, attorneys, CPAs, accountants and bookkeepers, marketing professionals, and other professional services practitioners.
John is the national bestselling author of The Generosity Mindset: A Journey to Business Success by Raising Your Confidence, Value, and Prices.



TJ Lowery is the President of the Black HR Society a local non-profit organization servicing HR professionals across the valley. She is also the Vice President of Human Resources at the Arizona Boardwalk overseeing the HR strategy for seven attractions including the iconic OdySea Aquarium and Butterfly Wonderland.
Britney Sudana is a HR professional with over ten years of experience focused mainly on talent acquisition and career development. She has held roles in various organizations within the public and private sector.
Shatema Gresham is the Founder and CEO of Procure Talent Management Group, LLC.







Karianne Munstedt is an award-winning portrait photographer and business owner, a speaker, coach and author. She is an artist and nurturer, fiercely motivated by using her talents to make women feel confident, empowered, and whole. As a curvy woman who was very critical of her body, she spent nearly a decade hiding behind the camera, never stepping in front of it out of fear of shame and judgment around her body and choices.
Kimberly Thigpen is an innovative technology executive, leading the Windows Commercial team at Microsoft to drive change that enhances the commercial customer Windows experience.
Mary Beth Hartleb’s career spans more than thirty years in the human resources field working with Fortune 500 companies while developing human resource departments for smaller, entrepreneurial ventures.
Nicole Thompson, of Joi In Style, has been dressing women and men for over a decade, since 2007. Her expertise is ensuring that people who have a big message make sure that their exterior appearance matches that big message everywhere they go…from Wal Mart to Wall Street and everything in between.
Rebecca Panico is a seasoned marketing and advertising professional with over 20 years experience in media investment strategy.
Cathryn Lynea has two degrees from U.C. Berkeley, History of Art and Business Administration.



Special thanks to A&S Culinary Concepts for their support of this edition of North Fulton Business Radio. A&S Culinary Concepts, based in Johns Creek, is an award-winning culinary studio, celebrated for corporate catering, corporate team building, Big Green Egg Boot Camps, and private group events. They also provide oven-ready, cooked from scratch meals to go they call “Let Us Cook for You.” To see their menus and events, go to 







Their goal is to partner with you to help create a culture that maximizes productivity and meets compliance requirements.



Camille French is a senior level strategic human resources professional with many years of experience in multi-state, multi-industry environments. She is an active member of the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) and holds a senior level professional certification in Human Resources (SPHR), SHRM-SCP as well as a Master’s Degree in Business Administration (MBA). Spanning nearly two decades, her career has been devoted to partnering with professionals and business owners of small to medium sized organizations. She has achieved success in helping them understand how crucial human resources is to the organization’s competitive position and overall strategic initiative. With her wealth of experience, knowledge, and locally recognized expertise, Camille founded AmeriSource HR Consulting Group. 
Jenny Lang is the Managing Director for RealWorld Marketing. Located in Scottsdale, Arizona. RealWorld Marketing is a full-service agency with a special focus on automotive marketing. As a Tier 2 marketing agency for Acura and Honda dealer associations, their clients are spread throughout the country. They always do their homework to research each new market they enter, so they can produce unique creative catered to the needs and lifestyle of each region so customers can relate to the product.
Jodi Low is an accomplished corporate trainer, inspirational speaker, and the Founder and CEO of 




















