Send us a textWelcome to another Listener Q&A with The Team at HR Stories! Today’s episode goes into these questions:What should an HR employee do if they’re experiencing retaliation in the workplace but feel like they can’t go to management?How do you handle compensation for someone getting demoted while pay bands changed?Can someone be an independent contractor for the same company they work for full time if the work is out of scope of their normal job?Are there any rules regarding the way time is tracked for hourly employees? Visit TeamAtHRStories.com to see all of our workshops and offerings to help you feel confident in your HR decisions. Support the showOur new book…The Ultimate Guide to HR: Checklists Edition is now AVAILABLE! Go to UltimateGuidetoHR.com to Get HR Right: and Avoid Costly Mistakes. Certified and approved for 3 SHRM Recertification Credits.Join the HR Team of One Community on Facebook or visit TeamAtHRstories.com and sign up for emails so you can be the first to know about new things we have coming up.You can also follow us on Instagram and TikTok at @HRstoriesPodcast Don’t forget to rate our podcast, it really helps other people find it!Do you have a situation or topic you’d like the team to discuss? Are you interested in having Chuck or John talk to your team or Emcee your event? You can reach the Team at Email@TeamAtHRStories.com for suggestions and inquiries.The viewpoints expressed by the characters in the stories are not necessarily that of The Team at HR Stories. The stories are shared to present various, real-world scenarios and share how they were handled by policy and, at times, law. Chuck and John are not lawyers and always recommend working with an employment lawyer to address concerns.
Category: HR Stories Podcast
Ep120: Updates from the EEOC – Lawful DEI in the Trump Era
Send us a textThe Trump Administration has signed a flurry of executive orders – some of which have direct impacts on the workplace. It’s critical, now more than ever, to pay attention to changes and updates that are coming your way. In today’s episode, Chuck and John review some new documents released by the EEOC that are providing clearer guidance around how to legally approach DEI in the workplace. Andrea Lucas, the EEOC Acting Chair, released 11 Tips for Lawful DEI, listed below:Audit Job Descriptions – Cut unnecessary degree or experience requirements.Audit Ads and Interviews – Keep questions and language neutral.Standardize Interviews – Use consistent scoring and avoid vague “fit” questions.Formalize Promotions – Structure the process so everyone understands how to advance.Inclusive Mentorship – Don’t limit opportunities by race or gender.Universal Leadership Training – Offer to all eligible employees.Support First-Gen Pros – Help those new to professional fields (a neutral group).Individualized Training – Base it on job role, not race or gender.Privileged Audits – Use private internal audits to spot issues.Broaden Recruitment – Widen your outreach—no quotas.Rethink Culture – Address policies that unintentionally exclude (e.g., overtime, inflexibility).In the HR News segment, the team touches on the following topics and more:Bumblebee (you may know them from the can of tuna in your pantry) is getting sued for practices on fishing boats provided by the company under the American Trafficking Act. How will this impact other US-based companies with international employees?A welder with a reasonable accommodation related to diabetes had his request declined. Now it’s in the courts. Remember to approach your accommodation requests with a reasonable mindset and train your managers to not fall into easy traps that can cost the company a serious fine.A recent Gallop poll looks into why Americans are working less. Burnout could be Visit TeamAtHRStories.com to see all of our workshops and offerings to help you feel confident in your HR decisions. Support the showOur new book…The Ultimate Guide to HR: Checklists Edition is now AVAILABLE! Go to UltimateGuidetoHR.com to Get HR Right: and Avoid Costly Mistakes. Certified and approved for 3 SHRM Recertification Credits.Join the HR Team of One Community on Facebook or visit TeamAtHRstories.com and sign up for emails so you can be the first to know about new things we have coming up.You can also follow us on Instagram and TikTok at @HRstoriesPodcast Don’t forget to rate our podcast, it really helps other people find it!Do you have a situation or topic you’d like the team to discuss? Are you interested in having Chuck or John talk to your team or Emcee your event? You can reach the Team at Email@TeamAtHRStories.com for suggestions and inquiries.The viewpoints expressed by the characters in the stories are not necessarily that of The Team at HR Stories. The stories are shared to present various, real-world scenarios and share how they were handled by policy and, at times, law. Chuck and John are not lawyers and always recommend working with an employment lawyer to address concerns.
Ep119: Q&A – The Nitty Gritty of Overtime
Send us a textWelcome to another Listener Q&A with The Team at HR Stories! Today’s episode goes into these questions:What’s the smallest increment of time that you have to count towards overtime?How do you handle PTO fairly in terms of seniority? Is there a policy that you have for senior employees over new hires?Can part time employees be given comp time instead of getting paid overtime? Visit TeamAtHRStories.com to see all of our workshops and offerings to help you feel confident in your HR decisions. Support the showOur new book…The Ultimate Guide to HR: Checklists Edition is now AVAILABLE! Go to UltimateGuidetoHR.com to Get HR Right: and Avoid Costly Mistakes. Certified and approved for 3 SHRM Recertification Credits.Join the HR Team of One Community on Facebook or visit TeamAtHRstories.com and sign up for emails so you can be the first to know about new things we have coming up.You can also follow us on Instagram and TikTok at @HRstoriesPodcast Don’t forget to rate our podcast, it really helps other people find it!Do you have a situation or topic you’d like the team to discuss? Are you interested in having Chuck or John talk to your team or Emcee your event? You can reach the Team at Email@TeamAtHRStories.com for suggestions and inquiries.The viewpoints expressed by the characters in the stories are not necessarily that of The Team at HR Stories. The stories are shared to present various, real-world scenarios and share how they were handled by policy and, at times, law. Chuck and John are not lawyers and always recommend working with an employment lawyer to address concerns.
Ep118: Pay Discrimination & Retaliation – How to Avoid Costly Mistakes
Send us a textThis is a case you can’t afford to ignore. When AccentCare, Inc. paid a less-experienced male nurse more than a seasoned female nurse—and then fired her when she complained—the EEOC took action. In this episode, we break down the lawsuit, the five critical lessons for employers, and why Equal Pay Day (March 25) is a wake-up call. From pay transparency to retaliation risks, we’ve got everything you need to protect your organization—and your people.In the HR News segment, the team touches on the following topics and more:Discrimination based on gender is still illegal despite Executive Orders issued over the past several weeks.Pressure to return to work when on FMLA – a case currently in the courts that we should all pay attention to.Gallop poll reveals US employees to new opportunities. Are you providing these key factors in your workplace to attract top talent?Recommended Reading – Talk by Allison Wood BrooksVisit TeamAtHRStories.com to see all of our workshops and offerings to help you feel confident in your HR decisions. Support the showOur new book…The Ultimate Guide to HR: Checklists Edition is now AVAILABLE! Go to UltimateGuidetoHR.com to Get HR Right: and Avoid Costly Mistakes. Certified and approved for 3 SHRM Recertification Credits.Join the HR Team of One Community on Facebook or visit TeamAtHRstories.com and sign up for emails so you can be the first to know about new things we have coming up.You can also follow us on Instagram and TikTok at @HRstoriesPodcast Don’t forget to rate our podcast, it really helps other people find it!Do you have a situation or topic you’d like the team to discuss? Are you interested in having Chuck or John talk to your team or Emcee your event? You can reach the Team at Email@TeamAtHRStories.com for suggestions and inquiries.The viewpoints expressed by the characters in the stories are not necessarily that of The Team at HR Stories. The stories are shared to present various, real-world scenarios and share how they were handled by policy and, at times, law. Chuck and John are not lawyers and always recommend working with an employment lawyer to address concerns.
Ep117: Q&A – Medical Disclosures & Unauthorized Charges
Send us a textWelcome to another Listener Q&A with The Team at HR Stories! Today’s episode goes into these questions:We have an employee who has been out numerous times for a medical issue but he will not provide any supporting documentation or take FMLA. How can we proceed if we need to take action to have someone fill the role?We have someone who quit due to undisclosed PTSD being triggered by behaviors in the workplace. How do I address this with those who caused this, especially if they’re really great workers?We’ve had an employee make unauthorized charges on the company card. How do we handle trying to get the funds back?Support the showOur new book…The Ultimate Guide to HR: Checklists Edition is now AVAILABLE! Go to UltimateGuidetoHR.com to Get HR Right: and Avoid Costly Mistakes. Certified and approved for 3 SHRM Recertification Credits.Join the HR Team of One Community on Facebook or visit TeamAtHRstories.com and sign up for emails so you can be the first to know about new things we have coming up.You can also follow us on Instagram and TikTok at @HRstoriesPodcast Don’t forget to rate our podcast, it really helps other people find it!Do you have a situation or topic you’d like the team to discuss? Are you interested in having Chuck or John talk to your team or Emcee your event? You can reach the Team at Email@TeamAtHRStories.com for suggestions and inquiries.The viewpoints expressed by the characters in the stories are not necessarily that of The Team at HR Stories. The stories are shared to present various, real-world scenarios and share how they were handled by policy and, at times, law. Chuck and John are not lawyers and always recommend working with an employment lawyer to address concerns.
Ep116: HR on Trial – The Importance of Good Record Keeping
Send us a textIn this episode, we dive into the shocking case of Reena Mathew, an HR Business Partner at Santander Consumer USA, who was placed on a Performance Improvement Plan and fired after announcing her pregnancy. Was it a case of performance management—or pregnancy discrimination disguised as poor performance?Chuck and John break down the timeline of events, the questionable “exculpatory paper trail,” and the lessons HR professionals need to learn about documentation, timing, and ethical management practices.In the HR News segment, the team touches on the following topics and more:Expected increase in I-9 audits and ICE raids in the workplace – as an HR rep, what is your role in this?A new analysis of AI user prompts shows 57% of prompts entered are for augmenting work rather than automating. Are we any closer to AI replacing jobs?Hiring on skills versus hiring on past work experience.HR is hard – BambooHR is easy! See for yourself with a free demo at BambooHR: https://shorturl.at/E7kkFSupport the showOur new book…The Ultimate Guide to HR: Checklists Edition is now AVAILABLE! Go to UltimateGuidetoHR.com to Get HR Right: and Avoid Costly Mistakes. Certified and approved for 3 SHRM Recertification Credits.Join the HR Team of One Community on Facebook or visit TeamAtHRstories.com and sign up for emails so you can be the first to know about new things we have coming up.You can also follow us on Instagram and TikTok at @HRstoriesPodcast Don’t forget to rate our podcast, it really helps other people find it!Do you have a situation or topic you’d like the team to discuss? Are you interested in having Chuck or John talk to your team or Emcee your event? You can reach the Team at Email@TeamAtHRStories.com for suggestions and inquiries.The viewpoints expressed by the characters in the stories are not necessarily that of The Team at HR Stories. The stories are shared to present various, real-world scenarios and share how they were handled by policy and, at times, law. Chuck and John are not lawyers and always recommend working with an employment lawyer to address concerns.
Listener Q&A – We Answer Your Questions: When HR gets messy and complicated
Send us a textWelcome to another Listener Q&A with The Team at HR Stories! Today’s episode goes into these questions:I’m newly taking over HR duties and it’s a mess. Where do I start?We have an employee that wants to take 8 weeks of unpaid leave for personal medical needs. They want to use PTO to cover benefit deductions but they won’t have enough for the leave. What do I do?Employees have been stealing time and getting away with it. We have a new manager and need help figuring out where to start with addressing this issue.HR is hard – BambooHR is easy! See for yourself with a free demo at BambooHR: https://shorturl.at/E7kkFSupport the showOur new book…The Ultimate Guide to HR: Checklists Edition is now AVAILABLE! Go to UltimateGuidetoHR.com to Get HR Right: and Avoid Costly Mistakes. Certified and approved for 3 SHRM Recertification Credits.Join the HR Team of One Community on Facebook or visit TeamAtHRstories.com and sign up for emails so you can be the first to know about new things we have coming up.You can also follow us on Instagram and TikTok at @HRstoriesPodcast Don’t forget to rate our podcast, it really helps other people find it!Do you have a situation or topic you’d like the team to discuss? Are you interested in having Chuck or John talk to your team or Emcee your event? You can reach the Team at Email@TeamAtHRStories.com for suggestions and inquiries.The viewpoints expressed by the characters in the stories are not necessarily that of The Team at HR Stories. The stories are shared to present various, real-world scenarios and share how they were handled by policy and, at times, law. Chuck and John are not lawyers and always recommend working with an employment lawyer to address concerns.
Ep115: Listener Q&A – We Answer Your Questions: When HR gets messy and complicated
Send us a textWelcome to another Listener Q&A with The Team at HR Stories! Today’s episode goes into these questions:I’m newly taking over HR duties and it’s a mess. Where do I start?We have an employee that wants to take 8 weeks of unpaid leave for personal medical needs. They want to use PTO to cover benefit deductions but they won’t have enough for the leave. What do I do?Employees have been stealing time and getting away with it. We have a new manager and need help figuring out where to start with addressing this issue.HR is hard – BambooHR is easy! See for yourself with a free demo at BambooHR: https://shorturl.at/E7kkFSupport the showOur new book…The Ultimate Guide to HR: Checklists Edition is now AVAILABLE! Go to UltimateGuidetoHR.com to Get HR Right: and Avoid Costly Mistakes. Certified and approved for 3 SHRM Recertification Credits.Join the HR Team of One Community on Facebook or visit TeamAtHRstories.com and sign up for emails so you can be the first to know about new things we have coming up.You can also follow us on Instagram and TikTok at @HRstoriesPodcast Don’t forget to rate our podcast, it really helps other people find it!Do you have a situation or topic you’d like the team to discuss? Are you interested in having Chuck or John talk to your team or Emcee your event? You can reach the Team at Email@TeamAtHRStories.com for suggestions and inquiries.The viewpoints expressed by the characters in the stories are not necessarily that of The Team at HR Stories. The stories are shared to present various, real-world scenarios and share how they were handled by policy and, at times, law. Chuck and John are not lawyers and always recommend working with an employment lawyer to address concerns.
Beating the Challenges of Being a CHRO
Send us a textIn today’s episode, you’ll follow along with a CHRO who was tasked with tackling hybrid work challenges, boosting employee well-being, and building a future-ready workforce. Listen as Chuck and John talk through these ways to come out on top of these challenges: “Collaboration Week” – Fixing hybrid work disconnect
Mental health & burnout solutions that work
Upskilling & leadership development strategies
Winning the war for top talent with DE&ISee more from John about DEI in the workplace here. In the HR News segment, the team touches on the following topics and more:Executive orders being overturned – in particular #11246. The implications of Trump’s anti-DEI policies on your HR operations.Have DEI initiatives implemented by companies been mostly for PR? Apparently a lot of employees think so.DEI funds being shifted to AI investments by multiple companies.How you find a job in HR by making local connections.Many workers are looking for their next role… and quickly! Is the motivation higher pay or work-life balance?
Subscribe, review, and share!HR is hard – BambooHR is easy! See for yourself with a free demo at BambooHR: https://shorturl.at/E7kkFSupport the showOur new book…The Ultimate Guide to HR: Checklists Edition is now AVAILABLE! Go to UltimateGuidetoHR.com to Get HR Right: and Avoid Costly Mistakes. Certified and approved for 3 SHRM Recertification Credits.Join the HR Team of One Community on Facebook or visit TeamAtHRstories.com and sign up for emails so you can be the first to know about new things we have coming up.You can also follow us on Instagram and TikTok at @HRstoriesPodcast Don’t forget to rate our podcast, it really helps other people find it!Do you have a situation or topic you’d like the team to discuss? Are you interested in having Chuck or John talk to your team or Emcee your event? You can reach the Team at Email@TeamAtHRStories.com for suggestions and inquiries.The viewpoints expressed by the characters in the stories are not necessarily that of The Team at HR Stories. The stories are shared to present various, real-world scenarios and share how they were handled by policy and, at times, law. Chuck and John are not lawyers and always recommend working with an employment lawyer to address concerns.
Ep #113 Beating the Challenges of Being a CHRO
Send us a textIn today’s episode, you’ll follow along with a CHRO who was tasked with tackling hybrid work challenges, boosting employee well-being, and building a future-ready workforce. Listen as Chuck and John talk through these ways to come out on top of these challenges: “Collaboration Week” – Fixing hybrid work disconnect
Mental health & burnout solutions that work
Upskilling & leadership development strategies
Winning the war for top talent with DE&ISee more from John about DEI in the workplace here. In the HR News segment, the team touches on the following topics and more:Executive orders being overturned – in particular #11246. The implications of Trump’s anti-DEI policies on your HR operations.Have DEI initiatives implemented by companies been mostly for PR? Apparently a lot of employees think so.DEI funds being shifted to AI investments by multiple companies.How you find a job in HR by making local connections.Many workers are looking for their next role… and quickly! Is the motivation higher pay or work-life balance?
Subscribe, review, and share!HR is hard – BambooHR is easy! See for yourself with a free demo at BambooHR: https://shorturl.at/E7kkFSupport the showOur new book…The Ultimate Guide to HR: Checklists Edition is now AVAILABLE! Go to UltimateGuidetoHR.com to Get HR Right: and Avoid Costly Mistakes. Certified and approved for 3 SHRM Recertification Credits.Join the HR Team of One Community on Facebook or visit TeamAtHRstories.com and sign up for emails so you can be the first to know about new things we have coming up.You can also follow us on Instagram and TikTok at @HRstoriesPodcast Don’t forget to rate our podcast, it really helps other people find it!Do you have a situation or topic you’d like the team to discuss? Are you interested in having Chuck or John talk to your team or Emcee your event? You can reach the Team at Email@TeamAtHRStories.com for suggestions and inquiries.The viewpoints expressed by the characters in the stories are not necessarily that of The Team at HR Stories. The stories are shared to present various, real-world scenarios and share how they were handled by policy and, at times, law. Chuck and John are not lawyers and always recommend working with an employment lawyer to address concerns.
Ep114: Beating the Challenges of Being a CHRO
Send us a textIn today’s episode, you’ll follow along with a CHRO who was tasked with tackling hybrid work challenges, boosting employee well-being, and building a future-ready workforce. Listen as Chuck and John talk through these ways to come out on top of these challenges: “Collaboration Week” – Fixing hybrid work disconnect
Mental health & burnout solutions that work
Upskilling & leadership development strategies
Winning the war for top talent with DE&ISee more from John about DEI in the workplace here. In the HR News segment, the team touches on the following topics and more:Executive orders being overturned – in particular #11246. The implications of Trump’s anti-DEI policies on your HR operations.Have DEI initiatives implemented by companies been mostly for PR? Apparently a lot of employees think so.DEI funds being shifted to AI investments by multiple companies.How you find a job in HR by making local connections.Many workers are looking for their next role… and quickly! Is the motivation higher pay or work-life balance?
Subscribe, review, and share!HR is hard – BambooHR is easy! See for yourself with a free demo at BambooHR: https://shorturl.at/E7kkFSupport the showOur new book…The Ultimate Guide to HR: Checklists Edition is now AVAILABLE! Go to UltimateGuidetoHR.com to Get HR Right: and Avoid Costly Mistakes. Certified and approved for 3 SHRM Recertification Credits.Join the HR Team of One Community on Facebook or visit TeamAtHRstories.com and sign up for emails so you can be the first to know about new things we have coming up.You can also follow us on Instagram and TikTok at @HRstoriesPodcast Don’t forget to rate our podcast, it really helps other people find it!Do you have a situation or topic you’d like the team to discuss? Are you interested in having Chuck or John talk to your team or Emcee your event? You can reach the Team at Email@TeamAtHRStories.com for suggestions and inquiries.The viewpoints expressed by the characters in the stories are not necessarily that of The Team at HR Stories. The stories are shared to present various, real-world scenarios and share how they were handled by policy and, at times, law. Chuck and John are not lawyers and always recommend working with an employment lawyer to address concerns.