HR Stories Podcast - A Lesson in Every Story!
Welcome to the HR Stories Podcast - where there is a lesson in every story. Our Storytellers - John Thalheimer and Chuck Simikian, the Team behind HR Stories, share real-life tales about where a business made a preventable mistake. At The HR Stories Podcast, the STORIES are the teaching tool! LISTEN to the stories of those that did not heed the warning signs. LEARN from their mistakes. ACT on best practices shared by our hosts and guests. Each year, our hosts Chuck Simikian and John Thalheimer, deliver thousands of live seminars around the country to business owners, executives, and HR professionals discussing the fundamentals of Human Resources, Leadership best practices, and legal risk reduction activities for organizations. In each HR Story episode, they share a story of where a company missed the mark and what went wrong...and how you can avoid their fate. As the Team at HR Stories, John and Chuck continue to develop and provide resources to help HR leaders, businesses owners, and organizations with the confidence they need to successfully when handling employee issues and building strong employee practices to be in compliance with employment laws. Both are successful entrepreneurs who help businesses through HR consulting, training, and coaching leaders. They have coached and trained thousands of HR Professionals as, Business Owners, and Leaders to prepare them for the future. When the Coronavirus stopped America in 2019, John and Chuck wanted to share their knowledge. They realized that the stories they shared in their seminars were the perfect vehicle to teach the principles of human resources management. In short, there is a lesson in every story. John is the Founding Director of True Star Leadership™, which focuses on helping managers and leaders learn the principles of performance management. Chuck is the Founding Partner of Alliance HR Partners, which provides HR consulting and training to businesses across the country. Together they have over 40 years navigating the challenges of HR and have recently published their book - The Ultimate Book of HR Checklists – Getting HR Right: Your Step-by-Step Reference for Avoiding Costly Mistakes. Go to https://hrchecklists.com/ for more information, download a free sample, and watch their webinar on the Secret Power Behind Successful Businesses.
Episodes
Welcome to another Listener Q&A with The Team at HR Stories! Today's episode goes into these questions:
- Several employees clock in early and sit around, drinking coffee and talking, prior to their shift. Are we required to pay them for this?
- What do you do if you start a new company and some employees do not have I-9’s or other documents?
- How do you handle an underperforming new hire that threatens ...
Chuck and John do a twist on the normal episode, taking headlines you may have read and heard about and diving into them to pull out the lessons to be learned. In this jam-packed episode, the team talks through a several topics.
Can making someone work longer shifts be illegal? The team's favorite answer - It depends.
When companies are pulling back the reigns on WFH, is it inadverten...
Welcome to another Listener Q&A with The Team at HR Stories! Today we have a couple of updates before we dive into the questions.
- White-Collar Exemption Update
- Can you keep gossip out of the workplace?
- Reasons companies aren’t hiring 50+
Today's episode goes into these questions:
- Do I need to get a new I-9 for an employee who just became a citizen?
- Does an exempt employee have to work 40 hours...
An employee gets drug tested and the test comes back positive. Seems like an easy call to make... or so you think. This was the predicament that an Airgas employee found himself in after using hemp products during his cancer treatments. After trying to plead his case, that he had not been doing drugs, Airgas terminated him, claiming it was their honest belief that it was the right decision based on their info...
Welcome to another Listener Q&A with The Team at HR Stories! Today's episode goes into these questions:
- Is there a type of policy an organization should have that shows the process of suggesting new ideas or policies?
- Our company is being bought out and there is a new perfect attendance policy. This feels like it will disproportionately impact working parents. Is this legal? How should I address co...
This week, the team is uncovering the dark side of retaliation in the workplace, straight from a nightmarish case at Tosh Farms, Tennessee. A shocking number of EEOC claims involve retaliation. Listen in to hear the spine-chilling tactics used against employees and the impact on company reputation and legal standing.
In the HR News segment, the team touches on the following topics and more:
- How p...
Welcome to another Listener Q&A with The Team at HR Stories! Today's episode goes into these questions:
- Our handbook policy says we cannot wear anything vulgar, but we don’t have anything about vulgar bumper stickers on our personal vehicles. Can managers order individuals to cover vulgar bumper stickers on their personal vehicles?
- I have an HR friend who was asking me about a problem supervisor wh...
Join Chuck and John in this special episode where they replay their webinar they hold quarterly, updating HR professionals in all of the major industry law and regulation updates YOU CAN’T MISS! Stick around to the end for a special announcement
From reviewing the big game changer policies of 2023 such as the I-9 changes, the PUMP Act, and religious accommodations, to talking about the most recent updates to m...
In this week's episode, we delve into the critical yet often overlooked aspects of the PUMP Act, through the lens of two compelling stories from nursing mothers at McDonald's. Discover what happens when workplace policies fail to support nursing employees, and the crucial lessons HR can learn from these real-life experiences.
We'll explore the importance of the PUMP Act for HR professionals, of...
Welcome to another Listener Q&A with The Team at HR Stories! Today's episode goes into these questions:
- We’re having trouble with a background check on a 15 year old intern. Is this even required?
- An employee verbally assaulted a new employee and she claims her autoimmune disease causes her to not think clearly and not act herself. What do you do in this situation?
- Are we legally required to provide...
Dive deep as we peel back the corporate curtain, revealing the shocking disconnect between leaders' expectations and the harsh realities faced by employees. From unpaid overtime at Garnett News Company to deadly safety oversights, discover how policies fail in the face of middle management decisions and workplace culture.
Are extensive policies enough when employees suffer and laws are ignored? Join us as...
Welcome to another Listener Q&A with The Team at HR Stories! Today's episode goes into these questions:
- How many times/how often do you fire employees in your organization? What’s your take on who should talk during a termination?
- How long should you usually give an emplopyee to cash a check? If a check was lost and you re-issue a check and they have not come to pick up the re-issued check, 2 month...
It goes without saying (but we will anyways) that the pandemic drastically changed our ways of working as well as our expectations of a job. One of the most notable changes was the shift to remote work. While many companies embraced this change and have found a new way of collaborating, others have grown tired of it and are starting to pull back on the remote flexibility many employees have come to expect.
In this episode, we dive into the unique challenges faced by HR department of one employees. From managing PTO allocation to navigating a remote-first company culture spread across multiple states, listeners gain insights into the delicate balance of work-life boundaries and professional expectations. We explore practical strategies for addressing personal relocation requests within a company mission rooted i...
Dive into a riveting episode of HR Stories Podcast, featuring the story of Sheri Minarsky's brave stand against workplace harassment. This episode, reveals Sheri's struggle as a secretary in Susquehanna County’s Department of Veterans Affairs, where she endured years of harassment in silence due to fear and isolation. Her story unfolds as a gripping narrative of resilience and courage, culminating i...
Welcome to another Listener Q&A with The Team at HR Stories! Today's episode goes into these questions:
Question #1 –
Does your company do anything to compensate exempt employees if they travel/work on weekends or holidays? Also, if they travel home on a work day, but they get to town with 4 hours of work day left, do they have to go into the office or get to take the rest of the day off?
Question #2 -
H...
When a piece of equipment with a history of related injuries claims the life of a high school student picking up hours over the summer, is it just a freak accident, or was this a preventable situation? How did the company respond to the OSHA recommendations? In today’s episode, Chuck and John dive into a heavy story about the death of an employee at a mill, covering different levels of OSHA considerations whe...
Welcome to another Listener Q&A with The Team at HR Stories! Today's episode goes into these questions:
- Does anybody have good ideas to make your Indeed postings stand out and look less “basic” and “dry”?
- As a Manager, how do you create an environment where employees can be brave and have no fear of speaking up? Could you share some examples if you have any?
- We hired a woman who is pregnant. One of ...
What a year it has been, not only in the world of HR, but for The Team at HR Stories! This year, we kicked off a new episode format called Listener Q&A where we answer questions submitted by YOU! This has been a great opportunity to discuss a variety of issues, from hygiene to employees illegally recording others. Thank you for joining us each week as we dive into stories and learn lessons along the way! ...
In this special holiday edition of the HR Stories Podcast, join John and Chuck as they delve into the enchanting yet enlightening tale of Rudolf the Red-Nosed Reindeer. This episode offers a whimsical exploration of serious HR topics, including workplace discrimination, ADA implications, and the responsibilities of management in fostering an inclusive environment. Through the story of Rudolf's unique cha...
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