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 who 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. Each HR Story episode shares a story of where a company missed the mark, 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, business owners, and organizations with the confidence they need to successfully handle employee issues and build strong employee practices to comply with employment laws. Both successful entrepreneurs help businesses through HR consulting, training, and coaching leaders. They have coached and trained thousands of HR Professionals, Business Owners, and Leaders to prepare them for the future. John is the Founding Director of True Star Leadership™, which focuses on helping managers and leaders learn performance management principles. Chuck is the Founding Partner of Alliance HR Partners, which provides HR consulting and training to businesses nationwide. Together, they have over 40 years of experience navigating the challenges of HR and recently published their book, The Ultimate Guide to HR: Checklist Edition. Go to https://ultimateguidetohr.com/ for more information, download a free sample, and watch their webinar on the Secret Power Behind Successful Businesses.
Episodes
When someone goes from star employee to being told that he will never be a manager because they used their FMLA, a legally protected leave, there’s more to the story that what the management hopes to hear. FMLA is not a employment benefit. It’s a right. And in the case of today’s story, our main character’s management discriminating against him for using it can land an employer in a legal mess.
Our new...
Welcome to a new format from the team where they explore hot topics in the news! In today's episode Chuck and John discuss the following topics:
- The unusual perks that can keep employee retention up at little cost to the company.
- Cracker Barrel's latest controversy involving racial discrimination in the workplace.
- The extremes of job hugging and quiet quitting amongst the workforce during t...
Welcome to another Listener Q&A with The Team at HR Stories! Today's episode goes into these questions:
- HR is constantly changing because of cultural shifts or technology. What else is influencing the HR role within the organization?
- Do you have to follow other state regulations when you have employees working in other states from your business location?
- Do State or Federal laws dictate how long it takes to ...
We've seen it in the news and around social media - someone did something controversial and they went viral for it. Next thing we hear, they've either tastefully resigned from their job or the company has issued a statement saying they do not stand by the actions and the person has been removed from the company.
If you have an employee that goes viral for all of the wrong reasons, what response is within you...
Join Chuck and John as they go back to an episode that originally aired in May of 2021 to review the Ellerth v Burlington case.
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Kimberly Ellerth was 23, fresh out of college and recently married, when she landed a prized marketing job with Burlington Industries in its Chicago office. But eventually her dream job became unbearable, she said, after a boss began making sexual advances toward her.
As we contin...
Join Chuck and John this week as they go back to an episode from May 27, 2021 about the case that redefined what sexual harassment can look like in the workplace.
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In this episode, our hosts John and Chuck tell the behind the scenes story of Mechelle Vinson....a 19 year old Bank Teller and how she was coerced into having a sexual relationship with her boss in order to save her job.
In May of 1975, Mr. Sidne...
John talks to Chuck to glean what he learned at the recent National SHRM Conference. While there was the expected hot topic of AI in human resources, there were some interesting and unexpected topics covered - particularly in the mental health space. Join the team as they recap the topics that are viewed as "Can't Miss" from SHRM.
Visit TeamAtHRStories.com to see all of our workshops and offerings...
In today's summer school episode, Chuck and John revisit the cases that help us understand the importance of the PUMP act.
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 lesso...
Join Chuck and John as they take a trip back to June of 2023 to revisit the case of Geduldig v. Aiello - the ORIGINAL pregnancy Supreme Court case.
Sylvia Aiello, was a pregnant woman who sought disability benefits under the California State Disability Insurance program. However, the program excluded coverage for pregnancy-related disabilities. Aiello argued that this exclusion violated the Equal Protection Clause of ...
This week in our Summer School series, we’re revisiting a landmark case that forever reshaped HR law and workplace culture: Meritor Savings Bank v. Vinson. Originally aired in May 2021, this powerful episode unpacks the story of Mechelle Vinson, whose harrowing experiences led the U.S. Supreme Court to recognize hostile work environment sexual harassment as a form of discrimination under Title VII.
Join us as we walk t...
Welcome to Summer School! Chuck and John are going to take you back through some of the biggest Supreme Court cases that changed the face of Human Resources. This week, we revisit the case of Griggs v Duke Power, where an intelligence test was discriminating against Black employees. Listen in to be reminded how Willie Griggs and 13 fellow employees took a stand against this Power House Giant.
Additional Resources:
Welcome to another Listener Q&A with The Team at HR Stories! Today's episode goes into these questions:
- Can you terminate an employee just for a bad attitude?
- What should you do when an employee walks off the job mid-shift?
- Can quid pro quo harassment happen between coworkers?
Visit TeamAtHRStories.com to see all of our workshops and offerings to help you feel confident in your HR decisions.
Racial harassment, DEI confusion, and legal landmines—this episode dives into the HR challenges small businesses can’t afford to mishandle. From a $200K court ruling against an HR team that brushed off serious complaints to how one company legally retooled its DEI program after Trump’s executive order, we break down what to do (and what not to do). Join Chuck and John as they dive into these questions and more:
- Wha...
There has been no shortage of policy updates this year and it's enough to make any HR pro's head spin. Join the team as they go through the key ones to be aware of and discuss the proposed changes that you may hear about through the remainder of the year.
Visit TeamAtHRStories.com to see all of our workshops and offerings to help you feel confident in your HR decisions.
Our new bo...
Welcome to another Listener Q&A with The Team at HR Stories! Today's episode goes into these questions:
- We have someone out on military leave who is supposed to return soon. We want to keep the person we brought in to cover for them
- How do you handle managers who don’t want to do what needs to be done to enforce policies?
- What do you do when someone refuses to take their lunch break then demands to be compen...
Chuck and John are back this week with part 2 of what is keeping HR professionals awake at night. Catch up on the ins and outs of the issues of today so you can walk into your job with the confidence and knowledge needed to tackle them like a pro.
Visit TeamAtHRStories.com to see all of our workshops and offerings to help you feel confident in your HR decisions.
Our new book...The Ultimate ...
Part 1 of 2 - Do you have sleepless nights, stressing about all of the things you need to take care of in your workplace? Working in HR, there are endless lists of important details that human resource professionals are responsible for. From employee burnout to difficulty in recruiting, to handling ever changing political landscapes, in Part 1 of this two-part series, the team will talk about how to navigate these iss...
Join the team as the jump back to an episode from last summer where they talk about how to keep you and your employees safe during the summer heat and avoid costly mistakes that can lead to serious harm.
We'll see you back next week for a brand new episode.
Visit TeamAtHRStories.com to see all of our workshops and offerings to help you feel confident in your HR decisions.
Our new ...
What happens when a company's dress code walks straight into a lawsuit? In this eye-opening episode, Chuck and John unpack the real-life legal battle between a cocktail server and MGM National Harbor over mandatory high heels, disability discrimination, and a rigid appearance policy.
This isn’t just about shoes. It’s a cautionary tale for HR professionals and small business owners alike. We break down the legal pi...
Welcome to another Listener Q&A with The Team at HR Stories! Today's episode goes into these questions:
1. Can you require a doctors note for someone who continually calls in the day after a holiday weekend? Our PTO policy doesn’t require it but it happens every time.
2. Is it an HR issue if someone brings particularly fragrant food into the break room?
3. Can we lower someone’s pay if they ...
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