November 13, 2024 • 49 mins
Jamie, from the acclaimed HR Besties podcast, joins us for a riotous chat that promises both hilarity and insight into the world of human resources. Together with her co-hosts, Leigh and Elaine Henderson, and legal whiz Ashley Hurd, Jamie hosts a must listen to podcast HR Besties. As we welcome Jamie, she gives us the backstory on her popular meme persona, the "Chief Meme Officer," and how the pandemic inspired her to create Humorous Resources. With a flair for transforming workplace drama into comedic gold, Jamie walks us through her journey of meme-making and the unexpected success that followed.
In an episode that blends personal anecdotes with professional wisdom, Jamie also sheds light on her experience as a one-person HR department during COVID-19. From tackling ever-changing CDC guidelines to handling the pressure of managing 200 healthcare employees, she shares the rollercoaster of emotions that led to the creation of Millennial Misery, a nostalgic refuge for her fellow elder millennials. Listen in for Jamie's unfiltered perspective on the trials of working in HR, the therapeutic power of humor, and what's next for the HR Besties as they gear up for their fourth season. Whether you're an HR veteran or just in need of a good laugh, this episode offers something for everyone.
Listen to the HR Besties Podcast.
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Jamie's Instagram accounts:
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The Chief Meme Officer
Millennial Misery
Parody Parenting
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Andrew Quilpa (00:02):
Had you actually read the email, you would know
that the podcast you are aboutto listen to could contain
explicit language and offensivecontent.
These HR experts' views are notrepresentative of their past,
present or future employers.
If you have ever heard mymanager is unfair to me.
I need you to reset my HRportal password, or Can I write
(00:24):
up my employee for crying toomuch?
Welcome to our little safe zone.
Welcome to Jaded HR.
Warren (00:44):
Welcome to Jaded HR, the podcast by three HR
professionals who want to helpyou get through the workday by
saying everything you'rethinking, but say it out loud.
I'm Warren.
Cee Cee (00:53):
I'm Cece and I'm Jamie.
Warren (00:56):
All right, as you hear, we have Jamie from HR Besties
one third of HR Besties and youmay also know her on social
media as the chief meme officer.
Some hilarious stuff going onthere, especially Halloween
costumes and things like that.
But yeah, we're continuing ourseries of must listen to HR
podcasts and we're so fortunateto get Jamie on here to
(01:19):
represent the HR besties, which,if you are listening to this
podcast, you haven't listened toHR Besties.
I don't know what's wrong withyou.
But, Jamie, go ahead and tellus a little bit more about
yourself.
Jamie (01:30):
Yeah, so I am one third of HR Besties with my co-host,
leigh, elaine Henderson andAshley Hurd.
Ashley Hurd is actually a shewas a general counsel of several
large companies down in Atlanta, in Louisville, and so she is
our legal expert.
And then Lee and I both had 20plus years of HR experience, and
(01:53):
so we all met on social mediaand Ashley had the crazy idea to
start a podcast and I said whythe fuck not?
And so here we are, a yearlater and we're about to kick
off.
In January We'll kick offseason four, so we're very
excited about that Love that.
Warren (02:10):
Yeah, Cool.
So well, let's go back to thebeginning.
How and did you come up withthe chief meme officer idea and
where did that come from?
Jamie (02:20):
Yeah, so I actually started Humorous Resources,
which is a meme page.
It's a corporate humor memepage.
I started it in September of2020.
And so I was actually an HRdirector at a small nonprofit
clinic.
Well, we had four clinics, butI was overall four.
I was department of one andCOVID hit and I literally
(02:41):
thought I was losing my fuckingmind.
One, working in healthcareduring that time was a nightmare
for anyone, not just HR,obviously.
Those that were truly on thefront lines the doctors, the
nurses had it way worse.
But I just I felt this immenseguilt, almost, that I was in HR
and I was able to sit up in myoffice and I needed to protect
(03:06):
my employees, but I just didn'tknow how.
So I started really obsessingabout the CDC guidelines and
every morning I would come inand I would sit down with our
medical director because theywere literally changing daily,
and we would sit down and wewould see what was new and see
what we needed to implement.
And then the vaccines rolledout.
And then there was a mandateabout employees need to be
(03:29):
vaccinated and I just it was somuch and, being a Department of
One responsible for 200employees and during COVID in a
healthcare environment.
I literally felt like I waslosing my mind and I needed an
outlet.
And so I had been making memeson my old personal page, but I
hadn't.
I don't know, I never thoughtabout making a meme page Like
(03:50):
you know, like who does that,right?
Like that's so weird.
And I'm in, I was at this time,I'm in my late thirties and I'm
like who makes a meme page?
And I was like, ah, fuck it,who cares, right?
So and I posted like a few justcorporate humor and HR, really,
because you know, that's whatI've been doing for the last 21
years.
And it took off and I, honestly, was not expecting it because I
don't know, you know, my humor,I feel like, is different, but
(04:14):
I don't, I guess it's not.
You know what I mean.
So, shortly after HumorousResources, in July of 2021, I
started Millennial Misery,because I'm an elder millennial
yes, geriatric, if you will andI had so much content like
nostalgia content that I wantedto post, but it didn't fit on
like a corporate humor page,like humorous.
So I started millennial miseryand that was even more
(04:36):
successful than humorous,because people love to bathe
themselves in like 90s cultureand like nostalgia.
They love it.
So that was like a huge thingand I thought so far I'm not
showing my face, I haven'tshowed my face yet, right?
And then I thought, what if Iactually showed my face?
(04:57):
And that's kind of where ChiefMeme Officer was born, because I
call myself the Chief MemeOfficer officer, because I make
so many memes and I createdchief meme officer to show
myself and like so my own, I domy own reels and videos on
TikTok and whatnot and I post, Ipost a lot of like my core HR
memes.
I post them on the chief memeofficer too, and so that's how
(05:20):
they've all been kind of created.
I also have a new parentingmeme page called parody
parenting too.
That I recently started becauseI am a mother of many and so I
parenting humor too.
I was like where can I put thisshit?
Cause I've got, I've gotstories for days.
So I started that and it'spretty small right now, but
(05:40):
another one of my little lovechild.
Cee Cee (05:43):
I love that, so I too am an elder millennial.
I feel like Warren, you areoutnumbered on this call.
Warren (05:49):
I'm the old dude, I'm the geezer.
Cee Cee (05:52):
But that is so funny, OK.
So first of all, I think youdon't have a weird sense of
humor.
Your humor is pretty much onthe nose.
So I feel that's reflectedbecause you've grown so much,
but I just had a baby 12 12 sixmonths ago, so oh, I like I have
to check out the parodyparenting thing, because right
(06:12):
now, everything like that's justkind of whether it's work or
the baby.
Those are where, like, my lifeis going right now.
That's where I'm at yep.
Jamie (06:20):
I feel that and that's really where I I started parody
parenting because I'm like mykids, literally alone, could
have their own content.
Just the crazy shit thathappens as a mother.
That's why I was like I have tocreate memes for this.
Warren (06:34):
I love it, yeah, and as a parent of children in their
20s.
Now it doesn't.
It'll continue.
You'll have plenty ofammunition for years and years
to come.
Jamie (06:47):
That's kind of my thought too.
It'll give me content forever.
Warren (06:51):
I did want to cringe word circle back to what you
mentioned earlier.
You were in a healthcareindustry 200 to 1 ratio.
I mean healthcare is one ofthose industries that get the
more padding ratio.
I mean healthcare is one ofthose industries that get the
more padding.
I think SHRM says, I think it'slike 151 everywhere, and then I
think the medical is like 100or less to one and things like
(07:15):
that.
And wow, that was especially ina pandemic time crazy.
Jamie (07:20):
Yeah, it was.
I mean I knew when I startedthere in like 2019.
So I knew what I signed up forand, looking back on it, I'm
like, wow, how did I do all that?
Because I was like doingrecruiting, compliance, training
, onboarding, offboarding, youknow, employee engagement,
obviously, health and safetybecause of COVID, I mean there
(07:44):
are so many things that I wasdoing and I did not realize,
like I didn't realize the stressof it while I was in it and it
wasn't until I got out of it.
Also, it was incredibly toxic,go figure.
Until I got out and how I waslike, oh wow, that was kind of
fucked up and I kept begging tohave like someone like this
year's budget budget, could Imaybe have a generalist?
(08:05):
That would be super cool.
And, of course, right when Iwas about to leave, they were
like they hired someone and ofcourse, they let her get a
generalist.
So we know where that, theyknow where.
I think I know where theythought about me.
Yeah, because, like, obviouslyI was doing it all.
So why you know what I mean ifI was doing it all, she can
(08:28):
handle it yeah why pay?
Cee Cee (08:29):
why pay someone else, yeah, so I actually know someone
who purposefully like letthings fall through the cracks
because she was so like she wasdoing it all so well, but at the
detriment of her own health.
Yep, and it was like she's likescrew it, yeah, like no, that's
smart, actually, we're justgonna let things fall through
the cracks.
(08:50):
And it was funny because therewas like a team meeting.
It was, like you know, ourmonthly operating review, and
she would just be like, oh yeah,all that's in yellow.
Yeah, I couldn't get to it,thank you, and like and guess
what moral of the story.
Like spoiler alert, she'sgetting a direct report next
year.
Like it's happening.
Like literally they're writingthe job description and I'm like
laughing, so like sometimes youjust have to let things fall
(09:11):
apart.
Jamie (09:12):
Yeah, no, for real yeah for real, and I think they
noticed that when I left too,like, oh shit, maybe no one
wants to come work here I.
Warren (09:23):
I spent a whopping six months in health care before the
institution I worked at lostits medical license, so a
hospital without a medicallicense does not need a lot of
people or HR for too long,there's a good story, oh,
afterwards.
Jamie (09:39):
well, I'll tell you all about it.
There's a good story there, Iknow there is.
Warren (09:43):
There are a lot of good stories.
Oh, and the CEO, because it wasmade national news and things
blamed HR for and I'd onlystarted.
I was only there for six monthsactually blamed HR for a lot of
the problems.
I'm like, okay, you're a pieceof work, but anyways, yeah, hr,
the fall guy.
Of course always so crazy.
Well, you took us through yourpersonal social media and you
(10:07):
started the launch of HR Besties.
So tell us a little bit moreabout you know if there's, by
any chance, anybody who hasn'tlistened to it already?
On listening to us, tell usabout HR Besties and y'all's
format and what y'all do.
Jamie (10:21):
Yeah, so we have an episode every every Wednesday
and it's typically about like acore topic.
So we've covered an HRdepartment of one We've covered
and, like corporateresponsibility, as far as like
charity giving campaigns, wehave a new one coming up called
open enrollment and benefits.
(10:42):
So we usually focus on a maintopic.
We always throw in a corporatecringe word that we try to sneak
in during the episode and thenwe usually start with a crazy
wild story from our years ofbeing in HR because, honestly,
you can't make this shit up andI know every HR professional
(11:05):
literally could write a book ofthe crazy shit that we've had to
deal with, because people bepeople and people people hard
and it's wild.
I'm going to be honest.
I actually majored in HR incollege.
Warren (11:24):
Same here.
You're like one of the othertwo people I know that did.
Cee Cee (11:29):
Oh wait, my husband did too.
He has his bachelor's in HR,really.
Jamie (11:33):
So there you go Three.
Okay, that's very cool actually.
So I didn't.
I'm not that person who's likeI got into HR because I love
people.
No, I really thought that Ienjoyed helping people and
actually I took like theMyers-Briggs and it told me to
be a lawyer and I was like fuckthat shit.
So I was like what's the nextthing?
(11:54):
Hr professional and it kind offell in line.
It was a business major.
I went to the University ofTennessee go Vols.
Andrew Quilpa (12:02):
And.
Jamie (12:02):
I was a business major and it Tennessee go Vols and I
was a business major and it wasin the same family as a business
admin.
I'm like great, perfect, done.
And so I really thought that Iwanted to be like learning and
development, Like that's what Iwanted to do.
I wanted to teach people andtrain them.
And then I got my first job outof college was in benefits and
I fucking hated it Though I doappreciate all the benefits
(12:25):
knowledge that I have nowbecause it's very helpful to use
even 21 years later in mycareer.
But I was like I don't want tobe pigeonholed and I got into
like general HR, core HR, and Ihave not left because I love it.
I love being able to do alittle bit of everything and I
don't know if I'm good at any ofit, but that's okay, because no
one could know, because I'dhave to do so much, oh yeah.
Cee Cee (12:50):
So I've never worked in like HR, hr, I've only done
talent management and I've onlydone learning and development
and I did some talentacquisition and I hated every
second of it.
But it's funny because myhusband, he does his career has
(13:12):
been hr, hr.
But now he's like working inthat more strategic level of hr
because he, you know there'slike the more you grow, the more
strategic it gets.
So now we just like help eachother out.
I'm like I'm building careerpathing, like what do you got on
that?
And he's like let me help youout.
So like, oh my god I love that.
Jamie (13:31):
That's actually really cool this.
Cee Cee (13:34):
it's the nerdiest household you will ever walk
into, because he we both workfrom home too, which makes it
worse or better, not sure andlike literally, I'll like hear
him working on things and I'llbe like you need something on
that.
Jamie (13:52):
I gotcha, like that's awesome.
Actually I don't know what Ilike.
I could not imagine my husbandalso being in HR, like because I
don't know, I don't, I wouldprobably not be very nice.
Warren (14:01):
For a while, both my wife and I worked in HR, but she
turned her career towardspayroll, and she loves payroll.
Jamie (14:09):
And we love her for that Of the earth.
Cee Cee (14:12):
They really are.
Warren (14:13):
I've been trying for five years now to get my wife on
this podcast.
She will not do it.
What the hell?
Because she's got some of thebest stories about people.
Jamie (14:22):
I'm sure, I'm sure.
Warren (14:23):
Some people's crazy payroll issues.
Cee Cee (14:28):
Well, it's like the one thing I learned serving tables.
It's like you don't mess withpeople's food and you don't mess
with people's money.
And as soon as one of thosethings goes wrong, it is like
all hell breaks loose.
Andrew Quilpa (14:40):
It gets emotional .
Cee Cee (14:41):
People get crazy.
So like payroll yeah, I get it.
Jamie (14:45):
Oh yeah, I mean I've had, I've run payroll, obviously
being an HR department one.
Many times I have run payrolland or been the owner of payroll
and I have had people get madabout 12 cents and I'm like
literally taking it out of myown wallet and be like here's
your 12 cents, like please,please, don't do this to me.
Warren (15:08):
One of our first episodes or the first season, I
had a real experience, anemployee that our former
timekeeping system did PTO tofour digits but your page stub
only does it to two digits andwe owed him and he did these
spreadsheets and everything likethat.
We owed him I forget exactlyhow much time, but it came to
(15:32):
like 10 minutes of time PTObecause of all the rounding.
But he did all thesespreadsheets and he came in
angry and I talked to thepresident of the company about
it and I said, okay, well, thisperson's upset and here's the
situation.
Well, how much PTO do we owehim?
I said 10 minutes and she saidtell him he can take that PTO
(15:55):
anytime he wants.
I said hell, no, I said hewasted that much time putting
the spreadsheet together.
He wasted hours.
Jamie (16:02):
Like think how much time he wasted working on a
spreadsheet to calculate that.
You know what, when we switchedpayrolls, I guess it was like a
year ago at my current companywe switched from semi-monthly to
bi-weekly and you would havethought we were stealing money
(16:23):
out of people's checks, thoughtwe were stealing money out of
people's checks and, like, I hadelaborate spreadsheets that I
created for people to like plugin their annual salary and
calculate it all out for them.
It did not matter we werestealing, it was just like never
will I ever, ever go throughanother pay change cycle.
I will be.
I will go to the cfo and belike no, I'm not doing that
(16:45):
Absolutely not.
Fire me.
Cee Cee (16:47):
So my first question is this individual who spent hours
working on this spreadsheet,what kind of a performer was
this person?
Warren (16:56):
Actually he's a really good performer.
He's meticulous at everythinghe does Clearly, clearly.
And yeah, he's really good athis job, no doubt about it.
But I mean to get actually comein my office upset that he was
being screwed out of time and he, you know, yeah, I was like,
and I don't I could go back tothe time sheets and actually see
(17:17):
the four digit, because it puton the time sheets or crules and
things like that and and itwent to four digits and I was
like, oh, just all the no 10minutes.
No, I'm not not worth my time.
You waste the 10 minutes of mytime.
But it was.
But it's a great story.
It's like another fun story,but another fun story.
(17:37):
You know you talk about allthis shit you have to deal with.
You know, I've always saidyou're not truly in HR until
you've had to deal with literalshit somewhere you have not
earned your HR badge of honor.
Jamie (17:50):
I honestly I wish someone would have stopped little
22-year-old Jamie and been likehey girl, you're going to see a
lot of poop and you're going tosee a lot of poop porn, but not
the porn that you want to see.
You know what I'm saying, likeit's for your enjoyment, it's
(18:10):
going to be because you'reinvestigating.
So I really wish someone wouldhave told me that because, like
like I said, I I mean I say thisall the time but people do be
people in and oh yeah, I I thinkyou know.
First of all, I'm jaded as fuckand I say that.
So thank God I'm on the podcast, right, but if you have seen
(18:35):
what probably all three of ushave seen in our years, you'd be
well jaded too.
I mean stories.
We could write books.
I could probably write aminiseries, like it would be
insane.
But yeah, like literal shit,like feces, so much feces.
I don't like it still shocks me.
Warren (18:54):
Exactly.
Jamie (18:58):
And like Lee told a story on a podcast once, I think like
she's like a psych nerd, likeshe knows all this stuff and she
told a story once that if anemployee is basically doing
something with their feces, likespreading it on the bathroom
wall or something, it means thatthey're in control and they're
trying to show you they're incontrol, like that's their I
don't know whatever, and I'mlike, yeah, but I still have to
(19:20):
clean it up.
Like good for them, you're incontrol, but I still have to
clean up your shit.
And why do I have to clean itup and why am I the?
Cee Cee (19:31):
first to know about it too.
Honestly like I think that'strue because I think that's what
was happening during thepandemic.
Remember that run on toiletpaper.
Jamie (19:38):
Oh my God.
Cee Cee (19:39):
There has to be something where people are like.
Andrew Quilpa (19:41):
I need to feel in control of something I need to
feel in control of my bowelmovements, Like I need to feel
in control of something I'm incontrol of
Warren (19:48):
my bowel movements, I don't know.
Hopefully, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Jamie (19:50):
Explicit text and porn, like things that I like.
Let me enjoy porn for my own,like don't you know, like I
don't want to Now I'm, now Ican't enjoy, like what I, what I
don't understand, like I reallylike it's.
It's shocking and it's alsoshocking how many people don't
(20:12):
realize, like their work,computer, like sending stuff, I
and I'm like oh yeah, you have acell phone that isn't company
issue, just use that.
Cee Cee (20:24):
People also don't recognize, though, that if you
have your work email on yourpersonal phone, if they get
busted, the whole personal phonecould be subpoenaed or
something.
So yeah, just be cautious ofthat too.
Don't do stupid shit to getbusted.
That's just the number one rule.
(20:45):
Just don't do stupid shit, butbusted.
That's just the number one rule.
Just don't do stupid shit.
Warren (20:48):
None of us would have a job if people didn't do stupid
shit.
Jamie (20:51):
Wipe your ass, keep your dick in your pants, don't do
stupid shit.
Just do your fucking job, andthen I wouldn't have a job and,
honestly, I'd be okay with that.
Cee Cee (21:07):
So I'm trying to look this up feverishly and you just
reminded me with the porn thing.
There's some small, there'ssome smallish company, I don't
know, but I guess the owner forI think it was for political
reasons was like, oh, we don'tcare, you go watch porn at your
computer.
And like they let people likejust watch porn.
(21:31):
And people were doing it for alittle bit as like a novelty.
And then I was just like that'suncomfortable, like yeah, I,
I'm not a prude, but I don'twant to be knowing what my
co-worker in the cubicle next tome is into.
Jamie (21:45):
Yeah, like what's their kink.
Yeah, like what's their kink,because next thing I know I'm
going to be kink, shaming themand then associate relations
comes into play and then there'sa training behind it, like
don't kink, shame.
Oh yeah, like it's a wholething.
I didn't realize Betty was intopoop porn.
Like it's weird, sorry.
Andrew Quilpa (22:05):
That's the.
Cee Cee (22:06):
B in belonging, okay, we need to be accepting to that
T-E-I-B.
Warren (22:11):
In the 90s I worked at an IT company.
We did stupid things and wewould put porn on.
If you left your computer open,somebody was putting porn and
everybody did it.
Nobody cared and it wasn't athing.
It was oh got offended orbuttered, or we'd put their okay
, the N-A-M-B-L-A, whateverNAMBLA, the National man Boy
(22:36):
Love Association.
We would put like that websiteup on people's computers, their
work computers if they lefttheir computer unlocked If they
didn't lock it.
Oh, and one time we had thewindow washers coming and we
took big screen TVs that wereput porn on.
We're all sitting therewatching porn while the window
washers are washing the window.
(22:56):
Just the fuck with the windowwashers.
Jamie (22:59):
Wow, I'm glad that I wasn't an HR professional in the
90s no we were HR.
Cee Cee (23:07):
That's the thing.
Jamie (23:08):
It's like no, no, like we were doing this.
I think like the best thing Idid was put the World Cup on
like a screen, Like not for.
Warren (23:21):
Things you can't do today.
Cee Cee (23:23):
Not the same.
Andrew Quilpa (23:24):
So much fun.
Cee Cee (23:27):
I have to say I was listening to, I had like this is
a weird segue, but that, thatconversation, that or the what
you just talked about, oran,there is a feeling that I get
sometimes that like the goldenage, not to say that that was
particularly the golden age, butlike there is a golden age of
working in a corporate officebefore oh my god, remote yes
(23:50):
pre-pandemic, oh, and like Iremember, like because I used I
used to work at this very largecompany and it was like what it
was oh it was, I'll say it, Idon't care.
So I worked for a company calledexotica which basically owns
everything in eyewear, so it'slike lens crafters and like
pearl vision and sunblast, likethey're like the parent company.
So back like when I was to workthere, it was magnificent and I
(24:15):
was like early career too, so,but it was like there was always
things going on.
People would like fuck aroundwith other people's computers
when they were left out and likedone and it was all in good
spirits and we'd have like trackand field week and like all
these really fun things.
And I was thinking about ittoday because you had mentioned
in the last podcast, jamie, thatlike there was jeans, like you
(24:37):
donated, you could wear jeans towork.
I can't tell you how many jeanstickers I had on my badge that
let me wear jeans.
Like it was just like thisweird.
Everyone I was like everyonemade friends with each other.
I was in people's weddings.
Jamie (24:53):
Oh yeah.
Andrew Quilpa (24:54):
Oh yeah.
Cee Cee (24:55):
And I kind of feel sad that it's not there anymore.
Jamie (24:59):
Yeah, like it was truly like pre pandemic office work
was literally a lawless place.
I mean, pandemic office workwas literally a lawless place.
I mean I can't believe I gotwork done and got promoted
Because, like, the amount ofwork I do right now, like in
eight hours at my house at myhouse, is probably more than I
(25:21):
did an entire week in an office.
Because, like, I'd go toaccounting because they had
peanut butter M&Ms and like, andthen I'm gonna circle around to
our someone else's IT becausethey have peanut butter cups and
then I'm gonna go get anothercup of coffee because why the
fuck not?
And I'm gonna stop and I'mgonna talk to Debra and then,
and like, I like, how did I getanything done?
(25:42):
like literally and and exactlydoing like the fun shit, like
doing stuff when, when, likefrom when, they're computers.
I wouldn't do porn, but wewould do like funny, like
youtubes, like what's the?
What's the little boy there'slike listen, linda, I would do
that a lot back in the day,listen, linda linda, linda like
(26:02):
what.
and then now I, oh, and goingout to lunch.
Oh, ladies who lunch, like meand my work bestie, we would
drive like a good 30 minutesaway and eat lunch.
Yes, now I don't even get upfrom my desk except to pee.
Yes, like I might like, if I'mhungry, have an adult Lunchables
(26:24):
, what I call them, the littlelike kind of fancy Lunchables
that are.
I might have an adult Lunchable, like if I'm feeling crazy, but
it's so wild.
And so I go into the office,usually about once a week, but
there's literally four peoplethere, maybe, maybe, and it's
the same shit, though.
Usually we end up in my officetalking, not doing anything.
(26:48):
So I have to like pre-schedulemy, my days in the office,
knowing I'm not gonna get shitdone.
Cee Cee (26:55):
yeah, like I gotta be honest.
So next, next week, is thefirst week where I will meet my
co coworkers and my boss for thefirst time since I started
there two years ago.
Jamie (27:09):
Oh wow, that's going to be fun.
We're all going to Kansas City.
That's where I was going to saydo you have?
Cee Cee (27:13):
to travel.
Yeah, like Kansas City, I'lltake it, though I'm like this is
awesome.
But like we're already talkingabout all the shenanigans we're
going to get into after we'redone working.
Already talking about all theshenanigans we're going to get
into after we're done working,we're like oh, we're going to do
happy hour, oh, we're going todo this, oh, we're trying
bourbon, oh we're trying tequila.
Jamie (27:31):
Like, let's do it like, like me, I'd be in, uh my, my
hotel with room service,watching my shows that's funny
honestly, there's a piece ofthat I'm like.
Cee Cee (27:42):
I get to spend monday through thursday not worrying
about anyone else's bodilyfunctions except my own like
this is I might be working, butthis is a dream.
Warren (27:52):
Yep, yep no, no random wake-up calls from a screaming
baby from the other room oh yeah, traveling for work, though I'm
not the type of person like Isaid, if I can actually get
stuff done, I go back to myhotel room.
I don't go out and party orinvestigate the city or things
(28:14):
like that.
The places I go are not placesI particularly want to go when I
have to travel for work.
It's not like a cool place oranything like that.
If I got to go someplace I'venever been before and cool, yeah
, I'll maybe check it out.
But yeah, I'm just going to goback to my hotel room, probably
watch TV or Netflix or, whoknows, go to sleep early.
Jamie (28:34):
I'm pretty lame now but back in like my 20s, when I
travel for work like I wouldhave fun.
But no, now I'm lame.
I'm literally in my PJs,literally in the bed, watching
like Vanderpump Rules with likea hamburger from room service.
I'm a Bravo girly.
Cee Cee (28:51):
Thank you, as am I.
Vpr from day one.
Yep, same Same.
Jamie (28:57):
My first I was on maternity leave, literally so
like.
It's wild to me that now thekid's almost 12 and I watch that
show.
Isn't that crazy yeah?
Cee Cee (29:09):
I was working the Friday when Scandaval dropped
and I can tell you exactly whereI was and what I was doing.
Andrew Quilpa (29:15):
Yeah, Scandaval was bananas.
Cee Cee (29:17):
I was like Kevin, like he knew, but yeah, so really fun
fact, I actually went tocollege with Ariana.
So there's that.
Andrew Quilpa (29:25):
I never.
Cee Cee (29:26):
And we have a mutual friend, although I don't know
her, but like her friend,meredith, who was on the show,
was a mutual friend of mine backin college.
Very cool Ariana's gorgeous sheis and she deserved nothing of
Tom, so I'm glad he's gone Fuckthat man, and this is where this
(29:46):
is a segment of Jaded HR, whereI would like to call mediocre
men failing up.
Andrew Quilpa (29:51):
Yes, we talk about this.
Cee Cee (29:53):
I'm so sorry we talk about this in like corporate.
Sometimes I'm like how is thisman still here or how is he
running this meeting?
And he doesn't know how to workExcel right now, like what is
happening.
Jamie (30:13):
I actually posted something on Humorous Today
similar to that.
It's like I did not realize,like I wish someone would have
told me, like how I don't thinkthat I'm very smart or
intelligent, like I don't.
I, you know, I do what I can,but sometimes, when I'm at work,
(30:34):
I'm like holy fucking shit, Iam brilliant next to these
people.
Andrew Quilpa (30:38):
Like wow.
Jamie (30:40):
Wow, and I think it's mostly because I have problem
solving skills.
It's not anything else, it'sjust that I and I also have the
tendency to be a bossy bitch andI'll like just go okay, no,
like, this isn't making sense,we're going to do this, this and
this, and then done, like, thenthe problem is going to be
(31:11):
solved, which it's crazy to methat, like, even people in
C-suite, they have they'restrategy wise on point right,
but they can't execute for shit.
And so then here, like, hr isusually having to execute, so,
like, I feel like that's what Ido is my boss has these
extravagant ideas and she has tocome to me and I have to be
like, well, here's, here's whatwe can do on that idea, and then
I got to be the one to figureout how the fuck to do it.
Like why did I sign up for thisagain?
Cee Cee (31:34):
There was a time where, like I just remember, so we had
, during the pandemic we had, Iworked in health care.
I worked for a huge dermatologycompany and we had our annual
summit and our summit had to beremote healthcare.
I worked for a huge dermatologycompany and we had our annual
summit and our summit had to beremote.
So we got like this.
Really honestly, it was apretty cool platform that we did
this like remote conference,but it was funny because I had
(31:59):
to have two training sessions toteach MDs.
Yeah, oh God, yeah, how to likelike be familiar with this
platform before the actualsummit took place.
And I'm sitting here and I'm,like you're a medical doctor,
like why can't you understand?
Yeah, that you like sit at atable, but even though you're
(32:21):
not sitting at the table, you'restill sitting at the table.
It's the same table.
It's the same table.
Jamie (32:26):
So I've worked in healthcare for the last 11 years
of my career and the amount ofbrilliant physicians and even
like nurse practitioners orphysician's assistants brilliant
.
They've had years and yearsworth of schooling but they
could not like.
They're book smart totally, butcommon sense no.
(32:47):
And typically if it's a male,no offense Warren, but their
wife has got to help, like knowwhere their male practice is.
Their licensure is where.
I'm like how have you beenpracticing for as long as I've
been alive and you don't knowwhere your fucking medical
license?
Andrew Quilpa (33:07):
is Like who are you?
Cee Cee (33:11):
Yeah, don't get me, okay.
So when I first started, therewas not first started, first
started, but when I like, I wasworking in talent acquisition
and I did have to collect, Idon't know why I had to do this
one day, but I had to go collectsomeone's I-9.
It wasn't part of my job, butthey're like, go do it because
today's like the last day.
Three, days.
I'm like okay so and this wasbefore, like, like I still had
(33:34):
to go, like get the documentsand whatever.
So I this this.
This guy was like a c-levelperson and he brought a pilot's
license in and he's like hereyou go, and I'm like I can't
know, is it on one of theselists that we mailed you and
like he was in the middle ofmoving.
(33:56):
So he's like, well, I don't knowwhere that stuff is.
And I'm like, well, we, we needit.
And he's like then he got pissywith me because he was like,
well, I don't understand,because a pilot's license is
it's more secure than any otherlicense, like blah, blah, blah,
and I was like I don't care,it's not on the list.
Andrew Quilpa (34:13):
So tell me you had to call to the irs.
Cee Cee (34:16):
Yeah, I know, like call the I don't know.
And then he had to call hiswife.
His wife had to go find it,unpack it overnight it like it
was a whole thing and like forsome reason I was again HR's at
fault for everything.
Of course, but I'm like my man.
You've been here for three days.
Like you can't get this bitchywith someone.
(34:37):
For the simplest request, threedays in yeah.
Warren (34:43):
C-suite.
I'm one of those people who'sguilty.
I don't know heads or tails ofanything on the planet Earth
without my wife giving medirection and it pisses her off
to no end.
And you'll know how many timesI actually physically go to work
every day and she works fromhome and I'm leaving home.
You're going to wear that towork, and so she has to go pick
(35:06):
out my new outfit, or at leastanother shirt, like today.
You can't see I'm wearing khakisuits.
Andrew Quilpa (35:08):
She goes as I'm leaving, she goes have fun at.
Warren (35:09):
Target today.
As I'm wearing a red shirt,since it's a podcast, you all
can't see it.
Have fun at Target today.
The only things you know ahusband and wife can do, and the
thing is, she worked there for15.
That's where her HR experiencecame from.
Andrew Quilpa (35:25):
She was there for 15 years.
Warren (35:28):
So yeah, it was.
Jamie (35:29):
God bless her even more.
Warren (35:31):
The things that you have to rely on your wife for is
interesting.
But going back to these geniuspeople, brilliant people who
can't tie I used to do the termthey can't tie their own shoes
is.
I worked in education.
You have all these PhDs withall these great certificates,
they can't tie their own shoes.
I've worked in engineeringfirms.
(35:52):
Same thing brilliant engineershave some difficulty doing those
very simplest of things.
I've worked at a law firm thesame type thing.
It's like how do you do this?
Jamie (36:02):
Yeah, yeah, and it's really wild and, like you know,
I still struggle, you know, 21years in, with imposter syndrome
.
But then I get in a meeting andI'm like how the fuck are you
even employed?
Like, how did you get a job?
How did you get past theinitial phone screen?
Because it's shocking, and Idon't think that I'm brilliant
(36:24):
or smart or intelligent.
I think I'm okay, clearly I'mdoing all right, but I think
truly that I just haveproblem-solving skills and I can
execute natural leader.
And it's not.
I don't think that I'mnecessarily I don't know, I
don't know what the word is butlike I'm just a natural leader
(36:46):
that like I'm going to step upand I'm going to be like, look,
this can't happen.
Yeah, and and so that's like Idon't know if I'll ever be in
the C-suite because of that, andI'm okay with that.
Do you know what I mean?
Like I I'm good with the levelI'm at, like I've reached the
top of where I want to be in thecorporate ladder and I don't
really want to sit in theC-suite unless it's for a
(37:06):
company that really, like HR,has a seat at the table and HR
is truly like seen as a resource, because people are I hate
saying, an asset, but peopletruly are like the first
priority in a company.
And you know, you don't seethat very often.
I feel lucky to be where I'm atright, now that HR does have a
(37:28):
seat at the table.
I still don't want a C-suitejob, but I'm high enough that
I'm like I'm cool and I feellike I'm still able to be an
influence to the C-suite andthey trust me and they listen to
me.
And sometimes I don't likedecisions and that's going to
happen, because that's true inany place, right, but I'm going
to execute and we're going tofigure it out and we're going to
(37:50):
move on.
So I think that's like reallythe hardest part in HR, right,
and I'm being an HR contentcreator.
That's the hardest part of evenlike putting my content out
there is because peopleautomatically want to hate you,
because they don't have actuallyany idea what HR does.
They just think like you hirepeople and you fire people and
that's like the gist, likethat's all you do, and so I
(38:17):
think that's like the hardest,like y'all's and ours exists
because we're shining a light onon hr when people had no
freaking clue what they really,what we do, and and showing them
the evil, wicked side that somepeople have, like our crazy
stories of shit and porn and um,but also like showing how we
(38:40):
are trying, we're behind thescenes and we are trying and
we're trying to influenceC-suite to make better decisions
, or we're providing with dataor metrics and you know we're
rooting for you, for an increaseor a promotion or, and like
we're always in the backgroundand I don't think people realize
that.
And granted, is there bad HRpeople?
(39:02):
Absolutely there is, butthere's bad CEOs, there's bad
CFOs, there's bad everybody.
And I know, you know, and onething I joke about is I know
your uncle, bobby got fired bythat one HR lady because he
showed his dick in the parkinglot, but I'm not her, and she
should have fired him.
So you know, it's just likeit's.
I think that's that's one thingthat has has.
(39:23):
I still get so much hate, likewhenever I post an HR video.
If someone's like, oh, that'sall y'all are good for, y'all
are useless, I'm like, ok, Imean, if we're useless, think
about all the things that, like,you have benefits because of us
.
You probably get paid sometimesbecause of us, because maybe
payroll, like there's so manythings that HR does, we're
(39:44):
advocating for a raise for youeven though, like, let's be
honest, you probably don'tdeserve it.
You know, like there's so manythings that we do that many
people don't realize and I knowthat's true with a lot of other
departments.
But I think HR has always beenkind of demonized and that sucks
it kind of it sucks to be.
I wish I would have known thatwhen I was 22.
(40:06):
I still think I would havepicked this profession because I
like to think that, like I'mtrying really hard to scream and
show that we're not bad.
Warren (40:17):
Well, you started saying something that I think your
podcast and our podcast we alsotake a.
It's a way for HR professionalsto take a load off and relate
to people who've been there donethat.
You know we have some other HRmust listen to podcasts that are
more interview style and you'rethere to learn something.
(40:39):
You might learn something thatyou might not, you might have.
We just want to have a goodtime because commiserate with
your other HR people.
For sure, we've been there,we've done that.
Yeah, nobody's going to believeour stories about wiping up
shit, about you know what pornin the office.
Yeah, because we've been there,we've done it and we oh yeah,
(41:03):
that's that's normal for us todeal with.
But other what, that doesn'thappen, oh, yes, it does.
Cee Cee (41:05):
A butt plug was found in the parking lot at a company
I used to work for and somebodypicked it up, not knowing it was
a butt plug, and returned it tothe security desk because they
thought it looked like it wassomething important.
And the security officer waslike, oh fuck, now and and.
Then HR got involved and it wasa whole thing.
But yeah, there was a butt plugin the parking lot.
(41:27):
These are stories that reallyhappen.
Jamie (41:31):
I love that.
Actually, I love a butt plug.
I might have to use that.
I might have to use that on HRBesties because that's hilarious
.
Oh my God to use that.
I might have to use that on HRBesties because that's that's
hilarious.
Warren (41:44):
Yeah, oh, my God.
Cee Cee (41:46):
Yeah, I used to love walking into like again I work,
I like I mainly work in likevery large global organizations.
And my other favorite thing waswalking into employee relations
where it's like kind of like acall center system where people
are calling in and like the theside of the conversation you're
hearing is always fantastic.
And I was just down there oneday talking to someone and I
(42:09):
just hear well, I understand,you found the joint in the
parking lot, but what made youfeel like you had to smoke it?
And I was like that is a greatquestion.
I need to hear the answer.
Jamie (42:22):
Can I listen in on that?
Because, yeah, but yeah, likeHR is really lonely, and
specifically because HR istypically like a very lean team
I mean, not according to Sherm,but it's typically a very lean
team.
So you're, you know you mightbe alone, you might have just
one other person, and so that'swhy I love having podcasts to
(42:45):
listen to of like the crazy shitthat we go through and you
might learn something.
You might not, but at least youenjoyed it.
And you, exactly, youcommiserate with HR
professionals who are in thiscrazy world of poop and porn.
Warren (43:04):
Poop and porn that's the title of our episode there
actually yeah poop and porn.
Andrew Quilpa (43:11):
Oh, wow.
Jamie (43:11):
Poop and porn with the chief beam officer.
Cee Cee (43:16):
NHR, there will be poop , yeah.
Warren (43:21):
Here's the one story I've told her.
I did a harassmentinvestigation and I had to
report back to the vicepresident of HR about what
happened.
And I'm trying to.
She's a little.
She was older than me and eventhough I was the manager and she
was the vice president, wedidn't interact at all.
I mean, I would go monthswithout talking to my own boss
(43:44):
and it was fine.
It was weird, but it was fun.
But I'm giving her this, I'vegot this thing, I'm reading it
and I'm just giving her the PGversion and she says no, I need
to hear the real words of whatwas said, what was done and
things like that.
And I'm putting the paper overmy face is I can't look her in
the eye and say these actualquotes and these actual things,
(44:05):
and I could feel my my facebeing bright red.
I'm like, oh, and I was, I wasin my 40s then.
Uh, being able to having tolike I can't be, I can't, I cuss
all day long, I don't care, butI can't say these things to my
boss, even though it's not mywords, yeah yeah, it's like I'm
ashamed yeah but yeah, that'sanother thing we we have to go
(44:30):
through.
We have to recount theseinteractions.
People have harassment indetail as much detail as we have
and it, you know it getsgraphic, yeah, and it it's rough
because you know you aredealing with people and you know
you sometimes don't wait to getthrough.
It is to laugh a little maybe.
Jamie (44:50):
Yeah, well, yeah appropriate with well, yeah,
with their team was yeah, likedon't do it in a termination,
that'd be weird oh but yeah,like I mean even even, look, I'm
21 years in and I still hateterminations, even if they're
warranted, like I still hatethem.
I also absolutely hate tellingpeople like, like, like they
(45:13):
smell, I hate that.
I absolutely hate that.
Worse, I'd rather drink anentire bottle of bleach.
Like there are someconversations that are
incredibly uncomfortable that we, as HR professionals, have to
have on a semi-normal baselessand they still are never easy.
They're still never easy andthey still suck every time.
Cee Cee (45:35):
Hygiene is never easy.
Jamie (45:36):
Yeah, hygiene is probably the worst because a lot of
times the hygiene conversationis another rite of passage in hr
.
Warren (45:43):
You yes, you haven't worked in hr unless you've
discussed somebody's body odor,and hopefully it's only armpit
odor, but it could be a lotworse wash their ass.
Jamie (45:52):
I've had to tell someone they to wash your ass like uh
like yeah, I mean I worked.
Warren (46:00):
I worked at a water park for one summer only and that
was more than enough for me.
I can't deal with 400 teenagers.
But there was this one who hadconstant body odor and the other
lifeguards decided they werejust going to shove them in a
pool every day to at least getthem rinsed off.
And you know, I was like I.
I had to tell him okay, youcan't be doing that.
(46:21):
That can you know that's like Ihad to tell him okay, you can't
be doing that, that's dangerous, you can't do that.
You know all this other stuff.
Every day he was getting shovedinto the pool and you know we
took light disciplinary actionon the situation.
Andrew Quilpa (46:36):
I was like oh.
Warren (46:37):
God it was.
But yeah, vigilante justice, onthat I was like oh gosh yeah.
Cee Cee (46:45):
Whenever I hear stories like that, I'm like, oh, that
is life imitating art.
I'm like that is straight outof Wet, Hot American Summer.
I am like so happy.
Every time I hear somethinglike that, I'm like, oh yes,
this is just everything's comingto reality.
Jamie (47:00):
Yeah, they got it from.
Somewhere.
Warren (47:03):
Right, well, jamie, I really want to thank you.
I think it's a good place towrap things up.
I have not thanked our Patreonsupporters, hallie, the original
Jaded HR Rock star, bill andMichael, who are other Patreon
supporters.
You can be like them andsupport us on Patreon.
The links are in the show notes.
We will have links to all theHR besties, their social medias
(47:25):
and HR besties podcastinformation in our show notes as
well.
So if you don't live on planetearth and you don't follow any
of them, their accounts, you canfind them easier.
Any final words anything youwant to promote, talk about
anything else that we didn't getto in our poop and porn episode
.
Jamie (47:46):
No, just listen to HR Besties.
If you like Jaded HR, you canfind us on HR Besties pod on
Instagram or Spotify or Apple,and then obviously follow my
co-host, which, ashley Hurd, isat Manager Method and then Lee
is at HR Manifesto.
So give them a big shout out tothem as well.
Warren (48:07):
Absolutely, absolutely Well.
It's been a thrill.
I definitely want to do thisagain and see what we can make
happen.
So thank you for joining us atHR Besties, one of the absolute
must-listen to HR podcasts outthere.
So thank you very much, asalways.
Well, let's see.
The voice artist of who doesour intro and outro is Andrew
Kolpa, and the intro and outromusic is the Underscored
(48:30):
Orchestra with the Devil withthe Devil, and now, as always,
I'm Warren.
Cee Cee (48:33):
I'm Cece and I'm Jamie.
Warren (48:37):
And we're here helping you survive HR.
One what-the-fuck moment at atime.
Had you actually read the email, you would know
that the podcast you are aboutto listen to could contain
explicit language and offensivecontent.
These HR experts' views are notrepresentative of their past,
present or future employers.
If you have ever heard mymanager is unfair to me.
I need you to reset my HRportal password, or Can I write
(00:24):
up my employee for crying toomuch?
Welcome to our little safe zone.
Welcome to Jaded HR.
Warren (00:44):
Welcome to Jaded HR, the podcast by three HR
professionals who want to helpyou get through the workday by
saying everything you'rethinking, but say it out loud.
I'm Warren.
Cee Cee (00:53):
I'm Cece and I'm Jamie.
Warren (00:56):
All right, as you hear, we have Jamie from HR Besties
one third of HR Besties and youmay also know her on social
media as the chief meme officer.
Some hilarious stuff going onthere, especially Halloween
costumes and things like that.
But yeah, we're continuing ourseries of must listen to HR
podcasts and we're so fortunateto get Jamie on here to
(01:19):
represent the HR besties, which,if you are listening to this
podcast, you haven't listened toHR Besties.
I don't know what's wrong withyou.
But, Jamie, go ahead and tellus a little bit more about
yourself.
Jamie (01:30):
Yeah, so I am one third of HR Besties with my co-host,
leigh, elaine Henderson andAshley Hurd.
Ashley Hurd is actually a shewas a general counsel of several
large companies down in Atlanta, in Louisville, and so she is
our legal expert.
And then Lee and I both had 20plus years of HR experience, and
(01:53):
so we all met on social mediaand Ashley had the crazy idea to
start a podcast and I said whythe fuck not?
And so here we are, a yearlater and we're about to kick
off.
In January We'll kick offseason four, so we're very
excited about that Love that.
Warren (02:10):
Yeah, Cool.
So well, let's go back to thebeginning.
How and did you come up withthe chief meme officer idea and
where did that come from?
Jamie (02:20):
Yeah, so I actually started Humorous Resources,
which is a meme page.
It's a corporate humor memepage.
I started it in September of2020.
And so I was actually an HRdirector at a small nonprofit
clinic.
Well, we had four clinics, butI was overall four.
I was department of one andCOVID hit and I literally
(02:41):
thought I was losing my fuckingmind.
One, working in healthcareduring that time was a nightmare
for anyone, not just HR,obviously.
Those that were truly on thefront lines the doctors, the
nurses had it way worse.
But I just I felt this immenseguilt, almost, that I was in HR
and I was able to sit up in myoffice and I needed to protect
(03:06):
my employees, but I just didn'tknow how.
So I started really obsessingabout the CDC guidelines and
every morning I would come inand I would sit down with our
medical director because theywere literally changing daily,
and we would sit down and wewould see what was new and see
what we needed to implement.
And then the vaccines rolledout.
And then there was a mandateabout employees need to be
(03:29):
vaccinated and I just it was somuch and, being a Department of
One responsible for 200employees and during COVID in a
healthcare environment.
I literally felt like I waslosing my mind and I needed an
outlet.
And so I had been making memeson my old personal page, but I
hadn't.
I don't know, I never thoughtabout making a meme page Like
(03:50):
you know, like who does that,right?
Like that's so weird.
And I'm in, I was at this time,I'm in my late thirties and I'm
like who makes a meme page?
And I was like, ah, fuck it,who cares, right?
So and I posted like a few justcorporate humor and HR, really,
because you know, that's whatI've been doing for the last 21
years.
And it took off and I, honestly, was not expecting it because I
don't know, you know, my humor,I feel like, is different, but
(04:14):
I don't, I guess it's not.
You know what I mean.
So, shortly after HumorousResources, in July of 2021, I
started Millennial Misery,because I'm an elder millennial
yes, geriatric, if you will andI had so much content like
nostalgia content that I wantedto post, but it didn't fit on
like a corporate humor page,like humorous.
So I started millennial miseryand that was even more
(04:36):
successful than humorous,because people love to bathe
themselves in like 90s cultureand like nostalgia.
They love it.
So that was like a huge thingand I thought so far I'm not
showing my face, I haven'tshowed my face yet, right?
And then I thought, what if Iactually showed my face?
(04:57):
And that's kind of where ChiefMeme Officer was born, because I
call myself the Chief MemeOfficer officer, because I make
so many memes and I createdchief meme officer to show
myself and like so my own, I domy own reels and videos on
TikTok and whatnot and I post, Ipost a lot of like my core HR
memes.
I post them on the chief memeofficer too, and so that's how
(05:20):
they've all been kind of created.
I also have a new parentingmeme page called parody
parenting too.
That I recently started becauseI am a mother of many and so I
parenting humor too.
I was like where can I put thisshit?
Cause I've got, I've gotstories for days.
So I started that and it'spretty small right now, but
(05:40):
another one of my little lovechild.
Cee Cee (05:43):
I love that, so I too am an elder millennial.
I feel like Warren, you areoutnumbered on this call.
Warren (05:49):
I'm the old dude, I'm the geezer.
Cee Cee (05:52):
But that is so funny, OK.
So first of all, I think youdon't have a weird sense of
humor.
Your humor is pretty much onthe nose.
So I feel that's reflectedbecause you've grown so much,
but I just had a baby 12 12 sixmonths ago, so oh, I like I have
to check out the parodyparenting thing, because right
(06:12):
now, everything like that's justkind of whether it's work or
the baby.
Those are where, like, my lifeis going right now.
That's where I'm at yep.
Jamie (06:20):
I feel that and that's really where I I started parody
parenting because I'm like mykids, literally alone, could
have their own content.
Just the crazy shit thathappens as a mother.
That's why I was like I have tocreate memes for this.
Warren (06:34):
I love it, yeah, and as a parent of children in their
20s.
Now it doesn't.
It'll continue.
You'll have plenty ofammunition for years and years
to come.
Jamie (06:47):
That's kind of my thought too.
It'll give me content forever.
Warren (06:51):
I did want to cringe word circle back to what you
mentioned earlier.
You were in a healthcareindustry 200 to 1 ratio.
I mean healthcare is one ofthose industries that get the
more padding ratio.
I mean healthcare is one ofthose industries that get the
more padding.
I think SHRM says, I think it'slike 151 everywhere, and then I
think the medical is like 100or less to one and things like
(07:15):
that.
And wow, that was especially ina pandemic time crazy.
Jamie (07:20):
Yeah, it was.
I mean I knew when I startedthere in like 2019.
So I knew what I signed up forand, looking back on it, I'm
like, wow, how did I do all that?
Because I was like doingrecruiting, compliance, training
, onboarding, offboarding, youknow, employee engagement,
obviously, health and safetybecause of COVID, I mean there
(07:44):
are so many things that I wasdoing and I did not realize,
like I didn't realize the stressof it while I was in it and it
wasn't until I got out of it.
Also, it was incredibly toxic,go figure.
Until I got out and how I waslike, oh wow, that was kind of
fucked up and I kept begging tohave like someone like this
year's budget budget, could Imaybe have a generalist?
(08:05):
That would be super cool.
And, of course, right when Iwas about to leave, they were
like they hired someone and ofcourse, they let her get a
generalist.
So we know where that, theyknow where.
I think I know where theythought about me.
Yeah, because, like, obviouslyI was doing it all.
So why you know what I mean ifI was doing it all, she can
(08:28):
handle it yeah why pay?
Cee Cee (08:29):
why pay someone else, yeah, so I actually know someone
who purposefully like letthings fall through the cracks
because she was so like she wasdoing it all so well, but at the
detriment of her own health.
Yep, and it was like she's likescrew it, yeah, like no, that's
smart, actually, we're justgonna let things fall through
the cracks.
(08:50):
And it was funny because therewas like a team meeting.
It was, like you know, ourmonthly operating review, and
she would just be like, oh yeah,all that's in yellow.
Yeah, I couldn't get to it,thank you, and like and guess
what moral of the story.
Like spoiler alert, she'sgetting a direct report next
year.
Like it's happening.
Like literally they're writingthe job description and I'm like
laughing, so like sometimes youjust have to let things fall
(09:11):
apart.
Jamie (09:12):
Yeah, no, for real yeah for real, and I think they
noticed that when I left too,like, oh shit, maybe no one
wants to come work here I.
Warren (09:23):
I spent a whopping six months in health care before the
institution I worked at lostits medical license, so a
hospital without a medicallicense does not need a lot of
people or HR for too long,there's a good story, oh,
afterwards.
Jamie (09:39):
well, I'll tell you all about it.
There's a good story there, Iknow there is.
Warren (09:43):
There are a lot of good stories.
Oh, and the CEO, because it wasmade national news and things
blamed HR for and I'd onlystarted.
I was only there for six monthsactually blamed HR for a lot of
the problems.
I'm like, okay, you're a pieceof work, but anyways, yeah, hr,
the fall guy.
Of course always so crazy.
Well, you took us through yourpersonal social media and you
(10:07):
started the launch of HR Besties.
So tell us a little bit moreabout you know if there's, by
any chance, anybody who hasn'tlistened to it already?
On listening to us, tell usabout HR Besties and y'all's
format and what y'all do.
Jamie (10:21):
Yeah, so we have an episode every every Wednesday
and it's typically about like acore topic.
So we've covered an HRdepartment of one We've covered
and, like corporateresponsibility, as far as like
charity giving campaigns, wehave a new one coming up called
open enrollment and benefits.
(10:42):
So we usually focus on a maintopic.
We always throw in a corporatecringe word that we try to sneak
in during the episode and thenwe usually start with a crazy
wild story from our years ofbeing in HR because, honestly,
you can't make this shit up andI know every HR professional
(11:05):
literally could write a book ofthe crazy shit that we've had to
deal with, because people bepeople and people people hard
and it's wild.
I'm going to be honest.
I actually majored in HR incollege.
Warren (11:24):
Same here.
You're like one of the othertwo people I know that did.
Cee Cee (11:29):
Oh wait, my husband did too.
He has his bachelor's in HR,really.
Jamie (11:33):
So there you go Three.
Okay, that's very cool actually.
So I didn't.
I'm not that person who's likeI got into HR because I love
people.
No, I really thought that Ienjoyed helping people and
actually I took like theMyers-Briggs and it told me to
be a lawyer and I was like fuckthat shit.
So I was like what's the nextthing?
(11:54):
Hr professional and it kind offell in line.
It was a business major.
I went to the University ofTennessee go Vols.
Andrew Quilpa (12:02):
And.
Jamie (12:02):
I was a business major and it Tennessee go Vols and I
was a business major and it wasin the same family as a business
admin.
I'm like great, perfect, done.
And so I really thought that Iwanted to be like learning and
development, Like that's what Iwanted to do.
I wanted to teach people andtrain them.
And then I got my first job outof college was in benefits and
I fucking hated it Though I doappreciate all the benefits
(12:25):
knowledge that I have nowbecause it's very helpful to use
even 21 years later in mycareer.
But I was like I don't want tobe pigeonholed and I got into
like general HR, core HR, and Ihave not left because I love it.
I love being able to do alittle bit of everything and I
don't know if I'm good at any ofit, but that's okay, because no
one could know, because I'dhave to do so much, oh yeah.
Cee Cee (12:50):
So I've never worked in like HR, hr, I've only done
talent management and I've onlydone learning and development
and I did some talentacquisition and I hated every
second of it.
But it's funny because myhusband, he does his career has
(13:12):
been hr, hr.
But now he's like working inthat more strategic level of hr
because he, you know there'slike the more you grow, the more
strategic it gets.
So now we just like help eachother out.
I'm like I'm building careerpathing, like what do you got on
that?
And he's like let me help youout.
So like, oh my god I love that.
Jamie (13:31):
That's actually really cool this.
Cee Cee (13:34):
it's the nerdiest household you will ever walk
into, because he we both workfrom home too, which makes it
worse or better, not sure andlike literally, I'll like hear
him working on things and I'llbe like you need something on
that.
Jamie (13:52):
I gotcha, like that's awesome.
Actually I don't know what Ilike.
I could not imagine my husbandalso being in HR, like because I
don't know, I don't, I wouldprobably not be very nice.
Warren (14:01):
For a while, both my wife and I worked in HR, but she
turned her career towardspayroll, and she loves payroll.
Jamie (14:09):
And we love her for that Of the earth.
Cee Cee (14:12):
They really are.
Warren (14:13):
I've been trying for five years now to get my wife on
this podcast.
She will not do it.
What the hell?
Because she's got some of thebest stories about people.
Jamie (14:22):
I'm sure, I'm sure.
Warren (14:23):
Some people's crazy payroll issues.
Cee Cee (14:28):
Well, it's like the one thing I learned serving tables.
It's like you don't mess withpeople's food and you don't mess
with people's money.
And as soon as one of thosethings goes wrong, it is like
all hell breaks loose.
Andrew Quilpa (14:40):
It gets emotional .
Cee Cee (14:41):
People get crazy.
So like payroll yeah, I get it.
Jamie (14:45):
Oh yeah, I mean I've had, I've run payroll, obviously
being an HR department one.
Many times I have run payrolland or been the owner of payroll
and I have had people get madabout 12 cents and I'm like
literally taking it out of myown wallet and be like here's
your 12 cents, like please,please, don't do this to me.
Warren (15:08):
One of our first episodes or the first season, I
had a real experience, anemployee that our former
timekeeping system did PTO tofour digits but your page stub
only does it to two digits andwe owed him and he did these
spreadsheets and everything likethat.
We owed him I forget exactlyhow much time, but it came to
(15:32):
like 10 minutes of time PTObecause of all the rounding.
But he did all thesespreadsheets and he came in
angry and I talked to thepresident of the company about
it and I said, okay, well, thisperson's upset and here's the
situation.
Well, how much PTO do we owehim?
I said 10 minutes and she saidtell him he can take that PTO
(15:55):
anytime he wants.
I said hell, no, I said hewasted that much time putting
the spreadsheet together.
He wasted hours.
Jamie (16:02):
Like think how much time he wasted working on a
spreadsheet to calculate that.
You know what, when we switchedpayrolls, I guess it was like a
year ago at my current companywe switched from semi-monthly to
bi-weekly and you would havethought we were stealing money
(16:23):
out of people's checks, thoughtwe were stealing money out of
people's checks and, like, I hadelaborate spreadsheets that I
created for people to like plugin their annual salary and
calculate it all out for them.
It did not matter we werestealing, it was just like never
will I ever, ever go throughanother pay change cycle.
I will be.
I will go to the cfo and belike no, I'm not doing that
(16:45):
Absolutely not.
Fire me.
Cee Cee (16:47):
So my first question is this individual who spent hours
working on this spreadsheet,what kind of a performer was
this person?
Warren (16:56):
Actually he's a really good performer.
He's meticulous at everythinghe does Clearly, clearly.
And yeah, he's really good athis job, no doubt about it.
But I mean to get actually comein my office upset that he was
being screwed out of time and he, you know, yeah, I was like,
and I don't I could go back tothe time sheets and actually see
(17:17):
the four digit, because it puton the time sheets or crules and
things like that and and itwent to four digits and I was
like, oh, just all the no 10minutes.
No, I'm not not worth my time.
You waste the 10 minutes of mytime.
But it was.
But it's a great story.
It's like another fun story,but another fun story.
(17:37):
You know you talk about allthis shit you have to deal with.
You know, I've always saidyou're not truly in HR until
you've had to deal with literalshit somewhere you have not
earned your HR badge of honor.
Jamie (17:50):
I honestly I wish someone would have stopped little
22-year-old Jamie and been likehey girl, you're going to see a
lot of poop and you're going tosee a lot of poop porn, but not
the porn that you want to see.
You know what I'm saying, likeit's for your enjoyment, it's
(18:10):
going to be because you'reinvestigating.
So I really wish someone wouldhave told me that because, like
like I said, I I mean I say thisall the time but people do be
people in and oh yeah, I I thinkyou know.
First of all, I'm jaded as fuckand I say that.
So thank God I'm on the podcast, right, but if you have seen
(18:35):
what probably all three of ushave seen in our years, you'd be
well jaded too.
I mean stories.
We could write books.
I could probably write aminiseries, like it would be
insane.
But yeah, like literal shit,like feces, so much feces.
I don't like it still shocks me.
Warren (18:54):
Exactly.
Jamie (18:58):
And like Lee told a story on a podcast once, I think like
she's like a psych nerd, likeshe knows all this stuff and she
told a story once that if anemployee is basically doing
something with their feces, likespreading it on the bathroom
wall or something, it means thatthey're in control and they're
trying to show you they're incontrol, like that's their I
don't know whatever, and I'mlike, yeah, but I still have to
(19:20):
clean it up.
Like good for them, you're incontrol, but I still have to
clean up your shit.
And why do I have to clean itup and why am I the?
Cee Cee (19:31):
first to know about it too.
Honestly like I think that'strue because I think that's what
was happening during thepandemic.
Remember that run on toiletpaper.
Jamie (19:38):
Oh my God.
Cee Cee (19:39):
There has to be something where people are like.
Andrew Quilpa (19:41):
I need to feel in control of something I need to
feel in control of my bowelmovements, Like I need to feel
in control of something I'm incontrol of
Warren (19:48):
my bowel movements, I don't know.
Hopefully, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Jamie (19:50):
Explicit text and porn, like things that I like.
Let me enjoy porn for my own,like don't you know, like I
don't want to Now I'm, now Ican't enjoy, like what I, what I
don't understand, like I reallylike it's.
It's shocking and it's alsoshocking how many people don't
(20:12):
realize, like their work,computer, like sending stuff, I
and I'm like oh yeah, you have acell phone that isn't company
issue, just use that.
Cee Cee (20:24):
People also don't recognize, though, that if you
have your work email on yourpersonal phone, if they get
busted, the whole personal phonecould be subpoenaed or
something.
So yeah, just be cautious ofthat too.
Don't do stupid shit to getbusted.
That's just the number one rule.
(20:45):
Just don't do stupid shit, butbusted.
That's just the number one rule.
Just don't do stupid shit.
Warren (20:48):
None of us would have a job if people didn't do stupid
shit.
Jamie (20:51):
Wipe your ass, keep your dick in your pants, don't do
stupid shit.
Just do your fucking job, andthen I wouldn't have a job and,
honestly, I'd be okay with that.
Cee Cee (21:07):
So I'm trying to look this up feverishly and you just
reminded me with the porn thing.
There's some small, there'ssome smallish company, I don't
know, but I guess the owner forI think it was for political
reasons was like, oh, we don'tcare, you go watch porn at your
computer.
And like they let people likejust watch porn.
(21:31):
And people were doing it for alittle bit as like a novelty.
And then I was just like that'suncomfortable, like yeah, I,
I'm not a prude, but I don'twant to be knowing what my
co-worker in the cubicle next tome is into.
Jamie (21:45):
Yeah, like what's their kink.
Yeah, like what's their kink,because next thing I know I'm
going to be kink, shaming themand then associate relations
comes into play and then there'sa training behind it, like
don't kink, shame.
Oh yeah, like it's a wholething.
I didn't realize Betty was intopoop porn.
Like it's weird, sorry.
Andrew Quilpa (22:05):
That's the.
Cee Cee (22:06):
B in belonging, okay, we need to be accepting to that
T-E-I-B.
Warren (22:11):
In the 90s I worked at an IT company.
We did stupid things and wewould put porn on.
If you left your computer open,somebody was putting porn and
everybody did it.
Nobody cared and it wasn't athing.
It was oh got offended orbuttered, or we'd put their okay
, the N-A-M-B-L-A, whateverNAMBLA, the National man Boy
(22:36):
Love Association.
We would put like that websiteup on people's computers, their
work computers if they lefttheir computer unlocked If they
didn't lock it.
Oh, and one time we had thewindow washers coming and we
took big screen TVs that wereput porn on.
We're all sitting therewatching porn while the window
washers are washing the window.
(22:56):
Just the fuck with the windowwashers.
Jamie (22:59):
Wow, I'm glad that I wasn't an HR professional in the
90s no we were HR.
Cee Cee (23:07):
That's the thing.
Jamie (23:08):
It's like no, no, like we were doing this.
I think like the best thing Idid was put the World Cup on
like a screen, Like not for.
Warren (23:21):
Things you can't do today.
Cee Cee (23:23):
Not the same.
Andrew Quilpa (23:24):
So much fun.
Cee Cee (23:27):
I have to say I was listening to, I had like this is
a weird segue, but that, thatconversation, that or the what
you just talked about, oran,there is a feeling that I get
sometimes that like the goldenage, not to say that that was
particularly the golden age, butlike there is a golden age of
working in a corporate officebefore oh my god, remote yes
(23:50):
pre-pandemic, oh, and like Iremember, like because I used I
used to work at this very largecompany and it was like what it
was oh it was, I'll say it, Idon't care.
So I worked for a company calledexotica which basically owns
everything in eyewear, so it'slike lens crafters and like
pearl vision and sunblast, likethey're like the parent company.
So back like when I was to workthere, it was magnificent and I
(24:15):
was like early career too, so,but it was like there was always
things going on.
People would like fuck aroundwith other people's computers
when they were left out and likedone and it was all in good
spirits and we'd have like trackand field week and like all
these really fun things.
And I was thinking about ittoday because you had mentioned
in the last podcast, jamie, thatlike there was jeans, like you
(24:37):
donated, you could wear jeans towork.
I can't tell you how many jeanstickers I had on my badge that
let me wear jeans.
Like it was just like thisweird.
Everyone I was like everyonemade friends with each other.
I was in people's weddings.
Jamie (24:53):
Oh yeah.
Andrew Quilpa (24:54):
Oh yeah.
Cee Cee (24:55):
And I kind of feel sad that it's not there anymore.
Jamie (24:59):
Yeah, like it was truly like pre pandemic office work
was literally a lawless place.
I mean, pandemic office workwas literally a lawless place.
I mean I can't believe I gotwork done and got promoted
Because, like, the amount ofwork I do right now, like in
eight hours at my house at myhouse, is probably more than I
(25:21):
did an entire week in an office.
Because, like, I'd go toaccounting because they had
peanut butter M&Ms and like, andthen I'm gonna circle around to
our someone else's IT becausethey have peanut butter cups and
then I'm gonna go get anothercup of coffee because why the
fuck not?
And I'm gonna stop and I'mgonna talk to Debra and then,
and like, I like, how did I getanything done?
(25:42):
like literally and and exactlydoing like the fun shit, like
doing stuff when, when, likefrom when, they're computers.
I wouldn't do porn, but wewould do like funny, like
youtubes, like what's the?
What's the little boy there'slike listen, linda, I would do
that a lot back in the day,listen, linda linda, linda like
(26:02):
what.
and then now I, oh, and goingout to lunch.
Oh, ladies who lunch, like meand my work bestie, we would
drive like a good 30 minutesaway and eat lunch.
Yes, now I don't even get upfrom my desk except to pee.
Yes, like I might like, if I'mhungry, have an adult Lunchables
(26:24):
, what I call them, the littlelike kind of fancy Lunchables
that are.
I might have an adult Lunchable, like if I'm feeling crazy, but
it's so wild.
And so I go into the office,usually about once a week, but
there's literally four peoplethere, maybe, maybe, and it's
the same shit, though.
Usually we end up in my officetalking, not doing anything.
(26:48):
So I have to like pre-schedulemy, my days in the office,
knowing I'm not gonna get shitdone.
Cee Cee (26:55):
yeah, like I gotta be honest.
So next, next week, is thefirst week where I will meet my
co coworkers and my boss for thefirst time since I started
there two years ago.
Jamie (27:09):
Oh wow, that's going to be fun.
We're all going to Kansas City.
That's where I was going to saydo you have?
Cee Cee (27:13):
to travel.
Yeah, like Kansas City, I'lltake it, though I'm like this is
awesome.
But like we're already talkingabout all the shenanigans we're
going to get into after we'redone working.
Already talking about all theshenanigans we're going to get
into after we're done working,we're like oh, we're going to do
happy hour, oh, we're going todo this, oh, we're trying
bourbon, oh we're trying tequila.
Jamie (27:31):
Like, let's do it like, like me, I'd be in, uh my, my
hotel with room service,watching my shows that's funny
honestly, there's a piece ofthat I'm like.
Cee Cee (27:42):
I get to spend monday through thursday not worrying
about anyone else's bodilyfunctions except my own like
this is I might be working, butthis is a dream.
Warren (27:52):
Yep, yep no, no random wake-up calls from a screaming
baby from the other room oh yeah, traveling for work, though I'm
not the type of person like Isaid, if I can actually get
stuff done, I go back to myhotel room.
I don't go out and party orinvestigate the city or things
(28:14):
like that.
The places I go are not placesI particularly want to go when I
have to travel for work.
It's not like a cool place oranything like that.
If I got to go someplace I'venever been before and cool, yeah
, I'll maybe check it out.
But yeah, I'm just going to goback to my hotel room, probably
watch TV or Netflix or, whoknows, go to sleep early.
Jamie (28:34):
I'm pretty lame now but back in like my 20s, when I
travel for work like I wouldhave fun.
But no, now I'm lame.
I'm literally in my PJs,literally in the bed, watching
like Vanderpump Rules with likea hamburger from room service.
I'm a Bravo girly.
Cee Cee (28:51):
Thank you, as am I.
Vpr from day one.
Yep, same Same.
Jamie (28:57):
My first I was on maternity leave, literally so
like.
It's wild to me that now thekid's almost 12 and I watch that
show.
Isn't that crazy yeah?
Cee Cee (29:09):
I was working the Friday when Scandaval dropped
and I can tell you exactly whereI was and what I was doing.
Andrew Quilpa (29:15):
Yeah, Scandaval was bananas.
Cee Cee (29:17):
I was like Kevin, like he knew, but yeah, so really fun
fact, I actually went tocollege with Ariana.
So there's that.
Andrew Quilpa (29:25):
I never.
Cee Cee (29:26):
And we have a mutual friend, although I don't know
her, but like her friend,meredith, who was on the show,
was a mutual friend of mine backin college.
Very cool Ariana's gorgeous sheis and she deserved nothing of
Tom, so I'm glad he's gone Fuckthat man, and this is where this
(29:46):
is a segment of Jaded HR, whereI would like to call mediocre
men failing up.
Andrew Quilpa (29:51):
Yes, we talk about this.
Cee Cee (29:53):
I'm so sorry we talk about this in like corporate.
Sometimes I'm like how is thisman still here or how is he
running this meeting?
And he doesn't know how to workExcel right now, like what is
happening.
Jamie (30:13):
I actually posted something on Humorous Today
similar to that.
It's like I did not realize,like I wish someone would have
told me, like how I don't thinkthat I'm very smart or
intelligent, like I don't.
I, you know, I do what I can,but sometimes, when I'm at work,
(30:34):
I'm like holy fucking shit, Iam brilliant next to these
people.
Andrew Quilpa (30:38):
Like wow.
Jamie (30:40):
Wow, and I think it's mostly because I have problem
solving skills.
It's not anything else, it'sjust that I and I also have the
tendency to be a bossy bitch andI'll like just go okay, no,
like, this isn't making sense,we're going to do this, this and
this, and then done, like, thenthe problem is going to be
(31:11):
solved, which it's crazy to methat, like, even people in
C-suite, they have they'restrategy wise on point right,
but they can't execute for shit.
And so then here, like, hr isusually having to execute, so,
like, I feel like that's what Ido is my boss has these
extravagant ideas and she has tocome to me and I have to be
like, well, here's, here's whatwe can do on that idea, and then
I got to be the one to figureout how the fuck to do it.
Like why did I sign up for thisagain?
Cee Cee (31:34):
There was a time where, like I just remember, so we had
, during the pandemic we had, Iworked in health care.
I worked for a huge dermatologycompany and we had our annual
summit and our summit had to beremote healthcare.
I worked for a huge dermatologycompany and we had our annual
summit and our summit had to beremote.
So we got like this.
Really honestly, it was apretty cool platform that we did
this like remote conference,but it was funny because I had
(31:59):
to have two training sessions toteach MDs.
Yeah, oh God, yeah, how to likelike be familiar with this
platform before the actualsummit took place.
And I'm sitting here and I'm,like you're a medical doctor,
like why can't you understand?
Yeah, that you like sit at atable, but even though you're
(32:21):
not sitting at the table, you'restill sitting at the table.
It's the same table.
It's the same table.
Jamie (32:26):
So I've worked in healthcare for the last 11 years
of my career and the amount ofbrilliant physicians and even
like nurse practitioners orphysician's assistants brilliant
.
They've had years and yearsworth of schooling but they
could not like.
They're book smart totally, butcommon sense no.
(32:47):
And typically if it's a male,no offense Warren, but their
wife has got to help, like knowwhere their male practice is.
Their licensure is where.
I'm like how have you beenpracticing for as long as I've
been alive and you don't knowwhere your fucking medical
license?
Andrew Quilpa (33:07):
is Like who are you?
Cee Cee (33:11):
Yeah, don't get me, okay.
So when I first started, therewas not first started, first
started, but when I like, I wasworking in talent acquisition
and I did have to collect, Idon't know why I had to do this
one day, but I had to go collectsomeone's I-9.
It wasn't part of my job, butthey're like, go do it because
today's like the last day.
Three, days.
I'm like okay so and this wasbefore, like, like I still had
(33:34):
to go, like get the documentsand whatever.
So I this this.
This guy was like a c-levelperson and he brought a pilot's
license in and he's like hereyou go, and I'm like I can't
know, is it on one of theselists that we mailed you and
like he was in the middle ofmoving.
(33:56):
So he's like, well, I don't knowwhere that stuff is.
And I'm like, well, we, we needit.
And he's like then he got pissywith me because he was like,
well, I don't understand,because a pilot's license is
it's more secure than any otherlicense, like blah, blah, blah,
and I was like I don't care,it's not on the list.
Andrew Quilpa (34:13):
So tell me you had to call to the irs.
Cee Cee (34:16):
Yeah, I know, like call the I don't know.
And then he had to call hiswife.
His wife had to go find it,unpack it overnight it like it
was a whole thing and like forsome reason I was again HR's at
fault for everything.
Of course, but I'm like my man.
You've been here for three days.
Like you can't get this bitchywith someone.
(34:37):
For the simplest request, threedays in yeah.
Warren (34:43):
C-suite.
I'm one of those people who'sguilty.
I don't know heads or tails ofanything on the planet Earth
without my wife giving medirection and it pisses her off
to no end.
And you'll know how many timesI actually physically go to work
every day and she works fromhome and I'm leaving home.
You're going to wear that towork, and so she has to go pick
(35:06):
out my new outfit, or at leastanother shirt, like today.
You can't see I'm wearing khakisuits.
Andrew Quilpa (35:08):
She goes as I'm leaving, she goes have fun at.
Warren (35:09):
Target today.
As I'm wearing a red shirt,since it's a podcast, you all
can't see it.
Have fun at Target today.
The only things you know ahusband and wife can do, and the
thing is, she worked there for15.
That's where her HR experiencecame from.
Andrew Quilpa (35:25):
She was there for 15 years.
Warren (35:28):
So yeah, it was.
Jamie (35:29):
God bless her even more.
Warren (35:31):
The things that you have to rely on your wife for is
interesting.
But going back to these geniuspeople, brilliant people who
can't tie I used to do the termthey can't tie their own shoes
is.
I worked in education.
You have all these PhDs withall these great certificates,
they can't tie their own shoes.
I've worked in engineeringfirms.
(35:52):
Same thing brilliant engineershave some difficulty doing those
very simplest of things.
I've worked at a law firm thesame type thing.
It's like how do you do this?
Jamie (36:02):
Yeah, yeah, and it's really wild and, like you know,
I still struggle, you know, 21years in, with imposter syndrome
.
But then I get in a meeting andI'm like how the fuck are you
even employed?
Like, how did you get a job?
How did you get past theinitial phone screen?
Because it's shocking, and Idon't think that I'm brilliant
(36:24):
or smart or intelligent.
I think I'm okay, clearly I'mdoing all right, but I think
truly that I just haveproblem-solving skills and I can
execute natural leader.
And it's not.
I don't think that I'mnecessarily I don't know, I
don't know what the word is butlike I'm just a natural leader
(36:46):
that like I'm going to step upand I'm going to be like, look,
this can't happen.
Yeah, and and so that's like Idon't know if I'll ever be in
the C-suite because of that, andI'm okay with that.
Do you know what I mean?
Like I I'm good with the levelI'm at, like I've reached the
top of where I want to be in thecorporate ladder and I don't
really want to sit in theC-suite unless it's for a
(37:06):
company that really, like HR,has a seat at the table and HR
is truly like seen as a resource, because people are I hate
saying, an asset, but peopletruly are like the first
priority in a company.
And you know, you don't seethat very often.
I feel lucky to be where I'm atright, now that HR does have a
(37:28):
seat at the table.
I still don't want a C-suitejob, but I'm high enough that
I'm like I'm cool and I feellike I'm still able to be an
influence to the C-suite andthey trust me and they listen to
me.
And sometimes I don't likedecisions and that's going to
happen, because that's true inany place, right, but I'm going
to execute and we're going tofigure it out and we're going to
(37:50):
move on.
So I think that's like reallythe hardest part in HR, right,
and I'm being an HR contentcreator.
That's the hardest part of evenlike putting my content out
there is because peopleautomatically want to hate you,
because they don't have actuallyany idea what HR does.
They just think like you hirepeople and you fire people and
that's like the gist, likethat's all you do, and so I
(38:17):
think that's like the hardest,like y'all's and ours exists
because we're shining a light onon hr when people had no
freaking clue what they really,what we do, and and showing them
the evil, wicked side that somepeople have, like our crazy
stories of shit and porn and um,but also like showing how we
(38:40):
are trying, we're behind thescenes and we are trying and
we're trying to influenceC-suite to make better decisions
, or we're providing with dataor metrics and you know we're
rooting for you, for an increaseor a promotion or, and like
we're always in the backgroundand I don't think people realize
that.
And granted, is there bad HRpeople?
(39:02):
Absolutely there is, butthere's bad CEOs, there's bad
CFOs, there's bad everybody.
And I know, you know, and onething I joke about is I know
your uncle, bobby got fired bythat one HR lady because he
showed his dick in the parkinglot, but I'm not her, and she
should have fired him.
So you know, it's just likeit's.
I think that's that's one thingthat has has.
(39:23):
I still get so much hate, likewhenever I post an HR video.
If someone's like, oh, that'sall y'all are good for, y'all
are useless, I'm like, ok, Imean, if we're useless, think
about all the things that, like,you have benefits because of us
.
You probably get paid sometimesbecause of us, because maybe
payroll, like there's so manythings that HR does, we're
(39:44):
advocating for a raise for youeven though, like, let's be
honest, you probably don'tdeserve it.
You know, like there's so manythings that we do that many
people don't realize and I knowthat's true with a lot of other
departments.
But I think HR has always beenkind of demonized and that sucks
it kind of it sucks to be.
I wish I would have known thatwhen I was 22.
(40:06):
I still think I would havepicked this profession because I
like to think that, like I'mtrying really hard to scream and
show that we're not bad.
Warren (40:17):
Well, you started saying something that I think your
podcast and our podcast we alsotake a.
It's a way for HR professionalsto take a load off and relate
to people who've been there donethat.
You know we have some other HRmust listen to podcasts that are
more interview style and you'rethere to learn something.
(40:39):
You might learn something thatyou might not, you might have.
We just want to have a goodtime because commiserate with
your other HR people.
For sure, we've been there,we've done that.
Yeah, nobody's going to believeour stories about wiping up
shit, about you know what pornin the office.
Yeah, because we've been there,we've done it and we oh yeah,
(41:03):
that's that's normal for us todeal with.
But other what, that doesn'thappen, oh, yes, it does.
Cee Cee (41:05):
A butt plug was found in the parking lot at a company
I used to work for and somebodypicked it up, not knowing it was
a butt plug, and returned it tothe security desk because they
thought it looked like it wassomething important.
And the security officer waslike, oh fuck, now and and.
Then HR got involved and it wasa whole thing.
But yeah, there was a butt plugin the parking lot.
(41:27):
These are stories that reallyhappen.
Jamie (41:31):
I love that.
Actually, I love a butt plug.
I might have to use that.
I might have to use that on HRBesties because that's hilarious
.
Oh my God to use that.
I might have to use that on HRBesties because that's that's
hilarious.
Warren (41:44):
Yeah, oh, my God.
Cee Cee (41:46):
Yeah, I used to love walking into like again I work,
I like I mainly work in likevery large global organizations.
And my other favorite thing waswalking into employee relations
where it's like kind of like acall center system where people
are calling in and like the theside of the conversation you're
hearing is always fantastic.
And I was just down there oneday talking to someone and I
(42:09):
just hear well, I understand,you found the joint in the
parking lot, but what made youfeel like you had to smoke it?
And I was like that is a greatquestion.
I need to hear the answer.
Jamie (42:22):
Can I listen in on that?
Because, yeah, but yeah, likeHR is really lonely, and
specifically because HR istypically like a very lean team
I mean, not according to Sherm,but it's typically a very lean
team.
So you're, you know you mightbe alone, you might have just
one other person, and so that'swhy I love having podcasts to
(42:45):
listen to of like the crazy shitthat we go through and you
might learn something.
You might not, but at least youenjoyed it.
And you, exactly, youcommiserate with HR
professionals who are in thiscrazy world of poop and porn.
Warren (43:04):
Poop and porn that's the title of our episode there
actually yeah poop and porn.
Andrew Quilpa (43:11):
Oh, wow.
Jamie (43:11):
Poop and porn with the chief beam officer.
Cee Cee (43:16):
NHR, there will be poop , yeah.
Warren (43:21):
Here's the one story I've told her.
I did a harassmentinvestigation and I had to
report back to the vicepresident of HR about what
happened.
And I'm trying to.
She's a little.
She was older than me and eventhough I was the manager and she
was the vice president, wedidn't interact at all.
I mean, I would go monthswithout talking to my own boss
(43:44):
and it was fine.
It was weird, but it was fun.
But I'm giving her this, I'vegot this thing, I'm reading it
and I'm just giving her the PGversion and she says no, I need
to hear the real words of whatwas said, what was done and
things like that.
And I'm putting the paper overmy face is I can't look her in
the eye and say these actualquotes and these actual things,
(44:05):
and I could feel my my facebeing bright red.
I'm like, oh, and I was, I wasin my 40s then.
Uh, being able to having tolike I can't be, I can't, I cuss
all day long, I don't care, butI can't say these things to my
boss, even though it's not mywords, yeah yeah, it's like I'm
ashamed yeah but yeah, that'sanother thing we we have to go
(44:30):
through.
We have to recount theseinteractions.
People have harassment indetail as much detail as we have
and it, you know it getsgraphic, yeah, and it it's rough
because you know you aredealing with people and you know
you sometimes don't wait to getthrough.
It is to laugh a little maybe.
Jamie (44:50):
Yeah, well, yeah appropriate with well, yeah,
with their team was yeah, likedon't do it in a termination,
that'd be weird oh but yeah,like I mean even even, look, I'm
21 years in and I still hateterminations, even if they're
warranted, like I still hatethem.
I also absolutely hate tellingpeople like, like, like they
(45:13):
smell, I hate that.
I absolutely hate that.
Worse, I'd rather drink anentire bottle of bleach.
Like there are someconversations that are
incredibly uncomfortable that we, as HR professionals, have to
have on a semi-normal baselessand they still are never easy.
They're still never easy andthey still suck every time.
Cee Cee (45:35):
Hygiene is never easy.
Jamie (45:36):
Yeah, hygiene is probably the worst because a lot of
times the hygiene conversationis another rite of passage in hr
.
Warren (45:43):
You yes, you haven't worked in hr unless you've
discussed somebody's body odor,and hopefully it's only armpit
odor, but it could be a lotworse wash their ass.
Jamie (45:52):
I've had to tell someone they to wash your ass like uh
like yeah, I mean I worked.
Warren (46:00):
I worked at a water park for one summer only and that
was more than enough for me.
I can't deal with 400 teenagers.
But there was this one who hadconstant body odor and the other
lifeguards decided they werejust going to shove them in a
pool every day to at least getthem rinsed off.
And you know, I was like I.
I had to tell him okay, youcan't be doing that.
(46:21):
That can you know that's like Ihad to tell him okay, you can't
be doing that, that's dangerous, you can't do that.
You know all this other stuff.
Every day he was getting shovedinto the pool and you know we
took light disciplinary actionon the situation.
Andrew Quilpa (46:36):
I was like oh.
Warren (46:37):
God it was.
But yeah, vigilante justice, onthat I was like oh gosh yeah.
Cee Cee (46:45):
Whenever I hear stories like that, I'm like, oh, that
is life imitating art.
I'm like that is straight outof Wet, Hot American Summer.
I am like so happy.
Every time I hear somethinglike that, I'm like, oh yes,
this is just everything's comingto reality.
Jamie (47:00):
Yeah, they got it from.
Somewhere.
Warren (47:03):
Right, well, jamie, I really want to thank you.
I think it's a good place towrap things up.
I have not thanked our Patreonsupporters, hallie, the original
Jaded HR Rock star, bill andMichael, who are other Patreon
supporters.
You can be like them andsupport us on Patreon.
The links are in the show notes.
We will have links to all theHR besties, their social medias
(47:25):
and HR besties podcastinformation in our show notes as
well.
So if you don't live on planetearth and you don't follow any
of them, their accounts, you canfind them easier.
Any final words anything youwant to promote, talk about
anything else that we didn't getto in our poop and porn episode
.
Jamie (47:46):
No, just listen to HR Besties.
If you like Jaded HR, you canfind us on HR Besties pod on
Instagram or Spotify or Apple,and then obviously follow my
co-host, which, ashley Hurd, isat Manager Method and then Lee
is at HR Manifesto.
So give them a big shout out tothem as well.
Warren (48:07):
Absolutely, absolutely Well.
It's been a thrill.
I definitely want to do thisagain and see what we can make
happen.
So thank you for joining us atHR Besties, one of the absolute
must-listen to HR podcasts outthere.
So thank you very much, asalways.
Well, let's see.
The voice artist of who doesour intro and outro is Andrew
Kolpa, and the intro and outromusic is the Underscored
(48:30):
Orchestra with the Devil withthe Devil, and now, as always,
I'm Warren.
Cee Cee (48:33):
I'm Cece and I'm Jamie.
Warren (48:37):
And we're here helping you survive HR.
One what-the-fuck moment at atime.
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