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Ep145: Hot Topics – Rolling Layoffs and reduced trust. Are you ready for 2026?

Send us a textThis week on Hot Topics, the team touches on the following topics and more:Rolling layoffs are becoming more of a trend. Reducing the workforce 50 or fewer employees at a time could be a way for companies to save face and avoid reporting requirements. What are the implications of this on the remaining workforce? Studies show increases in anxiety are just the tip of the iceberg.Proximity bias – Does it show up in your workplace? The future of remote work starts with clarity and transparency to your employees.There’s a drastic rise in misalignment between employees and leadership. Are your leaders being clear about the values and expectations to their employees?The impact of banning pay history questions in the hiring process.Healthcare costs are projected to increase next year and will be difficult on companies and employees.People in lower socioeconomic ranges are feeling more disconnected than ever with their employers.People are turning to dating apps for professional uses…? What do you think for?Caregiving is becoming more and more of a barrier for people in their workplaces. How do they balance it and how does a company stay balanced across employees?Job hugging is reshaping our workforce. Hard jobs are in high demand and seeing a surge in applicants.The economy is creating turmoil for all levels of employees. There are a lot of areas of the workforce that are going to be facing challenges in this market and it’s important to be thinking ahead. Support the showOur new book…The Ultimate Guide to HR: Checklists Edition is now AVAILABLE! Go to UltimateGuidetoHR.com to Get HR Right: and Avoid Costly Mistakes. Certified and approved for 3 SHRM Recertification Credits.Join the HR Team of One Community on Facebook or visit TeamAtHRstories.com and sign up for emails so you can be the first to know about new things we have coming up.You can also follow us on Instagram and TikTok at @HRstoriesPodcast Don’t forget to rate our podcast, it really helps other people find it!Do you have a situation or topic you’d like the team to discuss? Are you interested in having Chuck or John talk to your team or Emcee your event? You can reach the Team at Email@TeamAtHRStories.com for suggestions and inquiries.The viewpoints expressed by the characters in the stories are not necessarily that of The Team at HR Stories. The stories are shared to present various, real-world scenarios and share how they were handled by policy and, at times, law. Chuck and John are not lawyers and always recommend working with an employment lawyer to address concerns.

Ep144: Moldy Misery – The Importance of Tracking Your Efforts

Send us a textAfter an employee asks for an accommodation of working from home due to mold concerns, things get complicated. But in this instance, you’ll see how important it was that the employer recorded all of their efforts taken along the way when they say that working from home is not a reasonable accommodation. Follow along with the team as they review the important steps to take when it comes to ADA accommodations – making sure you don’t get caught OVER accommodating.  Support the showOur new book…The Ultimate Guide to HR: Checklists Edition is now AVAILABLE! Go to UltimateGuidetoHR.com to Get HR Right: and Avoid Costly Mistakes. Certified and approved for 3 SHRM Recertification Credits.Join the HR Team of One Community on Facebook or visit TeamAtHRstories.com and sign up for emails so you can be the first to know about new things we have coming up.You can also follow us on Instagram and TikTok at @HRstoriesPodcast Don’t forget to rate our podcast, it really helps other people find it!Do you have a situation or topic you’d like the team to discuss? Are you interested in having Chuck or John talk to your team or Emcee your event? You can reach the Team at Email@TeamAtHRStories.com for suggestions and inquiries.The viewpoints expressed by the characters in the stories are not necessarily that of The Team at HR Stories. The stories are shared to present various, real-world scenarios and share how they were handled by policy and, at times, law. Chuck and John are not lawyers and always recommend working with an employment lawyer to address concerns.

Ep143: Q&A – Do I have to let ICE in?

Send us a textWelcome to another Listener Q&A with The Team at HR Stories! Today’s episode goes into these questions:1. We’ve had a couple of sexual harassment complaints that don’t seem serious. Do we HAVE to investigate all of them?2. A male says that he has a religious belief that he cannot work alone with a woman. Is this an accommodation that we must abide by?3. What do you do if ICE shows up at your workplace? Support the showOur new book…The Ultimate Guide to HR: Checklists Edition is now AVAILABLE! Go to UltimateGuidetoHR.com to Get HR Right: and Avoid Costly Mistakes. Certified and approved for 3 SHRM Recertification Credits.Join the HR Team of One Community on Facebook or visit TeamAtHRstories.com and sign up for emails so you can be the first to know about new things we have coming up.You can also follow us on Instagram and TikTok at @HRstoriesPodcast Don’t forget to rate our podcast, it really helps other people find it!Do you have a situation or topic you’d like the team to discuss? Are you interested in having Chuck or John talk to your team or Emcee your event? You can reach the Team at Email@TeamAtHRStories.com for suggestions and inquiries.The viewpoints expressed by the characters in the stories are not necessarily that of The Team at HR Stories. The stories are shared to present various, real-world scenarios and share how they were handled by policy and, at times, law. Chuck and John are not lawyers and always recommend working with an employment lawyer to address concerns.

Ep142: A Six Million Dollar Mistake

Send us a textWhen two sisters who own a Dairy Queen are on the receiving end of a pay violation lawsuit, they are stunned. They’ve worked hard to create a “second chances” work environment and always paid their employees on time – even giving employees advances when they need it. They quickly learned that the lawsuit wasn’t for neglecting to pay their employees, but rather the frequency at which they paid them.Today’s story emphasizes the importance of knowing state laws to avoid a sneaky lawsuit. Good intentions don’t replace good systems, and a system failure can result in an expensive payout. Support the showOur new book…The Ultimate Guide to HR: Checklists Edition is now AVAILABLE! Go to UltimateGuidetoHR.com to Get HR Right: and Avoid Costly Mistakes. Certified and approved for 3 SHRM Recertification Credits.Join the HR Team of One Community on Facebook or visit TeamAtHRstories.com and sign up for emails so you can be the first to know about new things we have coming up.You can also follow us on Instagram and TikTok at @HRstoriesPodcast Don’t forget to rate our podcast, it really helps other people find it!Do you have a situation or topic you’d like the team to discuss? Are you interested in having Chuck or John talk to your team or Emcee your event? You can reach the Team at Email@TeamAtHRStories.com for suggestions and inquiries.The viewpoints expressed by the characters in the stories are not necessarily that of The Team at HR Stories. The stories are shared to present various, real-world scenarios and share how they were handled by policy and, at times, law. Chuck and John are not lawyers and always recommend working with an employment lawyer to address concerns.

Ep141: Q&A – Tattoos and the Risks of Case-by-Case Policies

Send us a textWelcome to another Listener Q&A with The Team at HR Stories! Today’s episode goes into these questions:Can you create a policy about tattoos and piercings?Can we leave details out of the handbook that we want to handle case-by-case?Can a anxiety from a workplace incident be considered a disability and require reasonable accommodation? Support the showOur new book…The Ultimate Guide to HR: Checklists Edition is now AVAILABLE! Go to UltimateGuidetoHR.com to Get HR Right: and Avoid Costly Mistakes. Certified and approved for 3 SHRM Recertification Credits.Join the HR Team of One Community on Facebook or visit TeamAtHRstories.com and sign up for emails so you can be the first to know about new things we have coming up.You can also follow us on Instagram and TikTok at @HRstoriesPodcast Don’t forget to rate our podcast, it really helps other people find it!Do you have a situation or topic you’d like the team to discuss? Are you interested in having Chuck or John talk to your team or Emcee your event? You can reach the Team at Email@TeamAtHRStories.com for suggestions and inquiries.The viewpoints expressed by the characters in the stories are not necessarily that of The Team at HR Stories. The stories are shared to present various, real-world scenarios and share how they were handled by policy and, at times, law. Chuck and John are not lawyers and always recommend working with an employment lawyer to address concerns.

Ep140: Work 32 hours a week whenever works best for you!

Send us a textIn this week’s Hot Topics, Chuck and John talk about the following topics and more:- Companies implementing AI training across their teams- Planned salary increases for 2026 are holding steady to this year. How do we provide value for employees to retain them?- Four-day work weeks seeing a bump in employee productivity and satisfaction. Lumen SEO is taking it to the next level by only requiring employees to work 32 hours per week, whenever works best for them.- Robo-bosses – there are bills being introduced to regulate the use of AI in decision-making processes Support the showOur new book…The Ultimate Guide to HR: Checklists Edition is now AVAILABLE! Go to UltimateGuidetoHR.com to Get HR Right: and Avoid Costly Mistakes. Certified and approved for 3 SHRM Recertification Credits.Join the HR Team of One Community on Facebook or visit TeamAtHRstories.com and sign up for emails so you can be the first to know about new things we have coming up.You can also follow us on Instagram and TikTok at @HRstoriesPodcast Don’t forget to rate our podcast, it really helps other people find it!Do you have a situation or topic you’d like the team to discuss? Are you interested in having Chuck or John talk to your team or Emcee your event? You can reach the Team at Email@TeamAtHRStories.com for suggestions and inquiries.The viewpoints expressed by the characters in the stories are not necessarily that of The Team at HR Stories. The stories are shared to present various, real-world scenarios and share how they were handled by policy and, at times, law. Chuck and John are not lawyers and always recommend working with an employment lawyer to address concerns.