HR Stories Podcast - A Lesson in Every Story!

Ep160: You Can Pump... If We're Staffed

28 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Send us Fan MailWhen a medical facility told a new mother that she could take a couple of minutes to pump ONLY if they were well-staffed, it wasn&apos...

Ep159: Friction-Causing Jolts Making Your Employees Quit

21 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Send us Fan MailWhen your employees experience moments of friction that make them question their relationship with their job or the company they work ...

Ep158: Succession - It doesn't need to be TV-worthy drama

14 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Send us Fan MailHaving a solid succession plan at your company can not only help you have the right people to fill a role and provide clarity for your...

Ep157: The Changing Landscape of Internships

07 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Send us Fan MailInternships have long been seen as stepping stones in careers, but recent developments have raised serious questions about their struc...

Ep156: Discrimination By Customer Request

31 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Send us Fan MailWhen a patient requests that they re-assign a home-health nurse because they didn't want them to be black, the company made a dan...

Ep155: Let Your Employees Gossip (Kind Of)

24 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Send us Fan MailOffice gossip is an unavoidable fixture of the work environment and can even have benefits to the relationships your teams build. But ...

Ep154: The End of Women's Retreats? Not Exactly.

17 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Send a textWhen Coca Cola hosted a company-sponsored networking event for female employees, the flag was raised to the EEOC for discrimination. So doe...

Ep153: Can you do everything right and still get sued?

11 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Send a textWhen you have a legitimate reason to terminate an employee, can they still sue you? The answer may make you feel uneasy. While you can&apos...

Ep152: AI in HR - While the Courts Decide, What You Need to Think About

24 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Send a textAI is here and there are ongoing court cases to determine the legality of using it for screening candidates. While the courts work to deter...

Ep151: HR Thought Leadership - What are the pressures we're facing?

17 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Send a textIn today's fast-paced business environment, HR leaders face a myriad of challenges that demand their immediate attention. From the ris...

Ep150: HR in the News - Shifts in the job market and what it really means

03 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Send us a textChuck and John discuss the latest news in the HR world, including impacts of the weather, a recent EEOC decision, a shift to return to o...

Ep149: Q&A - Managing Emotional Responses

27 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Send us a textWelcome to another Listener Q&A with The Team at HR Stories! Today's episode goes into these questions:Can an employee be disci...

Ep148: Planning for Employment Law Changes in 2026 - Pt 2

20 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Send us a textWelcome back to part two of the Employment Law series, where the team looks at changes coming to the laws *you need to know about* in 20...

Ep147: Planning for Employment Law Changes in 2026 - Pt 1

13 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Send us a textPart 1 - The start of the year is bringing a lot of uncertainty for those in HR. We are expecting a lot of change from a federal level a...

Ep146: The Best of 2025

16 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Send us a textAs we all prepare to wrap up our 2025 and head into 2026, we take a moment to reflect on some of the most important issues that have fac...

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

09 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

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 wo...

Ep144: Moldy Misery - The Importance of Tracking Your Efforts

02 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

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...

Ep143: Q&A - Do I have to let ICE in?

01 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

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 ...

Ep142: A Six Million Dollar Mistake

18 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

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 c...

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

04 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

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 ...

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

29 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

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 t...

Ep139: Sunday Off - The Cost of Revoking a Religious Accommodation

21 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Send us a textWhen an employee’s request for Sundays off was approved — then revoked — it led to an EEOC case and a costly lesson in religious a...

Ep138: Hot Topics - Workday is all in AI and Starbucks tells corporate to take their coffee to-go

14 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Send us a textWorkday going all in on AI, spending astronomical amounts of money investing in AI softwares and agents. With AI not going anywhere, wha...

Ep137: Q&A - I need OUT of HR!

07 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Send us a textWelcome to another Listener Q&A with The Team at HR Stories! Today's episode goes into these questions:What should you think ab...

Ep136: Listener Q&A - Should We Pay Them? Is Hiring On Vibes Okay?

30 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Send us a textWelcome to another Listener Q&A with The Team at HR Stories! Today's episode goes into these questions:Do you have to follow th...

Ep135: You'll never be a manager if you keep taking medical leave.

23 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Send us a textWhen someone goes from star employee to being told that he will never be a manager because they used their FMLA, a legally protected lea...

Ep134: Hot Topics - Perks, Racial Discrimination, & Job Hugging

16 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Send us a textWelcome to a new format from the team where they explore hot topics in the news! In today's episode Chuck and John discuss the foll...

Ep133: Listener Q&A - Changes to HR and State Laws

09 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Send us a textWelcome to another Listener Q&A with The Team at HR Stories! Today's episode goes into these questions:HR is constantly changin...

Ep132: Off The Clock Behavior & What You Can Do About It

02 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Send us a textWe've seen it in the news and around social media - someone did something controversial and they went viral for it. Next thing we h...

Summer School: Are you wearing shorter skirts yet?

26 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Send us a textJoin Chuck and John as they go back to an episode that originally aired in May of 2021 to review the Ellerth v Burlington case. ---Kimb...

Summer School: I want to go to bed with you - Meritor Savings Bank v. Vinson

19 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Send us a textJoin Chuck and John this week as they go back to an episode from May 27, 2021 about the case that redefined what sexual harassment can l...

Ep131: Chuck Goes to SHRM!

12 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Send us a textJohn talks to Chuck to glean what he learned at the recent National SHRM Conference. While there was the expected hot topic of AI in hum...

Summer School: The PUMP Act

29 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Send us a textIn today's summer school episode, Chuck and John revisit the cases that help us understand the importance of the PUMP act. In this...

Summer School: Pregnancy in the Workplace Makes its Mark on the Supreme Court

22 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Send us a textJoin Chuck and John as they take a trip back to June of 2023 to revisit the case of Geduldig v. Aiello - the ORIGINAL pregnancy Supreme ...

Summer School: The Supreme Court Case That Defined Sexual Harassment – Meritor Savings Bank v. Vinson

15 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Send us a textThis week in our Summer School series, we’re revisiting a landmark case that forever reshaped HR law and workplace culture: Meritor Sa...

Summer School: Revisiting Supreme Court Cases That Changed HR - Griggs v Duke Power

08 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Send us a textWelcome to Summer School! Chuck and John are going to take you back through some of the biggest Supreme Court cases that changed the fac...

Ep130: Listener Q&A - Bad Attitudes, Walking Off The Job, & Quid Pro Quo

01 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Send us a textWelcome to another Listener Q&A with The Team at HR Stories! Today's episode goes into these questions:Can you terminate an emp...

Ep129: Listener Q&A - What's the law anymore?

17 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Send us a textRacial harassment, DEI confusion, and legal landmines—this episode dives into the HR challenges small businesses can’t afford to mis...

Ep128: Recent and Upcoming Policy Changes You Need to Know

10 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Send us a textThere has been no shortage of policy updates this year and it's enough to make any HR pro's head spin. Join the team as they g...

Ep127: QA - Military Leave, Annoying Managers, and Skipped Lunches

03 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Send us a textWelcome to another Listener Q&A with The Team at HR Stories! Today's episode goes into these questions:We have someone out on m...

Ep126: Part 2 What Keeps You Up At Night in HR

27 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Send us a textChuck and John are back this week with part 2 of what is keeping HR professionals awake at night. Catch up on the ins and outs of the is...

Ep125: Part 1 What Keeps You Up At Night - Tackling the HR Issues of Today

20 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Send us a textPart 1 of 2 - Do you have sleepless nights, stressing about all of the things you need to take care of in your workplace? Working in HR,...

From the Vault - Preventable Death in the Workplace

13 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Send us a textJoin the team as the jump back to an episode from last summer where they talk about how to keep you and your employees safe during the s...

Ep124: Heels, Health, and HR Headaches - The Dress Code Lawsuit Every Employer Should Know

06 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Send us a textWhat happens when a company's dress code walks straight into a lawsuit? In this eye-opening episode, Chuck and John unpack the real...

Ep123: Q&A - Smelly Lunch and Consistent Callouts

29 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Send us a textWelcome to another Listener Q&A with The Team at HR Stories! Today's episode goes into these questions:1. Can you require a doc...

Ep122: Burnout, Stress & Leadership – What HR Needs to Hear Right Now

22 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Send us a textJohn Thalheimer and Chuck Simikian unpack the growing crisis of burnout and chronic stress among HR professionals and business leaders. ...

Ep121: Q&A - Retaliation against HR, demotion compensation, and mixed employment

15 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Send us a textWelcome to another Listener Q&A with The Team at HR Stories! Today's episode goes into these questions:What should an HR employ...

Ep120: Updates from the EEOC - Lawful DEI in the Trump Era

08 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Send us a textThe Trump Administration has signed a flurry of executive orders - some of which have direct impacts on the workplace. It’s critical, ...

Ep119: Q&A - The Nitty Gritty of Overtime

01 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Send us a textWelcome to another Listener Q&A with The Team at HR Stories! Today's episode goes into these questions:What’s the smallest in...

Ep118: Pay Discrimination & Retaliation - How to Avoid Costly Mistakes

25 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Send us a textThis is a case you can’t afford to ignore. When AccentCare, Inc. paid a less-experienced male nurse more than a seasoned female nurse—...

Ep117: Q&A - Medical Disclosures & Unauthorized Charges

18 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Send us a textWelcome to another Listener Q&A with The Team at HR Stories! Today's episode goes into these questions:We have an employee who ...

Ep116: HR on Trial - The Importance of Good Record Keeping

11 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Send us a textIn this episode, we dive into the shocking case of Reena Mathew, an HR Business Partner at Santander Consumer USA, who was placed on a P...

Ep115: Listener Q&A - We Answer Your Questions: When HR gets messy and complicated

04 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Send us a textWelcome to another Listener Q&A with The Team at HR Stories! Today's episode goes into these questions:I’m newly taking over ...

Ep114: Beating the Challenges of Being a CHRO

25 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Send us a textIn today’s episode, you’ll follow along with a CHRO who was tasked with tackling hybrid work challenges, boosting employee well-bein...

Ep113: Listener Q&A - We Answer Your Questions: Life & Death - Acknowledging Key Life Moments

18 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Send us a textWelcome to another Listener Q&A with The Team at HR Stories! Today's episode goes into these questions:How do you deal with the...

Ep112: Perceived Bias and Promotion Troubles - Keeping Hiring Legal & Clear

11 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Send us a textIn this episode, Chuck and John break down the Cunningham v. Department of Defense case, where a qualified employee’s promotion was de...

EP111: Listener Q&A - We Answer Your Questions: Working without paperwork, Layoff Difficulty, and Passive Aggression

04 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Send us a textHR is hard - BambooHR is easy!  See for yourself with a free demo at BambooHR: https://shorturl.at/E7kkFWelcome to another Listener Q&a...

Ep110: Remote Work Legal Complexity - State Laws vs Company Location

28 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Send us a textIn a landmark remote work case, when Inna worked remotely in New Jersey for a Pennsylvania-based company, she assumed New Jersey's ...

Ep109: Listener Q&A - We Answer Your Questions: Employee Statuses and Preparing for the Next Role

21 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Send us a textWelcome to another Listener Q&A with The Team at HR Stories! Today's episode goes into these questions:Can you start an employe...

Ep108: Trump's HR Impacts - What to Expect From the Next Administration

14 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Send us a textWe are just days away from a new administration stepping in to The White House. Every time we have a change of office, there are impacts...

Ep107: The LIVE Edition! How These Checklists Can Improve Your 2025 & Beyond

08 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Send us a textWELCOME TO THE LIVE EPISODE! Join Chuck and John for this playback of their first live recording, done on January 7th, 2025. There'...

Ep106: When Audits Come Knocking - Start 2025 On The Right Foot

31 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Send us a textThe new year is upon us and with it comes an opportunity for a fresh start. Start your 2025 off right with an audit of the top-ten issue...

Ep105: 2024 Top 10 Q&A!

24 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Send us a textThe year has been filled with a lot of updates, changes, and questions along the way. Hang out with Chuck and John as they review some o...

Ep104: From the Holiday Vault - Revisiting the Poor Working Conditions of the North Pole

17 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Send us a textTake a trip down memory lane with Chuck and John as they visit the North Pole and talk about the brutal work conditions of everyone&apos...

Ep103: Grandma Got Fired, Not Retired - How Trader Joe's learned that Niceness can Backfire

10 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Send us a textGloria worked for Trader Joe's for over 15 years and it was a family affair - with her grandson working at the same store. When a s...

Ep102: Listener Q&A - We Answer Your Questions: After Hours Tasks and Getting Fired on Leave

03 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Send us a textWelcome to another Listener Q&A with The Team at HR Stories! Today's episode goes into these questions:Do we need to reimburse ...

Ep101: Questions and Lessons from the News - Topics You'll Give a Hoot About

26 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Send us a textIn this week's episode, Chuck and John dive into several questions ripped from headlining stories. From Hooters discriminatory hiri...

Ep100: The Big 100 - HR Stories Podcast Celebrates 100 Episodes

19 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Send us a textThe big day is here! Chuck and John celebrate the podcast's 100th episode by looking back at their top 10 podcast stories, looking ...

Ep99: Q&A - The Employee Edition: The questions your employees may be afraid to ask

05 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Send us a textIn today's episode, Chuck and John take on some of the tough questions that come from the employee's perspective. As an HR pro...

Ep98: Listener Q&A - We Answer Your Questions: Would you like cheese with that?

29 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Send us a textWelcome to another Listener Q&A with The Team at HR Stories! Today's episode goes into these questions:How much do you take die...

Ep97: The Future Of Work: What Are We Missing?

22 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Send us a textIt’s easy for us to look back and see how much has changed from 5 or 10 years ago but it can sometimes be easy to miss the subtle chan...

Ep96: Listener Q&A - We Answer Your Questions: Avoiding a bad hire and restriction avoidant workers

15 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Send us a textWelcome to another Listener Q&A with The Team at HR Stories! Today's episode goes into these questions:How do you effectively a...

Ep95: He Was In Hot Water... Literally - Workmans' Comp Need To Know

08 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Send us a textWhen a new hire of a trucking company follows directives from a supervisor, he lands in hot water - literally - and in a dispute around ...

Ep94: Listener Q&A - We Answer Your Questions: Getting Directors to Take a Step Back and Operations to Align

01 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Send us a textWelcome to another Listener Q&A with The Team at HR Stories! Today's episode goes into these questions:Should supervisors worki...

Ep93: Make HR Easy - The Ultimate Guide to HR

24 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Send us a textWhether you’re a seasoned HR professional or someone who was volun-told that you are now handling HR functions at work, there can be a...

Ep92: A Smile or a Consequence - Trader Joe's Problematic Stance on Positivity

17 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Send us a textA story in the New York Times brought to light a different side to the Trader Joe's so many know and love, talking about how a poli...

Ep91: Listener Q&A - We Answer Your Questions: When you want to fire a customer

10 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Send us a textWelcome to another Listener Q&A with The Team at HR Stories! Today's episode goes into these questions:Are the new FLSA Salary ...

Ep90: From the Vault - "I’m Going to Run You Over with this Forklift" - An Intense Tale of Sexual Harassment

03 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Send us a textToday, Chuck and John went into the vault to talk about the crazy story that had someone saying, "I'm going to run you over wi...

Ep89: Nose Pickers and Scab Pickers - It Gets Weird In HR

27 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Send us a textIn this weird and wacky episode, Chuck and John talk about some of the more strange instances they and other HR professionals have dealt...

Ep88: Listener Q&A - We Answer Your Questions: Working for Competitors and Social Media Problems

20 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Send us a textWelcome to another Listener Q&A with The Team at HR Stories! Today's episode goes into these questions:How do you handle a sala...

Ep87: Interviews - Getting Them Right

13 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Send us a textJoin us in this episode of the HR Stories Podcast, where we uncover the complexities and legalities of the interview process. Chuck and ...

Ep86: Listener Q&A - We Answer Your Questions: FMLA, Merger Timelines, and Layoff Worries

06 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Send us a textWelcome to another Listener Q&A with The Team at HR Stories! Today's episode goes into these questions:Does FMLA paperwork need...

Ep85: You Can't Make Me Take This Training!

30 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Send us a textSomething big is coming from The Team at HR Stories this fall! Don’t miss out on the chance at an early view of it.In this week’s ep...

Ep84: Listener Q&A - We Answer Your Questions: Will all this be declassified? Or is this confidential?

23 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Send us a textWelcome to another Listener Q&A with The Team at HR Stories! Today's episode goes into these questions:How does confidentiality...

Ep83: Celebrating the Civil Rights Act - There are Still Lessons to Learn

16 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Send us a textIt’s July! You know that means we’re celebrating! Not only the 4th of July but also the 60th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act, si...

Ep82: Listener Q&A - We Answer Your Questions: Out-of-work behavior, Termination Blues, and PTO Swaps

09 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Send us a textWelcome to another Listener Q&A with The Team at HR Stories! Today's episode goes into these questions:Can I hold an employee r...

Ep81: Gender Discrimination - How to Ensure an Inclusive Workspace and Avoid a Lawsuit

02 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Send us a textLaws around discrimination on the basis of sex are nothing new but the conversation and nuance around it has changed. While political cl...

Ep80: Listener Q&A - We Answer Your Questions: Job Descriptions, Balancing Accommodation with Production, and Celebrations

25 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Send us a textWelcome to another Listener Q&A with The Team at HR Stories! Today's episode goes into these questions:Do you have a good step-...

Ep79: Preventable Death in the Workplace

18 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Send us a textSummer’s here and you don’t want to get ‘burned’ by the seasonal conditions. In today’s episode, Chuck and John explore the da...

Ep78: Listener Q&A - We Answer Your Questions: The Dos and Don'ts of Exempt vs Non-exempt

11 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Send us a textWelcome to another Listener Q&A with The Team at HR Stories! Today's episode goes into these questions:Can I, as an exempt empl...

Ep77: The Hidden Dangers of Social Media Retaliation - What Employers Need to Know

04 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Send us a textIn today's episode, we're unraveling a case that blends social media, workplace rights, and a touch of constitutional debate. ...

Ep76: From the Vault - Breaking Legal Barriers: The Part-Time Secretary Who Rewrote Harassment Laws

28 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Send us a textToday, we jump back into the vault to revisit one of our most popular stories from this year - Sheri Minarsky's workplace harassmen...

Ep75: It Spreads Faster Than Covid! - Watch out for this contagion in your office.

21 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Send us a textYour office might be susceptible to a fast-spreading and harmful contagion. You can't see it but you can feel it... and you can def...

Ep74: Listener Q&A - We Answer Your Questions: They're threatening to sue for wrongful termination

14 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Send us a textWelcome to another Listener Q&A with The Team at HR Stories! Today's episode goes into these questions:Several employees clock ...

Ep73: The Headline Stories - You've Read About It. Let's Talk About it.

07 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Send us a textChuck and John do a twist on the normal episode, taking headlines you may have read and heard about and diving into them to pull out the...

Ep72: Listener Q&A - We Answer Your Questions: The Trolly Car Predicament for Saving Jobs

30 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Send us a textWelcome to another Listener Q&A with The Team at HR Stories! Today we have a couple of updates before we dive into the questions.Whi...

Ep71: Testing the limits: when Honest Belief meets Workplace Reality.

23 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Send us a textAn employee gets drug tested and the test comes back positive. Seems like an easy call to make... or so you think. This was the predicam...

Ep70: Listener Q&A - We Answer Your Questions: Got a policy for your policies?

16 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Send us a textWelcome to another Listener Q&A with The Team at HR Stories! Today's episode goes into these questions:Is there a type of polic...

Ep69: A Pig’s Head - I am going to make him an offer he can’t refuse

09 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Send us a textThis week, the team is uncovering the dark side of retaliation in the workplace, straight from a nightmarish case at Tosh Farms, Tenness...

Ep68: Listener Q&A - We Answer Your Questions: Vulgar Vehicles, Restricted Workloads, PTO Negotiations, and Poor Performers

02 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Send us a textWelcome to another Listener Q&A with The Team at HR Stories! Today's episode goes into these questions:Our handbook policy says...