Improve Your HR

This CEO’s Unusual Wine Test Could Land His Company in Hot Water

Evil HR Lady — Mon, 24 Aug 2026 12:47:31 +0000

Bupa CEO Iñaki Ereño runs a multi-billion-pound company in the U.K. I have no doubt that his success in that and previous roles means he knows how to assemble a team. But years and years of leadership roles haven’t taught him one very important thing: When you sit down with a reporter to talk about how you hire, you probably shouldn’t emphasize that you have a legally sketchy method.

In Ereño’s case, he told Fortune’s Oriana Rosa Royle he wants to see candidates who order wine at a lunch interview. Royle writes:

“I tend not to like people that don’t have any initiative,” Ereño tells Fortune. “Imagine if my drink is a glass of water. I’m very happy with someone who says, ‘Do you mind if I have a glass of wine?’”

In fact, the Fortune 500 Europe boss says he’d prefer that to a candidate walking into the lunch interview, seeing his glass of water and ordering the same.

Showing initiative is great. But what he’s doing can be illegal discrimination in the U.K. and the U.S.

Don’t set yourself up for a discrimination claim

Ereño’s decision to classify what drink someone orders at dinner with their ability to take initiative eliminates candidates of multiple religions, as well as pregnant women and some people with protected disabilities.

To keep reading, click here: This CEO’s Unusual Wine Test Could Land His Company in Hot Water

The post This CEO’s Unusual Wine Test Could Land His Company in Hot Water appeared first on Improve Your HR.

Learn the Secrets of Writing Cover Letters (with Your Own Voice, not AI)

Evil HR Lady — Mon, 24 Aug 2026 10:55:09 +0000

Readers get a 25 percent discount with code: EHRL

The job market is tough. Give yourself an edge with a great cover letter that you wrote–not some bot.

If you’re on the job market right now, you know how brutal it is. You’re competing with what feels like the whole world. But there is a key to success–being yourself.

Your competitors are all using AI to generate cover letters that hit all the key points, but sound like a robot. And with AI detectors improving their quality, you want to shine through.

Join job hunting coach and cover letter expert, Shennee Rutt in this quick 30 minute session that will help you put together a cover letter that will catch people’s attention.

Shennee Rutt is the Founder of Laurel Virtual Solutions, where she has championed professional growth for over 12 years, offering bespoke resume writing, LinkedIn optimization, and career development strategies. She focuses on helping job seekers create compelling narratives that reflect each client’s unique strengths, empowering them to excel in competitive markets.

Her expertise in HR consulting, interview preparation, and career strategy enables her to align individual talents with organizational needs. By leveraging tailored methodologies, she supports seamless career transitions and helps clients achieve their professional aspirations with confidence.

Readers get a 25 percent discount with code: EHRL

The post Learn the Secrets of Writing Cover Letters (with Your Own Voice, not AI) appeared first on Improve Your HR.

Why Saying ‘The AI Did It’ Won’t Stop an Age Discrimination Lawsuit

Evil HR Lady — Fri, 21 Aug 2026 12:27:09 +0000

Having AI choose your candidates doesn’t protect you from failure-to-hire lawsuits. A person, claiming to be a general counsel and former Big Law attorney, writing on X as “Will Revieu,” shared a story about an AI disaster. I think this is a fictional tale, but it’s undoubtedly based on a real (albeit exaggerated) situation.

Let’s break it down. He writes:

“I just had a deeply alarming 45 minute sync with our Talent Acquisition team regarding their new AI-driven resume screening tool.

“They reported that the software’s reduced our time-to-hire by 60 percent over the last month.”

Now, this starts out great! Reducing time-to-hire makes a huge difference. But it also suggests the problem isn’t just sourcing; it’s the selection process. Let’s continue:

To keep reading, click here: Why Saying ‘The AI Did It’ Won’t Stop an Age Discrimination Lawsuit

The post Why Saying ‘The AI Did It’ Won’t Stop an Age Discrimination Lawsuit appeared first on Improve Your HR.

A Manager Rejected a Top Candidate Over One Tool. It Backfired Immediately

Evil HR Lady — Fri, 14 Aug 2026 11:39:41 +0000

Hiring the right person is hard. Learning to be an end user on most commercially available software is not hard.

Bryan Creely, a former recruiter and current Cofounder/CEO of Soor, shared a time when he applied for a job he was highly qualified for. The recruiter explained that he was an excellent fit and had everything the company was looking for. The recruiter said,

“You’ve got great recruiting experience, led and mentored teams, and worked directly with executives. We need someone who can develop our inexperienced recruiters.”

But he didn’t end up getting the job. Normally, that’s not surprising–there are often multiple candidates who could do a great job. But Creely asked for and received feedback. Here’s what happened:

[The recruiter] explained, “I was surprised too, but she said you didn’t have recent experience with our Applicant Tracking System software.”

I clarified my experience and reminded him that learning the user interface would only take a few weeks at best.

But he insisted, “I know, but unfortunately, she’s made up her mind.”

To keep reading, click here: A Manager Rejected a Top Candidate Over One Tool. It Backfired Immediately

The post A Manager Rejected a Top Candidate Over One Tool. It Backfired Immediately appeared first on Improve Your HR.

This August Marks 20 Years of Making HR a Little Less Evil

Evil HR Lady — Mon, 10 Aug 2026 20:02:37 +0000

This blog launched 20 years ago! And to celebrate, some big things are coming. Hold onto your hats!

The post This August Marks 20 Years of Making HR a Little Less Evil appeared first on Improve Your HR.

Is Showing Some Midriff At Work Inappropriate?

Evil HR Lady — Mon, 03 Aug 2026 11:30:01 +0000

I’m 23 and work in a semi-creative field — we’re hybrid, only in the office two days a week, and it’s a pretty relaxed dress code where we can actually express our personal style. Nothing I do is client-facing either, so it’s not like I’m representing the company publicly.

The other day, my boss (female, in her 50s) called me in and told me my outfit wasn’t appropriate for work. I was wearing low-rise pants and a blouse that showed just a little tummy. Note that I was channeling office siren, not club girl. I genuinely thought the look was stylish and pretty typical among women my age. Plus, some of my older coworkers regularly show cleavage, which — honestly, good for them! — has never been flagged. I don’t recall anything in my contract prohibiting a bit of midriff.

On top of that, a male coworker recently wore shorts, and no one batted an eye. Is there a double standard here? For women, styles and rules are constantly changing: in the ‘70s, it was standard to go braless; in the ‘60s, it was super-short skirts. So how do I know what is tasteful and what is inappropriate, while staying true to my personal style?

To read my answer, click here: Is Showing Some Midriff At Work Inappropriate?

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The First Rule of Litigation PR Is Silence. Here’s Why JPMorgan Just Broke It

Evil HR Lady — Thu, 30 Jul 2026 10:44:00 +0000

A former JPMorgan Chase banker who once earned over $2 million a year refiled a lawsuit alleging racism and sexual coercion. Chirayu Rana claims that “Lorna Hajdini, a JPMorgan executive director, coerced him into sex and demanded his submissiveness as a condition of advancing his career, repeatedly saying she ‘owned’ him.”

This second filing added multiple complaints, bringing the total to 21 against his former employer. If the complaints are true, it’s a completely shocking story, indicating horrible behavior among senior leaders at JPMorgan.

Employees file lawsuits all the time, and we often don’t know the outcome because they settle quietly, and without a trial we don’t get to hear the defendant’s point of view. That’s normally how most claims of racism and sexual harassment end. But this case is different for several reasons.

To keep reading, click here: The First Rule of Litigation PR Is Silence. Here’s Why JPMorgan Just Broke It

The post The First Rule of Litigation PR Is Silence. Here’s Why JPMorgan Just Broke It appeared first on Improve Your HR.

A Netflix Exec Confessed His Depression Treatment at a Retreat. He Was Fired for It

Evil HR Lady — Tue, 28 Jul 2026 12:31:06 +0000

It’s not ketamine that brought about the termination of a Netflix executive. It’s that he foolishly believed a “trust” exercise would be held confidentially.

The New York Post reports Netflix terminated vice president and head of creative at Eyeline (owned by Netflix), Kevin Baillie, in part because he confessed to receiving ketamine at a clinic as part of treatment for depression.

The Post writes:

During what’s called a “Vulnerability-Trust exercise” at a January 2026 retreat at the exclusive Sendero Ranch, a Northern California property owned by Netflix, Baillie shared with his colleagues that he had undergone the [ketamine] treatment, the suit says.

There is so much wrong with this—if any of it is true. It’s a lesson in exactly what not to do, whether you’re acting as a company leader or as an employee—or both.

Stop playing doctor

Baillie should not have shared his medication history with his colleagues, but once he did, no boss or HR person should have questioned what that means.

To keep reading, click here: A Netflix Exec Confessed His Depression Treatment at a Retreat. He Was Fired for It

The post A Netflix Exec Confessed His Depression Treatment at a Retreat. He Was Fired for It appeared first on Improve Your HR.

Get Real Work Done with Claude

Evil HR Lady — Mon, 27 Jul 2026 09:39:15 +0000

My popular webinar on Claude is back! You can register here: Get Real Work Done With Claude

You Have More HR Work Than Hours in the Day. Claude Can Help — If You Use It Right.

Job descriptions to write. Resumes to screen. Performance reviews to draft. Difficult conversations to plan. Manager emails to soften before they hit “send.”

And then leadership says, “Just use AI.”

Easy to say. But which tool? Used how? With what guardrails?

If you’ve already tried ChatGPT and want to know whether Claude is worth a second look…

If you’ve heard Claude is “the safer one” and want to know what that actually means in practice…

If you want to use AI in HR without creating a compliance, bias, or PR problem…

This webinar is for you.

Join HR expert Suzanne Lucas (aka the Evil HR Lady) for a fast-paced, practical session on using Claude for real HR work — with honest takes on where it helps, where it doesn’t, and how it stacks up against the tool you’re probably already using.

What You’ll Learn

How to Use Claude for High-Stakes HR Work

Write and revise job descriptions, performance reviews, and PIPs that hold up under scrutiny
Plan difficult conversations and rewrite risky manager communications

How to Use Claude for Analysis (Where It Actually Shines)

Review long documents (handbooks, investigations) and extract risks, inconsistencies, and key themes
Compare policies or contracts and clearly identify what changed

How to Work Faster Without Losing Control

Turn survey data, exit interviews, and notes into actionable insights
Use Projects to standardize tone, policies, and internal frameworks

Where Claude Can Get You in Trouble

Bias, hallucinations, and “confident nonsense”
What you should never trust it to do without review

Claude vs. ChatGPT—When It Actually Matters

Side-by-side outputs so you can evaluate the difference yourself

Why You Should Attend

If you’re an HR pro who’s overwhelmed, curious, or already using AI but wondering if you’re using the right one, this session will give you a clear-eyed view — not a sales pitch — of what Claude can and can’t do. Examine

Whether Claude is worth adding to your workflow
When it’s safer than ChatGPT—and when it’s not
How to use either tool without creating legal, ethical, or reputational risk

Who Should Attend?

HR professionals and business partners who write, draft, coach, and review for a living
Managers and supervisors already using AI and wanting to use it better
Small business owners and executives doing HR work without a dedicated HR team
Compliance officers and in-house counsel assessing AI risk in people processes
Operations and team leads looking to cut hours of writing and admin
Anyone who has wondered:
- “Is Claude actually different from ChatGPT, or is that just marketing?”
- “Can I trust this thing with sensitive employee information?”
- “What happens if it gets the law wrong?”
- “Will this make me sound like a robot?”

The post Get Real Work Done with Claude appeared first on Improve Your HR.

When everyone passing a fishing test is a failure

Evil HR Lady — Wed, 22 Jul 2026 13:08:41 +0000

Have you ever wondered if your culture is terrible? Try this fishing test!

Because, seriously, if no one believes that the company is offering a lunch or giving out a gift card, that means you’re not thinking about your employees.

This is not to say that you have to provide lunch or gift cards to have a good culture. You don’t. But when it’s so far out of the realm of possibility that no one falls for it, it’s a sign that your exec team is out of touch.

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