“Do you have pictures of your daughter in her new school uniform?” When a woman asked this question, it was fine.

When a 44-year-old man asked, he got fired.

And just about everyone at r/legaladviceUK agrees it was right to fire him because it was super creepy.

But the OP has autism of a severe enough nature that he’s just landed his first job at 44. And he says (and for the purposes of this post and discussion, we will believe him) that he was copying his coworker’s behavior with the express idea of bonding with coworkers.

I don’t know anything about UK law, but I do think this is an interesting case. If this were a US case, should the company have treated him differently because of his autism? (He says people knew he was autistic.)

What kind of accommodations are practical and necessary under the ADA?

Is there a world in which this results in a conversation with the employee rather than termination?

I am assuming OP is a man, but it’s possible that OP is female. But if he is a man, this adds another layer. A female employee asked a question, and a male employee asked the same question, and only one was terminated.

This may have been the 14th time he said something inappropriate. It may have been the first. If it was the first time, then I think a discussion would be in order. If it’s the 14th, then yes, termination.

What do you all think?

The post When ADA and Harassment Clash appeared first on Improve Your HR.

So I’m inviting you to a murder.

On Tuesday, October 6, at 12:00 pm Eastern, join me and the team at Vortex Events for a live-hosted comedy murder mystery on Zoom. The case is called Deadly Dining. Chef Connor E. Sewer built the finest five-star vegan restaurant in the world, and now he’s been found in the dumpster behind it. Everyone in the room is a suspect, including you.

We’ll kick off with a quick 10-minute look at how to boost engagement, culture, and retention on your team. Then we spend 50 minutes solving a crime together. You’ll see firsthand what a well-run team event feels like from the inside, which is a lot more useful than reading about it.

It’s free, and seats are limited.

Reserve your seat

What you’ll get out of it:

• Practical ideas for improving engagement, culture, and retention on your team
• An overview of the options available for building stronger team connections, virtually or in person
• A firsthand look at what makes an interactive team event work, and why some get people talking while others feel like one more meeting
• An hour of laughing, accusing strangers of murder, and celebrating 20 years with this community

Who should come:

• HR managers and HR business partners: see what a team event looks like before you recommend one to leadership
• People and culture leads: get ideas for engagement and retention that don’t involve another survey
• Managers of remote or hybrid teams: experience what it takes to get people participating rather than just showing up
• Small business owners: find out whether this kind of event would work for your team without committing your whole staff to try it
• Anyone planning a holiday or year-end team event: this is a no-risk preview

No team required. This one is just for you.

About Vortex Events
Vortex Events hosts live team experiences for remote and hybrid teams all year, including murder mysteries, escape rooms, holiday parties and gifting, tastings, and professional development sessions. Every event is run start to finish by a live host, so everyone participates, and no one is left out. Events are available virtually or in person at your location.

You’ll need to join from a computer, not a phone. Your Zoom link arrives by email after you register.

Hope to see you there. Bring your suspicions.

Suzanne
Evil HR Lady

Reserve your seat

The post Celebrate 20 years with me (bring your detective skills) appeared first on Improve Your HR.

Your business depends on getting quality employees into the right roles, and sometimes your biggest barrier to that is your managers. A Reddit post on r/recruitinghell shared a story of a job interview where the hiring manager damaged the company’s reputation.

The post A Hiring Manager Called a Candidate ‘Too Stupid to Work Here.’ The Real Failure Wasn’t the Candidate appeared first on Improve Your HR.

Saturday morning, I was on a train from Basel, Switzerland, to Bern, and the sun was at just the right level to blind me, so I pulled the shade down. At the first stop, a woman got on, sat down across from me, and immediately raised the window shade, telling me she wanted to see the beautiful Swiss countryside.

The post The Most Dangerous Thing a New Manager Can Say Is ‘I’ll Fix This’ appeared first on Improve Your HR.

Out Front HR is a conference for the HR people who support shift workers. But when I announced it, the free ticket only let you attend live. That doesn’t make much sense if you’re covering a shift, dealing with a staffing emergency, or simply can’t step away for six hours on a Monday.

So I’ve changed it: free registration now includes live access and 48 hours to watch the session recordings after the event.

Out Front HR is Monday, November 2, from noon to 6 p.m. Eastern. We’ll focus on the realities of HR in retail, hospitality, call centers, care settings, warehouses, manufacturing, and other workplaces where people have to show up in person.

Join us live when you can. Catch up on what you miss over the next two days. Either way, it’s free.

Register for Out Front HR for free

If you want recertification credits, slides and handouts, and at least six months of recording access, the $97 VIP option is still available.

But you don’t need VIP to watch sessions you missed on November 2.

See you there,

Suzanne

p.s. I’ve also streamlined registration.

Monday, November 2, 2026

12:00-6:00 PM Eastern

11:00-5:00 PM Central

10:00-4:00 PM Mountain

9:00-3:00 PM Pacific

Register for Out Front HR for free

The post You asked for a way to watch Out Front HR later appeared first on Improve Your HR.

HR is a white-collar function trying to manage a blue-collar workforce.

This isn’t to say there aren’t white-collar workforces, but 80 percent of employees are frontline workers, and when HR is focused on a laptop-driven world, we know it won’t work in the warehouse. HR needs to be down on the floor, know what it’s like to stock a shelf, and take a call from a confused and angry customer.

This 6-hour virtual conference is free for attendees because Out Front HR people deserve information and a break.

The Out Front HR Summit focuses exclusively on HR for the hourly workforce, such as retail, call centers, hospitality, nursing homes, warehouses, and manufacturing. Places where people have to show up every day.

And so does HR. These businesses have unique needs, and it’s time for a conference that meets them.

Monday, November 2, 2026

12:00-6:00 PM Eastern

11:00-5:00 PM Central

10:00-4:00 PM Mountain

9:00-3:00 PM Pacific

Register here: Out Front HR Summit

Frequently Asked Questions

Q. What is VIP registration?

Go VIP  for $97— because your time should count.

You’ll spend the day learning either way. VIP makes sure it counts toward your recertification and stays with you long after the event ends.

• 5 HRCI/SHRM credits — recertify for less than $20 per credit (most courses charge 2–4x that)

• Every slide deck and handout — the templates, checklists, and frameworks you’ll actually use back at your desk
• Full video access — can’t make a session live? Watch on your schedule. Miss nothing.
• Live access to every session — learn from the experts in real time.
• Live Q&A — bring your toughest frontline HR problem
• Contests and giveaways — join in and win

Free gets you the day. VIP gets you the credits, the takeaways, and the replay — for less than a nice dinner out.

Register for VIP Status: Out Front HR VIP

Q. What is Free Registration?

A. Free General Admission to Out Front HR

HR for the jobs that clock in — and it won’t cost you a thing to be in the room.

Frontline and hourly workforces run differently, and most HR advice ignores that. Out Front HR doesn’t. Join live for a full day of practical sessions built for the realities of shift work, high turnover, and teams that don’t sit at desks.

Your free ticket includes:

• Live access to every session — learn from the experts in real time

• Live Q&A — bring your toughest frontline HR problem

• Contests and giveaways — join in and wi

No credit card, no catch. Just register and show up.

Want the credits, the slides, and the replays? Upgrade to VIP for $97 and earn 5 HRCI/SHRM recertification credits, keep every handout, and watch on your own schedule.

Register for General Admission: Out Front HR General Admission

Q. When and Where is Out Front HR?

A. Out Front HR is a Virtual Conference—so you can watch it from anywhere!

Monday, November 2, 2026

12:00-6:00 PM Eastern

11:00-5:00 PM Central

10:00-4:00 PM Mountain

9:00-3:00 PM Pacific

Q. Where can I learn more?

A. OutFrontHR.com has all the details, including

• All the speakers

• Event Time

• Sponsors

If you have additional questions, just email Suzanne@EvilHRLady.org and we’ll get back to you ASAP

The post Out Front HR Summit November 2! Register for free! appeared first on Improve Your HR.

The internet is having a meltdown over a recruiter’s advice: Don’t bring an iced coffee to a job interview.

The post Yes, You Should Leave Your Iced Coffee in the Car Before a Job Interview appeared first on Improve Your HR.

He laughed as he explained that he knew she was just telling him that to try to get a raise. He held fast, didn’t give her a raise, and didn’t report any of this to HR. Ha, ha, so funny.

Here’s the thing: I know he received training. I know that if I gave him a quiz about what to do if an employee reports harassment, he’d get that question right. But when it came down to a messy situation, with an employee he felt he knew well, he decided her complaints were unfounded and just an attempt to manipulate him into a raise.

John knew the rules, but didn’t know how to apply them in a real-life situation

John was rather surprised when I told him he should have turned that incident over to HR. He argued she wasn’t really harassed, and it was just about getting a raise, which he didn’t give her.

This is a pretty classic example of the mismatch between training and application.

A recent study by Go1 found that this type of gap is common. HR and Compliance leaders say, confidently, that their employees understand the rules. 95 percent of HR and 89 percent of Compliance leaders say employees understand the policies.

But in action, only 65 percent of employees actually applied those policies.

Like John, many couldn’t see how the training they received applied in situations that were a bit sticky. The employee did want a raise. (She had told me the same, but had not told me about the harassment.) Is it possible that she was trying to manipulate him into a raise? Sure. But it doesn’t matter. Every claim needs to be investigated. Who knows what we would have found out if we had investigated.

Completing training isn’t enough

It’s good to complete training. But it’s not enough if employees can’t handle real-life situations. You need to make sure your employees aren’t just trained. They need to be ready.

This is where tools like Go1’s Immersive Simulations can help.

Instead of asking employees to simply remember the right answer on a quiz, simulations take them through the kind of sticky situations they are likely to encounter in real life. They help employees practice when to escalate, when to ask for help, and how to respond when the situation is uncomfortable or unclear.

Life isn’t like a television show where there is always a clear hero and clear villain. Sometimes the employee is trying to manipulate you into a raise, but slurs are still inappropriate and must be investigated. Sometimes everyone in a conflict is a rotten person. The company still needs to investigate and take action when warranted.

By giving employees a place to practice icky situations in a safe setting, you increase the employee’s ability to make the right decision when the situation arises. And that’s the difference between an employee quitting and staying. Or the difference between a lawsuit and an engaged employee.

John received training, but he didn’t know how to apply it. Make sure your employees have the application down as well.

The post Employees Know the Policy. They Don’t Know What to Do With It appeared first on Improve Your HR.

I started my current job in April. When I accepted the job, I had a hard time deciding between it and another offer from a similar company. The deciding factor was that I really liked the manager of the group I was interviewing with (let’s call him Bob). He was a proponent of work-life balance, very easy-going, and had a good reputation. I had had several conversations with him on the phone about some concerns I had about the type of work I’d be doing, and he alleviated my concerns. My offer letter stated that I would be reporting directly to Bob. However, on my first day, I was told I would be reporting to someone else under Bob, let’s call him John. I had never been given any indication that I might be reporting to John. John was a new manager and had only two people below him. I was assured I was “on the same level” as the rest of the group, but would be managed by John. In my first week, I spoke to Bob about how I was surprised by the change, and he said that the offer letter went out with him mistakenly listed as my manager, and asked if there was a problem. I said no (what was I supposed to say?), but I have since had a bad working relationship with John. He is a micromanager, very political in the organization, and not supportive of work-life balance. He’s everything I didn’t want in a manager, and I absolutely would not have taken the job had I known I was going to report to him.

At this point, I’m actively seeking employment elsewhere. I have tried to work with John – I have talked to him about my concerns and have also expressed to Bob that I’m not happy with the arrangement. It’s pretty clear nothing is going to change. So my question is: When I quit, do you think I will have any right to not pay back the sign-on bonus I received, since the terms of my offer were not met? I received my offer letter almost 3 weeks before I started the job, so they had plenty of time to alert me of the mistake but never did.

In today’s world, we hear a lot about people who show up on the first day and are a whole different person than the person who appeared in the virtual interview, but this kind of deception isn’t limited to employees. Companies also swap out managers. The only difference is that very few people consider this unethical.

Companies definitely have the right to change your supervisor–if not, they could end up in violations every time a manager quit, was transferred, or was promoted. If this was an honest mistake on the offer letter, that’s one thing. But if Bob knew you would be working for John and put down his name anyway–knowing John was not the easiest person to work for–then that is unethical.

Pro tip: If you have to lie to get someone to accept the job, you’re the problem.

Your direct question (do you have to pay back the sign-on bonus) would be best handled by a lawyer who read your actual offer letter. You may have a case, but I would bet not. I do think you would have more of a case if you had stated, when you first found out, that you would not have taken the job had you known.

For the record, I think you are wise to realize that this situation is not going to work out. So many people stay in jobs that they hate, hoping that things will get better. Sometimes they do, and sometimes they don’t. However, you have no legal or moral obligation to stick around.

I have a sneaking suspicion that John wouldn’t be unhappy to see you go either. Managers dislike managing people who hate them as much as you hate being managed by them. You may be able to negotiate a deal where you go quietly without having to repay, or only repaying a portion.

And make sure payroll calculates your repayment. Sign-on bonuses have taxes withheld at a supplemental rate, which means a good chunk is taken out. You only have to repay the amount you actually received. So, your sign-on bonus was $10,000. Your net check was $6500. You repay the $6500. Payroll will adjust your W2 to take care of all the tax implications. (If you were leaving next year, then this becomes more complicated.)

And let this be a lesson to you sign-on bonus people–don’t go spending until you are sure you are happy.

Just be glad it wasn’t a relocation deal. Relocation for a homeowner can run over $100,000 in my neck of the woods. In that case, I’d tell you to suffer.

Register for free here: https://aihrconf.com/?

The post When the manager isn’t who you expected appeared first on Improve Your HR.

But we all know that training isn’t enough. You have to reinforce the training, and HR says that’s happening. In fact, according to a recent study by Go1, 85 percent of HR leaders say their training is reinforced.

Great. 

Then why 53 percent of those same HR leaders saying that their “organization experienced incidents in the past 12 months that additional training, reinforcement, or earlier intervention may have helped prevent”?

Oh. 

And also, 76 percent of “compliance, legal, and risk leaders say reinforcement happens always or often.”

But the contradictions increase. While everyone is saying, “Oh, yes, we do our compliance training, and then we follow up with it!” they also admit that there are problems.

Only 18% of HR leaders and 13 percent of compliance, legal, and risk leaders say their current compliance approach focuses on reinforcing learning after training. 

If you’re not reinforcing training, you’re not really training.

If you train someone how to run a cash register at a fast food restaurant, the “training” takes one shift, maybe two. It’s not complicated. But that training is then reinforced every single time the new employee comes to work. Every shift, the employee runs a cash register until they are ringing up burgers and fries in their sleep and saying, “Would you like ketchup with that?” to random strangers.

That’s reinforced training.

But with compliance training, most of the tasks aren’t done every day. Some of the training is for tasks that may never actually happen. 

So, it’s difficult for someone to have their training reinforced through daily work. It takes a concentrated effort for managers to train their employees.

Which is why you have to work the training into the day-to-day. 

Managers need support 

Training isn’t just an HR issue or an employee issue. It’s a manager issue. Is continued compliance training a KPI for your managers?

If it’s not, it’s doubtful that your managers will truly focus on training on things that don’t come up all that often. Yes, the daily tasks are fine and well learned, but the other things–the sometimes things–are not learned.

If a manager doesn’t benefit from focusing on training, they are unlikely to reinforce training. And that’s how you end up with errors and problems even after HR has checked the box saying everyone is trained.

Checkbox training is the problem

You can see videos of people “completing” training by fast-forwarding videos, or skipping to the end and answering a quiz that they can pass without thinking.

Passing a quiz is a checkbox, not a reinforcement of principles. 

The true test is real-world compliance. Can your employees put the information to use in real life?

This requires a bit more work on the part of the trainer and the manager. Setting up a scenario in the workday, for instance, can refresh memories and truly test if someone understands. The idea isn’t a “gotcha” where you punish employees for making a mistake, but an opportunity to see if the employee truly knows what to do.

Compliance training is important, and it’s not enough to just get it done. It needs to be reinforced.

Simulations as a solution

This is where Go1’s Immersive Simulations are worth considering. It’s not a quiz that your employees take where they can get the right answer by knowing a bit about logic and reasoning. Go1 focuses on simulations where they have to apply real knowledge.

That matters because compliance problems rarely arrive as neat, obvious quiz questions. They show up as grey areas, awkward conversations, unclear reporting moments, or situations where employees need to decide whether to pause, ask, escalate, or act.

By giving employees a safer way to practice those decisions before the stakes are real, Go1 Immersive Simulations can help organizations see where people are confident, where they are guessing, and where more support is needed.

The post Your Compliance Training Worked. Then Everyone Went Back to Work appeared first on Improve Your HR.