As SHRM Prepares for Trial...

Many Happy Hours start with, “Listen to this…” And this one’s no different, because we’re telling you how “HR Besties” got brought up in court due to our coverage of a certain legal case.

Which case? It’s the SHRM discrimination lawsuit (Mohamed v. Society for Human Resource Management, D. Colo. No. 1:22-cv-01625-GPG-KAS, for our Legal Eagles). This week we’re breaking down updates, and one of them was (very) unexpectedly personal.

SHRM’s lawyers asked the judge for a gag order… because of us. How did the judge respond… and also, how did we respond to finding out they asked this? Well, we do appreciate SHRM’s lawyers calling us a “popular HR podcast” and that we have a million downloads. You’ll have to listen to the episode to hear what SHRM said, what the judge said (including our new favorite phrase) and what we say about it all.

And as always, we do give practical takeaways that everyone can learn from - from the exit-interview recording SHRM is trying to introduce, the very eye-raising questions SHRM wants to ask potential jurors, and why employment lawsuits are painful for all involved.

Go take a listen. And see which Bestie says: “Treating people like humans isn’t just good because you’ll avoid legal bills. It’s good because it’s the right thing to do.”

Discussion Guide (for Your Team Meeting or Podcast Club)

• What’s the real point of exit interviews - and how can we make them worth it?

• What can (and should) leaders do before it gets to the point that people leave because of something?

• When an organization preaches “best practices,” how can someone speak up if the reality they see doesn’t match the message?

ChatGPT Prompts of the Week

Professional

• Give me three examples of phrases to avoid in exit interviews (and what to say instead).

• Help me create talking points for HR leaders on how to handle media or social media attention during a workplace issue.

Personal(ish)

• Compare how something I do at work or in life is like the cerulean sweater in “Devil Wears Prada.”
  (And if you wonder how on earth this ties into the episode… well, go listen!)

Grab your drink of choice and join us for a very special Happy Hour episode of HR Besties - where we’re getting real, getting candid and officially getting called out on the docket.

XOXO,
Jamie, Leigh & Ashley

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