SHRM's Lawsuit Update

Clink, clink Besties!

That’s the clinking of glasses, but we’re also venturing into the courtroom (not prisons, thankfully!) to talk about the big news in the HR world. Specifically, getting ready for SHRM’s discrimination trial and answering a listener’s question about mandatory pizza lunches.

If you haven’t heard or seen our coverage of SHRM being sued by a former employee, then, as background, yes, it’s that SHRM (the Society for Human Resource Management). The same organization that tells everyone else how to manage HR is now defending itself in court. For fellow Legal Eagles like Ashley, the case is Mohamed v Society for Human Resource Management, D. Colo. No.1:22-cv-01625-GPG-KAS.

We’re breaking down what’s actually going on, what lessons to take away and, as of very recently, what SHRM doesn’t want the jury to hear. (For more background, see Ashley’s Instagram summary here and a longer video here (with timestamps) explaining takeaways that all managers and HR should know - we promise it’s easier to follow than a compliance training slide deck.).
And an update: And in the episode (we recorded it last week), we mention a private mediation that happened October 6th - there haven’t been any court docket filings since, so we don’t know whether the parties agreed to settle, but we’ll give updates as soon as we hear them on social media.

And in additional workplace “don’ts”, one of our Besties wrote in with a question that hits a little too close to home - about mandatory pizza parties, when they’re struggling with personal challenges with eating (and a trigger warning for those with similar challenges, you can listen to the first part of our episode on SHRM only if better for you).

Listen for our tips - and what people don’t always realize at work.

Discussion Guide (for Your Team Meeting or Podcast Club)

• How do we make sure people feel respected at work - from a new hire’s first day to moments when managers say they need to “make a change”?

• How can we as an organization hold ourselves accountable, before a plaintiff’s lawyer ends up doing it?

• What are ways to build “culture” - without making it mandatory or uncomfortable?

ChatGPT Prompts of the Week

Professional

• Help me think of work culture building ideas, and also considerations I might not think of due to people’s preferences and personal situations and challenges.

• Our leadership wants to do [Insert (like free lunch on Fridays during an unpaid lunch hour when people are expected to attend)] - what should we be considering?

• Give me three ways to politely decline a work lunch without sounding like I’m an “office grinch.”

Personal(ish)

• Pretend you’re my attorney making a case to the universe for why I’ve earned a season of peace, good things and people who appreciate me.

Grab your drink of choice (coffee, tea, pamplemousse LaCroix or anything else you’d like), and join us for the full Happy Hour episode - where we break down the trial, talk about what respect really means, and yes, say no to unpaid pizza lunches.

XOXO,
Jamie, Leigh & Ashley

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