We're Back, Besties!

We’ve missed you! Now sit down (or stand up), because we have so much to tell you in this Happy Hour catch-up. We loved getting back together, talking about everything happening in the world, in HR, in SHRM and in our own lives because… whew. 2026 has already been a year.

In this episode, we get into:

• Ashley’s new book out next week (!!!)

• The truly shocking thing SHRM’s lawyer said during the discrimination trial

• SHRM’s newest lawsuit (just when we thought we were done spending 10 cents a page!)

• Amazon layoffs and the cringe corporate code word

• The general state of the workplace, the world and everyone’s nervous systems.

Listen to the episode and come hang with us. While you’re here… order Ashley’s new book! We’ll make it easy with a button:

The Manager Method releases next Tuesday, February 10th (complete with endorsements on the cover from the other Besties). We’re so excited for you to read it, share it and use it with the managers in your life who are trying to drive results without driving people out the door.

What We’re Up To

We’ll be back as soon as we can, but in the meantime, we’d love to stay connected with you:

• Leigh: Leigh’s deep in her own book writing (and yes, it’s coming next year!). Get on her list at HRManifesto.com. And don’t miss following her on all platforms - as always, sharing is caring!

• Jamie: Jamie is still the funniest person in HR internet land. Follow her at @chiefmemeofficer (and @humorous_resources and her other accounts you can see in her bio), and reach out to her to speak (and listen to find out where she’s speaking soon). You can reach out here!

• Ashley: Ashley’s book is out next week, and your support means everything. Go to managermethod.com/book and you can order the book and also get a free book club guide once it’s live next week (And while you’re there, you can explore Ashley’s leadership development resources built for HR teams who want managers to leave training with real tools, not just theory, and actually apply what they learn day to day.)

Discussion Guide (For Your Team Meeting or Podcast Listening Club)

• Where do you go to keep learning and growing in your career, whether that’s podcasts, books, communities or something else (beyond HR Besties and their books of course)?

• Why is it so much easier to talk about best practices than to actually live them?

• What are realistic ways we can show up for our teams, in each of our respective roles, when something difficult happens at work or in someone’s personal life? How do we balance work and life?

ChatGPT Prompts of the Week

Professional

• What are the most common reasons that best practices in HR aren’t actually followed, and what are realistic steps HR teams can take to close the gap?

• Help me write a message to organizational leaders who don’t see the value of investing in a fully staffed HR team and meaningful organizational training, using the SHRM $11.5 million verdict as a real-world example of why providing that is better than having things go wrong.

Personal(ish)

• If I like resources like the “HR Besties” podcast, what other resources can I use to develop my interest in HR and career generally?

Thank you for listening to our new episode, and your support as always!

XOXO,
Jamie, Leigh & Ashley

Let us know what you took away from this year - from the SHRM trial, to Jamie’s layoff story, to everything in between: