Practical HR Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
Posts focus on what not to do in the workplace, based on examples from television, film, and other popular media.
Is whole milk okay? This month’s biggest internet debate asks whether bringing an iced coffee to an interview is unprofessional. Corporate recruiter Caitlin Wehniainen thinks so. In a one-minute viral TikTok, she opines that bringing an iced coffee to a job interview is perceived as casual and makes it look like the interview is just […]
Taylor Swift’s recent sourdough obsession offers an unexpectedly useful lesson for employers navigating employee performance improvement concerns: good results take the right ingredients, a little patience, and plenty of follow-up. So what do sourdough and employee performance issues have in common? They’re both crummy! I was inspired by Taylor’s journey into sourdough and actually started […]
I do not typically write in first person. But this article is all about trying and Trying, so for purposes of this article, I am trying something new. And I am trying to convince you to watch Trying, a delightful British TV show that just wrapped up its fifth season (and I’m hoping for a […]
For those of you out there who enjoy a little 80’s nostalgia, you were probably as delighted as I was to see that a new Masters of the Universe film was coming to theaters this year with a star-studded cast. What I did not expect from this muscle-bound hero flick was a lesson on human […]
While it looks like more of the same this year in Major League Baseball (“MLB”), as the Los Angeles Dodgers acquired two-time Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal to load up for a run at a third straight World Series Championship, there could be major changes on the horizon as the collective bargaining agreement between the […]
My personal feelings about FIFA aside, it’s hard not to conclude that the 2026 World Cup was an absolute success. Whether it was foreigners discovering the beauty of the Americas (including our love of giant gas stations and ranch dressing), the Tartan Army of Scotland drinking Boston dry, or the Norwegians showing the proper form in rowing, our divided country, if not the world, […]
Can I see you in my office? Imagine your boss asks you that in a friendly tone. Can I see you in my office? Now try angry. Can I see you in my office? Disappointed. Can I see you in my office? Flirty. Can I see you in my office? For those of you who aren’t chronically online, the “one phrase, four ways” social media trend has users, in a single […]
Rebecca Yarros’s Fourth Wing centers on Basgiath War College, an elite military academy that produces elite dragon riders capable of defending Navarre. While Basgiath exists in a fantasy military state rather than a contemporary workplace, an HR department dropped into Navarre would likely shut down the Riders Quadrant before lunch. Basgiath is full of lessons for real-life employers, to ensure their workplace adheres to the workplace, safety, […]
The premiere of Mindy Kaling’s latest comedy – Not Suitable for Work – follows a group of young adults entering the workforce and figuring out their lives. This topic is an endless well of content, and Kaling’s new show is in good company with Adults, Girls, Friends, and Broad City, to name a few. Unlike some of its above-mentioned television colleagues, Not Suitable for Work largely focuses on the […]
The CBS sitcom, Ghosts (adapted from a British series) follows the lives of Sam (played by Rose McIver) and Jay (played by Utkarsh Ambudkar), who inherit a beautiful New York country house only to find that it is inhabited by the ghosts of those who have perished on the property over the centuries. While Sam is able to see and communicate with the […]