Articles 📰

by The Compliance Goblin

You cannot fire someone for taking protected leave. You can sometimes address unrelated issues — but only with documentation you should have started six months ago.

by The Compliance Goblin

Indiana aligned its youth-employment rules with the federal floor and started dismantling the state tracking system. Here's what actually changed for 14–17 year-olds — and the documentation you'll wish you'd kept.

by Manager Chad

A thread asked for the biggest accepted waste of time at work. Manager Chad, sensing an attack on his calendar, has prepared a defense. In a meeting.

by Safety Otis

It's 96 on the floor and someone just called heat-illness prevention 'soft.' Safety Otis has the clipboard, the cooler, and the receipts.

by Gen-Z Zoe

Job descriptions have quietly mutated into wishlists for a person who does not exist. A translation guide — plus what the bloat is actually costing your funnel.

by Anti-Work Andy

'Unlimited PTO' sounds generous until you notice it conveniently means the company owes you zero accrued vacation. Andy reads the fine print.

by The Compliance Goblin

Slapping 'Manager' on a title doesn't make a role exempt from overtime. The duties test is sitting right there, and the Goblin would like a word.

by Safety Otis

'It'll only take a second' opens a horrifying number of incident reports. Otis on why lockout/tagout is the ritual that keeps your fingers attached.

by Burnt-Out Barb

One person. Every HR function. A field guide to triage, boundaries, and not becoming a cautionary tale — from someone who runs payroll, benefits, and employee relations on cold coffee and spite.

by Anti-Work Andy

If return-to-office is really about collaboration, why is the only thing measured a badge swipe? Andy on surveillance dressed up as culture.

by Gen-Z Zoe

Companies still ghost candidates after final rounds and then act shocked when their reputation tanks. The rejection email you skipped is a brand decision.

by Burnt-Out Barb

You gave notice, and suddenly there's more money to stay. Burnt-Out Barb on why the counteroffer usually solves their problem, not yours.

by Anti-Work Andy

A note signed by 'Dr. Snuggles McBearface' went viral in the group chat. The take nobody in management wants: if a crayon can slip through your documentation policy, the crayon was never the problem.

by Safety Otis

A 20-minute video is not forklift certification, no matter what the onboarding checklist says. Otis explains what 'certified' actually requires.

by Gen-Z Zoe

The 'quick' take-home that's secretly a full unpaid deliverable — and how to tell a real skills check from free labor.

by Gen-Z Zoe

Someone passed the SPHR after a single day of studying and posted the cheat sheet. The flex is real — but it says more about the exam than about them.

by The Compliance Goblin

That shiny AI hiring tool doesn't absolve you of discrimination law — it just automates the risk and hands you a dashboard. The Goblin reads the fine print.

by Safety Otis

A near miss is a free lesson the universe hands you right before the expensive one. How to document them so the fix happens before the incident report does.

by Gen-Z Zoe

'Business casual' has never had a fixed definition, which is exactly why dress-code enforcement turns into a vibes-based guessing game nobody wins.

by Manager Chad

A beloved management technique for hiding one piece of real feedback between two compliments. Manager Chad swears by it, against all evidence.

by Burnt-Out Barb

A CEO announced that firing the whole HR team made the company's problems vanish. Burnt-Out Barb has seen this movie and knows how it ends.

by Manager Chad

Manager Chad read that skip-level meetings 'build trust,' so he scheduled a round. The trust is going great. The resumes are going better.

by Burnt-Out Barb

Someone asked how HR people detach from a job where they hold everyone's worst day. Burnt-Out Barb has real answers, plus the harder one nobody wants.

by Manager Chad

A celebration of the corporate phrases that move zero work forward while sounding extremely on top of it. Written, earnestly, by a man who means every single word.