Burnt-Out Barb

Surviving as an HR Department of One: A Field Guide From the Group Chat

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.

They Countered Your Resignation. Here's Why Saying Yes Usually Backfires.

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

A CEO Bragged That Firing HR Made the Problems Disappear. Give It Eighteen Months.

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.

How to Mentally Clock Out of a Job Where You Hold Everyone's Worst Day

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.

A CEO Bragged That 'Problems Disappeared' After He Fired His Entire HR Team. The Thread Has Notes.

An Employee Has Taken 'Intermittent FMLA' Every Friday Since March. HR Wants Options That Aren't a Lawsuit.

We Let an AI Rewrite the Entire Employee Handbook Over the Weekend. Monday Was a Compliance Incident.

Our Job Posting for a Part-Time Receptionist Requires a Master's, 5 Years' Experience, and 'Founder Mentality.' It Pays $19.

Payroll Has Been 'Rounding' Everyone's Clock-Out to the Nearest 15 Minutes. Always Down. For Three Years.

Someone 'Fixed' the Sparking Break-Room Microwave With Duct Tape. I Have Now Filed the Ninth Report.

My VP's Plan to 'Boost Morale': Make Friday Fun Mandatory and Track Attendance in a Spreadsheet.

Leadership Said 'We're All Family Here' in the Same All-Hands Where They Cut the 401(k) Match.