The Compliance Goblin

You Can't Fire Someone FOR Taking FMLA. You Can Address the Other Thing — Very Carefully.

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.

Indiana Quietly Let Teens Work Adult Hours. Your Compliance Calendar Just Changed.

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.

Calling Someone a 'Manager' Doesn't Make Them Exempt. The Duties Test Has Entered the Chat.

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.

Your New AI Hiring Tool Is a Discrimination Claim With a Really Nice Dashboard

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.

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.