HR Stories Podcast - A Lesson in Every Story!
Welcome to the HR Stories Podcast — making work better one story at a time.
Every workplace has stories. Some are about organizations that got it wrong. Others are about leaders who got it right. And sometimes, the most important lessons come from the everyday decisions that shape how people experience work.
Your storytellers, John Thalheimer MS and Chuck Simikian SPHR, SHRM-SCP, use real workplace stories as the teaching tool.
LISTEN to what happened.
LEARN from the decisions, successes, mistakes, and warning signs.
ACT on practical ideas that can make your workplace better.
Each episode starts with a story — a court case, a leadership challenge, an HR misstep, an employee experience, or an organization trying something different. John and Chuck then break down what happened, why it matters, and most importantly, what we can learn from it.
Sometimes that means understanding an employment law or avoiding an expensive mistake. Sometimes it means becoming a better leader, building trust, improving communication, or creating a workplace where people can do their best work.
That balance is what HR Stories is all about: practical HR, thoughtful leadership, and real-world lessons you can use.
John and Chuck have spent their careers helping HR professionals, business owners, and leaders navigate the people side of business through consulting, training, coaching, and thousands of live learning experiences.
Their goal with HR Stories is simple:
Tell good stories. Find the lesson. Make work better.
John is the Founding Director of True Star Leadership™, which focuses on helping managers and leaders learn performance management principles. Chuck is the Founding Partner of Alliance HR Partners, which provides HR consulting and training to businesses nationwide. Together, they have over 40 years of experience navigating the challenges of HR and recently published their book, The Ultimate Guide to HR: Checklist Edition. Go to https://ultimateguidetohr.com/ for more information, download a free sample, and watch their webinar on the Secret Power Behind Successful Businesses.
Episodes
192 episodes
Ep173: From the Vault - Listener Q&A!
Revisit this episode, originally from summer of 2025!-----Welcome to another Listener Q&A with The Team at HR Stories! Today's episode goes into these questions:Can you terminate an employee just for a bad attitude...
Ep172: Perfectly Documented Terrible Decisions
Bad documentation can create a bigger mess than no documentation at all. Chuck Simikian and John Thalheimer break down why the real goal is not paperwork for paperwork's sake, but creating a record that protects decisions, clarifies expectation...
Ep171: Doing Discipline Right
When employees mess up in the workplace, accountability and consistency is crucial to maintaining employee trust. But what is the right move when things go wrong? In today's episode, Chuck and John go through the ins and outs of discipline in t...
Ep170: Engagement and Management - how to get your team back
Managers are carrying too much, employees are feeling less connected, and AI is about to expose every weak workplace system that already exists. Chuck from HR Stories and leadership expert John Thalheimer break down Gallup’s 2025 State of the G...
Ep169: What Makes Work Better - Part 2
Today's episode covers the critical role of government agencies like the EEOC and Department of Labor, which are tightening enforcement, reshaping compliance, and redefining what a fair and equitable workplace looks like.Why shou...
Ep168: What Makes Work Better - Part 1
Workplaces are changing. Benefits are shrinking, employees are being sent back to in-office work, and AI is fundamentally changing the hiring process for applicants and recruiters alike. In today's episode, Chuck and John dive into what informa...
Ep167: You Can Be Kind And... Part 2
In this second part of, "You can be kind and..." series, Chuck and John will dive into the ways that being kind creates accountability and fairness in the workplace while maintaining your boundaries.
Ep166: You Can Be Kind And...
This episode is a practical, high-impact conversation for HR professionals, managers, and business entrepreneurs who want to lead with kindness without losing accountability.
Ep165: Should you fire your HR department?
Most CEOs might not fire their entire HR team. But when Ryan Breslow, CEO of Bolt, did just that, the headlines sparked outrage. He claimed HR was “creating problems that didn’t exist” and insisted that once the department was gone, those issue...
Ep164: Disparate Impact Changes You Can't Miss
Most HR professionals aren't prepared for the seismic shift happening around discrimination laws and missing it could cost you millions. What if your workplace policies are unknowingly trending toward unconstitutional practices, risking hefty f...
Ep163: Fire Them Out of Kindness
Most workplaces are ignoring the silent killer of culture that’s hiding in plain sight: tolerance. In this eye-opening episode, HR experts John Thalheimer and Chuck reveal why avoiding tough conversations about performance and behavior can be a...
Ep162: Why Raising Minimum Wage Creates Upward Salary Pressure
Most HR conversations overlook the real drivers behind employee retention and wage satisfaction. What if the secret isn’t just about raising minimum wages, but understanding why people stay or leave? This episode dives deep into the hi...
Ep161: Clarity. Capabilities. Capacity. Change Your Workplaces Today.
Most HR advice misses the real secret to building thriving teams and it’s not just about training or benefits. On this episode, leadership guru John shares a powerful, simple framework for transforming your workplace from the inside ou...
Ep160: You Can Pump... If We're Staffed
When a medical facility told a new mother that she could take a couple of minutes to pump ONLY if they were well-staffed, it wasn't a benefit they were withholding. They took away her rights. While it's easy for managers to feel that following ...
Ep159: Friction-Causing Jolts Making Your Employees Quit
When your employees experience moments of friction that make them question their relationship with their job or the company they work for, you want to make sure there's enough "love in the tank" to sustain their relationship with the job. How d...
Ep158: Succession - It doesn't need to be TV-worthy drama
Having a solid succession plan at your company can not only help you have the right people to fill a role and provide clarity for your employees, but it could also save you from a lawsuit. In today's story, you'll see that even the EEOC couldn'...
Ep157: The Changing Landscape of Internships
Internships have long been seen as stepping stones in careers, but recent developments have raised serious questions about their structure and compensation. As corporate America grapples with evolving norms, young professionals must navigate th...
Ep156: Discrimination By Customer Request
When a patient requests that they re-assign a home-health nurse because they didn't want them to be black, the company made a dangerous and costly agreement to try and make the customer happy. Can customers make requests based on discriminatory...
Ep155: Let Your Employees Gossip (Kind Of)
Office gossip is an unavoidable fixture of the work environment and can even have benefits to the relationships your teams build. But when does it cross the line? When is concern around gossip just a manager's ego talking? And what does gossip ...
Ep154: The End of Women's Retreats? Not Exactly.
When Coca Cola hosted a company-sponsored networking event for female employees, the flag was raised to the EEOC for discrimination. So does this mean that women's retreats and networking groups have seen their final days? Not exactly. How you ...
Ep153: Can you do everything right and still get sued?
When you have a legitimate reason to terminate an employee, can they still sue you? The answer may make you feel uneasy. While you can't stop a lawsuit from coming your direction, you can be prepared with a solid defense if you have the right d...
Ep152: AI in HR - While the Courts Decide, What You Need to Think About
AI is here and there are ongoing court cases to determine the legality of using it for screening candidates. While the courts work to determine their position, there are steps and ways of thinking that HR professionals need to keep in mind. Don...
Ep150: HR in the News - Shifts in the job market and what it really means
Chuck and John discuss the latest news in the HR world, including impacts of the weather, a recent EEOC decision, a shift to return to office response, and a changing job market. Could 2026 be the year of the great turnover? Find out what it co...
Ep149: Q&A - Managing Emotional Responses
Welcome to another Listener Q&A with The Team at HR Stories! Today's episode goes into these questions:Can an employee be disciplined for misuse of intermittent FMLA?Can you change someone’s ADA accommodations?...
Ep148: Planning for Employment Law Changes in 2026 - Pt 2
Welcome back to part two of the Employment Law series, where the team looks at changes coming to the laws *you need to know about* in 2026. In this episode, follow along as the team provides some guidance on the following issues: -...