Category: HR Strange But True

Catch up on the latest odd, offbeat, and humorous HR stories.

They Said What? Odd Interview Experiences

What’s the worst mistake an applicant can make during an interview? Appearing disinterested is at the top of the list, according to a recent CareerBuilder® survey. While disinterest comes in many forms such as an applicant giving short answers or not being enthusiastic enough, some applicants’ behaviors are shockingly blunt. For example, one survey respondent […]

Breaking News—Celebrity Breaks Beak, Becomes Disabled

In breaking news from HRSBT, a press conference was held at County Memorial Hospital to announce that famous TV personality and corporate ad star, the Aflac® Duck, is in stable condition after fracturing his beak and lacerating (no, not marinating) his wings in an accident of unknown cause. The doctor speaking at the press conference […]

Is Your Workplace an ‘Experience’?

Do your employees and clients view your workplace as just a facility? At Square, founded by Jack Dorsey, inventor of Twitter, the workplace is an “experience”—complete with an on-site barista! According to an article in Fast Company, the mobile credit-card and money payment system company, with offices in San Francisco, New York City, and Atlanta, […]

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DOL Investigators See Double

A Texas printing company has paid over $100,000 for allegedly violating the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). Investigators reported that the company used two different time clocks and were under contract by two separate staffing firms. An investigation conducted by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division’s Dallas District Office determined that the […]

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Reader’s Story: ‘Do I Really Need to Take the Drug Test?’

Drug tests are behind a number of strange but true workplace stories. A few years ago there was the wife who put marijuana in her husband’s meatballs instead of oregano to get him fired from his life-threatening job—he was a cop. And then, there was the man who asked his friend to shoot him to […]

Up to 88 Hours per Week Without the Paycheck to Prove It

A broadcasting company is in hot water after allegedly failing to pay certain employees minimum wage and proper overtime, according to a U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) press release. The DOL has filed a lawsuit against the company and its owner, alleging that six employees are due $79,445 in unpaid overtime and minimum wages, plus […]

Another Ruling in the Business Tryst Injury Case

Earlier this year, we reported on a business trip tryst that ended up in court. If you missed it, here’s what happened. An Australia public servant (we’ll call her “Susan”) worked in the human relations section of a government agency. On a business trip, Susan had a rendezvous with a male friend in her motel […]

Hair Do = Don’t When Employee Violates Socmed Policy

A television meteorologist who took to social media to defend a comment on her hairstyle ended up trying to defend herself from termination for violation of the station’s social media policy. Or was it just “guidance”? According to media reports, the weatherperson for KTBX in Shreveport, Louisiana, who is a black woman, responded, albeit in […]

Jail Administrator Sued for Pursuing Female Employees

Ten US Airways employees are flyin’ high this holiday season—and no, it’s not from imbibing at the company party. These employees went “above and beyond” delivering outstanding service to not only the airline’s customers, but to fellow colleagues—and some took home $10,000! What happened. The two women, “Dudley” and “Wilson,” were correctional officers at the […]

Pregnant Employees Not Allowed to Sunday Football

A restaurant in Arizona will pay a hefty fine for allegedly having a policy that kept a pregnant employee off the schedule during Sunday football. The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) claims that the employer unlawfully removed a pregnant employee from working on Sundays during football season because she was pregnant. The agency charged […]