What the Heck Is Happening in HR?

As part two of the special 250th Birthday Series, Kelley Rexroad explores the presidents whose decisions shaped the modern American workplace. From Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal reforms to the Civil Rights Act, OSHA, the ADA, FMLA, ACA, and the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act, this episode traces the legislation and leadership that transformed work over the last century. Whether expanding wor...

As America approaches its 250th birthday, Kelley Rexroad launches a special three-part series exploring the history of work in the United States. In this first episode, she traces the evolution of the American workplace from 1776 to today, covering labor movements, industrialization, civil rights legislation, workplace safety, immigration compliance, healthcare reform, and the foundations of moder...

Most organizations rely on org charts to explain how work gets done. The problem? Org charts rarely reflect reality. In this episode of What the Heck is Happening in HR , Kelley Rexroad explores the hidden influence networks, informal leaders, and “shadow organizations” that drive decisions, shape culture, and determine whether change initiatives succeed or fail. From onboarding and leadership tra...

Promotions used to feel like a reward. In today’s workplace, they often feel like a risk. In this episode of What the Heck is Happening in HR , Kelley Rexroad explores why more employees are hesitating to move into leadership roles and why organizations are struggling with promotion decisions that carry long-term consequences. From accountability without authority to lack of management training an...

Most organizations think they have a hiring problem. Kelley Rexroad argues they actually have a marketing problem. In this episode of What the Heck is Happening in HR , Kelley breaks down why outdated job postings, poor candidate communication, and confusing hiring processes are damaging employer brands and driving talent away before interviews even begin. From ghosting candidates to vague salary...

What happens when job postings aren’t actually real? In this episode of What the Heck is Happening in HR , Kelley Rexroad takes a hard look at the rise of “ghost jobs” and the growing trust crisis inside modern hiring. From fake openings used to build resume pipelines to postings designed to create the appearance of growth, this conversation explores the emotional and professional toll on job seek...

Everyone’s talking about AI replacing jobs, but this episode of What the Heck is Happening in HR challenges a deeper issue: bad management. Kelley Rexroad explores why employees were leaving long before AI became the headline—and why leadership quality still shapes retention, trust, and performance more than technology ever will. AI can automate tasks, but it cannot replace human leadership, prese...

Burnout is one of the most talked-about workplace issues—and one of the most misunderstood. In this episode of What the Heck is Happening in HR , Kelley Rexroad challenges the idea that burnout is caused by workload or a lack of resilience. Instead, she reframes it as a systems issue driven by lack of control, unclear expectations, and inconsistent fairness. When effort no longer feels meaningful...

Accountability is often listed as a core value—but employees are increasingly seeing a different reality. In this episode of What the Heck is Happening in HR , Kelley Rexroad explores the growing gap between expectations placed on employees and behaviors modeled by leaders. When accountability flows only downward, trust erodes quickly. This episode unpacks how inconsistent leadership behavior impa...

Feedback is one of the most important tools in the workplace—and one of the most avoided. In this episode of What the Heck is Happening in HR , Kelley Rexroad breaks down why feedback feels delayed, inconsistent, and emotionally charged in today’s organizations. The issue isn’t feedback itself—it’s the outdated systems around it. Annual reviews, unclear expectations, and fear-driven conversations...

HR is being rewritten in real time—and the expectations have never been higher. In this episode of What the Heck is Happening in HR , Kelley Rexroad explores the growing tension within the role as it expands across strategy, compliance, culture, and leadership. As visibility increases and trust becomes harder to earn, HR is no longer operating behind the scenes. This episode breaks down why credib...

Psychological safety is often misunderstood as a “soft” concept but in reality, it’s a critical driver of performance. In this episode of What the Heck is Happening in HR , Kelley Rexroad breaks down what psychological safety actually means and why it matters more than ever in today’s complex work environment. When employees don’t feel safe to speak up, organizations lose insight, innovation, and...

Return-to-office policies continue to spark debate across organizations, but the real drivers behind these decisions are often more complex than leaders admit. In this episode of What the Heck is Happening in HR? , Kelley examines why many return-to-office conversations aren’t actually about collaboration or culture—they’re about uncertainty, visibility, and control. She explores how remote work c...

Burnout isn’t just about long hours anymore. In today’s workplace, many leaders are overwhelmed by the constant stream of high-stakes decisions they must make under pressure, with incomplete information and increasing visibility. In this episode of What the Heck is Happening in HR? , Kelley explores why decision fatigue has become one of the biggest hidden drivers of leadership burnout. She explai...

Employment law is evolving faster than many leaders realize. What once felt slow, predictable, and largely federal has become fast-moving, fragmented, and increasingly enforced at state and local levels. In this episode of What the Heck is Happening in HR? , Kelley explains why HR is often the first to see legal risk forming—and why those warnings are sometimes misunderstood as unnecessary caution...

Job searching today can feel exhausting, confusing, and emotionally draining, even when the job market looks strong on paper. In this episode of What the Heck is Happening in HR? , Kelley explores what real positivity looks like during a job hunt. Instead of the usual “just stay positive” advice, she discusses how job seekers can stay grounded, maintain agency, and protect their confidence in a pr...

For years, HR has been viewed as a support function: called in to handle issues after decisions are already made. But the reality of modern work has changed that role dramatically. In this episode of What the Heck is Happening in HR? , Kelley explores why HR now sits at the intersection of people, policy, leadership behavior, and organizational risk. She explains how HR often sees patterns and pro...

Organizations talk about culture constantly, but culture is not what’s written on a website or printed on a poster. It’s what gets reinforced, ignored, or excused every day. In this episode of What the Heck is Happening in HR? , Kelley explores how tolerance shapes culture more than slogans ever could. From high performers who behave badly to inconsistent enforcement and silence around concerns, s...

Managers are carrying more than most organizations realize. In this episode of What the Heck is Happening in HR? , Kelley explores why today’s managers are quietly overwhelmed and why traditional leadership training hasn’t kept up with the demands of 2026. From hybrid teams and constant change to emotional labor and shifting authority, the role has fundamentally evolved. This conversation challeng...

Employees say they like their jobs, believe in the mission, and respect their teams—so why are they still so tired? In this episode of What the Heck is Happening in HR? , Kelley unpacks why modern exhaustion looks different than traditional burnout. Today’s fatigue is driven less by long hours and more by ambiguity, constant change, blurred boundaries, and emotional labor. She challenges leaders t...

What happens when doing your job well no longer earns trust, but creates tension? In this episode of What the Heck is Happening in HR? , Kelley explores why competence can feel destabilizing in unhealthy systems. She unpacks how expertise exposes weak processes, challenges fragile authority, and disrupts power built on optics instead of skill. When competence is sidelined, diluted, or labeled “dif...

Why does calm, capable leadership feel so rare—and so noticeable—at work today? In this episode of What the Heck is Happening in HR? , Kelley examines what our collective fascination with competence really signals about modern workplaces. She explores how clarity, accountability, and authority have been diluted by noise, politics, and performance theater, leaving true expertise harder to find and...

AI is moving fast in the workplace, but speed isn’t the same as wisdom. In this episode of What the Heck is Happening in HR? , Kelley explores why critical thinking matters more than ever as AI becomes embedded in recruiting, performance management, and employee communication. She breaks down the risks of uncritical adoption, the limits of automation, and the responsibility HR holds in interrogati...

Change isn’t new—and neither are you. In this episode of What the Heck is Happening in HR? , Kelley shares a distilled version of her Real Housewives of Change webinar, reframing change as something we’ve already practiced through careers, caregiving, loss, and constant reinvention. She introduces the idea of “versions of ourselves” that show up during disruption and offers practical reminders for...

In this episode of What the Heck is Happening in HR? , we’re giving you a preview of USF’s HR Core Concepts course ! This course is designed to provide a solid foundation in human resources, covering everything from the history of HR and key compliance laws to workforce planning, employee value propositions, total rewards, and emerging trends like AI. You’ll also explore how HR strategies align wi...