What The Hell Just Happened?!

Episodes like today's are where our podcast gets its name. Maybe you just read the title of today's episode and you're thinking "Wait, what? That HR question makes no sense!" If so, welcome to the podcast! That feeling of confused annoyance that you're experiencing right now? Totally normal. Join Paul and CEDR Solution Center Advisor Grace Godlasky as they explain why the employee volunteers at yo...

In today's episode of What The Hell Just Happened?!, Paul Edwards sits down with Solution Center Advisor Kristen Hof to discuss running background checks on job candidates. When should you do them, who should you do them on, and should you give the applicant a heads-up before doing so? Stick around for the whole episode to hear about our general fondness for Aubrey Plaza (really, she's great!), un...

Points-based attendance policies… we get it. Sometimes, you want to immediately “punish” employees that are late or call out with no notice. So, you give them half a point or sometimes even a full point, letting them know that once they reach a certain amount, they’ve lost their job. That’ll teach them…! (Can you tell we’re kidding?) Paul Edwards sits down with Senior Solution Center Advisor Miche...

The urge for businesses that are customer-facing to have policies in place dictating the appearance of their staff is all too common. More easily than you may think, these policies can run the line of putting your business at risk, as there are several laws in place to protect appearance-related traits/qualities. Laws aside, you run the risk of losing top talent because of these policies, as job p...

We assume Tesla must have an HR department, but we're starting to suspect that the department just consists of one extremely haggard person constantly scrolling through Elon's Twitter feed and saying "No no no, not again..."   Join Paul Edwards and Solution Center Advisor Kristen Hof as they discuss Elon's latest HR no-no: Telling employees they cannot discuss their wages with each other. If your...

In this week’s episode of What The Hell Just Happened?! Paul Edwards sits down with CEDR Solution Center Specialist Jason Post to discuss one of the easiest tasks you can do to save yourself a ton of time throughout the year: setting up all your holidays and paid days off in advance and distributing that information to your team. Are you required to pay your employees for federal holidays? Why is...

In this week’s episode of What The Hell Just Happened?! Paul Edwards sits down with CEDR Human Resources Manager CeCe Wilson to discuss how Circle K handled pregnant employees coming back from leave and why they found themselves in a lawsuit where the EEOC required them to pay out 8 million dollars. Can you require your new mothers to be “fully healed” upon returning to work? If they’re not, what...

In 2019, Dove, a popular beauty brand, and The CROWN Coalition began work on the CROWN Act, which stands for Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair. As it stands now, 19 states have enacted this Act, and we predict that the rest of the country will follow suit. Listen now as Paul Edwards and Senior Solution Center expert Hali Tambuzi discuss how employers need to be familiar with wh...

What happens when a famous celebrity terminates an employee for taking time off to care for her sick child? You guessed it, massive lawsuit. Listen as Paul Edwards and Solution Center Specialist Jason Post discuss wrongful termination, and the different types of leave of absences that practice owners and office managers have to handle with their employees. Plus, hear guidance on how to go about th...

Employee suspensions can be one of the most risky situations to tackle as a manager or owner of a business. Knowing when a suspension is the right thing to do can be a tough decision to make, plus the addition of making sure you are compliant in how you go about it can cause extra stress surrounding the whole situation. Listen as manager of compliance, Nora Gustafson, and Paul Edwards sit down and...

You need an employee to be by their phone on the weekends to handle emergency scheduling (or any other weekend task) but you’re wondering if paying them a lower wage would be okay. Or, if paying them in movie tickets or food would also suffice. Listen to Paul and Michelle Richard, senior solution center advisor, discuss waiting and on-call times and all the little nuances that go into it. Learn ho...

There are a lot of protections regarding nursing mothers in the workplace. But what happens if you find out that your employee is not nursing for her own child, but rather someone else's? Paul Edwards sits down with Senior Solution Center Advisor Tiana Starke to discuss what protections still apply, and how you can ensure you and your practice remain compliant when handling this unique situation.

In this very special episode of What The Hell Just Happened?! Paul speaks to a call-in guest, Robin Coen, who is the national executive director of the Smile For A Lifetime foundation. Their mission is to help give children access to braces who may otherwise not be able to afford it. Listen to find out how you can help their cause, and give back this season.

On this episode of What the Hell Just Happened? Paul Edwards sits down with CEDR's Senior Solution Center advisor Tiana Starke to discuss everyone's favorite December tradition - the office holiday party. Should you serve alcohol? If you do, what are the risks involved? Should the party be held at your office, or held somewhere offsite? Learn the answer to these (and more) questions by listening t...

On this episode of What the Hell Just Happened? Paul Edwards sits down with CEDR Compliance Specialist Ally Dagnino to discuss an interesting case of an employee's strange behavior being caused by a potential disability. This case was especially tricky HR-wise because while the employee did something that was clearly improper, it wasn't 100% clear if she was actually responsible for her behavior....

On this episode of What the Hell Just Happened? Paul Edwards sits down with CEDR Solution Center Advisor Grace Godlasky to discuss an issue that can bring some frustration to employers – having a new employee quit after their training period. Employers everywhere really feel this loss after investing their resources in getting a new employee trained and up to speed, so it is tempting to ask that e...

On this episode of What the Hell Just Happened? , CEDR's resident Compliance Expert Nora Gustafson joins Paul and Amanda to discuss some important considerations for an employer to keep in mind if they've elected to start electronically monitoring their employees' activities. Along with moral considerations, there are lots of privacy laws that need to be taken into account to make sure the monitor...

On this episode of What the Hell Just Happened? , senior Solution Center advisor Tiana Starke joins Paul and Amanda to discuss strategies for coaching an otherwise employee who is a little sensitive to criticism. How do you strike a balance between avoiding hurt feelings and giving the employee the feedback they need to do their job well? The main thing to keep in mind is this: Don't attack the em...

Join Paul and Tiana as they discuss one of the most awkward HR issues there is - how to deal with an employee that smells bad. Whether it's from bad hygiene, smoking, or working in a stable, an employee with an offensive odor can make for a very uncomfortable working environment. Listen now for some guidance and tips on how to resolve the problem, and maybe you won't have to resort to hanging a mi...

In the first episode of our second season, Paul sits down with Jennie to talk about hiring a hitman to take care of your usual HR issues. Why fire someone and handle that awkward conversation yourself when you can just rent a hitman? (Just kidding!) Paul and Jennie will inform you about when it's best to outsource for HR - all while avoiding renting out a hitman and winding up in jail!

On this episode of What the Hell Just Happened? Paul Edwards sits down with CEDR Solution Center Advisor Grace Godlasky to discuss an issue that happens more often than not in this current climate - an employee working two jobs without informing their employer. Employers everywhere struggle with ensuring their employees are always actively engaged in their work, and when an employee is secretly sp...

On this special Friday release episode of What The Hell Just Happened?! Paul sits down with his executive assistant Amanda as he goes through what he likes to call “pushback” that one of our HR Base Camp members commented regarding our previous episode on employee one-on-ones. This community member raised some excellent points, and Paul wanted to be sure to address them all. Join our Facebook grou...

Drug testing is an especially tricky to subject to navigate with your employees. If you have reason to believe one or more of your employees may be coming into work under the influence of drugs or alcohol, how should testing be handled? There should be a policy about it in your employee handbook, but how do you know if it's legally compliant? Join Paul and Solution Center advisor Michelle Richard...

On this episode of What the Hell Just Happened? Paul Edwards sits down with senior solution center advisor Tiana Starke to discuss options for dealing with employees who smoke while off the clock. While their smoking may be happening outside of the office, the smell follows them back in, and that can be an awkward situation for a practice owner who wants to project an image of caring about oral he...

On this episode of What the Hell Just Happened? Paul Edwards sits down with senior solution center advisor Tiana Starke to discuss ghosting in the workplace. What do you do when your employee randomly disappears out of nowhere? With all the different ways an employee can ghost, such as right after an interview, shortly after they start working with you, and many other wild ghosting situations, Pau...