HR BESTIES - HR Besties: Bonus Episode - HR as the Complaint Department

Episode Date: December 11, 2024

Today’s agenda:  Take your thighs to work day Cringe corporate speak: up the flagpole Hot topic: when HR is the compliant department - why does this happen and what should we do? Employees don't always know where else go to or who else to talk to HR is an everything department The curse of being a great HR professional The importance of an office manager role in the workplace The silver lining: receiving complaints means employees feel safe to use their voice Questions/Comments  Your To-Do List: Grab merch, submit Questions & Comments, and make sure that you’re the first to know about our In-Person Meetings (events!) at https://www.hrbesties.com. Follow your Besties across the socials and check out our resumes here: https://www.hrbesties.com/about.  Subscribe to the HR Besties Newsletter - https://hr-besties.beehiiv.com/subscribe We look forward to seeing you in our next meeting in the new year! Yours in Business + Bullsh*t,  Leigh, Jamie & Ashley Follow Bestie Leigh! https://www.tiktok.com/@hrmanifesto https://www.instagram.com/hrmanifesto https://www.hrmanifesto.com Follow Bestie Ashley! https://www.tiktok.com/@managermethod  https://www.instagram.com/managermethod https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashleyherd/ https://managermethod.com Follow Bestie Jamie! https://www.millennialmisery.com/ Humorous Resources: Instagram • YouTube • Threads • Facebook • X Millennial Misery: Instagram • Threads • Facebook • X Horrendous HR: Instagram • Threads • Facebook Tune in to “HR Besties,” a business, work and management podcast hosted by Leigh Elena Henderson (HRManifesto), Ashley Herd (ManagerMethod) and Jamie Jackson (Humorous_Resources), where we navigate the labyrinth of corporate culture, from cringe corporate speak to toxic leadership. Whether you’re in Human Resources or not, corporate or small business, we offer sneak peeks into surviving work, hiring strategies, and making the employee experience better for all. Tune in for real talk on employee engagement, green flags in the workplace, and how to turn red flags into real change. Don't miss our chats about leadership, career coaching, and takes from work travel and watercooler gossip. Get new episodes every Wednesday and Friday, follow us on socials for the latest updates, and join us at our virtual happy hours to share your HR stories. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Would you all go to work if like driving into work you had like a stain on your shirt, like you spilled coffee on yourself? Would you still go? I mean, I probably would. I carry a tide pen. I'd be like, fuck it. Right, like a tide pen. I mean, it is that thought.

If you're like, I'm all the way here, I'm going to do it. And I guess it depends how big it is. But you can have a tide pen to take care of a stain. What if you had a hole, a large hole? Do you carry a sewing kit with you? I do stain. What if you had a hole, a large hole? Do you carry a sewing kit with you? I do not. Can you sew?

I can. Really? I can. I can. But no, I don't carry a kit. But I have had my pants split at work before and I stayed. I just wrapped a jacket around my waist to cover my ass. Yes. Yes. That old trick. So I had something similar. What did you do? I was driving equivalent.

It took like, you know, five miles, but living in a big city with traffic, it took me like an hour to get to work. And I was like two minutes from work. I was driving up Piedmont Avenue in Atlanta and I was pregnant and I was wearing my nice pair of like maternity pants, which is like, you know, I had one pair and I would wear them a lot. But I was driving and all of a sudden I'm like about to get to work and I look down and I hear, RIP! And I look and it was a large rip and it was like upper thigh

towards like really like really upper like big upper thigh big hole. And I just remember looking down at being like, God. Like in the crotch? Like the inside and see? Yeah, it was basically getting towards the crotch. But it wasn't like I guess it was false. Like I didn't have a jacket. I didn't have something I could take off to wrap around, for example. But so I did that thought in my head.

And I remember thinking to myself, do I call my colleague and ask her, like, do I call someone for myself? Like, no, not for just like advice. I'm just going to go in. It's fine. But so I walked in. But it was like a large office building. And so I did the shuffle. I did the Lego character, two legs together shuffle.

And I walked through from the parking garage to that, and I realized I didn't have my key card with me. But I worked at, at the time, a radio company where the executives of it also owned a magazine company. And all of the junior workers of the magazine company, it was like Devil Wears Prada because it was like luxury. And so I got a 100% success rate of any time I didn't have my key card, being able to peg someone that was going up to the 23rd floor, whatever we were.

And so I remember following by and shuffling in, excuse me. Everything is awesome. Excuse me. Everything is awesome. Excuse me and going there. But yeah, but I remember all day, like all day waiting till the last second, because also I was where we were in legal, we were right next to like the executive, you know, level bathrooms, like the nice, you know, whatever the nice side bathrooms. And so like trying to shuffle them, who am I going to see? Or they judge, judge my, but like I did that shuffle all day long.

I could not have been more delighted to get home and put on a pair of fully non-holy sweatpants at the end of the day. I would have been like trying to staple my pants back together. I mean, yeah, I was like thinking of things like- Binder clips. I do think our assistant gave me like a hoodie or something at some point to like put around and I'm like, I'll bring it back. I should probably still have it. But yeah, so I, it's like, that's the problem when you're in the office.

So if your people are in the office, you've got to deal with their real life. People are going to come in with holes in their pants. They're going to have shit spilled on them. And you've got to do it, because otherwise, they're going to turn around and be lit up in their mind with frustration. So yeah, it was take your thighs to work day.

See, I would have gone home and changed my pants or stopped at a store or something real quick if like the commute was long. Knowing that it keeps spreading. It keeps spreading. You know what I mean? To all of a sudden you're like open crotch like at work, you know? It was breezy.

It was real breezy. It was breezy in that office. I mean, I thought again, I thought about going home. Was it a long commute? Yeah, long commute. I'm not going to drive back to Decatur. Oh my God. And I'm certainly not going to the luxury mall that's down the street where I'm going

to shuffle through and run into Usher, which you might do right there in the mall. Like, hi, can I take a picture? Like, oh. U.S. So this brings up a good point because I have always in HR kept like a few random pieces of clothing for this very reason. So like even at my current place of work, I have a size variety of extra t-shirts from like a team function just in case. They even have scrub pants and we don't have, we're a corporate office, but like I have them just in case for this very reason.

Really? I used to have underwear, no, for anyone who needs it. Jamie, your ultimate, like Jamie is the ultimate, like HR is your friend person. Like she has, she has her closet. I do, I do, because of this very reason, because I've split my pants more than once, sadly. But one of the times I worked at Marriott and I was lucky enough that we

had dry cleaning for our employees uniforms in the building. And so I was able to go downstairs and get a pair of pants to wear for the rest of the day. But wait, hold on. Whose pants? Like, did you look at the name tag to see who's they were? Like, who do I, whose pants do I want to borrow? They were just extra. I was like, I was like I was like because that's the question where you're like who's pants do I want to wear like put on your big girl pants put on the CEO's pants for the day the sisterhood of the traveling executive pants no they were just extras now did I leave my office that entire day no I sure didn't because

they were like too big and I was like cinching them the whole time. Ordered Jimmy John's delivery, give me an adult diaper for the day. I'll do it. It's, yeah, cannot leave the office. I'm trying to think if I've ever had a wardrobe malfunction in my career. I have a very big ass, so I think that's why I have that problem. You've heard the jingle bells, but have you heard the Babbel bells?

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So we will discuss that, turn that inside out there. And then of course, as always, some questions and comments at the end. So Jamie, what do you got? Run it up the flagpole. So I'm definitely guilty of using this. It's typically when maybe I'm not, it's above my pay grade, which we have used before, right? But it's above my pay grade. So I need to run up the flagpole and make sure that my boss or whoever else is clued in and okay with X decision. You need an approval. Yeah, I need approval. Have you all ever heard this or used it?

Definitely. I don't think I use this one personally, but I have heard it a lot. Yeah, I don't use it too often. I definitely can hear myself saying it though, like, yeah, let me check. Let me run it up the flagpole. Like, it does kind of sound like camp, like kumbaya.

Let's see what I can do. Well, then what happens if it gets rejected? Like, nope, came back half-masked. We're going to get parted. Sorry. Ashley, I'm taking your job. So it became popular in the late 1950s and early 60s as a phrase that basically you're

gauging idea, interests, or feedback with a larger group. And now it's considered cliche. I mean, it's cringe is a better word for cliche. For sure. It's kind of cringey. But out of my idea, because I like Parent Trap, the original one with Hayley Mills. I've never seen that movie. What?

No. Jamie? Yes, of course I've seen Parent Trap. Yeah, original Parent Trap. Oh, wait. No, not Lindsay Lohan. Also fine. But no, the original with Hayley Mills. I have not seen the original. I was going to say from like the 19, I don't know, I'd say 1960s, probably filmed in like the 80s. Yeah, no, I've seen the Lindsay Lohan one. Okay. Anyway, it's a camp. And so it's, you know, kind of like it's...

Is that the one with the twins? Yes. Yes. They get their parents back together. That's like an emotional support movie. Okay. But also, how fucked up is it that they each took a child of the twins? So fucked up. What? So, so fucked up. Wild.

That's a good point. Yeah, sorry. I'm going to run that up the flagpole. There you go. Yeah, so maybe try and use this today at work. Oh, gosh. Well, that was very cringy. So appreciate that.

I've definitely heard it. I've never used it though. So it's probably for the best. I used it just last week. Oh, I did. I did. When you said it though, did you make a little note to yourself to be like, I'm going to say this?

Yeah, I was like, I need to use this on the pod because I just cringe myself out. Yeah, I do that, I need to use this on the pod, because I just cringe myself out. Yeah, I do that. I do do that sometimes. I say something, I'm like, ugh. And I probably make that face, and you're like, ugh. I'm like, ugh, did I just say that? Who am I?

I have those moments. Did I just say that? Oh my god, I hate myself. So we will run that up the flagpole today, and we'll try and drop it. I know Jamie will be successful. She'll drop it during the meeting at some point. But shifting gears to the hot topic, another bestie request for a topic for the podcast

is complaint department, HR as complaint department. And kind of what does that mean? Why does everything come to HR? Someone has a thought, it comes to HR. Someone has an issue, it comes to HR. Why is that? What is that about OMG, all of the above? Have you had somebody ask you about being a complaint department? Yeah.

I mean, I think we're just viewed as the complaint department. Like, hey, the refrigerator isn't at temp. Okay. I'm sorry. What does that have to do with me? Or the vending machine took my money. Sounds like a bad day, buddy. Yeah.

Like, tell me why did I have access to the vending machine money to give them their quarters back and have to write their name and the skittles that they were getting. I shit you not. Or even the toilet is clogged up. And you're like, eat more fiber. That's what I'd say. Not only are we the legitimate complaint department, right? So you're having a problem with Brenda and accounting complaint department or employee

relations, but we are the complaint department for everything else because people don't know where to go. Yeah. I remember being at an organization once and they were like, we need to have a guide of who people contact for what? Because people don't know who to contact. They won't use it anyway. Oh, I know, right?

Well, that's my thing. I was like, no, we have that. We literally have that. They're like, no one knows how to access it. And I was like pulling up the first page of the internet. They're like, how do you get here? And it's like an executive. I was like, um... Open up Internet Explorer. It's the intranet homepage. Right. But it's, I mean, it's, it's like a chicken and the egg that I think a lot in HR that experience that you're like, you do things, but then some things you can't tell

people about. But more notably on this, the other times you do things and you have information, like you're a figure it out department, a solve it department, a marketing department, because you're trying to get these messages out. And so the thing I do like is when people come to HR and are like, you know, this is because often, I mean, that at least shows, man, it either shows, I guess, that they trust you or they're like, I guess, that they trust you, or they're like, I don't want to deal with this, and I don't like her, but I'm going to put this,

I'm going to add this to this person's stack. But I do think a really basic thing that I think, I mean, I think extremely from small to extreme, actually small organizations, I think, have a leg up, which maybe is corporate cringe speak. But that people can, when you're really small, you kind of have a sense of what people do. People do tend to have multiple jobs.

In a large organization, people are like, there must be someone in charge of just this, when often people have all sorts of jobs. And so this aspect of complaint is people don't know where else to go. But that's also where I think HR sometimes doesn't know. And so how can you make HR that phone operator to tell things to people and also trust it's

going to get taken care of? Because that's a hard part in HR is then if someone comes to you like for example like like a bathroom situation or like a change situation if somebody else is dealing with it then it's hard because HR like you probably don't have that much time to like go back to that person and be like did this get done? And so people come back and they're like I told HR and nothing got done about it and you're like ah, ah, you're like, just like you, you know, I took care, I take care of what I can do. I communicate to others what I can't. And it's hard when other people don't do what they're supposed to do. And so for HR, it's like this, this double burden of people expecting you to do everything. And when you explain like,

oh, that's not me. That's this person. I'm happy to communicate that to them for you. But then if it doesn't get done, they're like, Jamie, Jamie, they're still in the water level, still low. I can't flush the toilet in the third stall. So then you become the complaint department and the person they're complaining about. Yeah. And next thing you know, I'm like, it's not getting done. So I'm like, fuck it. I'm walking in there with a plunger. Oh my gosh. I'm not shitting you because like there's, I can't tell you numerous times in my career where, you know, I,

I get so sick of waiting on someone else and I hear the complaints that I just do it myself. You need me to change that halogen bulb? Sure. I'll do it. Fuck it. I mean, and I shouldn't. And then I know that I was like, that's enabling. Yeah, for sure. But like, and I shouldn't. And then I know that. I was like, that's enabling. Yeah, for sure. But like, I think it's, I just want to solve the problem and I want to make that person happy, which, you know, I don't, maybe not necessarily a third stall, but you know what I mean? Like I want to just fix the problem and move forward. Hey, small business leaders. Have you ever thought there's got to be an easier way to do all the busy work? Because I know I have. As a small business leader myself, wow, so many different issues pop up, don't they? Well, that's where JustWorks comes in.

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That's JustWorks.com slash podcast. As a Fizz member, you can look forward to free data, big savings on plans, and having your unused data roll over to the following month, every month. At Fizz, you always get more for your money. Terms and conditions for our different programs and policies apply. Details at fizz.ca. I think that that's like the curse of a great HR person. Like I'm going to be honest, like we love solving problems. We love supporting people. We're very customer service focused, right? I mean, we just are, right? So we want, you know, satisfied, not necessarily happy. Jamie wants you happy. I don't care if you're happy or not. I just want to make sure that we reach some sort of solution or conclusion here.

But I think this is where we get in trouble, is that when everyone throws their monkeys on our backs and the shit all comes to us, I think it is important to push back, to pause and be like, gosh, you know, I don't own that. I don't know who owns that. Well, you know, let's let's both try to figure this out, you know, or just take that's that person. Can you go talk to that person as opposed to you, HR taking it and talk? You know what I mean? I think sometimes we do Allow ourselves to be easy button like that and I don't think it does us any favors to do that I mean I've been guilty of that a thousand times and it's only really been until later in my career where I'm just like I I don't know and I'm thinking this I don't have the mental physical I don't have the mental, physical, emotional capacity to take on that weird issue.

You know what I mean? Like, I just flat out, I do not know. Why don't you try so and so, right? I mean, I got to a point where I couldn't take on, you know, fixing everybody's shit for them, you know? And I do think that we teach people how to treat us. And so I think that that's important to coach others to try and figure it out, fend for themselves.

Some things are huge, like clogged toilets, that could shut your business down. That's gonna need attention, right? But you know what I'm talking about, like the little bullshit. Oh my God, it's kind of like, do not touch those people. Like listen and be, thanks for sharing. Good luck. I remember in one of the offices, this was pre-pandemic, they would try to do a monthly

clean out of the fridge because once again, pre-pandemic, you know. That is H-yard all day. And I was not in charge of it. It was typically our executive assistant who would send out the note and then she would just throw everything away. But she went on leave and no one, of course no one do it because why it wasn't of importance, right? Because it got done. And so then I was like, fuck this shit.

I can't like every time I go in here, there's someone moldy ass Chipotle from three weeks ago or freaking I remember avocados like I literally thought avocados could walk off in the dish like so then I started doing it because I mean and no one asked me to do that and that wasn't necessarily a complaint but it's like little things like that that you just start to like take over because, and it's the ultimate burden of HR that we even, these things even fall on our plate. And I've told the stories about where I one time went on my lunch break and bought two additional microwaves because people were complaining that they were waiting for 30

minutes to just microwave their lunch. And I was like, once again, problem solving. I'm just fucking going to Target, and I'm buying two microwaves with my company card, and I'm plugging them in. I'm not saying anything. And so I think a lot of the times, it's sadly, at least in my case, it's easier for me to quickly resolve it

than even deal with the red tape. And that's what sucks so bad about the corporate environment. But I also think it speaks volumes of what they think of HR, what people think of HR. Especially if you're in a physical location, you have a physical office, I actually think it's very important to have a role that

is office manager, that is separate from HR, and have that person. Because I do think, I mean, to this point, I do think it's, but I think the one thing of HR is you're going to get these questions in. So that's why I do think it's helpful to have in part of HRs or ideally, you know, an office manager thinking of some of these physical things, like a light bulb, like this, who do we go to and who are contacts, having that in a document and always explaining the why and remembering.

And as much as people are like, God, it's so annoying. Why do I have to do that? But whenever people are coming to you with a problem, they're probably expecting that you're going to be like, get the fuck out of my office. But if you say like, hey, look, we have this. Well, actually, I don't like to say look. It sounds very harsh. But hey.

Look here, asshole. Hey, you. Hey, you. But say we have these resources so that you can get your answer quickly. And if I do it for you, it can turn into a game of telephone and we want people to be able to get things done directly and so just like in your job, if someone asks you something you can tell a colleague,

but look, you're like, I can help you do it quicker. Yeah, that takes like 12 seconds, but it helps to level set and be seen as more human. So people don't understand like having an office manager role and the person that does do the facilities works with HR to plan some of those team engagement things specific to the office. But as an organization, I do think it's an incredibly critical role that more and more organizations are cutting out and then having often HR serve as the office, adding office

manager duties, the junk drawer. And I think that absolutely to both of your points, but Jamie, as you'd ended that, is it makes people think of HR as the complaint department. Almost a self-fulfilling prophecy because you don't have the time to be strategic. I mean, when I talk to lean HR teams and they're like, we want to do manager training. And they're like, oh, I like your videos. I'm like, yeah, because you probably could put together a lot of what I talk about if you have the time.

You're not going to, realistically, because then someone's like, the microwave's going to break. And they're like, wait, no, literally our microwave broke last week and I've been driving to see her. It's like, Jamie. That is the real life. And so for organizations and leadership, I think realizing that, and so again, for HR, just like you tell people, this is who you'd go to for that,

thinking about the things that you can do and that you like doing to help in putting that in the resource document. So you're not just the person to come to with other questions. But here are some of the ways I can support you are some of the ways to help yourself not just be the complaint department, because you're going to get that, but be able to efficiently point people to other resources, but actually be able to have the

conversations if someone's like, I don't understand, like I want to ask for a pay raise, like when is the time to do that? How do I approach that with my manager or I'm interested in another role in the organization? How do I do that? Like a good HR person can help to have that conversations and guide them. And you'll have more time to do that if you help people help themselves. I mean, I always look for the silver linings of things, right? And so, you know, the positive is that if people are coming to you and sharing, that's wonderful. The fact that they're talking to you, they're opening up, definitely take the time to listen. You don't have to fix it. Like I said, please don't fix it

if it's something petty or minor, you know, but let them work through and have the hard conversations themselves, you know, but it's a good sign because when you really have to worry is when people are silent, when you hear nothing, if people aren't coming to you. So whether it's complaints or compliments, which is rare,

but that does happen too, which is lovely. You know, it is a good sign. You know, people, there's some psychological safety there. You know, like not all is lost, right? It's probably a pretty good environment, you know, if people are coming to you. They trust you. They believe in you. They know that you can support, help, or at least listen. So it's that silence, man. That means you've lost it. You've lost the team there. You got issues if no one's talking. So I try and think of the silver lining. Okay,

well, if everyone's using me as an easy button, then the complaint department, wow. Oh, I guess that's good. They're talking to me. Oh, let me try and the complaint department. Wow, I guess that's good they're talking to me. Let me try and make this positive. I fucking hate this. I know. Gosh, yeah, because there can be a lot of complaints, can't there? You know, something Ashley, you said was there needs to be an office manager,

but I've worked in such multi-companies where HR was slash office manager, but like I've worked in such multi-companies where HR was slash office manager, you know? And it's like insane that it's HR becomes the catchall for a lot of companies based on size usually. So just be mindful. One thing I've done recently and only for my own piece is I will listen to you, I will hear what you said, and then I'll be like, hey, let me introduce you.

And so it may be via email and I'll copy you and I'll copy the person who's in charge of it. Hey, this person had a question about X and then I'm completely out of it. I don't care if you don't CC me. I've introduced you to the person. I feel like I've done that extra layer of customer service, but I haven't taken it on as my own. But I also haven't just been like, Oh, just talk to Judy in accounting. There's a little extra layer. So I've been, I will say the last couple years, especially in remote

work that it's been a little different. That's how I've been, I will say the last couple years, especially in remote work, that it's been a little different. Like that's how I've been able to handle it is still passing it off, but also being far removed from figuring out myself and not being Captain Sam. Well, and I think HR's role in some of this and, you know, again, like I say, sometimes the burden of HR is like, why do I have to think about these things? And some of it's because your role is people. And people have needs. And people are often going to assume you're out to get them or you're just, you know, you're now

going to say, canoodling. Oh my god. Like, no, you're like, I don't know, commiserating or whatever with the CEO. Like, you know, junior HR people are often like, the CEO obviously tends to be the highest paid in the organization. The HR, especially when you're looking at HR slash office

manager, often tends to be among the lowest in an organization. And so I promise you that role does not tend to be the henchman or henchwoman for the CEO's interests, and there's no secret bonuses or non-secret bonuses being paid out. Yeah, I know. But is to take that, and whether you

use it to grow in your organization, you use it to grow in your organization, you use it to grow in another organization, but is to think about cross-functionally and what are the ways that you can address the issues that you hear. Because let's say someone comes to you with an IT issue and you're like, oh, it's the IT team. Well, IT tells me to submit a ticket. You have choices of what you can say. You can kind of buddy up to that person and be like, fuck IT.

Like, oh my God, it's so annoying. You'll never hear back. And so they're like, let's watch, like, sit with me and let's watch a YouTube to see how we can, we can fix this. You can do that. It's probably going to take up time and you may not find the right answer. But so sometimes understanding that and saying the reason they have a ticketing is, is because they get these one-off requests and they don't want to miss something and they want to be able to figure out what they're getting.

But so if you have, but that being said, if you're submitting a ticket and they're not getting back to you, that's also not okay. So I'm happy to have a conversation generally not attributing anything to you, but to like figure out what's causing that for them. Cause saying like, you know, you never know what's on someone's plate and bringing it back to that person that's saying this to you, saying, I'm sure there's things that I would be like, oh, why does that take more than a minute? And you're like, no, no, this takes weeks to do.

I'm saying for IT, it can be like that. A lot of us, but I'm happy to have that conversation. And then talking to IT and saying, I'm sure if you have the ticketing system for a reason, what does that look like for response times and what gets in the way of that? How can we help it so it actually meets its purposes? And that takes some conversations. But all of a sudden, you have gone from being this like the office like, not two-faced, but like commiserating with everybody when they come to you and being like, yeah, they suck, they suck. Like, I feel good because everybody likes me. And I'm just taking that. Then I'm taking everybody's monkeys on my back to being a strategic leader

because you are explaining things, helping to drive long-term solutions, building relationships. That's what being a strategic leader looks like in practice, even if you are at that far off branch on the organizational tree that is the thankless job of HR slash office manager. Oh gosh, mic drop. I love that. Yeah.

And if you're not a strategic leader, then you're running it up the flag pole. So, hey! There you go. I was waiting for that. I was waiting for that. Get groceries delivered across the GTA from real Canadian Superstore with PC Express. Shop online for super prices and super savings. Try it today and get up to $75 in PC Optimum Points. Visit

superstore.ca to get started. Sure, I could tell you winter's coming or that it brings cool dry air, but you already knew that. What you might not know is that Dove Deep Moisture Body Wash is made with millions of moisturizing micro-moisture droplets to keep your skin silky soft for 24 hours. Plus, it's paraben and sulfate free. No matter how dry your skin feels, Dove has you covered. Buy Dove Body Wash today at your local retailer or visit Dove.ca to learn more and order online. Well, until all of that happens, we'll just continue to be the complaint department, I guess. Until all of that happens, we'll just continue to be the complaint department, I guess. I think that we all have the capacity to broaden our roles a little bit and teach others how

to treat us and look at things different. So I got a lot out of this, actually. I took notes myself, like, oh, okay, let me try that. I know. I listen to all of our episodes, but I'll listen to this one as well, because. I like it. So shifting gears, questions and comments.

Questions and comments, ladies. I have one, which is like a minute before we started this episode. The ladies know this. Now, all listeners, you will as well. I had misread it, and I thought it was compliant department. And so I was like, ooh, another one for employment law. But even me, even me, this is really sad because I said, I don't know if this is going to be that interesting. Like there's things to talk

about. But it wasn't. It was complaint department, which was far more relatable and practical. But I laughed because I had mentally and actually prepped for compliant departments. So come set up a time. I will, I will have a fireside chat about being a compliant departments. So come set up a time. I will have a fireside chat about being a compliant department. So enjoy. We'll put that in a season 70s. That'll be the thousandth episode, very special episode, compliant department. But compliance is also something that falls on our plate and we get that. HR a lot. Yeah, it does. And we get those complaints on compliance.

Yep. And then we have complaints on compliance. Yep. And then we have to be the compliance guru. I have a comment, if I may. Not a quick question, but just a quick comment. If you have a complaint, I would encourage you to pause and reflect on that and think if there's a way you yourself can find a solution for it. Just take a second there. Instead of easy buttoning somebody else, can you solve it perhaps just with a conversation,

even though it may feel uncomfortable? Could you have a conversation? Could you bring it to light? Could you make a suggestion on a solution? Could you do something with that? Instead of just pass that complaint, just in and of itself onto somebody else, because it is a lot, it takes a lot of mental energy.

It is exhausting to receive everybody's just complaints. And we know what complaints are versus like real issues. And I mean, you know, totally different, you know what I'm talking about. Nip-picky bullshit is what I'm talking about. Like, is that the right thing? Or could you come up with a solution and propose a solution instead of just dropping a complaint

on somebody that receives sometimes hundreds of complaints a day? Just imagine just the emotional exhaustion of just hearing negativity from people all day long. That is some of our realities in HR. I've had those days, you know, where it's like, fuck people, come on, you know, like, and then what's the solution? It's exhausting. And it hurts sometimes. It really does. So that's what I'd say. Whether you're an HR or whatever function, it doesn't matter. You're a person of the world. Should you drop the complaint and perhaps ruin someone else's day and suck their mental

energy or can you just think for five extra minutes on a solution or solve it yourself? So that's my long-winded comment there today. Jamie, what do you got? Jamie Dillion We started this episode off with ripped pants and I'm going to end it with a hobble heel. So when I was in the office, I would, I, well, even still, I always wear heels. I'm a heels girly because I'm only 5'1". So I cannot tell you how many fucking heels I have broken and literally have had to fall or break the other heel of the other shoe.

I swear to God. Flats, like from heels to flats. Yeah, like literally turn them into flats so I can survive the day. Matter of fact, when I was pregnant with my first child, I kept slippers because my feet would get, it would hurt. So I at least broke, I buy cheap heels, let's be honest. At least I remember one time I broke a heel and I had my slippers at least. So I just wore my slippers. Sounds familiar. Yeah. I can't say. Shurm, Sherm 2023 walking around the conference floor with Lee and my big yeti slippers. I mean, I respect that.

I'm curious where you break your heels because the only time that's happened to me, which it did, was when I lived in DC. If you're in a big city and those grates on the sidewalk, you'd of course have the option to just walk around them, but clearly didn't figure that one out. I would get it stuck in there. Where do you break a heel? No, see, it wasn't even like it was stuck in something. It just breaks. I think, I'm a hard walker. You know those little, I don't know, the bottom of the heel things? Yeah, the little black little- Yeah, little taps, heel taps. I go through those within three months. So I actually bought my own kit off Amazon

and my husband helps me replace them. Wow, like a cobbler. Okay. Because I was going to this like local cobbler so often and he was charging me $10 for every pair of heels and I literally, I go through them in like three months. So I think I'm just a hard walker. Damn, you're really rocking heels.

Couldn't get a membership like a car wash, like one of those monthly car washes, like a frequent flyer or whatever. He was like, not this bitch. Actually, no, no, I'm sure he was like, he's like, oh, it's on there real tight. It's real tight. It'll last you for a real long time next week. Oh my god, Jamie, he probably was he the one that told you you're a hard walker probably no, but this is my number one customer. Oh, he's just a hard walker. Keep doing you. My husband always like, he can, when he's downstairs and I'm like upstairs folding laundry, he's like, I can hear you stampeding around.

But that was going back to that episode Lee talked about where you had to do, and I think you said this, Jamie, like, but you have to be mindful of how you walk in the office. Because again, if people hear HR, then, move, move, move, move. Then they get nervous, or if they see the running. And I'm a hard walker, so y'all better watch the fuck out. You're gonna get complaints on that, you're walking. I also walk fast too, because I'm only five foot one. So I feel like I have to keep up with everyone.

I know that, I'm with you on that one. We weren't sprinting to keep up with Lee's, very reasonable pace. I walk slow. You do one. We were sprinting to keep up with Lee's, you know, very reasonable pace. I walk slow. You do, but we have to run to keep up because you have the legs of a thoroughbred and I have the legs of a dachshund. Oh, that's cute. Or corgi.

Corgi, yeah. Cute. Well, on that note.