HR Stories Podcast - A Lesson in Every Story!
Welcome to the HR Stories Podcast - where there is a lesson in every story. Our Storytellers - John Thalheimer and Chuck Simikian, the Team behind HR Stories, share real-life tales about where a business made a preventable mistake. At The HR Stories Podcast, the STORIES are the teaching tool! LISTEN to the stories of those who did not heed the warning signs. LEARN from their mistakes. ACT on best practices shared by our hosts and guests. Each year, our hosts, Chuck Simikian and John Thalheimer, deliver thousands of live seminars around the country to business owners, executives, and HR professionals discussing the fundamentals of Human Resources, Leadership best practices, and legal risk reduction activities for organizations.
Each HR Story episode shares a story of where a company missed the mark, what went wrong, and how you can avoid their fate. As the Team at HR Stories, John and Chuck continue to develop and provide resources to help HR leaders, business owners, and organizations with the confidence they need to successfully handle employee issues and build strong employee practices to comply with employment laws. Both successful entrepreneurs help businesses through HR consulting, training, and coaching leaders. They have coached and trained thousands of HR Professionals, Business Owners, and Leaders to prepare them for the future.
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.
HR Stories Podcast - A Lesson in Every Story!
Ep120: Updates from the EEOC - Lawful DEI in the Trump Era
The Trump Administration has signed a flurry of executive orders - some of which have direct impacts on the workplace. It’s critical, now more than ever, to pay attention to changes and updates that are coming your way. In today’s episode, Chuck and John review some new documents released by the EEOC that are providing clearer guidance around how to legally approach DEI in the workplace. Andrea Lucas, the EEOC Acting Chair, released 11 Tips for Lawful DEI, listed below:
- Audit Job Descriptions – Cut unnecessary degree or experience requirements.
- Audit Ads and Interviews – Keep questions and language neutral.
- Standardize Interviews – Use consistent scoring and avoid vague “fit” questions.
- Formalize Promotions – Structure the process so everyone understands how to advance.
- Inclusive Mentorship – Don’t limit opportunities by race or gender.
- Universal Leadership Training – Offer to all eligible employees.
- Support First-Gen Pros – Help those new to professional fields (a neutral group).
- Individualized Training – Base it on job role, not race or gender.
- Privileged Audits – Use private internal audits to spot issues.
- Broaden Recruitment – Widen your outreach—no quotas.
- Rethink Culture – Address policies that unintentionally exclude (e.g., overtime, inflexibility).
In the HR News segment, the team touches on the following topics and more:
- Bumblebee (you may know them from the can of tuna in your pantry) is getting sued for practices on fishing boats provided by the company under the American Trafficking Act. How will this impact other US-based companies with international employees?
- A welder with a reasonable accommodation related to diabetes had his request declined. Now it’s in the courts. Remember to approach your accommodation requests with a reasonable mindset and train your managers to not fall into easy traps that can cost the company a serious fine.
- A recent Gallop poll looks into why Americans are working less. Burnout could be
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Do you have a situation or topic you’d like the team to discuss? Are you interested in having Chuck or John talk to your team or Emcee your event? You can reach the Team at Email@TeamAtHRStories.com for suggestions and inquiries.
The viewpoints expressed by the characters in the stories are not necessarily that of The Team at HR Stories. The stories are shared to present various, real-world scenarios and share how they were handled by policy and, at times, law. Chuck and John are not lawyers and always recommend working with an employment lawyer to address concerns.
