Lost? You're Not Alone.

?? Welcome to the inaugural edition of?404: HR Not Found - where HR pros come for the snark, stay for the solidarity, and maybe even find a moment of joy amidst the madness. (Yes, we believe in miracles.)

HR is supposed to be the beating heart of an organization, but some days, it feels more like being the air traffic controller for a fleet of rogue helicopters. In today’s issue, we’re tackling:

?? Why HR gets blamed for bad management decisions (spoiler: it's never our fault)

?? A brainteaser to keep your neurons firing (or at least functioning)

?? Your new favorite game: "Policy Violation or Just Bad Judgment?"

?? How to find your HR ride-or-dies - because this job was never meant to be a solo act

???HR WTF? (What The Fiasco?!)??? A?completely real?(but anonymized) HR horror story

A manager wants to promote their favorite employee - who happens to be the least qualified person in the department. When HR pushes back, the manager demands: "Can’t we just create a new title that sounds important but doesn’t actually mean anything?"

HR:?Congrats to our new "Strategic Synergy Architect."

???Brain Break: HR Brainteaser?

If three employees call out, two have 'urgent dentist appointments,' and one requests PTO for "a personal mission of self-discovery," how many people will actually show up for the Friday afternoon meeting that?should have been an email?

(A) 2

(B) 1

(C) Just HR, because life is unfair

(D) The intern, because they don’t know any better yet

[Answer at the bottom, but let’s be real - you already know.]

???Policy Violation or Just Bad Judgment??

Scenario: An employee set up a side hustle selling custom candles - made from melted-down company-issued stress balls.

(A) Policy Violation

(B) Genius Level Innovation

(C) Who cares, let them have this

HR says: "We’re still investigating, but honestly… props for the creativity."

???Find Your People?

HR can feel like being the main character in a horror movie - running from fires while everyone else wonders what the problem is.?But it doesn’t have to be lonely.?Find your HR community, whether it’s a LinkedIn group, a Slack channel, or a secret underground bunker where people actually understand what you do.

If you don’t have one, let’s build one.

Drop a comment: Where do you go for HR camaraderie?

???Answer Key:

Brainteaser: C. Always C.

Until next time - keep fighting the good fight, keep your snack drawer stocked, and remember: HR isn’t the problem, bad leadership is.

?? Deb Haas