Straight Talk HR
Practical HR guidance with no jargon and no fluff. Whether you run a growing business, navigate the workplace every day, or need help resolving a conflict, find the answers you actually need.
Employer Resources
Compliance, handbooks, investigations and the judgment calls that come before them.
Political Discussions at Work: How Employers Can Keep the Peace
Election Day is November 3, and political conversations are finding their way into workplaces everywhere. For business owners and managers, election season ...
5 Scary HR Mistakes That Could Haunt Your Busness
Halloween has plenty of things to be afraid of. But if you're running a business, some of the scariest monsters aren't hiding under the bed. They're hiding in ...
Get Ahead of 2027: What California Employers Should Update Before the New Laws Kick In
If your attendance software automatically generates write-ups, your handbook hasn’t been updated in a while, or you offer sign-on bonuses with a payback ...
AI Hiring Compliance
AI governance in HR covers a lot of ground. One piece is growing faster than the rest, though. It's AI hiring compliance.
Employment Verification Just Got Tougher
A Small Mistake Just Got a Lot More Costly For years, employers had a safety net. If ICE found a small Form I-9 error, employers had 10 business days to fix ...
AI Governance in HR
A year ago, most HR teams asked one question: should we use AI at all? Most HR teams have settled that question by now. So, the conversation has moved on.
Paknad Ruling – 2026
What California HR Leaders Need to Know A few years ago, a client asked me to review a workplace investigation that had been conducted by their attorney and ...
Prevention + Resolution: Why Growing Businesses Need Fractional HR with Built‑In Dispute Resolution
Most growing businesses treat HR and dispute resolution as separate headaches. That split leaves you scrambling when conflicts arise, risking costly delays and ...
How Small Businesses Accidentally Trigger Retaliation Claims After an HR Complaint
The Retaliation Trap How Small Businesses Accidentally Trigger Retaliation Claims A few years ago, I worked with a nonprofit that found itself in the middle of ...
Startup HR That Scales: A Practical Playbook for Founders
Startup HR That Scales: A Practical Playbook for Founders Startups fail for many reasons. Weak HR foundations shouldn't be one of them. However, without ...
Scalable HR for Startups: Build Once, Grow Confidently
Scalable HR for Startups: Build Once, Grow Confidently Most startups struggle to build HR systems that actually grow with them. You might be patching together ...
7 HR Policies Growing Businesses Overlook
7 HR policies growing businesses overlook—and practical fixes you can make this month Many growing businesses miss critical HR policies that quietly raise ...
Employee Resources
Severance, performance plans, accommodation requests and difficult conversations.
Can You Talk Politics at Work? A 2026 Guide for California Employees
Election Day is November 3, and chances are you've heard more than a few political opinions lately. Maybe a coworker enjoys discussing the latest election ...
What California's 2027 Workplace Laws Mean for You as an Employee
Technology is changing how work gets scheduled, tracked, and evaluated, and many people feel uncertain about it. A 2026 Harris Poll study for INTOO found that ...
How to Prepare for a Difficult Conversation at Work
There is no single right way to handle a difficult conversation at work, and the approach that fits will depend on the people involved, the topic, and the ...
Reasonable Accommodation at Work: What California Employees Need to Know
If you have a disability, California law gives you real protection at work. Specifically, your employer cannot discriminate against you because of a ...
When You Feel HR Has Dismissed Your Complaint
A senior executive called us last year as a last resort. For months, she had raised concerns about ongoing inappropriate behavior from leadership at her ...
How To Negotiate a Severance Package Before You Sign Anything
How to Negotiate a Severance Package Before You Sign Anything She called me on a Thursday afternoon, about two weeks after she had been laid off. Her voice was ...
Are You Experiencing a Hostile Work Environment? Clear Signs, Next Steps, and Where to Get Neutral Help
Are You Experiencing a Hostile Work Environment? Clear Signs, Next Steps, and Where to Get Neutral Help Hostile work environments don’t just happen ...
Are You the Toxic Coworker? Subtle Signs, Real Fixes, and How to Reset
Are You the Toxic Coworker? Subtle Signs, Real Fixes, and How to Reset Nobody thinks they are the toxic coworker. That is actually part of the problem. We have ...
Catch Conflicts Early: 9 Practical Ways to Spot and Resolve Issues Before They Escalate
Catch Conflicts Early: 9 Practical Ways to Spot and Resolve Issues Before They Escalate Workplace conflicts often start small but spiral quickly if missed. ...
Dispute Resolution
Resolving workplace conflict before it becomes litigation.
When You Feel HR Has Dismissed Your Complaint
A senior executive called us last year as a last resort. For months, she had raised concerns about ongoing inappropriate behavior from leadership at her ...
Integrated Dispute Resolution: The Cost-Effective Alternative to Litigation for Startups and Scale-Ups
Integrated Dispute Resolution: The Cost-Effective Alternative to Litigation for Startups and Scale-Ups Most startups and scale-ups face costly conflicts that ...
Integrated HR + Dispute Resolution: A Clear Path to Fewer Workplace Conflicts
Integrated HR + Dispute Resolution: A Clear Path to Fewer Workplace Conflicts Workplace conflicts drain time and energy, often hitting when you least expect ...