Hey everyone!

I'm looking to connect with an experienced HR professional who'd be open to mentoring.

I've mostly worked with startups, directly with founders and management, and have had the opportunity to lead things myself.

But one thing I've missed is having an experienced HR leader to learn from. Someone who's been in the industry for a while and can offer a different perspective.

Not looking for anything paid or commercial, just genuine guidance and knowledge-sharing.

If anyone's open to connecting, do let me know! :)

I’m moving into a new HR role and one of my immediate tasks is to try to reduce their benefits spend. I demo’d Bennie in the past and considering them as an option. The company has locations in Tx, Nv, and Al and has roughly 150 employees.

My current company uses Frost which seems more archaic than what I would prefer.

Long rant but it's not Friday, so I'm posting anyways.

I work for a midsize nonprofit. Before I got here, program directors built their own grant budgets, wages included. With little guidance, most defaulted to an automatic 5% annual COLA + performance for our part-time, seasonal workforce. This was never benchmarked against market or other wages internally for full-time staff.

Most of our workforce is seasonal, and I knew big minimum wage hikes were coming. I kicked the can, set all part-time staff to one wage. The roles all need a fairly substantial decrease but I just wanted to plug the holes for now.

Now minimum wage in one of our cities hits $19/hour by 2028. Our lowest-paid full-time staff makes $22, the next tier is around $25. That’s immediate pay compression and staff notice. I've had a number of people approach me because they recognize if job X is getting a raise, that job will be about the same as them and they should get a raise, and so on.

The directors are giving me major friction. They can’t grasp that we can’t honor every number they pulled out of thin air for a grant that operates on a five-year cycle. It’s “but mmyyyyy grannntt sayssss,” with zero interest in the agency-wide impact.

There’s no clean fix. Either fewer people doing more work for more money, or we bring inflated seasonal wages closer to market and accept some turnover.

And I’m not being a monster: their staffing models were projected to max capacity, not what actually happens day to day. So in reality this is a very simple issue.

And yes, I recognize that an increased minimum wage does not result in this doom-spiraling cascade of pay hikes. But the reality of a nonprofit is that we typically pay fairly low wages and offer flexibility in turn. In good faith, if we're recruiting college-educated professionals, I'd like to tell them they're making a decent clip over minimum wage and not a functionally identical wage to colleagues who are in entry-level PTE, seasonal roles.

Some of the directors think Advancement can wave a magic wand and just raise more money. And yes, that team is involved. As is accounting. I'm not just throwing darts at the board. I've been working with our Sr. Accountant for some time to resolve this.

We actually got some supplemental funds we plan on using to develop capacity and by the end of next year, nearly double our workforce. But that just doesn't work under the numbers the directors created.

Cleaning up years of inconsistent pay decisions, pulling back authority individuals had no business having, and getting them to buy into the messaging is exhausting. That issue is effectively why our ED was installed by the board and why I was hired. I have support from the board and from our ED, so the fix is coming. But fuck if this is how it's being handled by our directors, I'm not excited to fully resolve this.

This is divorced of a bit of context. I omitted a few roles and a few wages because it'd be fairly easy to find our business if I gave actual live figures.

What nonsense is going on in your world? Any big change that’s needed and nobody’s listening?

Breaking News: Workday finally acted to help alleviate job-seekers' pain and announced 'Workday Candidate Profile' to let candidates own, manage, and save their info once(!) and reuse it when they apply for jobs at the thousands of companies that use their ATS to hire. Thoughts on this latest update?

Hi Redditors,

I currently work in Human Resources, applied for an HR Generalist position for a company back in July and FINALLY just got contracted but the scope of the position has completely changed and now the CEO wants me to help him build an HRIS system using my HR knowledge and his Tech background. He owns the main company and an additional 5 other misc companies and wants to develop a pilot/template for one and then roll out to the rest once proven successful.

I have about 8 years experience in HR Specialist/Generalist positions and just passed my SHRM-CP this summer. I have used several HRIS systems and know the meat and potatoes of what capabilities they need but have never been involved in building one. I have been clear with the recruiter that I do not have that kind of experience, as I applied for the generalist role- not HRIS consultant. I'm thinking maybe they're going with me to save some money.. Idk but I'm really trying to fight my imposter syndrome here. I REALLY want to prove myself and am excited about the challenge but don't want to commit to something unrealistic.

My biggest question is am I capable of this AND how the hell do I go about setting a rate?

ANY ADVICE IS SO APPRECIATED!!! THANK YOU!

Here's what he sent

Project deliverables:

1. Enter and verify employee data against payroll records, ensuring employees review their profiles and acknowledge company policies.
2. Develop a requirements document covering system functionality, workflows, roles, and permissions.
3. Document and implement HR processes, including onboarding, offboarding, employee changes, PTO, and requests.
4. Upload company policies and obtain employee acknowledgments.
5. Test the system before launch.
6. Create an implementation guide for future company rollouts.

The requested proposal should include:

1. A step-by-step implementation plan.
2. Estimated timelines for each phase and overall completion.
3. Proposed compensation consisting of a fixed project fee and a completion bonus.

If the pilot is successful, the HRIS will be rolled out to additional companies.

Hello! Currently for my main job, my title is Operations & HR Coordinator. While I handle recruiting, benefits, onboarding, and field all HR related questions, I handle less than an HR generalist. I am looking to go fully HR and away from the accounting/Operations side. For reference, I do not have a bachelors degree (in progress, but part time it will be 3-4 years), but have 5 years working in operations and general HR work. My goal is to move towards contractor work in the next 10 years.

I don't know if my experience would qualify for PHR, so from what I've read the SHRM-CP is the next best option to stand out for HR specific roles. As the testing window is December - February, I am looking at test prep materials now, but am seeing people saying they studied for 2 months 5 hours a week, or 18 month windows. Based on my schedule, an in person course is not an option, so looking at prep I can do during the day or after hours at home. Any insight would be appreciated!

I've spent essentially my entire career focused on HR/Payroll/Talent Systems.

I started as an HRIS Analyst at a large company for about 6 years. Then I spent about 10 years working for a couple of major vendors in product management and implementation consulting. I've worked with dozens of companies across multiple industries, participated in implementations from both sides of the table, and eventually became the executive decision-maker responsible for purchasing millions of dollars in SaaS products and services.

In other words, I should know better.

And I still feel like I got duped into buying a product and service model that did not live up to what was sold.

I'm intentionally not making this post about one vendor because I don't think this is a one-vendor problem.

Look across the major HCM/payroll platforms: UKG, Workday, Dayforce, Pay***, and others. Different strengths, different weaknesses, but I increasingly feel like enterprise HCM has become a race to see how much complexity, risk, and responsibility can be pushed back onto the customer while the recurring SaaS bill keeps climbing.

Large organizations can spend millions of dollars every year on these platforms, plus implementation partners, consultants, integrations, testing resources, internal support teams, and optimization work. Yet after all that investment, we still encounter significant functionality gaps, inconsistent implementation quality, features that looked much better in the demo than they work in production, and "roadmap" answers that can stretch indefinitely.

And maybe the most frustrating part is this:

As customers, we keep participating in the same process.

We sit through scripted demos.

We evaluate massive RFP spreadsheets where every vendor answers "Yes," "Supported," or "Configurable."

We negotiate subscription rates.

We buy implementation packages.

We discover limitations during design or testing that weren't obvious during selection.

We create workarounds.

We pay consultants to solve problems we assumed the software would solve.

Then, several years later, we start another selection process and largely repeat the same exercise.

So I don't want this to just be another "Vendor X sucks" thread.

I want to ask the people who have been doing this for 10, 15, 20+ years: How do we get better at buying enterprise HR technology?

More specifically:

• What do you now require vendors to prove during the sales process instead of simply answering on an RFP?
• Have you found an effective way to run unscripted, scenario-based demos using your actual business requirements?
• What questions expose product limitations before the contract is signed?
• What contractual protections have actually mattered when functionality, integrations, implementation services, or performance don't match expectations?
• How do you distinguish a genuine product capability from something that technically exists but isn't realistically usable at scale?
• How do you validate that something on a vendor's "roadmap" is more than sales-cycle optimism?
• How do you evaluate the implementation partner with the same rigor as the software?
• What implementation practices have prevented you from discovering major design problems six months too late?
• What metrics do you use after go-live to hold the vendor accountable for service quality, defects, support, and platform performance?
• Has anyone established a meaningful scorecard or governance model for a strategic HCM vendor?
• And when a major vendor simply isn't delivering, what leverage have you actually found that works?

I'm especially interested in hearing from long-tenured HRIS/HCM leaders, Payroll leaders, CIO/CHRO decision-makers, former vendor employees, consultants, and people who have led multiple enterprise selections or implementations.

I have several ideas about how buyers could change the selection and contracting process: proof-based evaluations instead of feature checklists, real-world test cases, stronger implementation acceptance criteria, contractual accountability around critical requirements, reference calls that aren't entirely vendor-controlled, and much more disciplined post-go-live vendor management.

But I'd rather not turn this into my manifesto yet.

If you could redesign the enterprise HCM buying process based on everything you've learned the hard way, what would you do differently?

And perhaps the most interesting question:

What's one thing you wish you had forced the vendor to prove before you signed the contract?

I'll share some of my own lessons in the comments as well.

*Note AI used to help summarize and organize my thoughts.

I have a lot of certificates. For the past few years I’ve made it a goal to obtain a certificate each year. I have never put any of my certificates or my master’s degree after my name. Do you all? Should I? I think it will look ridiculous.

Joe Smith, MPA, SHRM-CP, PHR, AWI-CH

Guess who’s in the news again. Batting 1,000 there SHRM. Recall the entire board and start fresh.

https://www.businessinsider.com/shrm-found-liable-disability-accommodation-lawsuit-2026-10

Hello!

If you were to create new pay bands that include geographic pay differentials, would you focus on cost of living in different areas or the average prevailing wage?

Also, would you have a different pay band for each title or make the bands wider to include “levels” to make things more condensed?

Thanks!

Hey all, I am feeling a bit overwhelmed in my new role as an HRBP. I support a very big, very busy hospital, approx 18 leaders/1500 EEs.
i went from 5 years in construction (2.5 in recruitment, 2.5 as a generalist doing labour relations), and then moved into this role as an HRBP in provincial healthcare earlier in august.

my inbox is always exploding, the meetings are constant, it’s a bit overwhelming managing such a busy inbox being so new. i had heard that typically it takes about 6 weeks of training before becoming first point of contact, but due to vacations and promotions i had to step into it quicker after about 3 weeks.

it’s a very big org compared to my last role and it’s a lot more demanding with regard to investigations and labour relations stuff. i’m not as transactional which i am so thankful for and for the most part my client group is phenomenal. overall i feel very lucky to be here, but i also feel a tad bit out of my league and i feel like maybe im not cut out for this, despite how badly i want this to work out and how much i care about doing a good job, yanno?

i’m also in the midst of navigating some newfound to me neurodivergent aspects of my personality having been diagnosed earlier this year with ADHD. i truly think ADHD brains have superpowers, it just took me some time and therapy to figure out what mine are, and im still learning, going to therapy, etc.

i try not to conflate my personal life with my work, but i do care a lot about doing a job i can be proud of, and i really want this to work out. any advice or insight from those who’ve been in similar positions would be immensely appreciated 🤩

I lead the HRBP function for a professional services/construction company of 1600 employees. I’ve been with the company for 8 years, but the constant leadership churn and organizational changes without ANY management have really worn me down. With recent changes in leadership, my ability to actually make meaningful changes has become increasingly limited, while the expectations and reliance on me and my HRBPs have only grown. I’ve been ready to walk for about six months, but I genuinely love my team and the people I work with.

My leadership is aware that I’m burnt out and recently offered me the opportunity to transition into leading our compensation function at the same level. Compensation has always been my favorite part of my role, and I’ve built a lot of trust and credibility with the business in this area. I’ve considered making the move into comp for several years, and a recent conference had me thinking about it more seriously. The function also supports two of our sister companies, both of which I’ve supported previously in an HRBP capacity.

My biggest hesitation has always been specializing and potentially limiting my options down the road. A year ago, I would’ve told you without hesitation that my goal was to become CHRO. I’m not sure that’s what I want anymore, or if I’m just so burnt out that I can’t see myself enjoying that level of responsibility right now. I’m tired of being the person everyone calls at all hours or whenever shit hits the fan.

For those who have made a similar move, did you feel like specializing limited your career opportunities? Has anyone transitioned from HRBP leadership into compensation and eventually back into a broader HR leadership role?

Part of me feels like this could be a really good opportunity to focus on work I actually enjoy, but another part worries I’m making a long-term career decision based on short-term burnout.

I just started my first week at a new HR Temp role and I’m making my rounds to say Hi and to have people feel comfortable with me and get to know me as the go to person for the next few weeks.

As I’m doing my round to say hi to a new department I haven’t said hi to. One of the employees, said to me as I quote, “ I don’t like her” to the lady I’m going to replace on her leave. Like… how do you respond to that comment?😂
I wanted to laugh so hard because it was out of context and random, plus I just met the guy! 😂

How does one respond to random things like that?!

We're a mid size employer (~550 headcount) across multiple entities. We are a remote employer who operates in most states. After losing the role that does open enrollment/benefits earlier in the year, I'm finding myself participating in open enrollment administration for the first time in nearly 6 years.

I'm looking for advice on open enrollment from people more experienced than I. I won't be the only one working on it, but I want to do some preparation ahead of time. I'm looking for tips, call outs, things to look out for. I should also mention that we are switching carriers this year, so that adds another layer of complexity. We use ADP WFN for benefits/open enrollment administration (as well as HRIS and Payroll). Any words of wisdoms are appreciated!

I’m facing a career decision and would love to hear from HR professionals who have experience in both specialist and generalist roles.
I’ve worked in HR for several years, mostly in larger organizations, and I’ve gradually realized that I really enjoy project-based work, HR analytics, process improvement, and having time to focus on complex tasks.
I’ve recently been offered a position elsewhere, and I’m struggling to decide whether to accept it.

Option A: Stay in my current organization
I’m currently transitioning into a more specialized role focused on HR projects, compensation-related work, reporting, and potentially analytics.
Previously, I had a mixed role involving recruitment, operational HR, and project work. I found it extremely draining, particularly because of the constant interruptions, competing priorities, and lack of control over my schedule.
My manager has indicated that I won’t be returning to my previous responsibilities, which is a significant positive.
Pros:
Work that seems better aligned with my interests and strengths.
More opportunities to focus on complex projects and develop specialist expertise.
Potentially better long-term career development.
Familiar environment and shorter commute.
Cons:
My future responsibilities aren’t fully defined.
Some uncertainty about workload and longer-term opportunities.
I’ve experienced some frustrating workplace dynamics.
I’m not entirely sure how much of the role will involve meaningful analytical or development work.

Option B: Accept a new HR position
The new role would be broader, involving day-to-day HR operations alongside some development and process improvement projects.
The hiring manager seems genuinely supportive and enthusiastic, and the organizational culture appears positive.
However, most of the position would involve operational HR, with a smaller portion dedicated to development work.
Pros:
Fresh start and seemingly supportive leadership.
Broader HR experience and greater exposure to different HR functions.
Opportunity to improve processes and potentially have more influence.
Similar compensation.
Cons:
The majority of the role would involve day-to-day HR operations.
Potentially more reactive work, interruptions, and competing priorities.
Less dedicated time for analytics and development projects.
Longer commute.
Concern about repeating a previous experience with an overwhelming mixed HR role.

I’m worried that I’m being attracted to the new opportunity because of the fresh start and supportive manager, rather than because the actual work is a better fit.
At the same time, I’m hesitant to stay somewhere when my future responsibilities aren’t entirely clear and I’ve had some negative experiences.
I know from experience that constantly switching between reactive HR matters and longer-term projects can be exhausting for me. I tend to thrive when I have ownership of projects, autonomy, and time for focused work.

Have you found specialist HR roles more sustainable than generalist positions, or vice versa?
If a role combines operational HR and development projects, does the operational work usually end up taking over?
Would you prioritize a potentially better-fitting role at your current employer or a fresh start with a promising manager?
Has anyone made a similar move and regretted it, or been pleasantly surprised?
I’d especially love to hear from people who have worked in both types of roles.

Thanks in advance!

Hi everyone! I'm a recent grad (B.S. hospitality) starting a contract role as a Recruiting Coordinator at an engineering company.

I've never worked in HR or recruiting before, so I'd love any tips, advice, or things you wish you knew when you started.

I'm excited to learn and eventually pursue either the aPHR or SHRM-CP.

What should I expect in my first few weeks, and what skills or habits will help me succeed?

Thank you all in advance!!!

I’m a HR Manager - I’ve encountered cases where employees who have resigned and are serving their notice period mentally checks out and keeps taking sick leave. Mostly they have a medical certificate to back them up so when their managers complain to me, my answer is always that it is within their right and is medically certified. Besides, they are already leaving so there’s no point in bringing up performance issues.

Now recently, I’ve encountered an employee who is serving notice and has been taking sick leave with medical certificate. They have a history of doing this and also other performance issues. When we placed them on soft PIP, that was when they resigned. They then told me explicitly during a casual chat that they’re going to take sick leave for a dental appointment and to attend personal matters thereafter as they don’t have anymore annual leave left to use.

Their manager is very frustrated yet doesn’t want to take formal actions like cutting the notice period short since they still need someone to do the work. What else can we do in this scenario?

Hello all, I am just curious on a few things as I am ramping up my job hunt. What sites do you all use when finding an HR role? Yes LinkedIn and Indeed but are there any others that are kinda under the radar that you have seen success with? Do you have tips for other HR Professionals you swear by? I have kinda fell into all my roles, this is the first time I am starting from scratch and it really is overwhelming. Hell I had an interview recently and I did not even apply for the role but was found on LinkedIn but the company has ghosted me. So as much as I am seasoned in HR, I haven’t really had a hard time finding my next move.

Do you typically enter the term date as the last day actually worked or the day after? I’ve always done the last day worked but now thinking that may not be accurate.

Currently an HR Tech Specialist. I recently interviewed for HRIS Tech Lead a job that was literally everything I was looking for. 100% remote, perfect salary range, and the job description aligned almost perfectly with my experience. I was SO excited about this one.

The recruiter interview went amazing. She even mentioned that I was bringing up everything the hiring manager was looking for without her having to ask half her prepared questions. The company has four interview rounds: recruiter, two team leads from other departments, VP, and finally the hiring manager.

My second interview was with the two team leads, and honestly, I thought it went well. One was super engaged and enthusiastic, while the other was polite but seemed pretty uninterested. She even mentioned that she barely interacts with the team I'd be leading.

The interview was scheduled for 45 minutes but ended after 25. They only asked five questions, mostly about leadership and communication. I have been a manager for a total of six years and all of major experience, but my current role I operate as an individual contributor level, more of a consultant (which I took because I moved). I wanted to get back into leadership. I gave examples using the STAR method and at the end, asked questions about how if I got the role, my team could better support theirs, current bottlenecks, and what success in this role would look like from their perspective.

One interviewer gave great answers, while the other really didn't have much to contribute besides mentioning that communication between departments could improve. I explained how I've handled that in previous roles, but there wasn't much back-and-forth.

Well, I just got the rejection email, and I'm genuinely so bummed. I didn't even make it to the VP or hiring manager, which is disappointing because I felt like my background was such a strong match. I know there could've been better candidates, but I'm struggling to figure out what I could've done differently.

For those who've interviewed for senior or leadership positions, **how do you approach interviews with people at your same level who don't necessarily work directly with your team?** Is it more about personality and chemistry than experience at that point? Also, would you consider a 25-minute interview scheduled for 45 minutes a red flag?

Just trying to learn from this one because it really stings.

I am an HR department of one in a small business.

Recently, we've had 2 major medical emergencies. I am ok with worker's comp and all that but what is the best practice for an employee who has a seizure at work? I am super concerned because a lot of times employees are left to close by themselves or with one other person, the owner is often the last one out but wasn't in this case. So I have 3 immediate questions:

1. What does employment look like going forward with someone who had a major seizure at work, obviously we would never terminate him and want to keep him employed, but what if he had been alone? Can we make it so he's not allowed to work alone? I don't want to embarrass him but he was supposed to be alone that night and would've probably died. Can we not let him back until he's cleared by a doctor?
2. What can I do as HR to come up with a better emergency protocol? Currently we have none except call the owner or his #2 but honestly both of them are terrible at answering phones and even worse in a crisis. We employ a lot of young people and I don't want them to be scared or left to deal with an emergency alone.
3. What about emergency contact information? Right now only the #2 has access to that info (they've never had HR before so I'm doing my best).

Good morning friends! Happy Ralts Tuesday.

For discussion, I would like to hear your stories/ideas/general topics about Halloween in the work place.

Maybe you had a great idea that planned out? Or maybe you have a ghoulish war story to vent about? Let’s hear it!

Art by gigaegg on X

Ok so I have been in HR for well over 15 years and I have been part of 2 rifs in less than a year with the last one being last month. I need someone else’s eyes to see what I might can improve on my resume to help me with my career search. I’ve looked at it, changed it, and changed it 10000 more times and I am just about at the end of my rope. So I’m asking all you other amazing HR people to please look over this and let me know what you suggest. I know I have accomplished a lot in my past I just don’t know if I’m getting it across clearly and showing the impact of what I’ve done. Thank you in advance!

Hi everyone, hoping to get some advice from those of you with experience with a UK EOR. I am an HR Director and I have 1 employee in the UK who is currently a contractor for us. They are a contractor mainly because we are a US based company (New York State) and do not have our own entity in the UK. I've been asked to figure out the fastest, least-costly way to bring this employee on as a full-time salaried team member, so, naturally, I started to get quotes from EORs.

At this point, I've spoken with Rippling, Deel, Remote, and Multiplier & they are all asking for a 'reserve' or deposit equal to 1 month's salary to start payroll services in the UK. Because this is a highly-paid employee, the reserve amount requested is well over $20k.

Can anyone share, from their own experience with onboarding a UK employee through an EOR, if this is some sort of legal requirement in the UK or if this is just a vendor requirement to reduce their own financial liability?

Rippling and Deel offered to waive the need for deposit if we paid more in monthly service fees, but Multiplier and Remote stated the 'reserve' amount is legally required in the UK, so it's been a little confusing. I'll be doing my own deep-dive, of course, but I'm hoping someone can provide firsthand info. Thanks in advance :)

I recently was approached by 2 different recruiters on LinkedIn about a part- time HR generalist role which is about 20-25hrs a week and pay range is $90-120an hour.

I took a call with the first recruiter and got more info and the company is legit but the job description and hourly pay don’t really match. Like they are offering an unusually high rate for the generalist work that needs to be done- they don’t want a functional leadership hr or someone to come in and re do everything just move in and continue doing it the way they have always done it.

My friends and I all say there has to be a catch this just seems to good to be true, please my fellow Reddit HR folks give me your honest feedback if this is a total scam.