Cindi’s HR and Hiring Advice
Exit Interviews: The Cheapest Retention Tool You’re Not Using
When we treat a resignation as the end of the relationship, we walk away from the most honest feedback we will ever get.
88% of Employees Think You Don’t Care
“I don’t need to justify caring. How do you justify not caring?” The conversation that changed how I think about leading.
How Much PTO Should You Give?
46% of U.S. workers don’t use all their PTO. Here are the benchmarks, and why I am not sold on unlimited.
Are You Overworking Your Best Employees?
One of your five salespeople always closes — so every important account goes to them. They will never tell you it’s too much.
“Am I Safe Here?” What Your Team Is Quietly Asking
Job security isn’t a policy you write. It’s the accumulated impression of how you handle mistakes, how you hire, and what you say about the future.
New AI Hiring Laws: How to Stay Compliant
19 states now have AI rules tied to employment. In those states, 57% of HR professionals don’t know the laws exist.
Your Employees Don’t Want Feedback. They Want Attention.
The myth is that younger workers need daily feedback. What they actually want is your attention — time with their manager.
Exempt vs. Non-Exempt: The Overtime Rule Explained
How you pay someone is your choice. Whether they’re exempt from overtime is the federal government’s.
“My Employees Would Tell Me.” No, They Wouldn’t.
They don’t hold back because they dislike you. They hold back because they like you and don’t want to make you feel bad.
They Changed the COO and Forgot to Tell 100 Employees
A 100-person company replaced its second-most-important executive and never sent a memo. They assumed people knew. People didn’t.
When the EEOC Calls and You Are Prepared
Few things cause a stomach-drop quite like an official notice from the EEOC. Here is what one owner did right.
“I Don’t Have Anywhere to Promote Them”
The objection I hear every time: there’s nowhere to promote them. Fair. So make the job progressively more interesting instead.
What It Means to Be a People-Forward Company
If I interviewed six random people at your company, would they say you are people-forward? Here is why the answer is worth money.
Does Jane Know Why Her Job Matters?
You have a vision. Has anyone told Jane how her work makes it possible? If not, she thinks she just does the admin job.
The HR Audit: Finding What You Don’t Know
HR problems are usually invisible right up until they’re expensive. An audit is how you find them first.
Why Minnesota’s Paid Leave Law Matters to You
A Georgia employer sees a Minnesota headline and scrolls past. One remote employee in St. Paul changes that.
What Is a PEO — and Do You Need One?
The pitch is that they handle all the burdens. The courts have taken a different view of who is still responsible.
Why We Started Innovative Outsourcing
I left Delta to stay home with my son. I missed working. Both things were true at once — and that is where this company came from.
What the “One Big Beautiful Bill” Means for Your HR
1,127 pages of federal budget bill. Here are the parts that actually touch your people.
Start a Leadership Development Program Over Lunch
Buy your team a book. Walk through it over two lunches. That’s it — you just built a leadership development program.

