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This week, Jenny and Sarah break down one of the most misunderstood workplace complaints:

“You lack initiative.”

But what does that actually mean?

Because to employees, it often sounds like:
Work more. Stay later. Do extra. Don’t get paid for it.

And to leaders, it usually means something completely different.

This episode unpacks the gap between those two interpretations—and why it’s creating frustration on both sides.

Using simple, real-world scenarios, they show the difference between task-based thinking and outcome-based thinking, and why that shift is what leaders are actually looking for.

They also get into where things go wrong: unclear expectations, over-structured environments, and managers who forget they need to teach—not just expect.

And yes… the Gen Z stare makes an appearance.

What’s inside this episode:

[00:00] What leaders mean when they say “initiative”
[03:00] The viral example that perfectly explains task vs. outcome thinking
[06:20] Why employees hear “initiative” as unpaid extra work
[08:45] The role leaders play in setting clear expectations (“paint it done”)
[10:00] How school and parenting shape workplace behavior
[12:30] When initiative goes too far (and hurts your reputation)
[15:30] The “Gen Z stare” and what it really signals
[18:30] Interpersonal conflict: handle it yourself or escalate?
[22:00] The difference between tattling and professional communication
[24:45] Why managers hate the “boomerang” problem
[27:30] Problem-solving: don’t bring just problems—bring thinking
[31:00] When leaders say they want solutions but reject all of them
[33:30] Why none of this is easy—and how it gets better over time

This episode is about clarity. Because most people aren’t failing due to lack of effort.

They’re failing because no one clearly defined what “good” actually looks like.

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This week, Jenny and Sarah follow a strange rabbit hole that started with a podcast about the history of meth.

Yes, really.

The episode explored how stimulants were once used to push soldiers, pilots, and workers to stay awake longer and produce more. And it sparked a bigger question: why has the workplace always been obsessed with squeezing more productivity out of humans?

More with less.
Work harder.
Sleep less.
Grind.

Sound familiar?

What’s inside this episode:

[03:30] The surprising history of productivity drugs and why they were originally used
[06:45] Why workplaces have chased “more with less” for decades
[10:20] The Uber leadership philosophy that openly promotes grind culture
[15:10] When transparency about workload actually helps employees self-select out
[18:40] The dangerous expectation that employees should care as much as founders
[21:15] The difference between working hard and sacrificing your entire life to work
[24:30] Why “work as hard as I do” is a flawed leadership mindset
[27:00] The reality of corporate workloads and why “more with less” usually means something else gets dropped
[30:15] The two leadership lessons every company should take from this conversation

This episode isn’t about avoiding hard work.

It’s about being honest about what work actually demands, and remembering that the people doing it are human.

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This week, Jenny and Sarah lean into the weird.

They kick it off with an AI interview note-taker that accidentally sent a candidate the hiring team’s unfiltered commentary about other applicants. Yes, really. Including the not-so-flattering parts. It’s a cautionary tale about AI tools, privacy, and why you should absolutely lock down your settings.

They also get into:

• Employees being “forgotten” but still collecting paychecks
• Why keeping money you know you shouldn’t have never ends well
• The awkward rise of team lunch contributions and workplace gift pressure
• Companies letting employees pull paychecks “on demand”
• And the employee who asked a wildly off-topic sustainability question in an all-hands meeting… and was quietly gone weeks later

The throughline? Just because you can say something doesn’t mean you should. Just because AI spits something out doesn’t mean it’s true. And just because nobody noticed doesn’t mean it won’t catch up to you.

There’s humor. There’s mild outrage. There’s a reminder to make good choices.

If you’ve ever sat in a meeting thinking, “WTF is happening right now?” this one’s for you.

And if you’ve got your own workplace WTF moment, send it in. We’ll keep it anonymous.

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This week, Jenny and Sarah tackle the HR landmines small businesses step on all the time.

They break down three compliance issues that quietly turn into very loud, very expensive problems: employee misclassification, messy PTO policies, and unpaid interns who legally aren’t interns.

First: employee misclassification. Paying someone a salary does not make them exempt. Titles don’t matter. Good intentions don’t matter. If someone should’ve been earning overtime and wasn’t, the Department of Labor is not interested in your logic. They’re interested in back pay and penalties.

Then: PTO policies. That “use it or lose it” language still floating around in Colorado? Illegal. Accrued PTO is earned wages. You cannot wipe it out at year-end. They also break down accrual vs. lump sum, payout rules, and why negative PTO feels generous until someone quits and payroll gets messy.

Finally: unpaid interns. The “it’s for experience” kind. The “my friend’s kid needs exposure” kind. The rules are stricter than people think. If the company is benefiting more than the intern, you likely have an employee. And that risk adds up fast.

If you think “we’ve always done it this way” is a solid strategy, this episode might stress you out a little. In a good way.

What’s inside this episode:

[03:12] Why paying someone a salary does not automatically make them exempt
[06:45] The real difference between exempt and non-exempt under FLSA
[10:18] How misclassification turns into back wages, penalties, and audits
[15:02] Why independent contractor status isn’t a “mutual agreement” situation
[19:37] What the Department of Labor actually looks at
[24:11] Why “use it or lose it” PTO policies are illegal in Colorado
[28:26] Accrued vs. lump-sum PTO and where companies get into trouble
[32:54] The negative PTO trap no one thinks through
[36:40] The strict rules around unpaid internships
[41:12] How to structure internships so they’re actually compliant

Hit play. Fix what needs fixing. Then send it to the friend who still thinks titles determine exemption status.

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This week, Jenny and Sarah tackle a topic that somehow manages to be both extremely relatable and extremely lawsuit-y: swearing at work.

It starts with a law update that made both of them do a double take. Turns out, “letting an F-word fly” at work is no longer just a culture question. In some cases, it is a legal one. And in 2024 and 2025, the courts made that line a lot thinner than it used to be.

What’s inside this episode:

[05:32] Why swearing can make you seem more authentic and more trustworthy, according to research

[12:17] Why that same swearing can still get your company sued

[14:56] The court cases that changed the rules around hostile work environment claims

[15:55] Why one single comment can now be enough to trigger serious legal trouble

[25:09] The difference between swearing at the printer and swearing at a person

[17:17] Why gender-specific and identity-based slurs are basically a career-ending choice

[18:13] How different industries and different countries treat workplace language very differently

[28:31] The impossible spot employers are in between the EEOC and the NLRB

[34:25] Why “that’s just how our industry is” is not a legal defense

[35:48] What new grads and early-career employees should do about swearing at work (hint: don’t)

[39:03] How much these lawsuits actually cost companies when things go wrong

[40:30] Why culture always starts at the top, for better or worse

Jenny and Sarah are not here to pretend nobody ever swears. They are here to explain why the workplace is a different arena, why intent does not protect you from impact, and why “we’ve always done it this way” is a very expensive strategy.

Hit play for some uncomfortable truths, a few wild stories, and a very clear explanation of why the law does not care how authentic you feel.

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This week, Jenny and Sarah start the year by doing what they do best: collecting a pile of workplace nonsense from the internet and asking the uncomfortable question.

Why are we still building work like people are machines?

They bounce through everything from four-day workweek studies to open offices, from job hunting on dating apps to LinkedIn slowly becoming Facebook with certificates. Somewhere in the middle, they land on the real issue: work keeps taking more, and nobody seems able to say “that’s enough.”

This episode is a grab bag of trends, but the throughline is simple. We are tired. And the system is pretending that’s a personal problem instead of a design flaw.

What’s inside this episode:

• Why working less shouldn’t just make you a better worker, but a better human
• The real reason open offices exist and why nobody can focus in them
• Why people are using dating apps to find jobs now
• How LinkedIn lost the plot
• What “ghost promotions,” “career shrekking,” “midlife collision,” and “culture rot” actually mean
• Why some countries are making after-hours work illegal
• The uncomfortable conversation about unions and power at work
• Why “just set boundaries” sounds great and works terribly in real life

Jenny and Sarah don’t pretend there’s an easy fix. They do argue that modern work is slowly eating everything else and calling it ambition.

If you’ve ever looked at your job and thought, “This is too much, but I don’t see a way out,” this one will feel uncomfortably familiar.

Hit play. Then go close your laptop.

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Rebroadcast: We’re bringing back one of our favorite episodes as hiring ramps up in the new year—and it’s just as relevant now as ever!

In this laugh-and-learn episode, Jenny and Sarah take you inside the beautiful mess of modern recruiting. From jaw-dropping candidate missteps to the surprising rise of parental involvement in job applications (yes, it’s happening), they break down what’s really going on behind the interview screen. With plenty of humor and hard-earned HR wisdom, this episode serves up real talk on how to stand out—in a good way. Whether you're hiring or job hunting, you'll leave with practical tips, a few "you can’t make this up" moments, and a better sense of what professionalism actually looks like today.

Visit our website: RISE Human Resources

Book a call: 30 Min HR Consultation

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Development planning is the most ignored, and most misunderstood, part of performance management.

In this episode of WTF is Business Casual, HR consultants Jenny Levy and Sarah Burston break down why development planning deserves its own lane and why bundling it into performance reviews quietly wrecks employee growth, engagement, and retention.

This is Part Two of their performance management series, focused on the forward-looking side of work.

What’s inside this episode:

• Why development planning deserves its own conversation separate from performance reviews
• Why tying development to compensation creates false expectations
• What Individual Development Plans are supposed to do versus what they usually become
• Why training is the smallest piece of real development
• How on-the-job learning actually builds skills leaders care about
• The problem with leaders deciding career paths without asking employees what they want
• Why succession planning often ignores human reality
• How lateral moves develop people without inflating titles
• Why growth doesn’t look the same in every season of life
• What leaders owe employees when they say they “care about development”

Listen to Part 1: Performance Reviews Are Broken (Part 1): The Messy Reality of Workplace Evaluation

Want Practical Tools Without Corporate Jargon?

Jenny and Sarah also share details about upcoming free HR training sessions through Rise HR, focused on continuous feedback, development tools, and modern performance management for small and mid-size businesses.

Visit our website: RISE Human Resources

Book a call: 30 Min HR Consultation

Follow us on Instagram: WTF is Business Casual