bad hiring practices exposed
Hi ya,
Happy Wednesday!! 🎄
It’s officially 8 days until Christmas, which means half of us are already mentally checked out, and the other half are…pretending we’re not.
I lowkey miss the days as a kid when Christmas break was way more exciting. Now I'm somewhere between being excited for days off and dreading my inbox for when I come back.
ADULTING ugh.
Instead, let’s talk about the JPMorgan Chase lawsuit alleging fake diversity interviews and how gross and litigious performative DEI is.
We’re also unpacking messy policy gray areas, leadership trust, and a stat about bereavement support that made me stare into the void for a bit.
Grab your coffee (or maybe eggnog?) and let the show begin!
🗞️ Here’s the Tea:Copy anchor linkCopied
🤨 JPMorgan Chase hit with class action over alleged 'fake' diversity interviews
The TL;DR: JPMorgan Chase is facing a class action lawsuit alleging it conducted “fake” diversity interviews…interviewing black candidates for senior roles with little or no intent to hire them.
The plaintiff claims the process felt performative, one-sided, and ultimately resulted in a less-experienced white internal candidate being selected. The lawsuit argues these practices waste candidates’ time and cause real emotional and professional harm.
My POV: This is what we call performative DEI!!! It’s also legally, ethically, and reputationally dangerous. I’m genuinely questioning the leader in charge who decided this was something that should be done. And why no one spoke up to stop this from happening…
If your hiring processes are designed to check a box instead of making real decisions, what are you even doing??
I’m going to be watching this closely and see what the outcomes of this class action lawsuit are.
🎙️ Mic Drop Moment:Copy anchor linkCopied
“At the end of the day, it is just you and you have to make sure that in any role that you're in, that you're looking out for your best interest.”Copy anchor linkCopied
On the mic this week: Stephanie Schuler is a people-first HR leader with 15+ years of experience across industries, known for living comfortably in the “messy middle” where HR strategy meets reality. She brings a law-school lens to policy, risk, and decision-making, especially when it comes to fairness, exceptions, and the unintended consequences leaders love to ignore.
Pin this:
- Policies are hypotheses, not holy scripture. Know the intent before you apply them.
- Fairness isn’t sameness. Consistency lives in the approach, not in identical outcomes.
- Exceptions need a framework, or they’ll turn into favoritism with a side of mistrust.
- If leaders want “by the book,” ask what problem they’re actually trying to solve.
My H*ly Sh*t Moment: If you treat policy like the answer instead of the starting point, you’ll protect compliance and accidentally destroy trust, which is the exact thing HR can’t afford to lose!
▶️ Press Play
📊 Data Is My Love Language:Copy anchor linkCopied
Stat: Half of employees would leave their job over poor bereavement support
My spiral: Honestly, this just boils down to trust, dignity, and whether employees believe their org will show up for them when life gets brutal.
Grief is waaaay more than a three-day PTO problem, and believe me, I’m speaking from experience here!
It’s months of emotional + admin chaos that impacts focus, productivity, attendance, and eventually retention.
The generational spike is the real siren: Millennials and Gen Z aren’t “too sensitive,” they’re just not willing to stay somewhere that treats loss like an inconvenience.
If your bereavement policy is bare-minimum, your retention strategy is basically nonexistent.
🛠️ In Your Toolkit Copy anchor linkCopied
Wondering WTF is going on with SHRM?
The amazing members of Safe Space are getting together to spill the tea and discuss what this means for our industry moving forward.
Come join us this Friday for an informal convo.
Our goal is to share perspective, listen to one another and talk about what the community looks like moving forward.
There’s always space for you in Safe Space. <3
🗣️ UNMUTE YOURSELF
Okay, before you answer this, take a breath and be honest with yourself.
Think about the moments where you hesitate, soften your point, or swallow feedback because it’s easier than dealing with the fallout.
Okay, got it? Now for the question!
“Where in your work are you currently shrinking to keep the peace?”
🛠️ TRY THIS TOMORROW:
Try something small that doesn’t require a deck, a meeting, or executive buy-in.
Instead, just lead with curiosity (aka one of my favorite words)!
It’s about noticing patterns you might be too close to see.
So ask a peer:
“What’s one thing I do that makes collaboration easier?”
👂 OVERHEARD IN SAFE SPACE
TRUST ME, YOU’LL WANT TO READ THE REST OF THIS CONVO…
It does not go where you are expecting, I promise.
And if you’re not a member, you’ll want to apply here!
See ya on Friday!
