Episode 201: HR Hitman?!

Episode overview

Published October 25, 2022

In the first episode of our second season, Paul sits down with Jennie to talk about hiring a hitman to take care of your usual HR issues. Why fire someone and handle that awkward conversation yourself when you can just rent a hitman? (Just kidding!) Paul and Jennie will inform you about when it’s best to outsource for HR – all while avoiding renting out a hitman and winding up in jail

Links and Related Reading

Voice Over: You’re about to listen to another episode of What The Hell Just Happened?! Join Paul Edwards and his guests as they discuss and sometimes even solve some interesting HR problems.

Paul: And… I’m gonna go off the rails sometimes and talk about whatever I want.

Jennie: Hi, Paul.

Paul: Hi, Jennie. Director, head of compliance and all things compliancy here at CEDR.

Jennie: You sound thrilled to be talking to me.

Paul: Well, because you guys, I mean, we for everybody, this is kind of an ambush situation. Most of the time I don’t really find out what we’re talking about until a few minutes before. So I have a little bit of prep time, but in this case, they won’t let me have my laptop or anything. They’re like, “no.” So.

Jennie: Yeah, well, you know, usually the compliance team talks to you about really boring, you know, compliance, illegal topics, so.

Jennie: Surprise.

Paul: Surprise.

Jennie: We’re not doing that.

Paul: Are we talking about ribs, barbecue?

Jennie: No-

Paul: No, Okay, all right.

Jennie: Sorry. OK, we’re going to talk about the good and the bad and the right way and the wrong way to outsource and use remote H.R. services.

Paul: Oh.

Jennie: But I have to get you there first.

Paul: Oh… this sounds self-serving!

Jennie: It is, however, let me tell you how I got to this topic.

Paul: OK?

Jennie: So a few days ago, I was listening to a True Crime podcast. You know, as you do.

Paul: Uh huh.

Jennie: And so they told this really interesting story about a woman who got convicted of a bunch of charges for trying to hire a hitman to kill her ex-husband.

Paul: Okay.

Jennie: Totally relates to H.R. I can see it in your eyes.

Paul: I can see that.

Jennie: So what she did, she went online and Googled trying to find the hit man and lo and behold-

Paul: Really?

Jennie: -there is a website called Rent a hitman dot com.

Paul: Oh, I know where this is going.

[Jennie laughs]

Jennie: And so she- short version of this is this guy created this website as like a project when he was in grad school. Website was just sitting there and one day he checked in on it and.

Paul: Wait a minute. He got a form fill?

Jennie: Yes.

Paul: He got a form fill.

Jennie: There’s a form fill to fill in if you would like their services.

Paul: Oh, nice.

Jennie: And he happened to check it after forgetting it for a few years. And he actually had requests for his services. And so people who seem to have legitimate requests for hiring hitmen, he responded back to them, confirmed they really did want to do this and then he had provided that information to the police.

Paul: Uh huh.

Jennie: Because he was not actually providing a hitman service. And instead he’s saving people’s lives, which is nice, right?

Paul: Yeah. And and convicting stupid people.

Jennie: Exactly.

Paul: So they- they went to her house and arrested her for just being an idiot. It’s just like we’re here from the idiot patrol.

Jennie: Yeah.

Paul: You’ve committed an idiot felony.

Jennie: Yes.

Voice Over: Thanks for joining us for this week’s episode of What The Hell Just Happened? Do Paul a favor; share this with your network. If you have an HR issue or a question, you’d like us to discuss on this show, send it to podcast@WTHjusthappened.com. For more HR advice and insights from Paul and his team of experts, you can also join the private Facebook group, HR Base Camp, or visit HRbasecamp.com. Make sure you tune in next week. And remember: better workplaces make better lives.

Email questions or comments for Paul at podcast@wthjusthappened.com

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Friendly Disclaimer: This information is general in nature and is not intended to provide legal advice or replace individual guidance about a specific issue with an attorney or HR expert. The information on this page is general human resources guidance based on applicable local, state, and/or federal U.S. employment law that is believed to be current as of the date of publication. Note that CEDR is not a law firm, and as the law is always changing, you should consult with a qualified attorney or HR expert who is familiar with all of the facts of your situation before making a decision about any human resources or employment law matter.

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