Mostly Funny HR Stories

File 26:  In today’s file, the team is going to lighten-up the conversation with some funny HR stories they’ve either experienced or heard about. 

Before we begin, we’d like to encourage you to send us your funny HR stories, via the Workforce Therapy Files website.  We might read them on an upcoming file.

Sleeping on the Job Stories

Story 1

Molley begins with a personal example from her “first real job.”  She wanted to talk with one of the leaders.  She knew he was in the office.  She knocked on his office door repeatedly.  Finally, the door opened.  She was shocked.  She asked if he had been sleeping at his desk, because there was an imprint of his watch on his forehead!  Molley later explains that the guy and his wife had recently had their firstborn, so he may have been justifiably, sleep-deprived.

Stories 2, 3 and 4

Jason also has some sleeping stories.  Jason worked at a distribution, during a newly-created 2^nd shift.  There weren’t many trucks coming it on 2^nd shift.  The supervisors created some busy work for the employees, between trucks.  Jason was sweeping a long aisle in the warehouse.  Suddenly, he hears, “Hey dude.”  It startled him, so he began looking around to see where the voice came from.  He looked up to find his co-worker napping on the 3^rd level of the rack shelves.  Jason climbed up to find and entire sleeping space the guy had created.  After assuring his co-worker that they were cool, he climbed back down and just continued sleeping.

There was another role in which Jason knew a co-worker in the office was falling asleep at his desk.  Jason would ask him what he was doing and the guy’s head would pop-up and the guy mumbled, “Praying.”  It happened often enough that Jason had to eventually dismiss the guy.

In his final sleeping story, Jason describes a small office he worked in, years ago.  They had an admin at the front desk.  Early one morning, the boss unlocked the main door and walked in.  All the lights were out, so she continued back to her own office.  When she came back out, the admin guy was sitting at his desk.  The bell on the front door hadn’t chimed, but he claimed he’d been there the whole time.  The boss knew she’d just walked past the empty desk.  The admin finally relented and admitted that he’d been asleep under the desk (from a hangover).

Reasons People Gave for Calling Out of Work

Story 5

Jamie was working her first HR-assistant job out of college.  One of her responsibilities was to review the call-out line messages.  She tells us about 2 interesting excuses.

The first was from a woman who was calling on behalf of a guy who worked 3^rd shift.  He wasn’t going to be able to come in, because she was getting ready to have a baby.  Then she let out a giant labor pain scream.  Jaime still tries to imagine the conversation that must have taken place between the guy and the woman about calling his employer, while she was having contractions.  Fortunately, once the man returned to work, he proudly showed off pictures of his new baby.

Work Isn’t the Only Type of Labor that Happens at the Office

Story 6

Jamie tells another story about a woman who actually went into labor at work.  While the baby came extremely early, it was a very tense experience, that turned out okay.  The work environment required a lot of walking.  Surprisingly, the walking induced the birth.  Jamie remembers sitting on the bathroom floor with the woman.  While this isn’t a funny HR story, unexpected things often happen at work.  In this case, you might say, “Life Happens.”

Drug Test Fail

Story 7

Molley was handling mass-recruiting for a large call center.  There was a lot of turnover, so it was a constant push to get people scheduled for interviews.  She sent an offer to a candidate.  Candidates were required to immediately come in for the drug test and fingerprinting.  Other employees started approaching the HR office to let them know a woman was in the parking lot offering $100 to anyone who would provide a urine sample she could use for her drug test.  They rescinded the offer that day.

In Vino Veritas

Story 8

Jason recounts a story he heard about a company conference.  There was a 20-person hot tub at the venue.  Alcohol had been consumed at the event.  Someone came up with the idea of playing truth or dare in the hot tub.  Well, some stories came out.  Needless to say, there were some very awkward looks in the room the following day.

Duct Tape Will Fix It

Story 9

Jamie remembers a job she had years ago.  There was an individual who was constantly in trouble for pushing the line on what was deemed to be appropriate and inappropriate.  He enjoyed wearing t-shirts that had questionable statements on them.  While some of them were funny, Jamie knew she would lose authority if she allowed herself to actually laugh at some them. 

To remedy the situation, she’d give the guy duct tape to cover the statements considered dress-code violations.  Once in a while, he’d look at her and say, “You kind of want to laugh at this, don’t you?”  It only made it more difficult for her to maintain her composure.  Her only recourse was to double down on why the statement was inappropriate.

No-Call/No-Shows

Story 10

While in college, Jason worked in plant that made electrical motors for refrigerators.  It was summer time, but a large order needed to be filled for an appliance manufacturer.  They worked 80 hours per week, including weekends.  The crew was exhausted.  Toward the end of the summer, they were begging for a day off.  The company refused, because the project was almost finished.   

In a coup, the crew told the others they were going to the lake the next day and would be considered no-call/no-shows.  The next day they showed up expecting to get fired.  The boss pulled them aside and they worked through the situation, especially given there was only a week left on the project.  Viva la Revolution!

More Drug Test Fails

Story 11

Jamie remembers someone who submitted a sample for their drug test.  Strangely, it was colorless and odorless sample.  This creative individual decide they’d have a better chance if they simply submitted tap water as their sample.  Once again, the offer was rescinded.

Story 12

One time, Molley was told by a candidate they’d at a Snoop Dog concert and everyone around her was smoking weed.  That must have been why pot was showing up in her test results.

Story 13

Jamie listened as a candidate explained how she’d just broken up with her boyfriend and he must have put cocaine in her drink.  Sounds almost plausible, right?

Story 14

Molley had a candidate comment that they’d been at a party and everyone ate some brownies.  Shockingly, they must have been laced!

Story 15 (Okay, We’re not Saying this was a Fail)

Molley once worked for a company that was doing random drug tests.  She was travelling when she received the call that she’d been selected.  Company policy was that you had to take a drug test, at their facility, within 24 hours.  She wasn’t schedule to return from her Texas business trip until several days later.  They ended up letting her take a test in Texas, but later decided she had to take another one, once she arrived home.

Secret Codes and Scenarios

Story 16

Jamie pulled this on from Reddit.  The person worked in a small IT and web-design company.  The team discovered the 2048 game and everyone started playing it.  The competitive group began listing their high scores and initials on the glass door, in the office.  When others saw the scores and initials, the group would make up stories about what the “codes” meant.  Interestingly, Jamie knows of HR professionals who’ve used the 2048 game references during interviews with candidates.

Story 17

Molley was asked if she saw herself as either an apple or an orange, during an interview.  She stated she didn’t like either, but did prefer to view herself as a banana.  It completely threw the interviewer off her game.  Molley knew it would only go downhill from there.

Story 18

In college, Molley interviewed for a part-time job in a law office.  The male attorney has if she anticipated needing an extended time off, in the near future.  She said not, while adding that she had school, but the entire purpose of the question flew completely over her head.  He was actually trying to ask about pregnancy. 

Story 19

Jason asked a job candidate where she saw herself in 5 years.  She had the confidence to respond she’d be the president of the company, not realizing that was Jason’s actual role. 

 

Remember to submit your funny HR story to the WTF Team.  You can DM us on social media or contact us via the website.  We’ll keep it anonymous, if we read it during an upcoming file.  We hope to hear some good stories!  Rest assured, there’s not much we haven’t seen.

 

Before We Leave

We wanted to let you know the WTF Podcast is going to have a booth at the upcoming 2025 KYSHRM Conference, August 26-28, at the Central Bank Center in Lexington, KY.  Come visit us at Booth 113.  Be a guest for one our podcast mini-interviews!

That’s where we’ll leave the conversation for today.  Before we close the file, we invite you to reach out to us with questions, suggestions or other comments.  We’d love to hear from you.

Did You Enjoy Today’s Conversation?

Visit www.WorkforceTherapyFiles.com to listen to additional WTF files or to let us know you’d like to be a guest on an upcoming file.

Need Help Supporting Your Company’s Recruiting and Staffing Goals?

We’re here to help.  You can contact us via our individual websites, depending on your specific needs or questions:

·      Jamie Swaim, SPHR – www.ParcelKnows.com

·      Molley Ricketts – www.IncipioWorks.com

·      Jason Heflin – www.CrowdSouth.com

 

We hope you found this file insightful and helpful.  Thank you for listening!