The HR Carousel | Workplace Culture, Employee Relations & Labor Law This HR prefers the "Butterdie" over Dancing Hindi ka naman hired para sumayaw. So bakit parang kasama sa job description mo ang Christmas party performance? I have been there. I have been part of a dance group even when I knew I wasn't comfortable dancing. I have two left feet—or at least, that was how I felt whenever I had to learn choreography. I wasn't particularly happy about it, but I endured it for the

HR isn't about being liked. It's about doing what's fair, even when it's difficult. This quote hit home. Image shared from social media. Original creator unknown If you've worked in HR long enough, you've probably heard these lines more times than you can count. Some are funny. Some are frustrating. And some make you wonder if people know what HR actually does. Let's clear the air. "Wala namang ginagawa ang HR." Kala n'yo lang. Most HR work happens behind the scenes—recruitme

As HR professionals, we sometimes encounter situations that test the limits of our authority—and sometimes, the most surprising lessons come from issues entirely outside the workplace. A question recently surfaced in an HR forum that illustrates this well. An HR practitioner shared that an ex-wife had contacted their department, seeking to file what she called an “ethics complaint” against her former spouse, who is an employee. The concern? He was allegedly not providing chil

Hello I am back! You may have noticed that HR Carousel has been a little quiet lately. No, I didn't disappear. 😂 I just haven't been posting every little update, thought, observation, or HR-related rabbit hole that came our way. Partly because there has been a lot going on behind the scenes. And partly because not everything needs to become a post the moment it happens. During this so-called "hidden period," I've actually been working on several blog ideas and drafts. Some c

Garmin Forerunner 255. Yes, this person hated my smart watch. Back in 2023 , I finally ditched my Fitbit. That little tracker had made my life miserable during training and the Aquaman Aquathlon —yet Fitbit had the nerve to tag the whole fiasco as “sports” (hahaha, sure). I needed structure and a watch that could actually accommodate my routine, including swimming. Sure, there’s the Garmin Vivoactive , but it didn’t track swimming properly. So I went for the Garmin Forerunne

Social media post in English and Filipino, questioning job seekers' patience, when it is her fault in the first place. Recently, a thread caught my attention. An HR Manager complained about candidate leaves the interview — while ironically, she was late on the hour she had set up (the interview). Jonathan Yabut even picked it up; I saw it in Twitter and now in the news. Talk about HR irony! It made me reflect on a fundamental lesson in recruitment: HR is the company’s first a

How would you feel if there is no food left for you? Inform HR? Year-end parties are meant to celebrate the team — food, drinks, and a little fun. But sometimes, even the simplest gesture, like ordering free food, reveals the true culture of a workplace. This is one of those unforgettable moments I lived as an HRBP, where entitlement and “patay gutom” behavior turned a buffet into chaos. Before the actual party in the evening, at a BPO company somewhere in Metro Manila (if yo

When compliance, compassion, and HR collide — the story behind a disease-related separation no one sees. A patient at the hospital room I saw this thread today at a Facebook HR Group Forum: “Silent reader po ako rito. Marami rami rin ako natututunan. May question po ako, may employee kami na halos 1 cut-off ng absent, hindi pa rin siya ini-issue-han ng fit to work kasi hindi pa rin siya magaling. Gusto na siyang tanggalin ng head niya kaso sabi ko bawal yun kasi health-relat

What will HR do if you found out that the new hire is pregnant? Every few months, this question resurfaces in HR Facebook group/circles: “ Employee didn’t disclose she was pregnant. She’s almost due. Can we terminate her for deception?” Short answer? No. Longer answer? Also, no — and doing so may expose the company to serious legal risk. Let’s unpack this properly. Women Are Protected Under the Labor Code Even before the Magna Carta of Women or the Expanded Maternity Leave La

Cash Advance Form Handling employee cash advances may seem simple, but without clear rules, it can quickly become a source of stress for HR and management. While the intention is to help employees in need, ad-hoc requests—especially after hours—can disrupt operations and create inconsistencies. Here’s a scenario many HR professionals face: In our company, there was no cash advance policy at all —everything was previously settled during payroll. Recently, one employee approac