S13 E1: The Return of the Cackle Queens (with Jess Winder)

Guess what? The Cackle Queens are back!  My unofficial co-host and forever hype woman Jess Winder joined me to kick off this season, and we did something new.  We hit record and just let the convo happen with no notes, because who needs prep when you’ve been doing this job for way too long? We're diving into where HR has been, where it's headed, and why "defund HR" isn't as controversial a take as you'd think if you've worked in old-school HR.  We also get into three totally different futures HR could have, and what to tell yourself when you're so burnt out you can't imagine one more evolution of this job.  It’s a little bit unhinged, but what else would you expect?! 00:00:00 - Intro 00: 05:17 - The Biggest Shift in HR Since 2020 00:08:48 - Old HR Morals vs. New HR Morals 00:24:12 - Would You Outsource HR to a $50/Month "HR in a Box" Service? 00:26:49 - Jess's Wildest HR Era: Touring Actual Crime Scenes 00:30:44 - Hebba's 3 Possible Futures for HR: Performance, Full-Cycle, or Architect 00:40:15 - What to Do When Your Company Just Wants "Yes People" 00:42:53 - Advice for HR Folks Who Are Burnt Out and Ready to Quit If you love I Hate It Here, sign up to Hebba’s newsletter! It’s for jaded, overworked, and emotionally burnt-out HR/People Operations professionals needing a little inspiration. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://workweek.com/discover-newsletters/i-hate-it-here-newsletter/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ And if you love the podcast, be sure to check out⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ https://www.youtube.com/@ihateit-here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ for even more exclusive insider content! --- Follow Jess: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessicadwinder/ Follow Hebba YouTube:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ https://www.youtube.com/@ihateit-here/videos⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ LinkedIn:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ https://linkedin.com/in/hebba-youssef⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Twitter:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ https://twitter.com/hebbamyoussef⁠⁠ Come join Hebba at Safe Space Summit 2026 in Huntington Beach, CA! To learn more, check out: https://www.safespacesummit.com/