Red Flags, Write-Ups, and Wreckage: HR Horror Stories with a Happy Ending

Ever read a story so wild you thought, "This has to be made up"? HR professionals live those stories every day. Here's a collection of HR horror stories that went off the rails—and the life-saving strategies that brought them back.

The Phantom Employee

Problem: An employee hadn’t shown up in three weeks, but payroll kept running.

Fix: Instituted a timekeeping audit and added accountability checkpoints for all remote staff.

The Manager Who Micromanaged PTO

Problem: Denying all vacation requests, leading to burnout and high turnover.

Fix: Created a mandatory vacation policy and manager training on time-off approval.

The Intern Who Went Viral (For the Wrong Reason)

Problem: A summer intern posted company trade secrets on TikTok.

Fix: Social media policy overhaul and new-hire compliance training.

Lessons Learned:

• Train early and often

• Assume nothing (especially about common sense)

• Document everything

  
  

Silver Lining: These stories may give you nightmares, but they’re also blueprints for better systems. Learn from them so you don’t star in the sequel.