Issue 25

Let's Not Hustle Backwards

Author

Chris Hagood
February 20, 2025 • Estimated Reading Time: 8 minutes

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Table of Contents

Opening Salvo

Let’s talk about a scenario that’s as frustrating as it is common: you’re being set up or unfairly documented by your manager. If you’re not careful, it’s easy to find yourself spiraling—reacting emotionally, making rash decisions, or worse, staying silent in hopes it will blow over. That’s hustling backwards.

Workplace documentation isn’t just a formality; it’s often the first move in a larger strategy. Whether justified or not, it creates a paper trail that can have real consequences for your career. Here’s the hard truth: if you’re not actively engaging with your organization’s HR protocols, you’re playing defense in a game where your opponent is already five steps ahead.

This isn’t about becoming combative or confrontational—it’s about being strategic. First, familiarize yourself with your company’s policies, particularly those around performance management, grievances, and employee rights. Policies exist for a reason: to ensure fairness. Use them to your advantage.

Second, document everything. If you feel you’re being unfairly targeted, maintain your own records. Emails, meeting notes, and timelines aren’t just receipts—they’re your insurance. When it’s your word against someone else’s, detailed records can tilt the scales in your favor. Finally, involve HR early. Many employees hesitate to engage HR, fearing retaliation or skepticism, but here’s the thing: HR policies are designed to protect the organization as a whole, and that includes you.

By bringing concerns to HR, you’re forcing the system to work as it’s designed—to hold everyone accountable, including management. The goal isn’t to wage war; it’s to level the playing field. By staying informed, proactive, and professional, you ensure that your voice is heard and your contributions are valued. The alternative? Hustling backwards while someone else controls the narrative. And let me tell you, that’s a losing game every time.

Did You See This?

2.13.20 Opening Salvo cont.

In last week’s issue, I spoke on the workplace running on fumes and offered three tangible strategies workplaces can deploy to combat burnout. I don’t think they were necessarily specific, so let’s get into more specificity:

1. Normalize Mental Health and Financial Wellness as Business Priorities

  • HR burnout isn’t just an HR problem—it’s an organizational risk. Employers should implement structured well-being programs that include mental health support for all employees, including HR professionals who are often overlooked. Access to therapy stipends, professional coaching, and mandatory recovery days can create space for HR and leaders to decompress and reset.

  • On the financial front, employers should move beyond the “we offer competitive pay” baseline and invest in financial wellness programs that help employees manage stressors like debt, budgeting, and retirement planning. Benefits like on-demand pay, student loan assistance, and financial literacy workshops can provide meaningful relief that extends beyond just raising wages.

2. Build Guardrails Against "Always On" Culture

  • Many workplaces reward overextension instead of efficiency, leading to a cycle where HR professionals, managers, and employees alike feel they can never truly step away. Organizations need to set and enforce clear boundaries around workload expectations, response times, and meeting overload.

  • For HR professionals: Leadership should redistribute responsibilities, introduce rotational HR roles, or implement external HR support (fractional HR services, automated HR tools) to alleviate the pressure.

  • For employees: A structured "Right to Disconnect" policy—where teams are encouraged to log off and avoid after-hours work—can prevent burnout and set a cultural precedent that work-life balance isn’t just a talking point.

3. Shift from Transactional to Transformational Support

Employees struggling with financial stress or work-related anxiety often don’t need more transactional benefits—they need systems that reinforce stability and growth. Employers can introduce:

  • Skills-based career pathing: Helping employees upskill internally reduces financial uncertainty and gives them clear, attainable goals for progression.

  • Manager training for financial empathy: Equipping managers to have constructive, solution-oriented conversations with employees about financial stress (without overstepping boundaries) builds trust and psychological safety.

  • HR leadership support networks: Internal HR peer groups or external professional networks can provide HR professionals with safe spaces to discuss challenges and exchange best practices without stigma.

So, again, employers don’t need to “solve” everything—but they do need to create conditions where employees and HR professionals aren’t left carrying the weight of unsustainable work cultures alone.

Talent Management 101 (TM101)

Retaliation: Part 1

What Is Retaliation?

Retaliation occurs when an employer takes adverse action against an employee for engaging in a legally protected activity, such as filing a complaint, reporting misconduct, or participating in an investigation. Retaliation can take many forms, including demotion, termination, negative performance reviews, exclusion from key projects, or increased scrutiny that wasn’t present before.

How to Protect Yourself Against Retaliation

Know Your Company’s Policies: Start by reviewing your employee handbook to understand your organization's stance on retaliation, including formal procedures for reporting concerns. Many handbooks outline:

  • The definition of retaliation

  • Steps to file a complaint

  • How HR should handle investigations

  • Protections employees have

If your company provides training on workplace retaliation, ensure you attend and document it. Having proof of training completion can reinforce your case if needed.

Document Everything: If you suspect retaliation, maintain a detailed record of key events, including:

  • Emails, messages, or verbal interactions that indicate retaliatory behavior

  • Performance evaluations before and after the protected activity

  • Witness accounts from colleagues

  • Any deviations from normal processes that negatively affect you

Use neutral, fact-based language in your documentation. Emotionally charged wording can weaken credibility.

Follow Internal Reporting Procedures: If your company has a formal process for handling retaliation claims, follow it step by step. Typically, this involves:

  • Reporting concerns to HR or a designated compliance officer

  • Submitting written complaints rather than verbal ones for a clear record

  • Requesting updates on the status of your claim

If you feel uncomfortable reporting to HR directly, check if your company has an anonymous hotline or a third-party reporting system.

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