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Hiii,

Merry Christmas Eve to those who celebrate! 

I'm blasting Christmas music, playing games, and curling up by the fire. I don't celebrate, but you better believe I embrace the holiday vibes. Any excuse to eat sweet treats, I'm innnnn. 

🎄 While my holiday spirit is high, there's someone on my naughty list. I'm looking at you, SHRM. You've landed on the naughty list after allegedly rescinding a job offer over a service dog accommodation.

Yuppp today is fun lil read!!!

BTW: Stranger Things is also tomorrow, and I already have my snacks prepared and a phone that will almost certainly be on DND. If you are as engrossed as I am, hit me up so we can discuss fan theories. 

So pour yourself something festive and let’s get into the drama, because the tea does not take holidays. 😇

✨ Don't forget: You can always vent, celebrate a win, or find support in Safe Space

✨ Don't forget: You can always vent, celebrate a win, or find support in Safe Space

Was this email forwarded to you?

🐕 SHRM rescinded job offer over candidate’s service dog, lawsuit alleges

The TL;DR: SHRM is being sued for allegedly rescinding a job offer after a candidate requested a reasonable accommodation to bring her service dog to work. The lawsuit claims SHRM abruptly ended the interactive process—after receiving medical documentation—and pulled the offer anyway. Yes, that SHRM… the one that literally teaches employers how to comply with the ADA.

My POV: When the org that sells certifications, playbooks, and confidence around ADA compliance allegedly fumbles a service dog accommodation this badly, it just gives me pause. Like many of the things SHRM has done over the past few years... 

And BTW this wasn’t some obscure edge case, either! This was a textbook interactive process moment, and (once again, allegedly), they closed the book, set it on fire, and rescinded the offer instead. LIKE WHAT???

The part that really grinds my gears, is a lot of candidates feel like they are already taking a risk disclosing disabilities, and stories like this confirm their worst fears. That HR can't be trusted and neither can the org that claims to represent HR... 

And yeah, for those of us who’ve side-eyed SHRM for years…this is hardly shocking.

On the mic this week: Tameka Allen is the founder of Mod Culture, where she helps startups and scaling companies unlock brilliance, lead differently, and build cultures that work for every mind. She has 15+ years of HR leadership experience across Fortune 500s and high-growth startups, and she blends strategic advising, coaching, and AI-powered insights to help leaders evolve how they lead. She’s also a certified executive and personal coach trained in positive psychology, and she’s deeply focused on intersectionality and the real lived experience behind “inclusion.”

Pin this:

• “Fast-paced environment” and “multitasking” are often coded expectations that ignore how human brains actually function.
• Leaders default to assumptions instead of curiosity and coaching, and that’s where bias sneaks in.
• Professionalism gets weaponized into conformity (eye contact, small talk, quick responses, etc.), none of which are universal indicators of competence.
• Inclusion gets dramatically easier when workplaces plan better with agendas, clear expectations, and spaces for different sensory needs.

My H*ly Sh*t Moment: Workplace norms are the real problem. Forcing people into environments that don’t work for their brains eventually leads to burnout.

▶️ Press Play

Stat: 38% of employees said they plan to hunt for a new job in the first half of 2026

My spiral: What gets me about this stat is the contradiction: people are ready to leave, but they’re also bracing for a longer, uglier job hunt. 

That tells me employees are reacting to burnout, stalled growth, and benefits that don’t actually support real life, especially for Gen Z and working parents!

This is a quiet warning that your people might be staying put, but they’re mentally halfway out the door. 

Retention risk couldn’t be more important, because the moment the market cracks open, people will be moving around accordingly!

🗣️ UNMUTE YOURSELF

Instead of thinking about your intentions for this question, think about the patterns people follow when you’re not around. 

Leadership shows up in what gets repeated, reinforced, or quietly avoided when your name isn’t attached to the decision.

So my question is: 

“How do you lead differently when you’re not in the room?”

🛠️ TRY THIS TOMORROW:

I feel like if a project ever gets stalled, a lot of folks are quick to pin it as a motivation issue, but what about a friction issue?

People tend to avoid whatever feels unclear, risky, or political. So tomorrow, try a lil language tweak:

“Replace ‘Any updates?’ with ‘What’s blocking you right now?’”

👂 OVERHEARD IN SAFE SPACE

Ah yes, nothing builds culture quite like a CEO mandating togetherness from an empty office.

Truly a masterclass in leadership optics!! NOT.

Read what members had to say here.

And join us in the convo by applying to be a member!

See ya on Friday!

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