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Hi ya friends,

Happy New Year!! 🎉

The calendar flipped, and I'm feeling hella hopeful about what this new year can bring. 

So I brought that energy into this week's Q&A!!

First up: what habit are you leaving in 2025 because it quietly burned you to a crisp?

I could write a novel of a response to this, but we’ll save that for later!

Then we get into an awkward budget situation. I’m talking funding cuts, layoffs, a hiring and spending freeze, services trimmed to the bone…and leadership is still expensing team lunches like everything is all good. Ick. 

Let’s get started!

P.S. Soon, question submissions will all happen in Safe Space! Till then, Send me some here, and you might be featured next Friday! 👀

✨ 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

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ASK AWAY

✍🏾What’s one habit you’re leaving in 2025 because it quietly burned you out, and what are you replacing it with instead?

Context: Think: over-functioning, fixing everything yourself, saying yes when you meant no.

📣 Amber Soto, Sr HRBP @ OpenText:

People pleasing. Gosh, is it exhausting!

📣 Inas Laghzaoui, Head of HR & CSAT @ CE Brands International:

Pacing myself more slowly! While I would love for everyone to follow the structures and changes, not everyone does so, and as we are stretched thin, sometimes people don't really bother with the processes being implemented. 

It's frustrating, but I started to think of it as building for the future rather than the now, when we'll need them, they'll be there, and it'll be less work for me!

📣 Alex White, Regional Director, HR @ Washington Duke Inn & Golf Club:

One habit I’m leaving in 2025 is confusing being indispensable with being effective.

Always being the one to step in, smooth things over, fix it faster myself, or say “I’ve got it” even when I was already stretched thin. It looked like leadership on the outside, but over time it quietly became over-functioning — and that’s a fast track to burnout.

And while I know this isn’t exactly the question that was asked, I’m also choosing to be more intentional about taking care of myself — not from a selfish place, but from an honest one. I can’t show up fully for others if I’m constantly running on empty. Caring for myself is part of how I care for everyone else.

What I’m replacing all of this with is intentional restraint and self-awareness.

Pausing before jumping in. Letting others struggle productively. Asking, “Is this actually mine to own?” before I say yes.

Because doing less of the wrong work creates space for the right work — and sustains the people doing it.

Curious what others are choosing to leave behind…

Safe Space members can join this discussion here. Not a member yet? Apply to join here.

✍🏾What can be done in a budget crisis, when the CEO is still spending unnecessarily?

Context: We are a non-profit social service organization of about 80 people. Due to funding cuts, we've eliminated about 10 staff positions, and implemented a hiring and spending freeze. We've cut services and everyone is feeling the pinch. However, our CEO will still pay for things out of discretionary funding -- team lunches primarily. She is conscious of the budget crisis and its impact on our clients. No one is sure how to address it, when she is well aware of the pinch. I don't think she realizes how it might be percieved to others, especially if it gets out to staff lower on the org chart.

📣 Jill Barr, HRBP @ Block Imaging Parts & Service LLC.:

Even CEO's report to someone. If the cuts are coming from above the CEO, it is likely they will need to answer for those expenses at some point. However, in my experience, a candid conversation with them would be more effective.

📣 Marisa Gibaud, Compensation Analyst @ Blue Cross Blue Shield Association:

Unneeded spending in the midst of layoffs is not a good look. I think you should address it head on and have the CEO put out a communication that takes responsibility for the behavior. 

She may see it as a perk to the employees, but it is probably not happening to everyone equally. I think courage would be a great place to lean in here both in bringing it up to the CEO and in the opportunity for the CEO to address the oversight. 

I know I would respect the hell out of someone who owned it, called it out and moved forward with better behavior. I have also had "Team lunches" come out of the project budget, that usually keeps things in check as it directly impacts the profitability of a project margin (if applicable to the situation).

📣 Luke Willman, Engagement & Culture @ St. Elizabeth Physicians:

A 'free lunch' is a hard to swallow when it’s served upon the empty desks of former colleagues!

Sounds like it's time to remind your CEO that while she likely thinks she’s buying morale, she’s actually spending the organization’s most valuable remaining currency: CREDIBILITY. In a budget crisis, staff don't want catering - they want to know their leader is eating the same rations they are having to swallow;)

But make no mistake, this is arguably the most nerve-wracking "managing up" moment in HR. Telling the person who signs your paycheck that their generosity is actually a liability requires a delicate touch because you are essentially criticizing their kindness. I would encourage you to use the Shield Strategy... don't approach this as a critique of her character. Instead, frame it as you protecting her brand. 

Try something like: "I know these lunches come from a place of wanting to support the team, but I’d hate for your leadership to be undermined by a perception you are spending on luxury items while others are feeling the pinch." Try to get them to focus on their TRUST BATTERY by explaining that in a crisis, every dollar spent on perks drains the trust of those who are picking up the slack of laid-off colleagues.

Safe Space members can join this discussion here. Not a member yet? Apply to join here.

🚨 ON YOUR RADAR

🎧 I Hate It Here Podcast: I'm always dropping new episodes with your favorite People Ops leaders! Until we return with a new season of guests, enjoy some of the greatest hits! Check it out on Spotify or Apple Podcasts!

♥️From ‘I Hate it Here’ to ‘I Love it Here’: Your Culture Transformation Roadmap. HR can influence culture change in any organization, and this course teaches you how. Join the Safe Space community to access it!

📝 RESOURCE OF THE WEEK

Each week I feature a resource I love from the Safe Space library that I believe would be relatable to this week's newsletter topic.

This week, we’ve got a rundown of what leaders need to know about AI. Check it out HERE ⬇️

FRIDAY FUN

LET THE RAIN COME DOWN AND WASH AWAY MY TEARS. 

As the queen Celine Dion would say "a new day has come" so I'm channeling that for 2026. 

I'm not really big on resolutions, I like to vibe out on what I want my year to look like. 

So in 2026 I'll be taking inspo from this meme:  I will be cool, calm, collected, and caffeinated. 

That's all for this week! I hope you enjoyed! If you have any thoughts, please let me know. I'm allll ears.

Reminder: Today is FRIDAY. 🙏

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