DiscoverI Hate It HereS9 E10: 50 Shades of Gray Areas in Policy with Stephanie Shuler
S9 E10: 50 Shades of Gray Areas in Policy with Stephanie Shuler

S9 E10: 50 Shades of Gray Areas in Policy with Stephanie Shuler

Update: 2025-09-22
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Look, I love a good policy binder as much as the next HR nerd (okay, maybe sometimes even more). 




But here’s the thing no one wants to say out loud: 


Sometimes the “right” answer on paper is actually the wrong move in real life. 🙃 




In this episode, I sat down with Stephanie Schuler to talk about the messy, gray, can’t-Google-it moments where consistency, fairness, and actual human judgment all collide. 




The easy answers may not always exist, but the better ones do! 




0:02:34 - One Hard Truth About Work


0:04:37 - When Policies Aren’t Written for Edge Cases


0:06:13 - Does Law School Help with HR Practices?


0:07:48 - When Following a Policy Actually Causes Harm


0:11:21 - Who Should Have the Power to Override Policy?


0:15:13 - Consistency Vs Fairness


0:19:21 - Keeping Exceptions From Turning Into Favoritism


0:22:25 - What to Say to a CEO Who Only Wants Things “By the Book”


0:26:53 - Recovering From Broken Trust


0:31:08 - Is HR the Enforcer of Policy, or the Translator?


0:35:48 - Breaking Rules as an HR Manager


0:41:46 - One Policy Stephanie Wishes Never Existed




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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 Stephanie:


LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sdshuler/


Follow Hebba: 


YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ihateit-here/videos


LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/hebba-youssef


Twitter: https://twitter.com/hebbamyoussef



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S9 E10: 50 Shades of Gray Areas in Policy with Stephanie Shuler

S9 E10: 50 Shades of Gray Areas in Policy with Stephanie Shuler

Hebba Youssef