Let’s be honest—no one reads the employee handbook. And why would they? It’s a bloated, jargon-filled document packed with policies no one remembers and rules no one follows. But here’s the real problem: It’s a perfect metaphor for what’s wrong with HR.

For too long, HR has been seen as a compliance department, a necessary evil, or a leadership mouthpiece. Employee engagement is treated like a buzzword, “culture fit” is just another excuse for bias, and people who challenge the status quo are told to stay in their lane. Meanwhile, employees are disengaged, frustrated, and—if the Great Resignation taught us anything—ready to walk away from jobs that don’t serve them.

That’s where No One Reads the Handbook comes in.

HR Needs a New NORTH

The name of this blog isn’t just a joke—it’s an anagram for NORTH, because let’s face it: HR needs a new direction. We’re done with corporate fluff, empty engagement tactics, and top-down policies that don’t actually work for employees. Instead, this space is about rethinking HR from the ground up and making workplaces better—not with gimmicks, but with real, actionable change.

Here’s what you can expect:

• Brutally honest takes on workplace culture—the good, the bad, and the downright ridiculous.
• Rethinking talent strategy—hiring, retaining, and actually developing employees instead of burning them out.
• Fixing broken HR practices—performance reviews, engagement surveys, and policies that need to die.
• Flattening unnecessary hierarchy—because leadership shouldn’t be about status, it should be about impact.
• Real strategies, no BS—no more corporate-speak, just better workplaces.

Who’s Behind This?

I’m Brian—an HR professional who’s spent years navigating the world of employee engagement, talent development, and workplace culture. After watching companies make the same mistakes over and over again, I decided it was time to stop complaining and start writing.

No One Reads the Handbook isn’t here to keep the status quo intact—it’s here to challenge it.

What’s Next?

This blog will cover everything from why free snacks aren’t employee engagement to how to handle toxic managers to why former theatre kids make the best employees (seriously, they do). If you’ve ever felt like the workplace could be better, you’re in the right place.

So, let’s get started. HR is broken—but it doesn’t have to be.

📢 Follow along, subscribe, and let’s rethink HR together.

Welcome to No One Reads the Handbook.