Some unsaid rules guide us through HR. They’re not really hard and fast rules, just practical tips that we’ve learned along the way. Let’s break them down:

1. Stay away from personal questions in interviews.
2. Keep reference checks simple – just confirm dates of employment.
3. Guard employee files like they’re top-secret.
4. If it’s important, put it in a policy.
5. Take every accusation seriously and look into it.
6. “Mutual decision to leave” usually means otherwise.
7. Measurement gets things done.
8. Be careful about setting precedents.
9. Expect things to go haywire on day 2 of your vacation.
10. A candidate hasn’t really accepted the job until they show up to work on Day 1.
11. If it’s on the ‘roadmap’ of your HR or Recruiting technology vendor, it means it’s not actually built and might never be built.
12. Employees tattling on others probably have their own issues.
13. Employee harassment stories are rarely simple.
14. Open enrollment meetings need cookies.

We love our rules in HR! Ironically, I love the profession so much because I’m a low-rules kind of person. The reality is, in my couple decades of HR and recruiting work there really has only been one Rule of Thumb that has been the same at every organization I’ve worked in. Big and small. Public and private. Across all industries…

– Things change.

This basic principle reminds us that flexibility is crucial in the ever-shifting HR landscape. What’s your go-to rule in HR and recruiting?