In my work with hundreds of business and HR leaders and a recent deep-dive conversation with Nicole Blevins, Director of HR Services, I was reminded how stubborn certain myths can be. Left unchecked, they quietly shape policy, skew culture, and expose organizations to legal and reputational risk.
Below, I share thirteen of the most common misconceptions we dissected. For each, you’ll see my first-blush reaction, the unvarnished truth, and Nicole’s evidence-based reasoning. Use these as a quick audit of your own people practices.
Myth 1: HR’s primary job is to protect the company, not the employees.
Brandon’s guess: False – HR should be neutral.
The answer: False. The aims are complementary, not competing. Nicole’s reasoning on what’s actually true: Yes, HR must mitigate legal risk, but the best HR teams drive engagement, fairness, and culture—outcomes that ultimately protect the enterprise. Protecting people and the business are two sides of the same strategic coin.
Myth 2: “If it isn’t in writing, it didn’t happen.”
Brandon’s guess: False – Events occur even if undocumented.
The answer: False, though documentation is still critical.
Nicole’s reasoning on what’s actually true: Courts, auditors, or future managers won’t have psychic insight into past verbal warnings or situations that come up in the workplace. Written notes preserve intent, demonstrate consistency, and create a defensible record—but they don’t alter the underlying reality of what happened.
Myth 3: Managers—not HR—are responsible for culture.
Brandon’s guess: False – Culture is everyone’s job.
The answer: False. Responsibility is shared and cascading.
Nicole’s reasoning on what’s actually true: HR architects the systems that shape behavior (hiring, rewards, values), yet frontline culture is lived—or lost—in each daily interactions. Everyone has a responsibility in shaping culture from frontline employees to executives.
Myth 4: Employees are entitled to review their personnel file in many states.
Brandon’s guess: False – Laws vary.
The answer: True in many states, but not all.
Nicole’s reasoning on what’s actually true: States such as California and Oregon grant this right; but not all states do. Multi-state employers must ensure they tailor their policies to the location of their employees to remain in compliance.
Myth 5: Paying a salary automatically makes an employee exempt from overtime.
Brandon’s guess: True (my compliance blind spot).
The answer: False. Salary is only one-half of the test.
Nicole’s reasoning on what’s actually true: Under the Fair Labor Standards Act, the exemption requires both a qualifying salary and a duties test (e.g., executive, professional). Misclassify, and you risk back pay, penalties, and confusion.
Myth 6: HR should be involved in every employee issue.
Brandon’s guess: False.
The answer: False.
Nicole’s reasoning on what’s actually true: HR’s highest value is in building manager capability—not being involved in every little thing. Routine feedback, coaching, and most day-to-day performance conversations belong to the manager. HR should serve as a strategic thinking partner and support system.
Myth 7: You can’t tell employees about a reduction in force (RIF) until the day it happens.
Brandon’s guess: False.
The answer: False. Advance notice—when feasible—builds trust and allows orderly transitions.
Nicole’s reasoning on what’s actually true: Confidentiality is vital, but transparency, even if brief, minimizes shock, rumor mills, and operational chaos (subject, of course, to WARN Act thresholds and business realities).
Myth 8: Severance pay isn’t required in a layoff.
Brandon’s guess: True.
The answer: True (with caveats).
Nicole’s reasoning on what’s actually true: U.S. law does not mandate severance unless a contract or CBA (union agreement) says so. Yet offering it safeguards reputation, facilitates release agreements, and signals values in action.
Myth 9: You should avoid apologizing during a RIF or layoff.
Brandon’s guess: False – Empathy matters.
The answer: True—you should avoid a direct apology.
Nicole’s reasoning on what’s actually true: Saying “I’m sorry” can imply wrongdoing or indecision. Better: acknowledge the difficulty (“I understand this is hard news”) and focus on support systems moving forward (severance, references, transition services).
Myth 10: You can’t lay off someone who is on protected leave.
Brandon’s guess: True.
The answer: False—but tread carefully.
Nicole’s reasoning on what’s actually true: Terminating a leave-protected employee solely because they are on leave is illegal. However, if a bona fide position elimination affects the role regardless of leave status—and you can prove it—action is permissible.
Myth 11: Employees cannot discuss their pay with co-workers.
Brandon’s guess: True—they absolutely can.
The answer: True—they can.
Nicole’s reasoning on what’s actually true: Employees have the right to discuss their wages and working conditions. The National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) protects this as “concerted activity,” even in non-union settings. In addition, several states pay transparency laws further prohibit employers from restricting or retaliating against employees who talk about pay. Beyond these legal protections, promoting open dialogue about compensation supports pay equity, builds trust, and fosters a culture of transparency.
Myth 12: Annual performance reviews are sufficient to manage performance.
Brandon’s guess: False.
The answer: False.
Nicole’s reasoning on what’s actually true: Effective performance management is an ongoing process. High-performing teams rely on regular feedback, coaching, and open communication throughout the year—not just annually. When feedback is continuous, it supports growth, reinforces expectations, and addresses challenges in real time, rather than waiting for a formal review cycle to check the box.
Myth 13: Exit interviews are pointless because departing employees won’t be honest.
Brandon’s guess: False.
The answer: False.
Nicole’s reasoning on what’s actually true: While individual candor varies, aggregated data surfaces patterns—often the earliest smoke signals of systemic issues. A neutral interviewer and assurances on confidentiality boost truth-telling.
What Leaders Should Do Next
- Audit your policies for lurking myths. Start with pay-talk rules, documentation practices, and exemption criteria.
- Equip managers; don’t eclipse them. Provide training, templates, and escalation guides so HR’s time is spent on strategy, not firefighting.
- Communicate change with transparency and confidence. Replace apologies with empathy plus action.
- Treat documentation as risk insurance, not myth insurance. The event still happened; now prove it.
- Shift feedback from annual ritual to continuous dialogue. Technology can assist, but discipline and habit close the loop.
Final Thought
The hardest part of HR isn’t mastering statutes—it’s unlearning these myths that feel true because it’s been repeated. Busting these myths will keep you compliant, sharpen your culture, build trust, and enable HR to play its rightful role: advancing both people and performance.