Last summer, Michele Rousseau applied via LinkedIn to a technical content writer position at AssemblyAI, an applied artificial intelligence company, and over the following two weeks, she said, seemingly automated messages trickled into her inbox, prompting her to complete various tasks.

The most time-consuming part of the interview process, she said, was a 500–1,000-word writing assignment, an “ultimate guide” to “speech-to-text recognition,” that was supposed to incorporate, among other things, the history of text-to-speech technology, which the company said was an optional way of “expediting your application,” according to an email from AssemblyAI reviewed by HR Brew. A week later, Rousseau had completed the writing assignment, which she described in an email as a “pretty involved, considerable time commitment,” in addition to a one-way video interview, which was again described by the company as optional, but incentivized with an offer of expedited review of her application.

Feedback on the video interview—which involved Rousseau answering questions by talking into her webcam—was likely to come, according to the email, within 48 hours of submitting the assignment.

The feedback didn’t come, according to Rousseau, who says she never heard from anyone—human or otherwise—at AssemblyAI again, despite an attempt to follow up. In an email to HR Brew, Rousseau expressed dismay at the process, which came at the expense of her time and self-confidence. “What is wrong with me that I didn’t even rate ‘thanks but no thanks’? Is it because they saw I was older in my video interview?” AssemblyAI’s CEO, Dylan Fox, told HR Brew in an email that “some communication is automated” when it comes to interviews and that “We’ve been growing a lot lately, and are trying to tighten our recruiting process.”

Rousseau’s experience is not unusual. Ghosting, the act of severing all ties and communication with someone suddenly and without warning, happens frequently between job candidates and companies. Recent surveys suggest employers are ghosting candidates and candidates are returning the discourtesy, leaving each other in the lurch without explanation or warning. Though Rousseau never spoke directly to a human being throughout the process—some of her email correspondence with AssemblyAI was signed by a recruiter—she feels her experience qualifies as ghosting.

Ghosting happens for a number of reasons, and speaks to the ways recruiters fail to hold themselves accountable, according to Jeff Shapiro, senior director of talent acquisition at the radiology imaging firm RadNet. “Recruiters are not incentivized on giving the candidate full closure. It’s an expectation, but no one’s actually measuring it.”

Ghosting could come back to haunt you. Keep reading here.—SB

Do you work in HR or have information about your HR department we should know? Email [email protected] or DM @SammBlum on Twitter. For completely confidential conversations, ask Sam for his number on Signal.

Welcome to our regular HR advice column, Ask a Resourceful Human. Here to answer all of your burning questions is Erin Grau, the co-founder and chief operating officer of Charter, a media and services company that aims to transform the workplace. Erin has over 15 years of experience at the intersection of talent and operations in global organizations and startups, including The New York Times and Away. You can sign up for the free Charter newsletter about the future of work here.

Our question today concerns the delicate topic of personal hygiene in the physical workplace. Got a question about HR? Let us know at [email protected]. Anonymity is assured.

So here’s a thing that happened to me today: The CEO of our company (we’re a small business—about 20 people) came in and closed the door and asked me how to talk with the Director of Operations about a perception someone on the team shared with him about her body odor.

So, I’m the marketing guy. But on a small team, you wear many hats. One hat I wear is akin to the one Tom Hagen wore for Don Corleone in The Godfather. I exaggerate, but I’m his confidant and unofficial leadership team member, and he values my opinion and ideas. But for this one, I was at a loss. I’ve never noticed the B.O. myself, but my sniffer hasn’t been the same since Covid.

What would YOU say is the best way to talk to a direct report about body odor?

—John from Missouri

These conversations can be awkward for the manager and embarrassing for the employee, but you can minimize both by approaching them thoughtfully and compassionately. Your mantra, in the words of Brené Brown, is: Clear is kind.

There are two goals for you: First, to deliver the message clearly and directly; and second, to maintain a positive, productive working relationship.

Before I dive into the practical advice, I’m going to assume that even though you don’t notice her B.O., you are confident this is an ongoing issue and not a petty grievance by one colleague. Be very sure before reading on here.—EG

Do you have a question for a resourceful human? I’d love to hear them! Share at [email protected]. Anonymity is assured.

On Wednesdays, we schedule our weekly 1:1 with HR Brew’s readers. Want to be featured in an upcoming edition? Click here to introduce yourself.

Jamie Coakley is SVP of people at Electric*, a New York City-based IT services provider for small and medium businesses in North America. Coakley, who has worked in talent and recruiting for the past decade, recently spoke with HR Brew about how she manages the needs of more than 400 full-time, mostly remote, employees.

This interview has been lightly edited and condensed for clarity.

How would you describe your specific job to someone who doesn’t work in HR? I’m paid to make sure we don’t get sued, but really, what that means is, I get paid to take care of people and make sure we treat them well. This means treating people fairly, designing equitable practices, training managers on how to be leaders, and investing in the growth of our people.

What’s the best change you’ve made at a place you’ve worked? Opening discussions company-wide regarding unsettling current events. It has been hard, but it has brought us together. Companies who shy away from creating dialogue in the workplace around sensitive and taboo topics don’t understand that people bring their whole selves to work, and we should take care of everything they bring. We view our employee count and resources as a vehicle to make change in our communities at large, and I love this perspective.

What’s the biggest misconception people might have about your job? That I create rules and say no often. I am a “Yes, and” person, not a “No, but.” HR isn’t there to make things difficult; we are there to make sure things are done well and thoughtfully. This sometimes may slow us down, but for good reason.

What’s the most fulfilling aspect of your job?  Seeing someone come forward about something, working with them to resolve [it], and seeing the impact of that intervention or discussion. I love to see that our culture in action works—we take care of people. People come to my team when they need help, and we support them fully.

What trend in HR are you most optimistic about? Why? Mental wellness being a primary benefit for employees. We have avoided these conversations in the workplace for too long. We should talk about the things that affect our well-being and take action to support one another in and outside of work.

Do you have any examples of how you’ve tried to take steps like that? Keep reading here.—JDS

*Electric is Morning Brew’s IT services provider.

Today’s top HR reads.

Stat: According to the BLS, inflation reached the largest 12-month increase in 40 years in February, with consumer prices rising nearly 8% year over year. A result is the declining value of paychecks. Between February 2021 and February 2022, real average hourly adjusted earnings fell by 2.6%. (SHRM)

Quote: “Everyone has heard that gas prices continue to rise. The advantage this has for us is that it will increase application flow and has the potential to lower our average wage,” wrote Wayne Pankratz, a former executive director of operations for Applebee’s franchise owner Apple Central LLC, in a now-viral leaked memo about how the company could benefit from inflation (the Lawrence Journal-World)

Read: Fertility benefits, even at steep corporate discounts, could still cost low-wage workers their entire paychecks and then some. (NBC News)

Retain top talent by sending vouchers for Uber Eats. Nothing says “Great job!” like a great meal. With Uber for Business, show employees and potential hires your appreciation by letting them order the meals they love, delivered to their doorstep. Sign up for free.*

^{*This is sponsored advertising content}

Catch up on the top HR Brew stories from the recent past:

• Handle with care: EEOC puts employers on notice about caregiver mistreatment
• Silly, inefficient humans discuss AI at HR Transform
• The rise of remote work has made many companies more vulnerable to cyberattacks