In this episode we talk about two HR disasters that sound like movie plots but were all too real. William Tincup and Ryan Leary sit down with Jackie Clayton from Textio and Allyn Bailey from SmartRecruiters at the FAMA booth during HR Tech to share stories about a consultant who vanished mid-assignment at Bacardi and a teacher who faked a heart attack to avoid getting fired — in front of a playground full of toddlers. You can’t make this stuff up.

Key Takeaways

A consultant placed at Bacardi developed a minibar habit that spiraled into a disappearance
Hazmat was called to clean the hotel bathroom — the consultant was never seen again
He’d done such poor work, the client felt “relieved” when the truth came out
Allyn once managed a preschool employee who knew she was about to be fired
The employee faked a heart attack in front of a group of toddlers and fled via ambulance
HR blocked the termination because she might have developed an ulcer from workplace stress
The experience was Allyn’s brutal intro to people management at age 20-something
Both guests reflect on what could’ve been done differently — better feedback, slower decision-making
Early-career managers often over-correct and make reactive calls without full context
Sometimes the worst HR stories are preventable — with the right structure and communication

This limited series is brought to you by FAMA, Modern Candidate Screening. Talent teams use FAMA to improve candidate quality, create safe and inclusive workplaces and place the right leadership for their organizations.

You can subscribe and listen to the #9to5Nightmares podcast here https://fama.io/podcasts or here

Chapters

00:00 Live from Fama’s booth at HR Tech

01:00 Jackie’s Bacardi story: Consultant, minibar, and disappearance

02:30 Hazmat in the hotel and a vanishing act

03:45 Allyn’s early career in preschool HR chaos

05:00 The fake heart attack and three-year-olds watching

06:30 Why HR blocked the termination — workplace stress defense

07:00 Reflections on better screening and early feedback

08:00 Leadership lessons from managing too fast, too young

09:00 Final thoughts and what both guests learned

Guest Info

Jackie Clayton, VP of Talent Acquisition and DEIP at Textio
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jackyeclayton/
Website: https://www.textio.com

Allyn Bailey, Brand Strategy and Communication at SmartRecruiters
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/allynbailey/
Website: https://www.smartrecruiters.com

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Ep. 12 Consultant Vanishes at Bacardi, Preschool Teacher Fakes Heart Attack: HR Cannot Catch a Break

Ep. 12 Consultant Vanishes at Bacardi, Preschool Teacher Fakes Heart Attack: HR Cannot Catch a Break

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