Here is a summary of my best HR advice from 2012.

• Be an advocate for what is right.
• There’s nothing wrong with paying people and protecting their civil rights.
• Remember that you don’t manage people unless you really manage people, yo.
• Job titles matter.
• Everyone wants to be a coach and an advisor because that’s the easy job.
• Big data is what small-minded people want when they don’t know how to ask for something more specific.
• When in doubt, shut up. The truth emerges.
• Bad habits keep HR in business.
• It’s not your job to fix people.
• Taco Tuesday can be a gateway to something bigger and better.
• No one ever died by saying, “I’m wrong.”
• The world is a tough place. It’s okay to swear.
• Not everyone can be a CHRO.
• There is no such thing as an employer brand. That’s a lie.
• Employees are engaged when the work is good, the people are decent, and the pay is worthwhile. And maybe not even then.
• You can’t gamify open enrollment.
• Potlucks cause office diarrhea and should be banned.
• Gaps in resumes are okay.
• HR technology can’t solve for stupid.
• There is no HR without recruiting.

This was originally published on Laurie Ruettimann’s The Cynical Girl blog.