Do you feel like your job consists of little more than moving through a revolving door of three roles—lifeguard, babysitter, and executioner? Moan no more. In our guide—where we deliver commonsense advice in our upbeat, slightly irreverent, and conversational style—you’ll find a proven way to lift yourself up from the doldrums and start enjoying the crucial role you and your department play in your company’s success.

As seasoned lawyers and consultants, we’ve seen it all when it comes to HR. We can offer you expert tips on such important topics as how best to conduct interviews and employee appraisals, to facilitate creating communications and sexual harassment policies, and to terminate poor performers—with or without the “aid” of a concerned Boss. We hope we’ve added enough humor, savvy, and edginess to attract managers and any HR department professional, whether you’re a veteran or a newbie.

Because human beings are never a constant, we were able to bolster our advice with hilarious and instructive stories that played out before our very eyes in real-world offices—or lobbies. These will show you what to do and what not to do and—fingers crossed—help you become better practitioners. Good luck!