In a recent LinkedIn post, Suzanne Lucas, also known as the Evil HR Lady, discusses the often-contentious nature of team-building activities and proposes a unique, HR-centric approach to engagement. Lucas highlights the spectrum of employee experiences with such events, from genuinely enjoyable to painfully tedious.
Lucas introduces her upcoming event, a virtual murder mystery celebrating 20 years of the Evil HR Lady brand, sponsored by Vortex Events. This event aims to inject a dose of fun and intrigue into professional development.
“Team building activities can be fun or they can be, well, like you’re being slowly killed. Or you can do a team building exercise where a mystery person has been killed.”
The Evil HR Lady suggests that the true appeal of this particular activity lies not just in solving the mystery, but in the HR-related lens through which it can be viewed.
The HR Perspective on Mystery Solving
Lucas posits that the standard goals of team building—enhancing communication, fostering collaboration, and boosting morale—can be achieved through unconventional means. Her proposed virtual murder mystery shifts the focus from generic corporate objectives to a more specialized, HR-focused investigative scenario.
Workman’s Comp: The Ultimate HR Angle
According to Lucas, the most engaging aspect for HR professionals and enthusiasts alike is the potential to analyze the ‘crime’ through the lens of human resources. She playfully suggests that the identity of the killer is secondary to the potential HR implications of the incident.
“Spaces are limited but think of all the fun of an HR based investigative team–who cares who did it? The real question is, is this a workman’s comp case?”
As Suzanne Lucas points out, this framing transforms a typical ‘whodunit’ into an exercise in applied HR principles. It encourages participants to consider liability, employee relations, and risk management, even within a fictional context. This approach, in Lucas’s view, makes the exercise more relevant and potentially more memorable for those in the HR field.
Innovation in Corporate Engagement
Lucas’s post serves as a commentary on the need for creativity in corporate engagement strategies. Traditional team-building exercises often fall flat, leading to wasted resources and disengaged employees. By offering a virtual murder mystery with an HR twist, Lucas is demonstrating a forward-thinking approach to professional development and networking.
“Join this free celebration of 20 years of Evil HR Lady in an event sponsored by Vortex Events. There will be a virtual murder mystery.”
The event, as highlighted by Lucas, is a free celebration marking two decades of her influential presence in the HR community. Sponsored by Vortex Events, it aims to provide a unique and engaging experience that resonates with professionals seeking both entertainment and professional insight. Lucas is effectively using a novel format to reinforce her brand and connect with her audience.
In essence, Suzanne Lucas’s LinkedIn post offers a critique of conventional team-building and presents an innovative alternative. She argues that by framing an activity through a specific professional lens, like human resources, engagement can be significantly enhanced, making the experience both fun and professionally relevant.
📝 About This Content
This article is based on insights shared by Suzanne Lucas on LinkedIn.
📅 Originally posted on September 14, 2026 | View original post on LinkedIn →