Warren Buffett once said, “Somebody once said that in looking for people to hire, you look for three qualities: integrity, intelligence, and energy. And if you don’t have the first, the other two will kill you. You think about it; it’s true. If you hire somebody without [integrity], you really want them to be dumb and lazy.” It’s a perspective that invites leaders to reflect on which qualities truly matter most in the hiring process.

As organizations begin building budgets and priorities for 2026, now is the perfect time to take a step back and evaluate HR’s role. Budgets aren’t just about numbers, they reflect strategy. By asking the right questions today, HR leaders can ensure they’re focusing resources where they’ll have the greatest impact in the year ahead.

With an aging workforce and fewer young people entering the trades than in previous generations, the need to attract and inspire new talent for these industries is greater than ever. Thankfully, trade workers have taken to the social media platform, TikTok, to share their careers, and it has proven to be an effective recruitment strategy.

In recent years employees have requested earlier access for earned wages than the normal payroll period.  With employees at times financially struggling, access to their earned wages outside of the normal payroll allows them flexibility to pay bills, rent, and other expenses in a timely manner. A recent study shows that 60% of Americans live paycheck to paycheck, making Earned Wage Access (EWA) a valuable financial benefit for employees. This is different than a payday loan which is a...

A compliance-related employee handbook policy that is often overlooked is the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (GINA) policy statement. Though arguably not a required policy statement, it is a policy comparable to other policies on non-discrimination that should be in employee handbooks. These nondiscrimination policies tell employees, managers, and the world that the employer prohibits these forms of discrimination.

Did you know? Baby boomers born in the latter years of the baby boom held an average of 12.9 jobs from age 18 to age 58, with over 40% of these jobs held from ages 18 to 24.  These  baby boomers held an average of 5.6 jobs while ages 18 to 24. The average fell to 4.5 jobs from ages 25 to 34; to 2.9 jobs from ages 35 to 44; to 2.2 jobs from ages 45 to 54; and to 1.3 jobs from ages 55 to 58. Sounds familiar to other generations?  Source:  U.S. Census 8/26/25

Labor Day unofficially started back on September 5, 1882, when over 10,000 workers walked off their jobs and took an unpaid leave from work to conduct a march in New York City. Labor Day became an official holiday on the first Monday in September by an Act of Congress on June 28,1894.

Across Michigan, families are preparing for the back-to-school season. While much attention goes to preK–12 and college students, thousands of adults are also returning to the classroom, proving it’s never too late to learn, grow, and create new opportunities.

Every HR professional wears many hats – coach, advisor, mediator, strategist. But when you break it down, the best HR leaders all share a set of “superpowers” that help them handle challenges with confidence and impact. Here are seven worth mastering.

In a novel case going through the New York state court system, Julie Ormond, Legends of the Fall and Sabrina actress, is suing Disney, Miramax, and her former talent agency who she says failed to protect her from abuse. Ormond’s complaint sought to plead negligent supervision and negligent retention against Miramax and Disney, and negligence and breach of fiduciary duty against her talent agency, CAA, in an attempt to hold them liable. Ormond alleged that Miramax and Disney employed...

Drug testing laws vary from state to state, and some states make compliance more challenging than others. Minnesota (MN) is one of those states. Even though it has had the laws in place for some time now, MN updated their law this year. Because of the changes, employers who do business in this state must review their current processes and make any required changes.

IRS releases draft W-2 to encompass the One Big Beautiful Bill Act changes:  The IRS released a draft version of the new W-2.  Forms and instructions are subject to OMB approval before they can be officially released, so the IRS post drafts of them until they are approved. Drafts of instructions and pubs usually have some additional changes before their final release.  The changes specific to Tips, Overtime, and Trump Accounts are found in Box 12:  TA-Trump Accounts ...

Artificial intelligence is no longer a distant concept; it’s actively shaping the way we work. But not all jobs are affected equally. A recent Microsoft study sheds light on which roles AI is already reshaping and which remain largely human-driven. Unlike speculative reports, this study analyzed real interactions between users and AI over nine months, mapping tasks to detailed occupational data from O*NET, the U.S. government's database of job activities. The result is a grounded...

Last week, part I of this article laid out what a limitation of action agreement is and how it can be used by employers. This week we look at what the recent Michigan Supreme Court’s decision in Rayford v American House of Roseville I LLC handed down on July 31st said.

Even the most experienced HR professionals can fall into habits that create unnecessary risks or missed opportunities. Here are ten of the most common mistakes we see and how you can avoid them.

In an interesting reversal of artificial intelligence technology trends, some employers who’ve embraced more progressive approaches to selection are going “old school” in their interviewing formats. The Wall Street Journal recently reported on a growing shift among employers away from a reliance on virtual interviewing formats and toward conducting more in-person meetings.

On October 1, 2025, California’s new regulations on the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in the workplace will come into force.  The amendments extend the non-discrimination provisions of FEHA to explicitly cover automated-decision systems. 

Are you underpaid? Maybe or maybe not: Nearly 7 in 10 workers believe they’re underpaid, even when their compensation is at or above market rates, according to a new Payscale report.  That’s a leap from the 51% of employees earning at or above market who felt underpaid four years ago. 

Even if you already have an HR department, there are times when your team simply can’t do it all. Hiring freezes, unexpected turnover, rapid growth, or special projects can stretch your HR resources thin. That’s when your HR team needs fractional HR support – experienced professionals who can step in on-demand to increase capacity, bring specialized expertise, and keep your HR operations running smoothly.

One of the more esoteric areas of employment law is the use of limitation of action clauses in handbooks and other employment documents. A limitation of action agreement, as the name suggests, limits the amount the time in which an employee may bring some sort of wrongful employment claim against the employer – a sometimes handy tool.

In the movie “Her,” Joaquin Phoenix plays a man who falls in love with his AI assistant.  Could it happen in real life?  According to Live Science, a scientific magazine, modern AI assistants like Alexa have increasingly human-like qualities that raise users' propensity to engage and form emotional bonds – even to the point of falling in love. Studies show that people can fall in love or form close friendships with AI, even while fully aware that AI is not...

The Michigan Occupational Safety and Health Administration (MIOSHA) is sounding the alarm after a surge in struck-by incidents has made them the leading cause of workplace deaths in Michigan this year. As of August 5, 2025, 10 of the 22 workplace fatalities investigated by MIOSHA were the result of workers being struck by moving vehicles, heavy equipment, or falling objects – tragic events that safety experts say are entirely preventable.

Paid Time Off (PTO) is designed to give employees a break from the demands of work allowing time to rest, recharge, and return refreshed. But for many workers, vacation doesn’t feel like a true break. Thanks to smartphones, laptops, and an always-on work culture, many employees are still answering emails, joining meetings, and completing tasks while they’re supposed to be off the clock. This erosion of real time off has become a growing concern for both employee well-being and...

Willing to work long hours? We want you: If you think free time is overrated, this is the job market for you. Corporate job listings this summer stress long hours, a competitive business environment, and the importance of hustle. It might seem impractical to recruit applicants with a pitch that loosely translates to “this is going to hurt.” But we’re a long way from 2022.  Americans are facing months-long job searches and competition from laid-off workers as companies...

As leaders, we’re constantly making decisions – some in the moment, others with far-reaching implications. And while data and analysis often guide us, there’s another layer beneath the spreadsheets: the internal voice we rely on when we make judgment calls. The challenge is knowing whether that voice is instinct, intuition, or fear.