We've all experienced a meeting where the leader poses a question, and suddenly, there's an awkward silence. Time seems to slow down, and the silence becomes uncomfortable. This scenario is common in many work environments, but how a leader handles it can greatly impact team morale and the overall sense of psychological safety. Simon Sinek’s podcast series, A Spark of Optimism!, recently gave some great insight into how silence can be golden.

Boomerang employees, also called rehires or alumni hires, are employees that leave their employer and then come back. It could be months or even years later, and it doesn’t have to necessarily be in the same position.

Several years ago, Michigan corrected a labor wrong by removing a requirement that home care givers under Michigan’s Medicaid program be in a union. Many of these workers who had to pay union dues were family members receiving a stipend for providing those care services to people in their own family.

In recent developments, a couple of court cases need to be noted by employers who do diversity activities.  The first is the Fearless Fund case.  Fearless Fund is an investment fund that sought to administer a contest that would have awarded $20,000 grants to small businesses owned by Black women.  The American Alliance for Equal Rights (the Alliance), an organization led by Edward Blum, who led the charge against the Harvard and University of North Carolina’s...

HR professionals experience complex work challenges, manage evolving job expectations, and must stay updated with the latest industry trends and regulations. In such a dynamic environment, the value of having a community of peers to discuss work-related issues is immense. Peer networks provide a support system, enhance learning, foster collaboration, and promote personal and professional growth.

Workplace appreciation could be improved: With only half (49%) of employees feeling regularly appreciated for being themselves at work, there's a major opportunity for organizations to create a true culture of appreciation, according to a recent Reward Gateway report which polled 1,000 employees, managers, and executives in the U.S.  Among employees who do not regularly feel appreciated at work, they would like their workplace to show appreciation for them as a person by offering...

With the rise of remote work, employees are no longer just seeking flexibility—they crave autonomy. Will granting more autonomy entice workers back to the office? The answer might lie in how companies balance control with freedom.

Ageism is real in the workplace. Resume Now released findings to its 2024 State of Ageism in the Workplace report, which examines the prevalence and impact of age-related discrimination. The survey polled 1,003 U.S.-based workers who are aged 40 or older and found that 90% of respondents have experienced ageism in their workplace.

There are less than five weeks until our national and local elections. Are politics and political discussions causing disruptions in your workplace? What are an employer’s rights to address worker political discussions that may be getting out of hand?

As degrees and education are being sidelined from job requirements (primarily due to job requirement inflation), employers need to determine if the applicant’s skills meet the level required to be successful for the job.  The jobs themselves likely don’t require degrees, but rather specific skill levels that the degree requirements have screened out, leading to a dearth of candidates for the specific job.  By opening the pool, employers have also increased the diversity...

The state of California can be a challenge for employers who want to conduct background checks for employment purposes. The state has restrictions on using credit checks for employment decisions which have very restrictive exceptions.

Do managers fake it? A new report from Workhuman was conducted among 3,000 full-time employees in the U.S., U.K., and Ireland.  It discovered that 48% of managers felt that faking productivity is a common issue on their teams — but 67% of non-managers denied faking productivity at work.

I was inspired to create a “chuck-it list” after attending a thought-provoking presentation last week. We’ve all heard of bucket lists—those aspirations we carry, dreams we want to accomplish, and milestones we aim to reach. Bucket lists inspire us to set goals, push limits, and explore the world. While we eagerly plan what to add to our lives, how often do we stop to think about what we need to remove? Enter the "chuck-it list."

Experiencing boredom at work might seem harmless, but it can actually have serious consequences. The main difference between burnout and boreout is the contrast between feeling overworked and feeling unfulfilled.

Michigan employers may not “discharge an employee or in any manner discriminate against an employee because the employee files a complaint” under the state’s safety and health law. An employee that may have suffered an adverse employment action against them because of involvement in a safety complaint may bring a complaint to the Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity within thirty (30) days after the violation. This will lead to a MIOSHA investigation and...

Earlier in my career I reported to the owner of a small privately held firm who was laser-focused on significantly growing the business.  With a foot seemingly always on the gas pedal, their work ethic was well-known and well-discussed throughout the organization.  While the company did impressively scale, direct reports to this individual often confided in being exhausted from the pace and the disruption to sleep.  It was common to receive emails in the middle of the night....

In a recent case filed in the federal court in the Southern District of Texas, janitorial services company ABM Industry Groups (ABM) sued the U.S. Department of Labor, claiming the agency's administrative proceedings for enforcing anti-discrimination requirements for federal contractors are unconstitutional.  This case arises from the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in the Jarskey case (SEC v. Jarskey, No. 22–859 (6/27/24)). 

More people want to switch jobs:  The July 2024 SCE Labor Market Survey revealed that the rate of employees transitioning to a new employer has reached its highest level since the survey began, with 7.1% of employed respondents moving to different jobs, up from 5.3% in July 2023.  This increase in job switching is largely driven by women, according to the New York Fed. The proportion of job seekers has also surged, with 28.4% of respondents looking for a job in the past four weeks,...

Immigration, both legal and illegal, has been a driving force of the economy over the past few years. According to the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), less than 30%, or 2.6 million, are what the CBO counts as “lawful permanent residents,” which includes green-card holders and other immigrants who came through legal channels, such as family or employment-based visas.  The remaining are arguably the illegal, unauthorized, or undocumented immigrants (depending on who is...

ASE recently released its 2024-2025 Salary Budget Survey, offering a comprehensive view of salary trends, pay structure adjustments, and incentive-based compensation programs among employers. This data provides key insights into the challenges businesses face in an uncertain economic environment.

Earlier this year the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) issued final regulations setting a new salary level test for determining job exempt status. To classify a job as exempt from overtime and certain record keeping compliance requirements, a job typically must meet three tests:

Increasing headcount through the end of 2024 may not be feasible for some U.S. companies, as 33% of hiring managers say budget constraints or the inability to hire is responsible for stagnant or decreasing hiring plans. However, reskilling current employees may be the key to balancing the desire to strengthen workforces while keeping costs in line, according to a recent Express Employment Professionals-Harris Poll survey.

With election day approaching on November 5, Michigan employers should be prepared to handle requests from employees seeking time off to vote. Although Michigan does not have a specific law mandating voting leave, employers can play a critical role in encouraging civic participation by creating policies that allow employees to exercise their right to vote.

Next Going PRO Training Grant Application Period Opens October 1^: Many of ASE’s members take advantage of the Going PRO Talent Fund each year. This is state grant money available to employers for employee training. In addition to skill-based training, this grant money can be used for some of ASE’s most popular supervisory and leadership courses.

AI has become a staple in the workplace for many, although depending on comfort level and job type, the usage varies. Slack surveyed over 5,000 full-time desk workers across the U.S., Australia, India, Singapore, Ireland, and the U.K. in August. Based on the responses, they categorized employees into five AI personas and provided recommendations for employers to engage each group. Which group do you fall into?