While we were all enjoying the Friday after Thanksgiving the Department of Treasury and the Internal Revenue Service issued a set of rules that could benefit a small (probably) number of employees by making them eligible to participate in an employer’s 401K defined contribution plan.

AON, a leading global professional services firm, announced the results of its 2023 Global Risk Management Survey which gathered input from almost 3,000 risk managers, C-suite leaders, and other executives from 61 countries and territories to identify their most-pressing business challenges. The 2023 edition of Aon's biennial survey found that human capital issues are no longer simply a "people problem," but a key business risk that is fueled by rising health care costs,...

The Employee Retention Credit (ERC) has emerged as a crucial lifeline for businesses grappling with the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic. As deadlines loom on the horizon, it becomes imperative for businesses to grasp the intricacies of the ERC, ensuring a correct and timely claim.

The use of forfeitures to offset employer contributions is well established and is explicitly permitted under treasury regulations and is consistent with Department of Labor guidance.  So why is this approach an issue now?

Entitled is a word that we hear a lot these days. It is often thrown around casually to describe groups of people and individuals even when not necessarily a fair assessment. But have you ever had to work with people who are truly entitled? They could be a boss, co-worker, or perhaps a vendor or supplier.

Gen Zers are outnumbering Baby Boomers in the workforce: The number of full-time Gen Z workers in the U.S. is set to surpass baby boomers in the first few months of 2024, according to a new report from Glassdoor Economic Research.

They say money can’t buy happiness – but can it? I think we can all agree, it sure helps! According to a new financial happiness survey by Empower, 59% of Americans agree that money can buy happiness, and the price tag is apparently $1.2 million.

A recent report from The Best Place for Working Parents® and Southern Methodist University's Center on Research and Evaluation (CORE) highlights the advantages of family-friendly policies, revealing their positive impact on both working parents and businesses' overall performance.

Employers appear optimistic heading into 2024. The recently released 2024 National Business Trends Survey by the Employer Associations of America (EAA) revealed that two-thirds of organizations are expressing confidence in the economy, a significant leap from the 49% reported in the 2023 survey. This positive sentiment is mirrored in executives' projections, with 72% anticipating flat to slight increases in sales and revenue for the upcoming year, compared to 53% in the previous report.

The State of Washington has been a leader in pay transparency law.  The Equal Pay and Opportunities Act prohibits gender pay discrimination by addressing business practices that contribute to income disparities between genders.  Further, all pay ranges and benefits for a job advertisement must be in the posting.   Specifically, a “posting” is defined as any solicitation, including recruitment done directly by an employer or indirectly through a third...

Shaun Fain, UAW President, is not only taking a victory lap around the recent contract settlements with the Detroit Three, but he has also repeatedly vowed to organize the other non-union auto manufacturers and their suppliers so that in 2028 he will be bargaining against the Big Five or Six.

Michigan’s Right-to-Work law effective February 13, 2024:  The Michigan legislature became the first state in almost 60 years to repeal its right-to-work law earlier this year. However, in doing so, the initiative did not have sufficient support to allow the repeal to be immediately effective. Most thought the repeal would not be effective until approximately March 30, 2024.  We now know it will be effective six weeks sooner than originally thought.

What the National Labor Relations Board seeks to give unions, the Courts taketh away. Since the beginning of the Biden era, the NLRB has issued ruling after ruling challenging employers’ policies as anti-union. Many policies that have been acceptable for years are now being cast as anti-union and in turn, an unfair labor practice.

The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) has ushered in significant changes to the Davis-Bacon and Related Acts (DBRA) standards. This final rule, effective October 23, 2023, comprised of hundreds of pages, is poised to impact over one million construction workers. Alongside the comprehensive revisions, the DOL has released a set of Frequently Asked Questions to guide stakeholders through the intricacies of the updated regulations.

Showing gratitude in the workplace is the secret sauce for creating a positive and productive workplace. It's not just a fluffy feel-good thing – it's a game-changer that boosts everyone's mood, amps up team spirit, and helps the whole crew stay strong when things get crazy. Every employee deserves recognition for their contributions.  Doing so will foster a supportive team environment characterized by kindness and gratitude. As the old saying goes, “A simple...

With remote work and the new reality of the workplace since the pandemic, employee loneliness has grown dramatically. Studies show that loneliness brings health problems, reduced productivity, turnover, and burnout. A BetterUp report demonstrates how the pandemic fractured workplace relationships — with 43% of respondents saying they don’t feel a connection to their coworkers.  Some 38% said they don’t trust their coworkers, and 22% said they don’t have a single...

This is part three of a series about the elements of a presentation that should be included for the three types of learners.  Previously, we covered auditory learners (those who learn by hearing) and visual learners (those who learn by visual elements).  Kinesthetic learners, also known as tactile learners, thrive when they can actively participate and engage in the learning process. These learners benefit from hands-on activities and physical movement to help them understand and...

NLRB and OSHA sign MOU – watch out employers:  On October 31, 2023, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) announced that the agencies have executed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) “to strengthen the agencies’ partnership to promote safe and healthy workplaces through protecting worker voice.” The MOU seeks to enable the NLRB and OSHA to “closely collaborate” by more broadly sharing...

One of the latest trends in the workforce is overemployment, a trend in which people hold multiple full-time positions.  This is beyond moonlighting with a small, part-time job.  It’s as extreme as someone holding two, sometimes three full-time positions – meaning they are “on the clock” for multiple employers at once - unbeknownst to the employers.

ASE has advised on this in the past but with the current state of social media use and the growing rancor and divisiveness in society we remind employers again: employers do have rights when it comes to its employees’ off-work verbal and social media communications.

The initial demands from the UAW included a 4-day workweek.  While that was eventually dropped during negotiations, many expect it will continue to come up in the future. A recent survey conducted by Gallup in collaboration with Bentley University revealed that 77% of respondents expressed that a four-day, 40-hour workweek would have a positive impact. However, once achieved, it doesn’t always have the positive effect expected.

On October 30, 2023, President Biden issued the Executive Order on the Safe, Secure, and Trustworthy Development and Use of Artificial Intelligence (EO).  The EO is a sweeping directive to government agencies to coordinate on all aspects of AI.  As the EO states in Section 1:

It seems like just a minute ago it was January. Now summer, with all of its holidays and vacations, are gone and Halloween is just a memory. We are heading into Thanksgiving, Christmas, and all of the other holidays that come between now and the end of the year.

State of Michigan funding apprenticeship programs for underrepresented: The Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity (LEO) has issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) encouraging organizations who can help provide underrepresented individuals with access to life-changing career pathways through Registered Apprenticeship to apply for funding from the Michigan Statewide Targeted Apprenticeship Inclusion and Readiness System (MiSTAIRS). Successful respondents to this RFP will become...

The U.S 7^th Circuit Court of Appeals recently ruled that a case can go to trial on whether an employer was required to provide an accommodation to an employee that had difficulty driving at night and whose shift ended at 9:00 p.m.  According to the court, the main question before it is whether the employee was entitled to a modified work schedule as an accommodation to make his commute safer.