The holiday season brings us many joys: glittering lights, warm cocoa, and the ever-watchful presence of the Elf on the Shelf. This tiny elf has something in common with another entity that keeps us on our toes all year round – Human Resources. Let's see who does the job better!

Over the weekend I came across an article in the Labor Union News entitled "UAW Involvement and Support in Pro-Palestinian Protests Raises Question.” The gist of the article was that the UAW may be supporting at least some of the pro-Palestinian protests causing problems at many universities right now.

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.

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...

EEO-1 reporting starts October 31, 2023: The 2022 EEO-1 Component 1 data collection will open on Tuesday, October 31, 2023. The EEO-1 online Filer Support Message Center (i.e., filer help desk) will also be available on Tuesday, October 31, 2023, to assist filers with any inquiries they may have regarding the 2022 collection.

The EEO-1 Component 1 (demographic data collection) approved by OMB:  The White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has approved the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s (EEOC) request to extend “Component 1” of the annual Employer Information (EEO-1) Report. Interestingly, the extension is for only one year rather than the normal three-year approval. 

Weight discrimination is subtle and real: Weight stigma is rarely talked about at work, but it pervades workplaces everywhere, employees and hiring managers say. Looking back, Michelle Matthews said she often internalized co-workers’ comments about her weight. At one work lunch, a teammate remarked on how much she was eating. A higher-up told her she needed to “show up physically as a leader” after she failed to win a promotion. 

EEOC Commissioners up to a full complement: Kalpana Kotagal was sworn in as EEOC Commissioner last week.  Kotagal, a democrat, was nominated by President Biden on April 1, 2022, and was confirmed on July 14, 2023, to serve as Commissioner, for a term expiring July 1, 2027. Kotagal joins EEOC Chair Charlotte A. Burrows, Vice Chair Jocelyn Samuels, and Commissioners Keith E. Sonderling and Andrea R. Lucas on the presidentially appointed, bipartisan Commission. Kotagal’s swearing in...

What stresses employees out the most these days?  Are the good times coming to an end?  According to a new survey of 2,500 business professionals from recruitment firm Robert Walters, nearly half (45%) of employee stress is coming from a lack of job security. 

VETS 4212 reporting is now open: The VETS-4212 report filing season is now open, and federal contractors and subcontractors should file if you have a current federal government contract or subcontract worth $150,000 or more, regardless of the number of employees. All covered federal contractors and subcontractors must submit their VETS-4212 report between August 1 and September 30, 2023, either electronically or by U.S. mail.  For more information click here.

WTW salary budget survey shows 4% for 2024: Salary budgets for U.S. employees are expected to remain high in 2024 as employers become accustomed to ongoing labor market challenges. According to the latest Salary Budget Planning Survey by WTW, organizations are budgeting an average increase of 4.0% in 2024.

Senate confirms Kotagal for EEOC Commission:  The U.S. Senate narrowly confirmed Kalpana Kotagal, Cohen Milstein Sellers & Toll PLLC partner, to serve on the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission on July 13th, a long-awaited step that will give Democrats the majority at the five-seat agency for the first time under the Biden administration.

Hiring managers checking social media to create candidate profiles:  Nearly 75% of hiring managers responding to a recent survey said they check applicants’ social media, results from ResumeBuilder.com show.  The majority said they aim to obtain answers to questions they can’t ask job candidates; managers said they most often look for a worker’s age, political activity, gender identity, and marital status. 

EEO-1 reporting delayed again: Looks like it will now be sometime in the Fall.  Due to the Agency completing a “mandatory, three-year renewal of the EEO-1 Component 1 data collection by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB),” the opening has been further delayed.  Last year the reporting period began in April with a deadline of May 17, 2022.  A final opening date as well as the opening of the filing support Message Center will be posted to the EEO-1 Component...

Time to update your EEOC “Know Your Rights” poster: The Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA) went into effect on June 27, 2023. The PWFA requires employers to post a notice describing the various protections under the new law. Employers should remove their old EEOC “Know Your Rights” poster and replace them with the updated version found here. You can also order the poster from ASE’s partner, GovDocs.  Login to ASE website to get the member link.

Should I trust ChatGPT to price jobs?  Not yet.  In a test by EBN, they asked ChatGPT "What salary should I offer a software engineer in the U.S. with five years’ experience?" ChatGPT came back with $100,000 to $120,000 a year, and maybe more than $150,000 a year in high-cost cities such as San Francisco, New York, and Seattle.

Rap music supports harassment complaint: The U.S. 9^th Circuit Court of Appeals allowed a lawsuit to continue in which a hostile work environment by allowing explicit rap music to be played in a Nevada warehouse was one of the charges of the lawsuit.

CHROs look for volatility but positivity in the next 12 months:  CHROs are revising their one-year forecast for business, expecting volatility to persist longer than anticipated.  That’s the main finding from StrategicCHRO360’s latest CHRO Confidence Index, a forward-looking indicator that measures sentiment for business among HR chiefs at U.S. companies.

Companies can prepare now for a recession by optimizing their workforce. Since employees are a company's greatest asset, successfully navigating economic uncertainty relies on investing in them.

Stemming blue collar terminations: The latest data release on employment from the Bureau of Labor Statistics indicated that the Great Resignation may have finally slowed down in some so-called knowledge-working industries.

OFCCP releases new Voluntary Disability Self-ID form: The Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs has revised the Voluntary Self-Identification of Disability Form (CC-305) to update the preferred language for disabilities and to include additional examples of disabilities. OFCCP releases new Voluntary Disability Self-ID form: The Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs has revised the Voluntary Self-Identification of Disability Form (CC-305) to update the preferred...

More state holidays in Michigan? Three Democratic legislators have introduced a package of bills that would establish Diwali, Vaisakhi, Eid al-Fitr, Eid al-Adha, and Lunar New Year as official, state-recognized holidays in Michigan.

Women making minimal progress in closing wage gap:  The wage gap between men and women has changed little over the past decade with women making an average of 82% of what men make -- not much above the 80% average for women back in 2002, according to Pew Center research. As has long been the case, the wage gap is smaller for workers ages 25 to 34 than for all workers 16 and older. In 2022, women ages 25 to 34 earned an average of 92 cents for every dollar earned by a man in the same age...

HR can be personally liable for ignoring sexual harassment claims: Earlier this year, a Delaware judge issued a landmark decision in a case involving fast food giant McDonalds. 

OFCCP Director Jenny Yang is leaving the agency: Director Yang became OFCCP Director on January 20, 2021, and her last day was March 31, 2023.  She accomplished much at OFCCP during her time there.  There will be an acting director until a new director is appointed.