Many working parents today face a tough choice between staying home or paying high childcare costs. In some areas, options are limited, with long waitlists and high prices creating child-care deserts. The challenge is even greater for employees who’ve relocated and no longer have nearby family support. While maternity and pregnancy benefits have improved, the biggest barrier to staying in the workforce is access to affordable, reliable childcare. This is when the biggest drop-off...

As Michigan celebrates Professional Trades Month this May, the spotlight is on the skilled professionals who build and sustain our communities and on the next generation ready to join them. Among them are recent graduates like those with degrees in kinesiology and pre-med studies who are eager to bring their passion and skills into meaningful roles across Michigan’s diverse professional trades sectors.

Employee volunteer programs are no longer just a “nice to have”—they’re a strategic investment with measurable returns. From boosting employee engagement and skill development to enhancing brand reputation and attracting top talent, these programs offer tangible benefits for both organizations and their people. This article will dive into those benefits and offer some best practices to get you started.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is transforming the nature of work and challenging traditional roles across every industry. For HR professionals and employees alike, understanding how AI is reshaping talent is critical to staying ahead. Fortunately, there's a clear and practical way to evaluate where your work stands in this new landscape: the 3-Bucket Analysis.

Employee engagement surveys are essential tools for organizations to gauge the level of investment and motivation among their employees. Engaged employees are not only more productive but are also more likely to remain with the company long-term. By conducting these surveys regularly, organizations can gain valuable insights into employee satisfaction, enabling them to identify issues and improve the workplace environment. The benefits of employee engagement surveys are numerous, making them...

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported that in 2023 women who were full-time wage and salary workers had median usual weekly earnings that were 84% of male full-time wage and salary workers. This situation is up 22% from 1979, the first year for which comparable earnings data are available, when women’s earnings were 62% of men’s earnings.  Per the BLS, the majority of this closing of the pay gap was between 1980 and 2003. From 2004 to 2023, the...

Increasingly, employers are requiring employees to return from remote work. The business benefits cited most often include strengthening the organization’s culture and increasing productivity. CCH HR Insights reports on a recent Express Employment Professional-Harris Poll survey that cited workplace friendships could be an “accelerator” to moving employees back to the office.

The hybrid work model – splitting time between home and office – has become a mainstay for many organizations since the global pandemic. According to ADP research, hybrid work is thriving, with employees who split their time between home and office 1.7 times more likely to be engaged than on-site staff and 1.9 times more engaged than fully remote employees. However, this evolving approach has its challenges. 

As we approach December and the holiday season many companies start planning how they will celebrate with their employees. So as an employer, what are your options? Some may choose to forgo the holiday party and use the budget or funds to distribute bonuses to employees. This may be a great option if you have employees with vastly different schedules or remote employees in different locations. Others may choose to offer more paid time off around the holidays so employees can spend time with...

TalentLMS, a leading learning management system, has released its latest report on Growth Mindset in the Workplace, based on a survey of 300 business leaders and 1,000 employees in the U.S. The findings reveal that while executives recognize the critical role of growth mindset in driving success, they also express concern over the potential negative impact of generative AI on key soft skills.

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.

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.

With the rise of artificial intelligence (AI) coupled with the need for cost cutting to maintain or improve margins, a new type of career in HR is becoming apparent: the HR Ultra-Generalist.  Coined by Faye Almeshaan and Alexis Clarfield-Henry in an article for SmartBrief, the term refers to the generalist who can navigate AI to complete a variety of tasks from benefits and compensation to recruitment anything in between.

Corporate donation matching programs have become a mainstay in corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives. With 65% of Fortune 500 companies and 51% of Russell 1000 companies offering these programs, it is clear that donation matching is a popular and effective way for companies to support philanthropy. These programs not only amplify the social good achieved by nonprofits but also engage employees in meaningful ways. Here is some more information on the essentials of donation...

A new survey release by Indeed and Harris Poll shows that nearly 40% of Gen Z and millennial workers (ages 18-34) said they would leave a job because of political differences at work, and 40% said they would leave if their CEO expressed political views they disagreed with. Overall, 28% of workers would consider resigning over political differences, and 32% might leave if the CEO expressed views they disagreed with, Indeed found.

Outsourcing of company work is as commonplace as any other means by which projects are assigned and completed. In a business-to-business framework, with contracts, SLA’s, and quality measures, it often makes sense and yields desired results while keeping full-time employee workloads in balance. Not all outsourcing, however, is a controlled process, visible throughout the chain of command. In his recent article “The Shadowy New Way Employees are Cheating Their Way to the...

Summer Fridays have been around for a while now, but have you heard of Soft Fridays? In January, Codeword, a communication design agency, launched an innovative pilot program called Soft Fridays. This initiative allows the agency's 100 employees, in collaboration with their managers, to decide if and how they work on Fridays.

Can you tell the difference between an ALICE and a HENRY? Are you familiar with the term DINK? Have you heard of the FIRE movement? The current discussion around the U.S. economy is full of acronyms and labels (aka Jargon) for different demographic groups. Some of these terms have been in use for years, while others are more recent, gaining popularity due to recent economic trends and the influence of social media platforms like TikTok. This is your guide to those new terms.

American employers continue to show interest in hiring college graduates with more than half (55%) planning to hire recent alumni, a positive trend over the past few years, aside from a dip in the first half of 2023. This is according to a recent Express Employment Professionals-Harris Poll survey in which companies also outlined other in-demand demographic segments and industries.

Organizations can improve the work-life balance of their employees by training line managers in work-life support. This training reduces burnout in employees who have little control of when or where they work and increases family engagement of employees who have high work-life flexibility.

Employee turnover, the process where employees leave their positions and are replaced by new hires, holds significant implications for businesses. Excessive turnover can disrupt workflow, hinder productivity, and incur substantial costs associated with recruitment and training.

Another year; another trend – Similar to last year’s trend of "quiet quitting," where employees do the minimum due to burnout and feeling unappreciated, a new trend dubbed "resenteeism" has emerged, reflecting workers' low productivity driven by resentment. These employees feel obligated to stay in their current jobs due to financial commitments or familial responsibilities, yet they harbor dissatisfaction and resentment that hampers their performance.

The K-12 District Comparison Dashboard, recently released by Launch Michigan, offers valuable insights into Michigan's public education system.  Unlike previous tools, this dashboard allows for comparisons between Michigan districts and those in high-performing states, revealing significant disparities:

In the past, a vertical progression was the ideal career path for many, especially when it came to salary increases and standards of expected living.  Today, the tides have changed.  Many employees don’t want to become managers.  In fact, often, organizations don’t particularly support their managers.  If bad times occur, managers are often the first to be blamed and could be the first out the door. 

Are you familiar with the latest HR buzz words? HR Work Break reviewed current buzzwords in the HR field and found the following to be the top five: