Artificial intelligence continues to create new opportunities for efficiency, innovation, and growth. At the same time, it is also changing the cybersecurity landscape in ways employers cannot afford to overlook.

AI is being integrated into many HR functions, from scheduling and recruiting to performance management and compensation decisions. While HR processes are not fully automated, the growing use of AI in these areas can create legal and compliance risks for employers.

When attendance changes, behavior shifts, or performance suddenly declines, employers often begin with policies, coaching, or corrective action. Those responses may be appropriate but sometimes the issue is something else entirely: an employee facing a challenge they do not know how to solve.

According to TalentLMS's newly released Learning Debt Report, employees are struggling to keep pace with rapidly changing job requirements. Forty-one percent of employees say their roles are evolving faster than their employers can provide training, leading many to rely on AI tools and informal workarounds to bridge skill gaps while remaining reluctant to admit what they do not know.

Landing a new job has always required persistence. Today, it also requires vigilance. Employment scams have become increasingly sophisticated over the past year, with criminals posing as recruiters, creating convincing company websites, and using familiar hiring platforms to lure job seekers into sharing personal information or sending money. As remote hiring becomes more common, distinguishing a legitimate opportunity from a fraudulent one is becoming more difficult.

AI lawsuits and complaints: Employers and courts all over the country have experienced a steady increase in pro se litigants. Many legal experts believe that Generative Artificial Intelligence (GAI) is partially responsible for this boom in unrepresented litigants.

Crying at work is more common than many leaders realize and can serve as a visible indicator of deeper workplace stress and burnout. Nearly half of U.S. workers report crying or coming close to crying at work, suggesting that emotional strain is becoming a widespread workforce issue rather than an isolated occurrence.

Paid time off is one of the most valued employee benefits, yet many employees still hesitate to fully disconnect when they take it. They check email from the beach, respond to Teams messages while away, or return feeling as exhausted as when they left. For HR professionals, this raises an important question: Is the issue really PTO policy, or is it workplace culture?

Michigan employers may want to keep a close eye on proposed legislation that could significantly impact how organizations communicate with employees outside of scheduled work hours.

Many organizations are moving quickly to incorporate AI into everyday work. Senior leaders often assume employees share that enthusiasm, but recent research suggests the picture is more complicated.

Many employers have social media, code of conduct, and respectful workplace policies designed to support a productive work environment and protect the organization's reputation. As employees increasingly share their views on political events, social issues, and government actions through social media and other public platforms, HR professionals are often faced with difficult questions about the limits of employee speech.

IRS mileage rate increases to $.76 per mile: In Announcement 2026-11, 2026-29 I.R.B. 49, the IRS amended Notice 2026-10, 2026-4 I.R.B. 378, which sets the standard mileage rates for 2026.

Leaders are often expected to provide confidence during uncertain times. Employees look to leadership for direction, reassurance, and a sense of stability, especially when organizations face difficult decisions, changing market conditions, or financial pressures.

Applicant tracking systems, AI-powered screening tools, automated workflows, and high-volume recruiting processes help employers manage hundreds, sometimes thousands, of applications. While these technologies provide valuable efficiencies, many organizations may be overlooking an important consequence: qualified candidates are increasingly disappearing into a recruiting "black hole."

As always, the final days of June bring a wave of decisions from the U.S. Supreme Court on major cases. This year was no exception, with four rulings that could have a direct or indirect impact on employers and human resources practices.