A surprising new trend has emerged where one in three dating app users are actually on the platform for career networking and job-seeking purposes. Although many users have found success in this tactic, claiming they have gained mentorship, landed interviews, and even job offers, it presents unique challenges, especially from a human resources perspective.

Severance pay is a topic that often surfaces when employees leave a company, yet many people don’t fully understand how it works. Whether someone is laid off, terminated, or leaving voluntarily, severance pay can play an important role in easing the transition. This FAQ-style guide breaks down severance pay in simple terms.

Recent research from TalentLMS surveyed 1,000 U.S. employees reveals deep gaps between how protected employees feel and how organizations actually respond to misconduct, highlighting widespread fear, silence, and unequal accountability in today's workplaces.

Discussions about artificial intelligence (AI) have largely centered on how the new technology will change the way we work. The rate of this change, it is safe to say, is happening more quickly than other technological disruptions. For example, the advent of computers was glacial compared to how quickly AI is being adopted. According to the American Management Association's 2025 research, 95% of organizations now use AI, with 58% reporting daily use—a dramatic shift from just two...

Artificial intelligence is being used more frequently in HR, particularly within employee relations, and its adoption is expected to continue growing over the next several years. A SHRM study found that 43% of organizations already leverage AI in HR-related tasks. One result of this shift is a reduced demand for certain HR roles. For example, IBM reportedly laid off approximately 8,000 employees, with many of the cuts occurring in HR, and had already replaced about 200 HR roles with AI...

EEOC rescinds harassment guidance: The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission voted 2–1 to rescind its Biden-era workplace harassment guidance, which had faced nearly two years of legal and political scrutiny, particularly around provisions protecting transgender employees and those seeking abortions.

Troy, MI – January 20, 2026 – ASE, one of the nation’s oldest and largest employer associations, has released its Organizational Challenges & Outlook Survey, highlighting the issues Michigan-based organizations expect to face in 2026 and how those concerns are largely extensions of challenges faced in 2025. The findings suggest organizations are entering the new year with few surprises, but with heightened urgency around long-standing workforce and economic pressures.

ASE recently surveyed 149 ASE member companies across Michigan, and the results confirmed what many of us have been feeling. The top three challenges expected for 2026 were attracting and retaining talent (49.7%), economic uncertainty (44.3%), and employee engagement or workforce issues (30.9%). With 44% of you naming economic uncertainty as a top challenge, I know this is weighing heavily on your minds as you plan for the year ahead.

Is your social feed full of “remember 2016?” posts? Playing off that trend, we thought it would be fun to look back at the headline article published in EPTW this week in 2016, “Can Lack of Daylight Affect Performance?” Ten years later, plenty has changed, but for those of us in the Midwest, winter still looks and feels the same. Cold mornings, short days, and heading to and from work in the dark are still part of the routine for many. The question we asked back then...

Executive Order 14173 reshaped the compliance landscape for federal contractors and employers more broadly. The order revoked EO 11246 on contractor affirmative action, directed a 90 day wind-down period with agencies operating under class deviations until the FAR Council takes action, and introduced new False Claims Act exposure by requiring contractors and grantees to certify nondiscrimination compliance. It also placed DEI-related practices across all employers under increased scrutiny...

Many employers invest heavily in employee training and development, and to protect these investments, they often use "stay‑or‑pay" clauses also known as Training Repayment Agreements (TRAPs) which require employees to repay training costs if they leave voluntarily within a specified period. These agreements, while once widely accepted, are now increasingly challenged due to evolving state laws and legal scrutiny.

Starting April 18, 2026, New York State will limit employers’ ability to use credit checks in employment decisions, joining a growing number of states and cities that have enacted similar restrictions. Previously, only New York City had prohibited most credit checks for hiring and employment purposes, but the new amendment to the New York State Fair Credit Reporting Act extends these protections statewide. Like other jurisdictions, the law prohibits employers, labor organizations, and...

Not every state adopted the tax deductions for overtime and tips: Although Michigan has, not all states adopted the tax deduction, such as Illinois and California.  Employers are not required to break out tips or qualified overtime on W-2s for 2025. They may include qualifying overtime on the W-2 if they choose, but it’s optional for 2026 (it would be a manual process). However, employers must still provide employees with a statement showing the amount of overtime and tips that...

Cybersecurity teams have identified an undercover network of hackers targeting HR and Payroll Systems. They started out hitting the education and manufacturing industries, but with 200 interfaces and over 500,000 users targeted and attacked already, they are increasingly expanding. Named the Payroll Pirates, these cybercriminals will target an employee’s payroll record to steal their credentials and redirect pay. They hijack processes and steal wages rather than steal data, and often...

Understanding how employees experience work continues to be a top priority for HR leaders. A new national report from Sogolytics offers timely, data-backed insight into what is shaping employee satisfaction, trust, and retention as organizations head into 2026.