EEOC looking to eliminate EEO-1 (and similar) reporting: Since 1966, employers with 100 or more employees have been required to file the Standard Form 100, known as the EEO-1 Report, annually. On May 14, 2026, the EEOC sent proposed regulations to the White House that would rescind EEO-1 reporting – RIN: 3046-AB37 Title: Rescission of EEO-1, EEO-2, EEO-3, EEO-4. EEO-5, and Reporting Requirement Under Title VII, the ADA, GINA, and the PWFA.

Smaller employers are gaining access to pooled 401(K) style retirement benefits: Finance companies are expanding their offerings of pooled employer plans, a relatively new 401(k)-style retirement arrangement that allows multiple small businesses and nonprofits to participate in a single, jointly administered system.

With AI recruiting, is diversity in trouble? AI is already deeply embedded in hiring. It screens résumés, helps match candidates to roles, drafts outreach, and increasingly shapes how employers and applicants connect.

Cannabis on path to legalization: The Trump administration moved to reclassify cannabis from a Schedule 1 drug to a Schedule III drug, a major federal shift recognizing its medicinal use.

U.S. Secretary of Labor stepping down: Secretary of Labor Lori Chavez-DeRemer, a former one-term member of U.S. Congress from Oregon who became labor secretary in March 2025, stepped down on Monday amid fallout from an internal investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor watchdog that apparently probed a relationship she allegedly had with a subordinate, and other issues.

EEOC scores on illegal DEI: The EEOC announced that Planned Parenthood of Illinois has agreed to pay $500,000 to end the agency’s investigation into allegations that the nonprofit allegedly “segregated employees by race, subjected white employees to harassment, and engaged in disparate treatment against white employees regarding terms, conditions, and privileges of employment.”  

Is it time for HR professionals to look for a new job? Anthropic has announced several new plug-ins for Claude, its hugely popular AI model.

Michigan unemployment contribution rates: Contribution rates for employers with three or more years of experience will range from 0.06% to 12.2% in 2026. The maximum rate of 12.2% includes an 8.2% maximum chargeable benefit component, a 3.0% maximum account building component, and a 1.0% maximum nonchargeable benefits component. Note that if the employer has submitted no quarterly tax reports, that employer's maximum tax rate will be 12.2%, and the employer also will be assessed a...

Paid family leave pays off: A new survey of more than 250 human resources decision-makers reveals that 88% of companies offer standalone employer-sponsored paid family leave (PFL) and/or paid parental leave (PPL), including 46% that offer both. Almost 21% offer one or both to all part-timers, and 62% provide immediate coverage eligibility upon hire.

Expanding leave programs in the next few years: Nearly three-quarters of U.S. companies plan to expand their leave programs in the next two years, according to research released by WTW, a global advisory, broking and solutions company. These investments are driven by a focus on improving employee experience (67%) and upping attraction and retention (60%), WTW found. 

False Claims Act recoveries growing concern for HR: According to the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) January 16, 2026, press release, the DOJ reported a record $6.8 billion in settlements and judgments under the False Claims Act (FCA) for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2025 – the largest annual total in the statute’s history, more than doubling last year’s $2.9 billion. 

Daylight Savings starts March 8th: Set your clocks forward one hour Sunday, March 8^th. Daylight Saving Time was first proposed by George Vernon Hudson in 1895, and its use in the U.S. was first mandated during World War I.

USERRA leave to be treated like any other leave: An $18.5 million settlement in Huntsman v. Southwest Airlines Co. represents the largest USERRA class action recovery reported to date and signals a significant shift in how employers approach paid short-term military leave when other comparable short leaves (e.g., jury duty, bereavement) are paid.

UIA announces new MiUI launch date: The Michigan Unemployment Insurance Agency (UIA) announced the new date for the launch of MiUI, the new UI tax and benefits system that will replace the Michigan Web Account Manager (MiWAM).    After postponing the initial launch of the system to ensure its functionality, the new launch date for MiUI will be Monday, February 23, 2026. Make sure your company is ready to use the new system for UI tax payments and registrations by that date.

HIPAA Notices of Privacy Practices required to be issued by February 16th: Group health plan sponsors should take note of the February 16, 2026, deadline to update HIPAA Notices of Privacy Practices (“NPPs”) to reflect recent privacy updates for Part 2 records.  HIPAA requires that covered entities, such as group health plans, provide notices to covered individuals describing how the covered entity uses and discloses protected health information (“PHI”).