ASE’s last Michigan Policies and Practices Survey reports that on average over half of Michigan employers (55%) responding do not provide severance pay. Of those that do, many normally provide one or two weeks of pay per year of service as that benefit. However, over 50% of those that provide severance make the severance payout at management’s discretion.

Michigan HR professionals have been navigating the complexities of the Earned Sick Time Act (ESTA) since its effective date, February 21, 2025. As the year draws to a close, a new set of administrative and compliance tasks emerges. The specific actions HR must take depends on whether your organization utilizes the accrual method or the frontloading method for providing earned sick time.

Massachusetts, California and the state of Washington have new pay transparency requirements that employers need to be aware of.

Governor Whitmer signed a new law this week that will allow Michigan tipped workers to take a deduction for tip income and the broader group of non-exempt and hourly workers to deduct overtime pay from taxes. H.B. 4961 provides for personal income tax deductions for qualified tips and qualified overtime compensation. This tip deduction from state taxes will apply for three years from 2026 through 2028. Additionally, Social Security recipients in Michigan will not pay tax on their social...

In recent years employees have requested earlier access for earned wages than the normal payroll period.  With employees at times financially struggling, access to their earned wages outside of the normal payroll allows them flexibility to pay bills, rent, and other expenses in a timely manner. A recent study shows that 60% of Americans live paycheck to paycheck, making Earned Wage Access (EWA) a valuable financial benefit for employees. This is different than a payday loan which is a...

The U.S. Department of Labor announced it will reinstate its Payroll Audit Independent Determination (PAID) Program that was discontinued under the Obama Administration and has added certain FMLA coverage as well. The PAID program allows for:

With the One Big Beautiful Bill (OBBB), a number of provisions impact employers.  Below is a summary of the major ones.

On June 6, 2025, the U.S. District Court issued a long-awaited final approval of a $2.8 billion settlement in the blockbuster Grant House, et al. v. National College Athletic Association, et al., No: 5:20-cv-3919, ( U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, June 6, 2025) antitrust case that allows for direct sharing of revenue between NCAA colleges and universities and thousands of student-athletes. NCAA rules “prohibit student-athletes from receiving anything of...

Mercer Marsh Benefits' Health Trends Report surveyed 225 insurers in 55 markets and found that they are expecting half of employers will "want to reduce plan coverage to manage costs in the coming year."

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...

For many positions to be exempt under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) it must meet three tests to be Executive, Administrative, or Professional (EAP) exempt. Exempt positions do not have to be paid overtime at time and one-half (1.5x) or keep records of hours worked. The three exemption tests are:

Troy, MI – December 19, 2024 --- ASE, one of the nation’s oldest and largest employer associations, has released the 2025 Starting Salaries for Co-op Students and Recent College Graduates Survey this week. The annual survey provides a comprehensive look at the current state of wages and benefits provided to co-op students and recent college graduates.  The survey also presents employers with a snapshot of the recruitment and retention trends associated with these new...

PBMs or Pharmacy Benefit Managers are under the gun these days. PBMs are third party administrators for many types of drug care plans, especially those covering employers. PBMs earn revenues in a variety of ways. First, they collect administrative and service fees from the original insurance plan. Second, they can also collect rebates from the manufacturer. Third, and more controversial, they can resell drugs at a price higher that than the price negotiated with the manufacturer or...

Michigan is not alone with its paid sick time law. As you wrestle to prepare a new policy to meet Michigan’s Earned Sick Time Act (ESTA), take heart that currently there are16 other states as well as the District of Columbia that require employers to provide some form of paid sick leave to their employees.

Employers are increasingly grappling with the complexities of pay transparency as it reshapes recruitment, retention, and workplace equity. Recent studies from the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis indicate that pay disclosure in job postings is growing, partly due to new legislation requiring employers to disclose pay ranges. However, pay disclosure is also expanding in areas where it is not mandated, suggesting that employers are embracing this change in response to unique challenges and...