The SHRM Better Workplaces on a Budget Recommendations report reveals the top drivers of employee turnover and offers specific strategies for addressing each of them. Many of these recommendations can be implemented with little to no additional budget.

Since the start of the COVID pandemic employers have changed the definition of work to include working away from the office and usually (not always) in an employee’s home. To accommodate a productive and legal work from home policy, HR Morning, an HR consulting firm, identifies five pitfalls to avoid when creating your policy.

Presenteeism is when employees come into work even when they have a justifiable reason to be absent, such as a physical or mental illness.  Absenteeism occurs when employees don't show up for work.  Presenteeism is largely an issue of workplace culture.  Take the right steps to combat presenteeism at your organization.

On June 15, 2020, the Supreme Court ruled that Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act protects LGBTQ rights (Bostock v. Clayton County Georgia, No. 17-1618 (June 15, 2020)).  Before the decision, 21 states had their own laws prohibiting job discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity, and seven more provided that protection only to public employees. Michigan just recently added itself to the list.

Gartner surveyed more than 800 HR leaders across 60 countries and all major industries to identify their priorities and challenges for 2023. The largest share of respondents put “leader and manager effectiveness” on their list, but many HR leaders also prioritize organizational design and change management, employee experience, recruiting, and the future of work

Who’d expect religious discrimination raising its head: Kanye West (who now goes by Ye) and his latest headline-making commentary may be the most public example of the insidious nature of antisemitism — which could be more widespread in recruiting than assumed, data released Nov. 22 by ResumeBuilder shows.

Troy, MI - November 28, 2022 --- ASE, one of the nation’s oldest and largest employer associations celebrating 120 years of service, has released its 2022 Post-Pandemic Remote Work Survey results.  The short pulse survey examines the current state of remote work for Michigan employers.  The data suggests that most employers are mandating a minimum number of days for in-person work or have fully returned to the workplace.

The COVID pandemic has caused a lot of change. The workplace continues to change as a result of remote work triggered greatly by the pandemic and employee expectations changed with it. As employers and leaders, we’ve had to embrace these changes in order to keep up. I have always found that the effect change has is greatly dependent on your attitude towards it.

A recent U.S. Federal 11th Circuit case upended the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) guidance as to disability and accommodations.  Under the guidance, an employee merely has a functional rather than a medical definition of disability, and the determination of whether an individual has a disability doesn't necessarily hinge on the name or diagnosis of an impairment. Once an employer is on notice, they must engage in an interactive discussion concerning any...

Holiday parties are making a comeback! According to ASE’s 2023 Holiday Schedule and Practices Survey, after two years of COVID-related interruptions, 68% of organizations plan to hold an in-person 2022 holiday party compared to last year’s 42%.

Many human resources professionals have experienced the worker that for one reason or another gets fed up and just walks off the job. It’s unfortunate and disrupting but also sets the machinations of employment policy and law in motion. A recent Michigan Court of Appeals case affirms that employees that walk off the job not only voluntarily quit, but also disqualify themselves from unemployment compensation benefits.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is being used more often and for a variety of purposes. Michigan State University received a $1.7 million grant to use AI in finding new drugs for treating diseases. Cyber security uses AI in various forms such as facial recognition to “verify a person’s real-world identity.” These seem to be good uses for AI.

Congress passes bill voiding NDAs in cases of sexual assault, harassment:  The Speak Out Act would allow those who have experienced sexual assault or sexual harassment in the workplace — and who have signed Non-Disclosure Agreements (NDAs) — to talk about their experiences. The Speak Out Act would render unenforceable workplace pre-dispute non-disclosure and non-disparagement clauses involving sexual assault and sexual harassment.  Source:  HR Dive 11/16/22

Maintaining workplace culture across in-person, remote, and hybrid teams is top of mind for many organizations. However, how culture is defined and what is needed to feel supported varies across the four generations in the workplace – Gen Z, millennials, Gen X, and baby boomers.

November is the best month to plan and prepare for the new year.  December is consumed by holidays, parties, and things winding down.  January tends to find people hibernating, lower energy, and not picking up the pace until the month is almost over. November is the best time to set clear goals for hitting the ground running in 2023.