Wondering why we cannot find talent? Michigan’s unemployment rate dropped from 6.2% to 4.3% over the past year.  In Detroit area surprisingly, 4.6%.  Source:  BLS 6/17/22 

George Brown, ASE Senior Vice President, began at ASE 20 years ago to work on a grant project. Normally, once a grant ended, we would have to let go of the employee handling that work. But George was different.  I had to find a way to keep him. In just two short years, he had become an integral part of ASE and a leader.  Thankfully for ASE, that lasted for the next 20 years. Now, as we said at his retirement party last week, the Legend is retiring. George retires July 15th.

Resignations are estimated at 41% in 2021:   The U.S. job market may be cooling down, but Aon survey data shows that the Great Resignation had a real impact on employers throughout the past year, the global professional services firm said in a June 2 statement. 

It’s a daunting task to review and update job descriptions. The “when” of review and updating is “as often as needed.”  Job descriptions should reflect current responsibilities, any duty changes, manager change, location change, and update to skills, education, and qualifications for the role.  The “why” of updating them is because employees should know the expectations of their roles and the rules and regulations they need to follow, some...

Mileage rate increased three cents:  In a rare move, because of increasing gas prices, the IRS has increased in midyear the mileage rate from $.585 to $.625 per mile.  Source:  IRS 6/9/22

Have you considered revamping your performance review process? The traditional approach to performance management has failed managers, employees, and organizations. Most of today’s performance management approaches, no matter what they are called, are often complex, emotionally burdensome, and time consuming, resulting in the most dreaded task managers have to do at work. For example, performance management is intended to measure employee performance and provide a feedback mechanism to...

DOL issues new FAQs on FMLA—anxiety is now covered: While many people coping with mental illness may face barriers to treatment including social stigmas, a lack of available services or financial resources, the U.S. Department of Labor is determined to ensure that obtaining job-protected leave under the Family and Medical Leave Act is not another obstacle to overcome when workers seek the mental health support they need.  

Do you have this benefit – egg freezing? By the time a woman hits her 40s, her chances of pregnancy drop to 5% per menstrual cycle, meaning five out of 100 women will successfully become pregnant per cycle, according to research from the American Society for Reproductive Medicine.

The American public is against racial preferences:  A new Pew Research Center report found that 74% think race and ethnicity should not be considered in admissions decisions. For gender, 82% think it shouldn’t be considered. The results extend to every racial group and to Democrats as well as Republicans. The findings come as the U.S. Supreme Court prepares to hear two cases, probably in October, on the future of affirmative action in admissions.

I got a new job, now I am looking for the next:  The Great Resignation is far from ebbing, a Lattice report suggests 52% of respondents having worked for three months or less in their new role reported they are actively trying to leave their current company.

What is the drop dead date for filing EEO-1 reports? Per an EEOC FAQ,  following the May 17, 2022 published deadline, the EEOC will enter the “failure to file” phase. All filers who have not submitted and certified their mandatory 2021 EEO-1 Component 1 Report(s) by the Tuesday, May 17, 2022, published deadline will receive a notice of failure to file instructing them to submit and certify their data AS SOON AS POSSIBLE, and NO LATER THAN TUESDAY, JUNE 21, 2022.

I-9 flexibility extended to October 31:  The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) announced an extension of the flexibility in complying with requirements related to Form I 9, Employment Eligibility Verification, due to COVID-19.

Boomerangs are growing:  Per LinkedIn, the percentage of employees that come back keeps rising. It amounted to 4.3% of all job switches last year, up from less than 2% in 2010. Second, the average time for such “boomerang hires” in the United States has shrunk to just 17.3 months after employees walk out the door, down from the 2010 norm of 21.8 months.

OFCCP updates the Veteran Hiring Benchmark:  The benchmark as of March 31, 2022 is now 5.5% (which is the estimate of the number of veterans in the workforce).  The unemployment rate for veterans is 2.4%.

Reminder:  EEO-1 reporting opens next Tuesday, April 12 and remains open until May 17^th.