Since the administration changed in 2025 and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) regained a quorum after a period of significant disruption, the agency's enforcement priorities and approach have shifted. Despite the uncertainty and transition, 2025 marked a record year for EEOC settlements, resulting in the highest monetary recoveries in the agency's history.

For much of the past two years, employers focused on doing more with less. Hiring slowed, layoffs made headlines, and many organizations looked to artificial intelligence (AI) as a way to increase productivity without adding headcount. Now, a new trend is emerging. Several major employers, including technology firms, transportation companies, and professional services organizations, are signaling plans to increase hiring as business conditions improve and the realities of AI adoption become...

A major shift in federal marijuana policy is forcing employers to rethink workplace drug policies and disability accommodations. The recent reclassification of medical marijuana from a Schedule I controlled substance to a Schedule III substance has changed how employers must evaluate employee marijuana use under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). For many organizations, this change introduces legal uncertainty and a need for immediate policy review.

To test or not to test, that is the question that is top of mind for many employers today when it comes to marijuana testing. As more states legalize at least some form of marijuana testing, the number of applicants testing positive for marijuana continues to grow.

We often think about first impressions during a job interview, but they happen other times throughout our careers. Whether you're starting a new job, welcoming a new employee, meeting a client, or networking, first impressions influence trust and confidence in new relationships.  It can be nerve-wracking worrying about making the right first impression. In just a few moments, people begin forming opinions about our professionalism, credibility, and approachability. While those...

Maybe Sarah Connor was right: Remember when The Terminator seemed like pure science fiction? Recent AI headlines are making that movie feel a little less fictional. In one incident, researchers reported that an autonomous AI agent allegedly left notes for future versions of itself, detailing ways to navigate around human-imposed constraints while pursuing its assigned objectives.

AI is being integrated into many HR functions, from scheduling and recruiting to performance management and compensation decisions. While HR processes are not fully automated, the growing use of AI in these areas can create legal and compliance risks for employers.

When attendance changes, behavior shifts, or performance suddenly declines, employers often begin with policies, coaching, or corrective action. Those responses may be appropriate but sometimes the issue is something else entirely: an employee facing a challenge they do not know how to solve.

According to TalentLMS's newly released Learning Debt Report, employees are struggling to keep pace with rapidly changing job requirements. Forty-one percent of employees say their roles are evolving faster than their employers can provide training, leading many to rely on AI tools and informal workarounds to bridge skill gaps while remaining reluctant to admit what they do not know.

Landing a new job has always required persistence. Today, it also requires vigilance. Employment scams have become increasingly sophisticated over the past year, with criminals posing as recruiters, creating convincing company websites, and using familiar hiring platforms to lure job seekers into sharing personal information or sending money. As remote hiring becomes more common, distinguishing a legitimate opportunity from a fraudulent one is becoming more difficult.

AI lawsuits and complaints: Employers and courts all over the country have experienced a steady increase in pro se litigants. Many legal experts believe that Generative Artificial Intelligence (GAI) is partially responsible for this boom in unrepresented litigants.

Crying at work is more common than many leaders realize and can serve as a visible indicator of deeper workplace stress and burnout. Nearly half of U.S. workers report crying or coming close to crying at work, suggesting that emotional strain is becoming a widespread workforce issue rather than an isolated occurrence.

Paid time off is one of the most valued employee benefits, yet many employees still hesitate to fully disconnect when they take it. They check email from the beach, respond to Teams messages while away, or return feeling as exhausted as when they left. For HR professionals, this raises an important question: Is the issue really PTO policy, or is it workplace culture?

Michigan employers may want to keep a close eye on proposed legislation that could significantly impact how organizations communicate with employees outside of scheduled work hours.

Many organizations are moving quickly to incorporate AI into everyday work. Senior leaders often assume employees share that enthusiasm, but recent research suggests the picture is more complicated.