For the past five years, the "virtual-first" hiring model was hailed as the ultimate efficiency win for HR. However, as generative AI tools have evolved from simple resume builders to real-time interview copilots, the digital veneer of the hiring process is cracking. To outsmart the surge in AI-assisted fraud and "bot-optimized" candidates, companies are increasingly dusting off the physical conference room and returning to the in-person interview.

Loneliness has increasingly become a workplace crisis. Roughly 60% of employees with fewer than five years of work experience report feeling lonely all or most of the time. In a world of remote and hybrid work, that isolation has real consequences for both employees and the organizations they work for.

Every organization has one. The project that started with enthusiasm, buy-in, a great launch meeting, and a well-designed slide deck, but then months go by, and years later, it is still tagging along with no clear purpose. No one remembers why it started, and no one wants to admit it might not be working. Welcome to the world of the zombie project, the initiative that refuses to die.

For many organizations, hiring still happens in reaction to immediate needs. A key employee leaves, a project ramps up, or a new initiative begins, and suddenly HR is racing to fill a position. This reactive approach often leads to rushed decisions, long vacancies, and hires who may not be the best long-term fit.

With the anti-DEI focus by the current by the Trump administration and with a renewed focus on meritocracy, the current EEOC has taken up the torch to concentrate on merit-based discrimination, especially to restore equal opportunity for all workers, and in particular white males.  On December 17, 2025, Chair Lucas tweeted on X:

 

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. 

The conversation about quiet quitting continues to resurface. Headlines suggest employees are pulling back, doing the bare minimum, and disengaging from their work. But if we look a little closer, we have to ask a harder question. What if quiet quitting is not the core problem? What if it is the result of something far less discussed but far more damaging: quiet managing, where leaders avoid clarity, accountability, and direct feedback when it matters most?

Terminations can become more complicated when an employee, during or after offboarding, claims the decision was based on a disability. These claims may involve cognitive conditions, such as autism or ADHD, or physical conditions, such as chronic pain or medical disorders. While these situations can feel high-risk, the legal framework for evaluating them is consistent and manageable when employers follow sound practices.

On February 27, 2026, the Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division issued a proposed rule to update the independent contractor rule and to rescind the previous administration’s rule.  The definition of an independent contractor has been long argued since the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) was first passed in the 1930s.  The courts found that the FLSA never defined an independent contractor (IC) and as a result, a variety of court and federal administrative...

A troubling pattern is emerging in today’s workplace: change fatigue. It shows up as frustration, apathy, and resistance when employees are asked to absorb constant, overlapping changes. At its core, change fatigue happens when the pace or volume of transformation exceeds people’s capacity to adapt. As McKinsey & Company describes it, we are now living in “the age of perpetual organizational upheaval.”

Millennials now represent the largest segment of the U.S. workforce at 36%, and they have become the largest generation in management roles. Yet new survey data suggests many are quietly questioning their career paths. According to research from ELVTR, 55% of millennials feel unsettled in their careers or say they are still figuring them out. Even more alarming, 59% admit they are hoping for an external reason, such as a layoff, to leave a job they no longer enjoy.

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. 

As today’s job market remains challenging and competitive, yet another trend has emerged for job seekers: reverse recruiting. Many professionals are turning to reverse recruiters to help them stand out and accelerate their time to hire. Acting as personalized job‑search specialists, these individuals or firms handle everything from applications to outreach, giving candidates a targeted edge in an overcrowded market.

A recent report from Resume Now explores a growing but often invisible workplace experience described as the “Quiet Cry.” While headlines have focused on trends like quiet quitting, this research looks deeper at the emotional strain employees are carrying during the workday.

For years, merit-based pay increases have been positioned as a cornerstone of effective talent management. The logic was straightforward: reward top performers, motivate improvement, and reinforce a pay-for-performance culture. But in today’s economic environment, many organizations are rethinking that formula. Enter the rise of “peanut butter raises” – uniform, across-the-board pay increases applied evenly across employee populations.

The world of work is redefining what it means to qualify for a job. Degrees still matter, but growing evidence shows that non-degree credentials, from professional certificates to industry certifications, deliver measurable market value. Understanding how these credentials translate into wage outcomes is not just a recruiting or learning issue. It has direct implications for compensation frameworks, internal equity, career mobility, and skills-based pay strategies.

December 18, 2025, President Trump issued an Administrative Order directing the Attorney General to complete the rulemaking process to reschedule marijuana from Schedule I to Schedule III under the federal Controlled Substances Act.  However, currently, marijuana is still a Schedule 1 drug until otherwise notified, and there are nuances that HR needs to be aware of.  

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.

When we picture a strong leader, we often imagine someone decisive, visionary, and commanding. Yet some of the most respected executives built their impact through their ability to listen, learn, and elevate others.

For decades, employee engagement has been anchored in a simple idea: people want to feel valued and connected at work. Leaders built programs around recognition and belonging, which were recognized as the key motivators driving performance and retention. But recent research from Perceptyx analyzing over 20 million employee responses over 10 years shows a dramatic shift. In 2025, the traditional drivers of engagement – belonging and feeling valued – dropped to the bottom of the...

Cold and flu season is an unwelcome but predictable reality in the workplace. As illnesses spread, is it possible that cold and flu diagnoses could qualify for FMLA?

Many employers use background checks as part of the pre-employment screening process, and those who don’t should. If an issue arises, such as an employee physically harming another employee or a customer, a lawsuit may follow. If the employer failed to conduct a background check, they can be held liable for damages due to negligent hiring.

An Individual Coverage Health Reimbursement Arrangements (ICHRA) is a type of employer-funded health benefit plan that allows an employer to reimburse employees for qualified medical expenses, including some or all of the premiums for individual-market health insurance coverage (or Medicare, if the person is Medicare-eligible), as well as the cost of out-of-pocket medical expenses.  It is similar to a Health Reimbursement Account (HRA) but has a broader application.

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.

So, your organization is growing? That’s great and something most organizations plan for; however, this accompanies legal requirements that creep up often faster than leaders expect. Employment laws, benefits requirements, and reporting obligations are frequently triggered by employee count, making growth an exciting but risky phase if compliance isn’t planned for in advance. Understanding which requirements apply at each stage of growth allows employers to prepare, avoid costly...