Labor Day unofficially started back on September 5, 1882, when over 10,000 workers walked off their jobs and took an unpaid leave from work to conduct a march in New York City. Labor Day became an official holiday on the first Monday in September by an Act of Congress on June 28,1894.

Across Michigan, families are preparing for the back-to-school season. While much attention goes to preK–12 and college students, thousands of adults are also returning to the classroom, proving it’s never too late to learn, grow, and create new opportunities.

Every HR professional wears many hats – coach, advisor, mediator, strategist. But when you break it down, the best HR leaders all share a set of “superpowers” that help them handle challenges with confidence and impact. Here are seven worth mastering.

In a novel case going through the New York state court system, Julie Ormond, Legends of the Fall and Sabrina actress, is suing Disney, Miramax, and her former talent agency who she says failed to protect her from abuse. Ormond’s complaint sought to plead negligent supervision and negligent retention against Miramax and Disney, and negligence and breach of fiduciary duty against her talent agency, CAA, in an attempt to hold them liable. Ormond alleged that Miramax and Disney employed...

Drug testing laws vary from state to state, and some states make compliance more challenging than others. Minnesota (MN) is one of those states. Even though it has had the laws in place for some time now, MN updated their law this year. Because of the changes, employers who do business in this state must review their current processes and make any required changes.

IRS releases draft W-2 to encompass the One Big Beautiful Bill Act changes:  The IRS released a draft version of the new W-2.  Forms and instructions are subject to OMB approval before they can be officially released, so the IRS post drafts of them until they are approved. Drafts of instructions and pubs usually have some additional changes before their final release.  The changes specific to Tips, Overtime, and Trump Accounts are found in Box 12:  TA-Trump Accounts ...

Artificial intelligence is no longer a distant concept; it’s actively shaping the way we work. But not all jobs are affected equally. A recent Microsoft study sheds light on which roles AI is already reshaping and which remain largely human-driven. Unlike speculative reports, this study analyzed real interactions between users and AI over nine months, mapping tasks to detailed occupational data from O*NET, the U.S. government's database of job activities. The result is a grounded...

Last week, part I of this article laid out what a limitation of action agreement is and how it can be used by employers. This week we look at what the recent Michigan Supreme Court’s decision in Rayford v American House of Roseville I LLC handed down on July 31st said.

Even the most experienced HR professionals can fall into habits that create unnecessary risks or missed opportunities. Here are ten of the most common mistakes we see and how you can avoid them.

In an interesting reversal of artificial intelligence technology trends, some employers who’ve embraced more progressive approaches to selection are going “old school” in their interviewing formats. The Wall Street Journal recently reported on a growing shift among employers away from a reliance on virtual interviewing formats and toward conducting more in-person meetings.

On October 1, 2025, California’s new regulations on the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in the workplace will come into force.  The amendments extend the non-discrimination provisions of FEHA to explicitly cover automated-decision systems. 

Are you underpaid? Maybe or maybe not: Nearly 7 in 10 workers believe they’re underpaid, even when their compensation is at or above market rates, according to a new Payscale report.  That’s a leap from the 51% of employees earning at or above market who felt underpaid four years ago. 

Even if you already have an HR department, there are times when your team simply can’t do it all. Hiring freezes, unexpected turnover, rapid growth, or special projects can stretch your HR resources thin. That’s when your HR team needs fractional HR support – experienced professionals who can step in on-demand to increase capacity, bring specialized expertise, and keep your HR operations running smoothly.

One of the more esoteric areas of employment law is the use of limitation of action clauses in handbooks and other employment documents. A limitation of action agreement, as the name suggests, limits the amount the time in which an employee may bring some sort of wrongful employment claim against the employer – a sometimes handy tool.

In the movie “Her,” Joaquin Phoenix plays a man who falls in love with his AI assistant.  Could it happen in real life?  According to Live Science, a scientific magazine, modern AI assistants like Alexa have increasingly human-like qualities that raise users' propensity to engage and form emotional bonds – even to the point of falling in love. Studies show that people can fall in love or form close friendships with AI, even while fully aware that AI is not...

The Michigan Occupational Safety and Health Administration (MIOSHA) is sounding the alarm after a surge in struck-by incidents has made them the leading cause of workplace deaths in Michigan this year. As of August 5, 2025, 10 of the 22 workplace fatalities investigated by MIOSHA were the result of workers being struck by moving vehicles, heavy equipment, or falling objects – tragic events that safety experts say are entirely preventable.

Paid Time Off (PTO) is designed to give employees a break from the demands of work allowing time to rest, recharge, and return refreshed. But for many workers, vacation doesn’t feel like a true break. Thanks to smartphones, laptops, and an always-on work culture, many employees are still answering emails, joining meetings, and completing tasks while they’re supposed to be off the clock. This erosion of real time off has become a growing concern for both employee well-being and...

Willing to work long hours? We want you: If you think free time is overrated, this is the job market for you. Corporate job listings this summer stress long hours, a competitive business environment, and the importance of hustle. It might seem impractical to recruit applicants with a pitch that loosely translates to “this is going to hurt.” But we’re a long way from 2022.  Americans are facing months-long job searches and competition from laid-off workers as companies...

As leaders, we’re constantly making decisions – some in the moment, others with far-reaching implications. And while data and analysis often guide us, there’s another layer beneath the spreadsheets: the internal voice we rely on when we make judgment calls. The challenge is knowing whether that voice is instinct, intuition, or fear.

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:

According to a recent Resume Now survey of 1,000 American workers, 70% say they’ve seen leaders play favorites. Nearly half (43%) have seen favoritism factor into promotions, raises, or recognition. Alarmingly, one in four believe leadership protects a “toxic top performer” at the expense of others.

With measles on the rise, what should employers do if an employee has it?  Right now, Measles primarily affects children and those unvaccinated. As of June 3, 2025, the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health's U.S. Measles Tracker reported there were 1,151 confirmed cases of Measles in the United States.

Human Resources information is one of the most commonly exposed assets in cyberattacks, according to a new report from Lab 1.

VETS 4212 reporting started August 1: On August 1, VETS 4212 reporting for federal contractors began.  The U.S. Department of Labor's Veterans' Employment and Training Service (VETS) and Office of Federal Contractor Compliance Programs (OFCCP) have supported affirmative actions to employ and advance in employment of covered veterans since 2008.

A new phenomenon is slowly gaining attention in the workplace called quiet cracking, and it’s quietly chipping away at employee morale, motivation, and productivity.