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...

It happens. An employee is accused of sexual harassment and an investigation follows. Word spreads. Initial findings appear to support the claim, but later evidence emerges – voicemail messages of the accuser telling the accused they couldn’t wait to meet at their usual motel, explicit sexts from the accuser to the accused, or even on-the-record, sworn admissions by the accuser that the relationship was consensual and the allegations were false.

Something is shifting in the employment law landscape and it’s happening faster than many HR teams realize. Over the past year and into 2025, there’s clear evidence that discrimination charge activity at the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) remains elevated and evolving.

I once worked with a manufacturing firm that relied heavily on a temporary-to-hire model for its hourly workforce. Despite offering market-competitive wages, comfortable working conditions, and a clear opportunity for full-time employment within a few months, the organization struggled with persistent temporary employee turnover.

Does it ever feel like sometimes your manager is present, but not really present? Meetings happen, emails are sent, but lately their engagement seems to have taken a backseat? You may suspect your boss is quietly checking out, known as quiet quitting, but that doesn’t mean your career has to stall. In fact, this can be your moment to step up.

UIA announces new MiUI launch date: The Michigan Unemployment Insurance Agency (UIA) announced the new date for the launch of MiUI, the new UI tax and benefits system that will replace the Michigan Web Account Manager (MiWAM).    After postponing the initial launch of the system to ensure its functionality, the new launch date for MiUI will be Monday, February 23, 2026. Make sure your company is ready to use the new system for UI tax payments and registrations by that date.

Early mornings are when I do my best thinking and feel most energized. For years, I valued that time, but I did not always use it with intention. Reading The 5 AM Club by Robin Sharma helped me put structure around something I was already doing and showed me how powerful the first hour of the day can be when it is used deliberately.

A Trump Account is now available for children under 18 years old and can be used as a tax savings vehicle by parents.  For a child to be eligible, they must be under 18 years old and have a social security number.  It is similar to an Individual Retirement Account (IRA) but for minors. 

The most common reason well-intentioned employers face costly lawsuits is everyday manager mistakes.  These managerial mishaps can quietly snowball into six-figure legal problems.

A new MyPerfectResume survey of 1,000 U.S. workers shows that secondary income is no longer a backup plan. It is now a core part of how employees manage their finances. According to the 2026 State of Secondary Income Report, 72% of workers rely on at least one additional income source, up slightly from last year and signaling a long-term shift rather than a temporary response to inflation.

The Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) program, administered by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) in cooperation with state workforce agencies, runs a semi-annual survey that collects data from approximately 1.1 million non-farm establishments. It produces detailed employment and wage estimates by occupation across more than 580 areas such as states, metropolitan regions, and nonmetropolitan areas as well as the nation as a whole.

HIPAA Notices of Privacy Practices required to be issued by February 16th: Group health plan sponsors should take note of the February 16, 2026, deadline to update HIPAA Notices of Privacy Practices (“NPPs”) to reflect recent privacy updates for Part 2 records.  HIPAA requires that covered entities, such as group health plans, provide notices to covered individuals describing how the covered entity uses and discloses protected health information (“PHI”).

A surprising new trend has emerged where one in three dating app users are actually on the platform for career networking and job-seeking purposes. Although many users have found success in this tactic, claiming they have gained mentorship, landed interviews, and even job offers, it presents unique challenges, especially from a human resources perspective.

Severance pay is a topic that often surfaces when employees leave a company, yet many people don’t fully understand how it works. Whether someone is laid off, terminated, or leaving voluntarily, severance pay can play an important role in easing the transition. This FAQ-style guide breaks down severance pay in simple terms.

Recent research from TalentLMS surveyed 1,000 U.S. employees reveals deep gaps between how protected employees feel and how organizations actually respond to misconduct, highlighting widespread fear, silence, and unequal accountability in today's workplaces.

Discussions about artificial intelligence (AI) have largely centered on how the new technology will change the way we work. The rate of this change, it is safe to say, is happening more quickly than other technological disruptions. For example, the advent of computers was glacial compared to how quickly AI is being adopted. According to the American Management Association's 2025 research, 95% of organizations now use AI, with 58% reporting daily use—a dramatic shift from just two...

Artificial intelligence is being used more frequently in HR, particularly within employee relations, and its adoption is expected to continue growing over the next several years. A SHRM study found that 43% of organizations already leverage AI in HR-related tasks. One result of this shift is a reduced demand for certain HR roles. For example, IBM reportedly laid off approximately 8,000 employees, with many of the cuts occurring in HR, and had already replaced about 200 HR roles with AI...

EEOC rescinds harassment guidance: The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission voted 2–1 to rescind its Biden-era workplace harassment guidance, which had faced nearly two years of legal and political scrutiny, particularly around provisions protecting transgender employees and those seeking abortions.

ASE recently surveyed 149 ASE member companies across Michigan, and the results confirmed what many of us have been feeling. The top three challenges expected for 2026 were attracting and retaining talent (49.7%), economic uncertainty (44.3%), and employee engagement or workforce issues (30.9%). With 44% of you naming economic uncertainty as a top challenge, I know this is weighing heavily on your minds as you plan for the year ahead.