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.

Is your social feed full of “remember 2016?” posts? Playing off that trend, we thought it would be fun to look back at the headline article published in EPTW this week in 2016, “Can Lack of Daylight Affect Performance?” Ten years later, plenty has changed, but for those of us in the Midwest, winter still looks and feels the same. Cold mornings, short days, and heading to and from work in the dark are still part of the routine for many. The question we asked back then...

Executive Order 14173 reshaped the compliance landscape for federal contractors and employers more broadly. The order revoked EO 11246 on contractor affirmative action, directed a 90 day wind-down period with agencies operating under class deviations until the FAR Council takes action, and introduced new False Claims Act exposure by requiring contractors and grantees to certify nondiscrimination compliance. It also placed DEI-related practices across all employers under increased scrutiny...

Many employers invest heavily in employee training and development, and to protect these investments, they often use "stay‑or‑pay" clauses also known as Training Repayment Agreements (TRAPs) which require employees to repay training costs if they leave voluntarily within a specified period. These agreements, while once widely accepted, are now increasingly challenged due to evolving state laws and legal scrutiny.

Starting April 18, 2026, New York State will limit employers’ ability to use credit checks in employment decisions, joining a growing number of states and cities that have enacted similar restrictions. Previously, only New York City had prohibited most credit checks for hiring and employment purposes, but the new amendment to the New York State Fair Credit Reporting Act extends these protections statewide. Like other jurisdictions, the law prohibits employers, labor organizations, and...

Not every state adopted the tax deductions for overtime and tips: Although Michigan has, not all states adopted the tax deduction, such as Illinois and California.  Employers are not required to break out tips or qualified overtime on W-2s for 2025. They may include qualifying overtime on the W-2 if they choose, but it’s optional for 2026 (it would be a manual process). However, employers must still provide employees with a statement showing the amount of overtime and tips that...

Cybersecurity teams have identified an undercover network of hackers targeting HR and Payroll Systems. They started out hitting the education and manufacturing industries, but with 200 interfaces and over 500,000 users targeted and attacked already, they are increasingly expanding. Named the Payroll Pirates, these cybercriminals will target an employee’s payroll record to steal their credentials and redirect pay. They hijack processes and steal wages rather than steal data, and often...

Understanding how employees experience work continues to be a top priority for HR leaders. A new national report from Sogolytics offers timely, data-backed insight into what is shaping employee satisfaction, trust, and retention as organizations head into 2026.

2026 is shaping up to be a year of major shifts in employer‑provided benefits thanks to the recent passage of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA). While much of the early attention focused on overtime pay and tax changes, the legislation also brings important updates for benefit plans, flexible spending accounts, and family‑focused savings vehicles.

As organizations enter 2026, talent strategies are being reshaped by artificial intelligence, economic caution, and rising demands for employer flexibility. What were once considered experimental practices are now becoming operational necessities, and employers that fail to adapt risk falling behind.

The California Civil Rights Department (CRD) has updated and expanded on the pay reporting required in 2026. Pay reporting is due May 13, 2026.  The CRD published preliminary reporting sheets and FAQs for employers with 100 or more employees who have locations in California.  The employee count is based on total employees (full-time, part-time, etc.) in the U.S., including California.  The requirements also include a separate report by employers who engage labor contractors.

The labor marketplace is changing: Belt-tightening is overused corporate jargon, but it is particularly apt at the moment. The midsection of America’s workforce is getting squeezed.  Not accomplished enough for senior leadership roles but too experienced (and expensive) for the front-line positions artificial intelligence hasn’t replaced, many mid-career professionals suddenly find themselves in no-man’s-land.

As I sit down to reflect on another year of serving Michigan's employer community, I find myself returning to a question that many of you have asked me: "What resources do you rely on to stay sharp as a leader?" The truth is, even after decades in this role, I'm constantly learning. And one publication that consistently delivers practical wisdom is Harvard Business Review (HBR). HBR recently published “Our Favorite Management Tips from 2025,” and I wanted to...