In a world where the majority of workplace communication now happens through screens, chats, and email threads, understanding how we communicate is becoming just as important as what we communicate. The cues we once relied on in person such as eye contact, posture, and tone are often lost in the digital shuffle. Today many of us rely on digital body language.

More and more companies are starting to care less about college degrees and more about what skills people actually have. This change is making a big difference in how employers choose who to hire and how people prepare for jobs.

Last week, the administration unveiled the details of its proposal to slash around $163 billion in federal spending for the 2026 fiscal year which starts October 1st.  Unsurprisingly, many of the cuts hit agency staffing and activities.  The1,220-page document and agency blueprints show the extent of the administration’s push of a vast transformation in Washington. Although the administration, like previous administrations, would like their budget to go unscathed by...

Not too unexpectedly, the Trump Administration is bringing in Wage and Hour administrators that have a pro-business management background. While it is pretty well known that Andrew Rogers is nominated to head the U.S. DOL Wage and Hour Division and is awaiting Senate confirmation, other positions at the Wage and Hour Division are being filled by appointment.

June is National Employee Wellness Month – a dedicated time to recognize the vital role that employee health and well-being play in building thriving workplaces. As organizations adapt to evolving work environments, whether remote, hybrid, or in-person, prioritizing wellness is not just beneficial, it’s good business.

Do your employees steal from work? Two in three employees in the United States have confessed to committing at least one type of theft at their current workplace, according to a new survey.

Strategy is essential to any organization’s long-term success, but too often it becomes little more than a buzzword. Leaders invest time defining ambitious goals and crafting high-level visions, yet many of these strategies never move beyond a slide deck. The missing link? A real, actionable plan.

Change is not a matter of if but when. From mergers and acquisitions to digital transformations and cultural overhauls, organizations are continuously evolving to stay competitive. For HR professionals, this presents both a challenge and an opportunity. The ability to lead and manage change effectively has become a critical component of strategic HR leadership.

Incivility in the workplace is more than occasional rudeness; it's a persistent pattern of disrespect that can erode organizational culture and employee morale. As highlighted in a recent HR Bartender article, incivility is a cultural issue that requires deliberate and sustained efforts to address effectively.

Mercer Marsh Benefits' Health Trends Report surveyed 225 insurers in 55 markets and found that they are expecting half of employers will "want to reduce plan coverage to manage costs in the coming year."

Through the NLRB and other related federal agencies, the Trump Administration is reversing and dropping policy and legal positions that the Biden Administration took in support of unions and Big Labor.

DEI commitments by employers appear unchanging: Littler, a law firm focusing on labor, recently published a study showing that only about 8% of leading American companies have or intend to alter their diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies.

The EEO-1 portal opened yesterday, May 20, 2025, and covered employers will have until June 24, 2025, to submit their reports. The EEO-1 Component 1 report is a mandatory annual data collection that requires all private sector employers with 100 or more employees, and federal contractors with 50 or more employees meeting certain criteria to submit workforce demographic data, including data by job category, sex, and race or ethnicity to the EEOC.   

Many working parents today face a tough choice between staying home or paying high childcare costs. In some areas, options are limited, with long waitlists and high prices creating child-care deserts. The challenge is even greater for employees who’ve relocated and no longer have nearby family support. While maternity and pregnancy benefits have improved, the biggest barrier to staying in the workforce is access to affordable, reliable childcare. This is when the biggest drop-off...

There’s no shortage of headlines warning that AI is coming for your job. While that makes for dramatic reading, the truth is a little less scary. In most industries, AI isn’t poised to take over roles entirely. But it is reshaping how work gets done, and the professionals who understand how to use AI tools effectively are quickly gaining an edge.

ASE reviews numerous employee handbooks each year. We recommend that employers review their handbook at least annually to ensure it remains compliant and accurately reflects the organization’s current practices and policies.

As Michigan celebrates Professional Trades Month this May, the spotlight is on the skilled professionals who build and sustain our communities and on the next generation ready to join them. Among them are recent graduates like those with degrees in kinesiology and pre-med studies who are eager to bring their passion and skills into meaningful roles across Michigan’s diverse professional trades sectors.

Is AI taking your job? About 4 in 10 business leaders have laid off employees as a result of deploying AI.

A new trend is emerging in workplaces nationwide: unbossing. Gen Z is showing less interest in traditional leadership roles. At first glance, this might seem like a red flag for the future of business, but it’s actually an opportunity if we’re willing to evolve.

Policies that prohibit recording or taking pictures or video recordings in the workplace are still pretty common in handbooks. Employers may have valid reasons for implementing these policies, such as preventing the capture of confidential or proprietary business information.

The trend for ban-the-box laws continues to grow, so it is surprising that some employers still have pass/fail policies and processes for background checks that eliminate applicants from consideration without any individualized assessment.

Disparate impact is a difficult method to prove discrimination.  Generally, it is a practice or policy that is neutral on its face yet has significant impact on an affected party. The disparate impact analysis was first discussed in Griggs v. Duke Power, 401 U.S. 424 (1971), which held that Title VII “proscribes not only overt discrimination but also practices that are fair in form, but discriminatory in operation”. In 1991, Congress amended Title VII to add Section 703(k),...

Postpartum recovery is a deeply personal journey, but support can make a big difference. Care and resources following childbirth improve a mother's long-term outcomes. These outcomes are better on a physical, emotional, as well as professional level. Yet within the United States, far too many women navigate this complex transition largely on their own.

Brittany Panuccio nominated to be EEOC Commissioner: President Trump has nominated Brittany Panuccio, an assistant U.S. attorney in Florida, to fill one of the three open seats on the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

Much is being written and discussed lately about the adoption of AI in the recruitment process.  One industry expert recently speculated that recruiters are one of two positions (attorneys being the second) that may be up next to have AI replace major aspects of the role. Some sources estimate that between 35% and 45% of organizations are now utilizing AI in their hiring practices.  However, as the saying goes, “it takes two to tango,” and employers should be aware of...