On Friday, the Occupational Safety and Health Agency (OSHA) issued final “walk around” rules that will allow persons such as union representatives/activists or other third parties to accompany OSHA Inspectors into non-union workplaces (onto private property) to walk with them during safety inspections. “The new rules give the employer and the employee the right to authorize a representative to accompany the OSHA official during a workplace inspection.” The final rule...

It's been almost exactly four years since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic reshaped the American work environment. Over this period, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has provided crucial guidance, navigating us through various stages of precautionary measures, from mask mandates to their relaxation and vice versa. On March 1, 2024, the CDC introduced a significant alteration to its isolation recommendations for individuals infected with COVID-19.

Traliant, an innovator in online compliance training and ASE partner, announced its new workplace report, Fear Factors: A 2024 Employee Survey Report on Workplace Violence, Harassment, and Mental Health. Compiled from a survey of over 1,000 employees in the U.S., the study assesses the reality of how employees are experiencing workplace violence, misconduct, and mental health in the workplace. Most notably, the survey revealed almost 1 in 4 respondents have witnessed workplace violence...

Now that marijuana has been legalized for recreational use in Michigan and 23 other states and all 50 states have legalized some form of use – from CBD oil only to medical marijuana to fully legalizing use – employers are wondering if they should continue to have applicants/employees submit to drug tests.

Michigan, with its bustling automotive, manufacturing, and construction sectors, has a significant portion of its workforce exposed to high noise levels. A Hearing Conservation Program (HCP) is a crucial tool for employers to protect their workforce from noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) and ensure a safe, productive work environment.

Are your employees and managers using marijuana on the job? With more and more locations making marijuana use legal for medical and/or recreational use, it is quite possible. In fact, in one article by the Wall Street Journal, an employee admitted to not only smoking marijuana on the job and in front of his boss, but also to sharing it with his boss.

Allergies seem to be at a peak this year.  Pollen season has started earlier and earlier in the past years, especially exacerbated by the mild winters.  Generally, allergy season is April to June, but it continues to start earlier and end later.  A study published in the Journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences in 2021 found that the North American pollen season starts earlier and lasts longer than it did in 1990, with higher concentrations of pollen. Not good...

Recognizing when an employee is experiencing a mental health crisis can be challenging, as employees may not always feel comfortable disclosing their mental health concerns. However, there are some signs and symptoms that employers and managers can look out for.

The mental health crisis in the U.S. is not going away anytime soon, and managers are on the front lines of a rapidly evolving mental health crisis in the workplace often without the resources they need to support workers. That’s according to the findings of Lyra Health’s 2023 State of Workforce Mental Health Report. The third annual survey compiles responses from more than 2,500 employees and 250 employee benefits leaders.

Toxic work culture is the number-one reason employees leave jobs and is the cause for many employee health issues. A toxic workplace is an environment where employees are subjected to harassment, discrimination, or bullying. It can also be a place where the employee is micromanaged or has a hostile work environment. Employees often feel unsafe or uncomfortable causing stress, anxiety, and depression.

As we enter the new year, and the fourth year of the pandemic, the COVID-19 virus continues to mutate. Two new Omicron subvariants, known as XBB and XBB.1.5 – unofficially nicknamed “Kraken” by some scientists – have emerged as the most transmissible strains to date. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that these new strains account for close to 50% of current COVID-19 infections and are leading to a spike in infections.

Six employer groups representing large companies have sent a letter urging Congress to act on passing measures that would address the nation’s mental health and substance abuse crisis before the end of the year.

On July 23, 2022, the Director of the World Health Organization (WHO) declared Monkeypox Virus (MPV) a public health emergency of international concern. A growing number of states, including California, Illinois, and New York, have declared a state of emergency. On August 4, 2022, the U.S. Federal Government declared MPV a public health emergency.  Such a designation permits greater access to funding, increased vaccine production and distribution, data sharing, and the like.

New research from employee benefits provider Unum shows over half (56%) of U.S. workers, primarily Millennials and Gen Z, felt mentally unwell in the previous year. Additionally, 42% of employees said they needed to take time off from work to deal with their mental health. Fortunately, 71% of workers believe their employer is more concerned about employees’ mental health than they were in the past according to the recently released 2022 Work and Well-being Survey from American...

As more and more states are legalizing the use of marijuana for medical use, recreational use, or both, employers are facing more challenges with maintaining workplace safety while avoiding the pitfalls of laws that are employee friendly to users of marijuana.

Today’s heat index in Michigan is set to hit 106 degrees.  Are your outdoor workers prepared and protected? Heat is the leading cause of death among all weather-related workplace hazards, according to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).

Many employers are investing in health programs for their employees. It could be offering to co-pay for a gym membership, providing online health support programs, or providing on-site fitness centers. However, one important health benefit that employers have offered for a long time is vacation time.

Last Sunday, General Motors, Ford, and Stellantis (Chrysler parent) announced that they are reinstituting mandatory masking for workers at their facilities in Wayne, Oakland, Macomb, and Washtenaw counties.  Those counties are now deemed as having HIGH COVID-19 levels by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The workforce is currently facing an unprecedented amount of burnout, stress, and loneliness. SHRM and the SHRM Foundation have released Mental Health in America: A 2022 Workplace Report, which shows how HR policies can make an impact and create empathetic communities in the workplace.

Associations Now recently published a 5-Day Anti-Burnout Challenge. The goal is to offer one small task each day for a week that could be worked into daily routines in hopes of preventing burnout.  It is a great challenge to offer your workforce – especially with May being Mental Health Awareness Month. 

By now most everyone has seen or heard that at the Oscar awards on March 27th actor Will Smith took offense at a joke made by Chris Rock about Smith’s wife. Smith proceeded to walk up on stage and slap (hard) Chris Rock and then yell at him to leave his wife out of his remarks (with expletives) after returning to his seat.

As more organizations solidify return-to-office plans, a new Korn Ferry survey reveals that most professionals don’t think returning will be healthy for them.

Employee mental health has taken center stage as one of the top HR priorities facing employers with nearly all companies identifying stress and burnout as a threat for their workforces, according to a survey by Willis Towers Watson (WTW).

With air travel opening and requirements for vaccines required, the fake vaccine card market is taking off.  There are a number of cases reported in the news.  For example, a spelling-challenged Illinois woman who doesn't know her Moderna from 'Maderna' was arrested after using a fake COVID-19 vaccination card to go on vacation in Hawaii.  In another case, a New Jersey woman calling herself the “AntiVaxMomma” on Instagram sold several hundred fake COVID-19...

As more and more states make the use of cannabis being legal, for medical or recreational use, employers have been challenged with making policies that will best protect the company while still allowing them to fill positions.