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HR Leadership: The Era of Responsible Influence  

HR executives have entered new territory.  The function is no longer viewed as a support operation focused on policies, processes, or head count alone. HR leaders are now expected to shape outcomes, business outcomes, mission outcomes, and human outcomes, often at the same time and under heightened scrutiny.   That shift is reflected in how CEOs think about the role. A growing majority now […]

Pendulum Swings Again: DOL’s Proposed Rule on Independent Contractors

The legal framework governing worker classification in the United States has undergone significant turbulence over the past five years, leaving businesses to navigate a seemingly ever-changing regulatory environment. Most recently, on February 27, 2026, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) published a notice of proposed rulemaking that would alter the analysis for determining whether a […]

Faces of HR: How Jeanna Shapiro Built a Career on High Performance

Jeanna Shapiro didn’t just climb the corporate ladder; she built it. With nearly 25 years of experience in the high-stakes world of global professional services, Shapiro now serves as the Chief People & Culture Officer for Grant Thornton and a key member of the Executive Committee at Grant Thornton Advisors LLC. But her journey to […]

Ohio Jury Awards $22.5M in Pregnancy Accommodation/Wrongful Death Case

A recent Ohio jury verdict underscores the legal and operational risks employers face when responding to accommodation requests involving pregnancy-related medical conditions. The jury awarded approximately $22.5 million in a wrongful death action arising from an employer’s denial of a work-from-home request. Facts According to the complaint, the employee was a claims associate for a […]

EntertainHR: March Madness and Non-Competes 

About half of this year’s Sweet Sixteen starters in the men’s NCAA March Madness tournament began their college careers at a different program. Michigan State was the only Sweet Sixteen team with all five starters originating at the university. Four teams retained four of their five starters. For all remaining teams, at least two starters transferred from a different school.  Player transfers are part of what makes March Madness so exciting. Transfers allow competition to […]

Why Your RTO Mandate is Exposing a Leadership Gap—and How to Fix It

As the global Return to Office (RTO) debate continues to heat up, HR leaders are caught in a “tug-of-war” between executive mandates for physical presence and a workforce that has redefined “security” as autonomy. While leadership often views the office as a tool for surveillance, employees increasingly see the commute as a tax on their […]

4th Circuit Rules Agreements Can’t Shorten Time to File Antidiscrimination Claims

The federal statutes prohibiting employment discrimination, such as Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA), establish specific periods during which employees must act to timely pursue a claim. In a recent decision, the U.S. 4th Circuit Court of Appeals (which encompasses Maryland, North Carolina, South […]

Winning on Purpose: Chick-Fil-A’s “My Pleasure” Secrets to a Gold-Standard Culture

In the world of HR, “culture” is often a buzzword that feels hard to pin down. But for Nicholas Lawrence, Executive Director of People & Culture, local franchise for Chick-fil-A Indianapolis, culture isn’t a vague feeling—it’s a measurable standard. During a webinar ahead of his session at SPARK HR 2026, Lawrence shared how one of the […]

Building an AI-Ready Workforce Starts with CHROs

The main narrative around AI has focused on what jobs will be replaced and when. But more data is showing that some of these companies might be running before they can walk. As powerful as this technology has become, AI alone is not enough. Gartner recently predicted that by 2027, half of the companies that […]

HRDA Frankly Speaking: Don’t Let Yesterday’s Wins Sink Tomorrow’s Success

Are you leading on autopilot? It’s easy to get comfortable when things are going well, but in the world of HR, “good enough” is the first step toward falling behind. As Nicholas Lawrence, Executive Director of People and Culture at Chick-fil-A and speaker at SPARK HR 2026, explains, a winning culture isn’t a trophy you keep […]