Author: Lin Grensing-Pophal, Contributing Editor

Driving DEI With a Passion for Pinclusion

Often, those who achieve prominence in the corporate world have a strong passion for their field. A chief financial officer might have a passion for finance, a chief legal officer may be passionate about corporate law, and a chief information officer is likely passionate about the IT function, for example. It therefore follows that chief […]

Employers, Now’s the Time to Invest in Youth Mental Health

The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated the growing mental health crisis among America’s young people, and the problem has also started to bleed into the workplace. Fifty-three percent of working parents have reported missing work at least once per month to deal with their children’s mental health needs, and 30% to 50% of those same parents […]

Faces of HR: Elena Valentine’s Interest in HR Storytelling Began as a Child

Elena Valentine’s passion for storytelling and film was ignited as a child. By the age of three, she knew that “make belief and pretend” what a place she could get lost in. Although others her age were playing with Barbie’s or pretending to be princesses, Elena imagined that she was a surgeon or another job […]

Rare Exception to FAA Kills Arbitration Clause

The Federal Arbitration Act (FAA) enforces certain arbitration agreements involving federal law, including some employment disputes and claims against employers under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA). But is an arbitration agreement that prohibits an individual from seeking relief provided by federal statute still enforceable? The U.S. 7th Circuit Court of Appeals […]

EEOC Files First COVID-19-Related Suit After Employer Rejects Remote Work Request

Along with a new wave of post-COVID-19 litigation surfacing across the country, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has filed its first lawsuit against an employer for allegedly failing to accommodate and unlawfully terminating a disabled employee who had asked to work remotely because of the pandemic. Facts Ronisha Moncrief was a health, safety, and […]

amy zimmerman

Favorite Faces of HR: Reimagining HR Corporate Culture

When we started “Faces of HR” back in August 2019, we envisioned it as a profile series in which we could chat with professionals who are on the front lines of human resource work. It was our goal to get many perspectives on the breadth and scope of what HR professionals are doing and learn […]

The Importance of Having a Remote Work Option

Perhaps the biggest silver lining of the COVID-19 pandemic is that companies across the globe have been forced to adopt a remote work policy for staff who aren’t essential to performing work on-site. For millions of workers, this has meant the attainment of a long-standing goal to have the flexibility and freedom of working from […]

Court Upholds Arbitrator’s Reinstatement of Employee Fired for Positive Drug Test

A federal district court in Massachusetts recently issued a decision that serves as a good reminder to employers to review their policies related to employee drug or alcohol use both on and off duty and ensure they are consistently applied. While the case involved a unionized employer, even nonunion employers should review the decision because […]

3 Reasons You May Be Struggling with Recruitment

Having a hard time filling your job roles? You’re not alone. If it feels like all companies are hiring these days, it’s because they are! That means in order to attract top talent, your job description needs to stand out and your interview experience needs to be top notch. It’s frustrating to pour time, energy, […]

Reasonable Accommodation Not Always Employee’s Preferred Choice

A recent employer-friendly decision from the U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals (which covers Louisiana, Texas, and Mississippi) is a reminder to take disability accommodation requests seriously. Also, remember an accommodation can be reasonable even if it’s not the employee’s preferred choice. Facts In May 2016, Willis Towers Watson (WTW) hired Christian Jennings to work […]