Practical HR Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
There are dozens of details to take care of in the day-to-day operation of your department and your company. We give you case studies, news updates, best practices and training tips that keep your organization fully in compliance with ever-changing employment law, and you fully aware of emerging HR trends.
The Trump administration announced a final rule creating a new category of federal workers who would have fewer job protections and be easier to fire. The new rule implements an Executive Order from 2025 that could diminish or eliminate venerated due process protections for 50,000 employees at federal agencies. The creation of the new category […]
The U.S. 4th Circuit Court of Appeals (whose rulings apply to all West Virginia employers) has been busy deciding Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) accommodation cases this year. In at least two cases, it found that the employees were not protected by the ADA with regard to discrimination and failure-to-accommodate claims because they were not […]
The Department of Labor (DOL) rang in the new year with some new guidance for employers covered by the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA). This time, the DOL addressed whether an employee’s travel to and from medical appointments qualified as FMLA-protected time. Example Scenario An employee who works from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. […]
For many HR and compliance leaders, the past year has been a lesson in volatility across the I-9 and E-Verify landscape. The speculation that defined early 2025 has given way to a more dynamic environment where the risks of I-9 errors and potential liability are increasingly tangible. From the return of visible worksite enforcement to […]
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) held a half-day program on January 27, 2026, focused on employee noncompetes. The FTC indicated its intent to pursue prosecution of agreements that violate antitrust or otherwise inappropriately limit employee choice. However, the commission is not reproposing the prior rule banning all noncompetes. If workers have issues, the agency suggests […]
The U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals (whose rulings apply to all Texas employers) brought the hammer down on February 18 in an opinion written by Chief Judge Elrod. Glad I was not the nail. Show-cause order issued What is a show-cause order? It’s an order issued by a court to a lawyer essentially saying, […]
Court orders can have direct and enforceable consequences in the workplace. While these matters arise from an employee’s personal life, employers are often legally obligated to comply with court orders and must do so without engaging in or exacerbating the underlying dispute. Failure to understand these obligations can result in statutory penalties, civil liability, or […]
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) held a half-day program on January 27, 2026, focused on employee noncompetes. The FTC indicated its intent to pursue prosecution of agreements that violate antitrust or otherwise inappropriately limit employee choice. However, the commission is not reproposing the prior rule banning all noncompetes. If workers have issues, the agency suggests […]
Q: If an employee takes sick leave but hasn’t completed and returned a Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) form, can the employer lawfully terminate employment? Both employers and employees have responsibilities when FMLA-qualifying leave is involved, including timely notice and compliance with employer policies. To assess what happens when an employee takes potentially FMLA-qualifying […]
According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), nearly two million American workers report experiencing some type of workplace violence annually. In fact, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), homicide accounted for nearly 9% of all on-the-job fatalities in 2023 (the most recent data available). Suicide accounted for another 5%. With civil […]