Practical HR Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
Q: We’re a nonprofit employer that has an employee whose spouse suffered a severe injury. Are we required to indefinitely provide a salary and Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) leave to this employee to care for the injured spouse? No. You are correct that the FMLA can apply to nonprofit organizations just as it […]
Email is a major form of communication, and employers need to teach their employees how to be effective users of email, including when not to use it. Here are the Big 5: five rules everyone should follow when sending and receiving emails to be effective and professional. 1: Always Respond If you send an email […]
AI has quickly found a home in the workplace, and your newest “employee” may already have a seat at the conference table. An AI note-taker can transcribe conversations, help draft emails, summarize discussions, outline documents, generate action items, and spare everyone from taking notes. For many employers, this eager new assistant has become a routine […]
The nation’s 250th birthday provides the opportunity to examine the state of our national affairs and how it has changed in the last decade. Many students of government will point to the numerous and profound changes wrought by executive fiat as the most significant recent changes to our government, and they may be right. Even […]
On July 22, 2026, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) issued a new opinion letter analyzing whether travel time between an employee’s home and work would be considered compensable under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) as hours worked. Travel before and after vs. travel during Specifically, in FLSA2026-9 opinion letter, the employer’s inquiry centered […]
Private employers sometimes have questions about firearms at work. Can a private employer prohibit employees from carrying firearms and other weapons on its premises, including those with a valid concealed-carry permit? And are there any legal or privacy concerns with requiring employees who are carrying to disclose this information to management? Questions about whether an […]
A serious workplace incident rarely ends with the incident itself. For many employers, the next challenge arrives when the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) begins asking questions. The steps taken during the first 24 hours often shape the course of the agency’s investigation and can affect the company’s position in any resulting enforcement action […]
You read the headline right: Despite 27 workplace violations, a three-judge panel from the U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals (the federal appeals court for Texas) decided the employee still gets to take her Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) claims to trial. Yes, it was by a 2-to-1 […]
Distracted driving is a huge issue in the United States, causing large numbers of crashes and deaths every year. But what happens when distracted driving results in a crash from an on-the-job employee? Can the employer be held responsible? What can employers do to protect themselves? Distracted Driving Thomas Earl Roberts was a commercial tractor-trailer […]
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) continues to signal that pregnancy discrimination and pregnancy accommodation practices remain important agency enforcement concerns. First, on June 4, 2026, the EEOC adopted its new National Enforcement Plan for fiscal years 2025 through 2029. The plan specifically identifies cases that may help develop and define the scope of employer […]