Practical HR Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
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 […]
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 […]
On June 25, 2026, the United States Supreme Court issued its decision in Mullin v. Doe, in which the Court allowed the Trump administration to proceed with the termination of temporary protected status (TPS) designations for Haiti and Syria. Under the TPS statute, which was enacted in 1990, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary […]
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 […]
Disability accommodation claims have long been among the most common workplace discrimination claims, but the recent increase has been unusually sharp. One major driver is telework as a requested reasonable accommodation. For employers managing return-to-office expectations, the practical question is whether there are lawful ways to evaluate, limit, modify, or deny telework requests when appropriate. […]
On July 21, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) voted to approve a draft notice of proposed rulemaking that would rescind the EEO-1 report and related demographic data reporting requirements, ending an obligation that has been a fixture of federal employment compliance for six decades. While the proposal must still navigate the notice-and-comment process […]
The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has raised the optional standard mileage rate for business use of an automobile for the second half of 2026. Effective July 1, the business mileage rate increased from 72.5 cents per mile to 76 cents per mile. Employers that use the IRS rate for employees’ mileage reimbursement should adjust their […]
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 […]
Recently, a Massachusetts superior court jury awarded $4.75 million to an employee in a case against her former employer, Wayfair. The verdict has become one of the most significant employment law developments for Massachusetts employers since the Paid Family and Medical Leave (PFML) law took effect in 2021. The substantial verdict under PFML’s antiretaliation provision […]