Practical HR Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
Many of you are likely familiar with the popular whodunnit movie franchise, Knives Out. The latest film in the series, Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery, released on November 26, 2025. It is a spectacular mystery filled with action and laughs. It also made me ponder one of the ever-present “mysteries” in the modern workplace, independent contractors. The Knives […]
Since the late 1980s, employers conducting large layoffs have had to ensure compliance with the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act. While doing the calculus to determine whether there are WARN notice obligations may be straightforward, typically, complications can arise when the employer is one of several entities in a group of related companies. […]
In light of the February 16, 2026, deadline for covered entities to update their notice of privacy practices (NPP), covered entities should consider “more stringent” state laws that may apply to these updated forms and require compliance. The federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) privacy rule sets the floor for privacy protections and […]
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is now the highest-funded law enforcement agency in the U.S. government. With the increased funding, the Trump administration has more than doubled the number of ICE officers and agents. As a result, ICE raids and I-9 audits are increasing in frequency. ICE raids and I-9 audits often cause anxiety and […]
On January 22, 2026, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) voted 2-to-1 to rescind the harassment guidance issued under the Biden administration. The EEOC submitted the rescission as final to Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for its approval on December 29, 2025, without public notice and comment. Harassment Guidance Issued in 2024 On April […]
As businesses grow, owners may increasingly rely on key employees and HR professionals to manage functions owners don’t directly oversee. Key employees and HR professionals are typically those employees who have access to important, confidential business information. These individuals often gain access to confidential operational details, employee information, and other sensitive data. A common question […]
In Ames v. Ohio Department of Youth Services, the U.S. Supreme Court, in a rare unanimous employment opinion, held that placing an additional evidentiary burden on majority group plaintiffs was inconsistent with Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Supreme Court precedent. In Ames, the Court examined whether, in order to establish […]
I am an alumnus of the University of Michigan. My son is a junior there. My closest friends went to school in Ann Arbor. So did my father-in-law, brother-in-law, and sister-in-law. Like all who bleed maize and blue, we believe that we have a responsibility to our university to embody the values of excellence, character, and integrity in everything we do. So, when the news broke last month of […]
The flu is spreading like wildfire! So, is a flu-caused absence protected under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA)? Calling Out Sick Here’s a typical scenario: Employee is off for four days. He calls in and says he has the flu. He returns to work. The company has an absence control policy. The question: […]
In the age of AI and remote work, HR leaders are dealing with tough compliance challenges, and they must have strategies to keep everything straight and in order for their organizations. How can HR leaders begin to handle compliance issues such as AI governance, leave laws, classifying workers, remote and global jurisdictional risk, data privacy, […]