Tag: HR professionals

HRDA Frankly Speaking: Leaders Discover Who They Are

Success in the workforce starts with your leaders, but do they know who they are? If those taking charge don’t have clarity and a focused direction, their talent will lag behind. When we sat down with Erika Portis, Director of Performance for Fanatics Betting & Gaming and upcoming SPARK Talent speaker, we learned that the best leaders […]

government

Supreme Court Reshapes the Government and the Country

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 […]

EEOC, Nike Settle Subpoena Enforcement Lawsuit

On August 12, a federal district court dismissed the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s (EEOC) subpoena enforcement action against Nike at the EEOC’s request. The EEOC said Nike had provided it with the information it sought between March and August. The lawsuit was filed in the Eastern District of Missouri in February after the original charge […]

House-Passed Law Would Impose ‘Collective Bargaining’ Contracts

An unusual, bipartisan coalition of House members voted to pass the Faster Labor Contracts Act (FLCA), a law that would impose fast-track bargaining schedules for initial contracts and could end in having government arbitrators impose two-year contracts on the parties.  What the FLCA Does  The FLCA would change the current open-ended bargaining and replace it […]

DOL Guts OFCCP Regulations

On August 21, 2026, the Department of Labor (DOL) published its final rules rescinding the Office of Contract Compliance Program’s (OFCCP) regulations for Executive Order (EO) 11246, substantially revising Section 503 regulations, and issuing technical revisions to its Vietnam Era Veterans’ Readjustment Assistance Act (VEVRAA) regulations.  EO 11246 Regulations  The DOL finalized the rescission of […]

EntertainHR: He-Man: Master of the HR Universe 

For those of you out there who enjoy a little 80’s nostalgia, you were probably as delighted as I was to see that a new Masters of the Universe film was coming to theaters this year with a star-studded cast. What I did not expect from this muscle-bound hero flick was a lesson on human […]

FLSA Brain Twister: How to Determine When Breaks are Compensable

The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) is complicated. So, the best way to learn is by posing a question, deconstructing the issues, and then answering them. Facts An employee works in a sprawling facility. She gets a 30-minute unpaid meal period. It takes between five and 10 minutes to walk to her car, same upon […]

New DOL Opinion Letter on Commute Time Provides Clear Guidance

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 […]

Soft skills

Why Soft Skills Development Is Your Ultimate Competitive Strategy for 2027 

Today’s workplace is weird.   Employees are highly connected to their technology, constantly communicating with an army of AI chatbots, SaaS services, and digital collaboration platforms. At the same time, they are profoundly disconnected from their customers and co-workers.   Constant digitalization, remote work, and now outsourcing communication to AI have created an empathy and soft-skills deficit. […]

SPARK Talent: Fanatics Three Keys to Leadership

Success in the workforce starts with your leaders. If those taking charge don’t have clarity and a focused direction, their talent will lag behind. But knowing exactly where you, your team, and your talent needs to go isn’t always simple, and sometimes, you need to bet on your success. Few know this better than Ericka […]