In May, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division issued an opinion letter addressing certain timekeeping and compensation practices. While the opinion letter does not state any new enforcement positions, it does provide a good reminder to employers, business owners, and HR professionals regarding timeclock rounding and the compensability of pre-shift work time. […]
In 2024, the U.S. Supreme Court lowered the bar for employees trying to show employment discrimination, unfair treatment, or discriminatory practices at work in Muldrow v. City of St. Louis. Two years later, developing legal precedent following the Muldrow decision provides useful insight for employers into how courts are currently thinking about adverse employment action […]
When providing guidance to our members, it is common to advise that if an employee is out on leave under the Family and Medical Leave Act (“FMLA”), the employer should not be contacting or making demands of that employee while they are out. Contacting an employee while they are out on leave can open the […]
Managing your day in HR can feel overwhelming, especially when you’re juggling competing priorities and constant disruptions. A while back, we hosted a webinar for those who find themselves as an HR Department of One. The webinar provided practical strategies and best practices to help solo HR practitioners effectively manage competing priorities and streamline daily […]
Employees across the country are feeling the weight of the economy, and that financial stress is increasingly showing up in the workplace. The rising costs of basic necessities like housing, groceries, and health care have led many to rely on credit card debt and other forms of borrowing to manage everyday expenses. As a result, […]
A recent case out of Michigan highlights the importance of equal treatment in the workplace and the risks that disparate treatment claims pose for employers who fail to provide equal application of policies. In Walker v. Ascension Genesys Hospital – Michigan, 2:23-cv-10198, (E.D. Mich.) (January 25, 2023), a female second-year medical resident who was attending […]
Training doesn’t end when the class is over. The real test is whether people use what they learned in their everyday work. Without follow-through, even strong employee training programs fade quickly as employees return to full inboxes, shifting priorities, and old habits. If organizations want better employee performance, they need to focus not only on […]
Workforce reductions are one of the toughest decisions an organization can make, and not just from a legal or financial perspective. They are an exercise in protecting the business while treating employees with dignity and fairness. Even when a layoff is caused by market conditions or changing priorities in the business, the way an organization […]
A new case out of the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals provides a useful reminder to employers about what is required to establish an age discrimination claim under the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA) and why a consistent performance evaluation process matters. In the case, Mark Yacko v. General Motors Co., No. 25-3039 (6th […]
There comes a time in every human resources professional’s life when we ask ourselves: Should I get my certification? Once we have decided the answer is yes, the next question becomes: Do I go through SHRM (Society for Human Resource Management) or HRCI (Human Resource Certification Institute)? Our members ask us this question from time […]
