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Employee Surveillance: Learn How Far You Can Go

“Why does it feel like somebody’s watching me?” Remember the old song with Michael Jackson singing this lament in the chorus? Employees in our current technological age may share this sentiment. More and more employers are conducting various modes of surveillance in the workplace, including video cameras and cybersecurity that tracks email and website traffic. […]

HRDA Frankly Speaking: Hyatt’s Next Gen Leader—A New Mandate for HR

The world of HR is evolving faster than ever, and a new title is emerging for HR leaders. It’s no longer enough to just keep up; it’s time to take the lead. That’s the message from Carlee Wolfe, a speaker at the upcoming Spark Talent 2025 conference and Associate Vice President of Leader Development at […]

Redefining Performance Reviews: Why Traditional Systems Are Failing—and What to Do About It

New data from Acorn’s “2025 Corporate Performance and Learning Survey” reveals a troubling reality: performance reviews, learning programs, and competency frameworks are often failing employees—so much so that they’re pushing talent out the door. After reviews: This disconnect stems from disjointed systems—isolated performance tools, inconsistent evaluation metrics, and no centralized management framework—leading to fragmented development […]

Be Prepared for More Audits of Your E-Verify Process

We’re witnessing more of an emphasis on immigration enforcement, which is increasingly being felt by employers and involves a noticeable uptick in federal agency inquiries directed at workplaces. With more of a focus on employers’ compliance with immigration requirements, audits of employers’ E-Verify programs are on the rise, and companies should be prepared to respond […]

Hyatt’s Next Gen Leader on How to Win in the Age of AI

The world is changing. The world of work is changing. According to Carlee Wolfe, Associate Vice President of Leader Development at Hyatt Hotels Corporation, HR should be leading it. As a featured speaker at the upcoming Spark Talent 2025 conference, Wolfe’s vision for “Next Gen HR” is clear and bold: HR must be the driving force behind […]

Speech, Safety, and the Law: Managing Political Expression in Today’s Workplace 

Political debate isn’t just prevalent in the news or social media — it’s in Slack channels, office kitchens, and embroidered onto work attire. For HR professionals, this rising trend of political discourse raises a critical challenge: how do you balance employees’ rights to express political views with your responsibility to maintain a respectful, legally compliant […]

Employee Becomes Ill at Work: Now What?

It will happen. Sooner or later, an employee becomes ill at work. What are your obligations legally? Ethically? Recently, the U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals (the federal court of appeals covering Texas) adopted an earlier case from a Texas court. The answer—a manageable standard. Previous Texas Case David Welch worked as a desk clerk […]

Faces of HR: How Elizabeth Cowper Finds Balance Between People and Strategy

Elizabeth Cowper has spent over two decades shaping the people strategies of some of the world’s most iconic brands. From Planet Organic to LVMH and Tapestry (the company behind Coach, Kate Spade, and Stuart Weitzman), she has consistently been at the forefront of building dynamic workplaces. With a reputation as the “Culture Adjuster,” Cowper has been recognized as one of HR’s […]

Reversing the Employee Disengagement Trend with Interactive Technology 

Employee engagement is at its lowest point in a decade—less than one-third of employees in the U.S. say they feel engaged at work.   This is according to the latest annual reporting from Gallup, which cites several key contributing factors—including rapid organizational change, inadequate performance management, and the transition to an increasingly hybrid working world.  […]

New DOJ Guidance on DEI Programs: Find Out If Your Business is At Risk

Recent guidance from the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) on the use of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives in both employment and other public programs signals a shift in how employers should navigate the choppy waters of federal and state antidiscrimination laws. Shifting Ground on DEI In recent months, businesses have seen several measures—by […]