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Pay It Forward: Turning Pay Equity into a Reality

Think back to the beginning of the pandemic. Parents took on roles as teachers, caretakers, and much more in addition to their full-time jobs. Furthermore, countless articles suggest that women took on the bulk of those responsibilities, and, despite the additional duties in and out of the home, industry data still indicates that women earn […]

HR Query: Staying Compliant with PUMP and PWFA

Two new laws strengthen protections for pregnant and nursing employees in the workplace: the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA) and the Providing Urgent Maternal Protections for Nursing Mothers Act (PUMP). In this week’s HR Query, we’re highlighting what you need to know to make sure organizations stay compliant. The PWFA took effect June 27, 2023, […]

4 Mistakes to Avoid While Conducting Employee Evaluations

One of the most important ways management can communicate with employees is through official employee evaluations. It’s easy to give employees kudos on a job well done after they’ve turned in a big project or casually bring up an area you’d like to see improvement in. It’s easy to feel like you have a grasp […]

3 Ways HR Can Win Hearts and Minds Through Better Storytelling

“We’re being forced back to the office.” “I literally fell asleep during training.” “AI is probably going to take my job.” These are all recent quotes from people close to me. Of course, you probably don’t need to chat with my friends and family to hear similar sentiments. A lot of workers are saying these […]

Are Your PTO Policies Inclusive?

One of the keys to developing an effective benefits package is recognizing that employees always have to be treated as unique individuals. This has become even more important in recent years as employees increasingly demand flexibility and companies prioritize diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). Generic benefits often fail to meet the needs of diverse workforces, […]

Quiet Quitting and Bare Minimum Mondays May Be Risky Business

What a difference a few months make! Starting in early 2021 and spurred by the emergence and rapid spread of COVID-19, piled on top of long-standing grievances, the Great Resignation peaked in mid-2022. While resignations have tapered off in 2023, workers’ leverage in the employment relationship didn’t immediately follow suit. The second half of 2022 […]

CEOs Need Another Kind of Workout: Building Their Empathy Muscle

The COVID-19 pandemic ushered in an era of more worker flexibility and more understanding shown to them by some employers. But as society returned to near normal, the empathetic trend waned. Many employees were commanded to come back to the office against their wishes, and millions joined the Great Resignation. Research shows some CEOs and […]

LGBTQ Rights Lose to Employer’s Religious Beliefs

On June 20, the U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals (whose rulings apply to all Texas employers) delivered a blow to advocates of LGBTQ rights in the workplace when it sided with a self-described Christian business whose policies discriminated against gays. The lesson: Not all discrimination is unlawful discrimination. Discriminatory Policies Braidwood Management manages various […]

Faces of HR: Amy Spartz on Thinking Critically and Comfort

After completing undergrad at the University of St. Thomas, HR wasn’t the end-goal for Amy Spartz when she initially started her career. “When I set out, I had a new baby, and just really needed a job,” she told HR Daily Advisor. “After reaching out to as many people as I could within my network, […]

Trade Secret

Employee Training Is Key to Trade Secret Protection

Do your employees have the basic training they need to understand why and how to protect your organization’s trade secret information? Trade secrets are intellectual property and confidential information that’s so important to a business’s ability to compete with the rest of the industry that companies place great importance on keeping that information secret. In […]