Illustration: Anna Kim, Photos: Adobe StockAs many organizations prepare to head into open enrollment season, external economic pressures influencing their total rewards strategies are still in flux, a recent report suggests.Some 51% of HR and total rewards professionals said they believed their organizations would see moderate revenue growth prospects this
Emily ParsonsHope is in the air.So far this year, several authors have shared with HR Brew some lessons for people pros navigating the choppy waters that are the modern workplace.Here, we’ve rounded up some of our favorite takeaways.Grief needs more attention. “The concept that loss and grief are universal topics
Francis Scialabba, Photos: Getty ImagesHalloween is months away, yet some candidates already feel haunted by prospective employers.As job seekers navigate a cooling labor market where there are fewer opportunities yet competition aplenty, some report being ghosted by employers who disappear during the hiring process.Around 45% of 1,000 workers surveyed by
Emily ParsonsSince returning to the White House, the Trump administration has sought to limit remote work accommodations for federal employees, including disabled workers, for whom telework is an accommodation.Private employers may want to think twice before following suit, according to Rachel Shaw, author of The Disabled Workforce: What the ADA
Francis ScialabbaThe Department of Labor (DOL) recently issued a pair of opinion letters detailing how the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) applies to two situations where employees commute during the workday.In one opinion letter, the DOL said the employer of a large, non-exempt workforce wouldn’t be obligated to pay employees
Mario Tama/Getty ImagesAlbertsons Companies, the grocery chain that owns stores including Safeway, Shaws, and Jewel-Osco, recently announced its rolling out financial wellness benefits to its 280,000-person workforce.The new suite of benefits, offered through a partnership with the financial well-being vendor Stream, includes earned-wage access (EWA). Though other employers in the
Getty ImagesConsidering all the recent high-profile layoffs at companies including Disney, Samsung, and Amazon, you’d think that jobless claims would be reaching new heights. However, the reality appears to be the opposite, according to the newest preliminary unemployment claims data from the Department of Labor.Record low. Initial jobless claims fell
Getty ImagesMore than 6.5 million families have signed up for Trump Accounts since the savings initiative for American children officially launched on July 4, according to the Treasury Department.A much smaller number of employers have elected to contribute to these savings accounts on behalf of employees with children enrolled in
Village of HealingColor Health, a virtual cancer clinic partnering with employers and health plans, is now offering at-home tests for the human papillomavirus (HPV).The announcement comes ahead of a federal mandate set to take effect next year that will require most private insurance plans to cover at-home HPV screening. The
Getty ImagesIn-vitro fertilization (IVF) is widely popular among Americans, and an increasingly coveted workplace benefit.Nevertheless, legislation threatening access to these family-building procedures has picked up in the years since the Supreme Court overturned the federal right to an abortion in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization. One major threat to
Morning BrewIn recent years, companies in Japan have grappled with how to respond to a shrinking labor population. They have offered employees more parental leave and access to dating services, and hired more foreign workers. Now, some are exploring an emerging solution: the next phase of AI.At SusHi Tech Tokyo
Getty ImagesThe Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) voted on July 21 to approve a proposal that would repeal EEO data reporting requirements on sex and race that have, for 60 years, helped identify and rectify discrimination in the workplace.Equality advocates are worried. If finalized, the change would affect EEO-1 reporting
Illustration: Anna Kim, Photos: Adobe StockThe winner of the return-to-office debate remains…unclear.More than one-third (35%) of full-time employees worked from home “some or all of the time” in 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, up from 33.4% in 2024. Despite this comeback of sorts, office attendance is still
Morning Brew Design, Photo: TikTokWhen we say HR deserves more news coverage, we don’t mean HR should be the news. Regardless, that’s exactly what happened last summer.In case you missed it (good on you for being offline!), here’s some context: Andy Byron, the CEO of tech startup Astronomer, was caught
Francis ScialabbaAn estimated 400,000 additional New Jersey workers will be eligible to take job-protected family leave under amendments to state law that took effect on July 17.The amendments apply to a set of laws guaranteeing New Jersey workers job-protected family leave, as well as wage replacement under certain circumstances.Employees at
Getty ImagesA class action lawsuit against HCM giant Workday is among the first highly anticipated AI-related cases working its way through the courts as more than 90% of companies use AI in their TA process, according to a recent Manpower Group report.The class action lawsuit, Mobley v. Workday, was first