Focused Articles

Three Ways Emotional Intelligence Can Help Prevent Workplace Burnout

By Mark Castillo posted yesterday
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Employee burnout has become a significant workplace challenge, characterized by stress, disengagement, and exhaustion. Burnout often leads to reduced productivity, increased absenteeism, and a host of other problems for employers, as detailed in this Employers Council article. A powerful tool for addressing this challenge ...
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Mindfulness and Well-being for the Holidays

By Megan Johnson posted yesterday
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The holiday season brings a unique paradox to the workplace. While it’s meant to be a time of joy and celebration, it often becomes one of the most stressful periods of the year. For managers, the pressure intensifies as you balance year-end deadlines, team dynamics, budget constraints, and your own personal obligations. Practicing ...
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Respect in Action: 3 Everyday Practices That Build a Better Workplace

By Wayne D'Antoni posted 15 days ago
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In these turbulent times, which feel like an increase in social unrest, it can be challenging to remember the importance of treating others with respect. This is equally true of our relationships with colleagues in our organizations. With many employers facing staffing shortages that can lead to increased workloads and a ...
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Pay Reductions: Legal and Practical Considerations

By Employers Council Staff posted 22 days ago
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In today’s business landscape, some employers are faced with difficult decisions relating to how to keep the business running and keep their workforce. Employers may be considering decreasing employees’ pay instead of reducing their workforce through a layoff. While decreasing an employee’s pay is permissible, there are some ...
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Holiday Party Legal Issues for Employers

By Jennifer Vold posted 22 days ago
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This is a reprint of our annual reminders about holiday celebrations: The holidays are just around the corner, and that means it’s time for HR to plan the holiday party. While the fun committee may be thinking about food, decorations, and sparkle, the lawyers are thinking about employee complaints, insurance claims, and ...
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The Importance of Year End Audits

By Mark Sikorski posted 11-03-2025
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With year-end quickly approaching, organizations should consider conducting year-end HR and payroll audits to address any issues before the start of the new year. Thorough audits support accuracy and ensure compliance with applicable regulations, internal policies, and procedures. According to Wells Insurance, this is also ...
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FMLA Can Be an Inherited Compliance Issue – Successor Employers Beware

By Desiree Sullivan posted 10-29-2025
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Employers who have merged with or acquired another business should conduct an audit of their newly acquired employees. That is because FMLA provides these new employees with continued protections if their new employer meets the definition of a “successor in interest”. Therefore, it is highly recommended when acquiring new employees ...
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Are You a California Employer Without Realizing It? How One Remote Employee Can Change Everything

By Brittanie Young posted 10-23-2025
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As remote work continues to expand across state lines, many employers are surprised to learn that just one remote employee in California can increase organizational risk under California’s strict employment laws. It doesn’t matter where your company's headquarters or HR team is located. What matters is where the employee ...
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Employers Beware: NEW HR Horrors to Avoid

By James McDonough posted 10-22-2025
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For Halloween in 2024, we took a light-hearted approach to common HR challenges in this article. This year, we found more ways to use your membership benefits to ward off spooky new HR Horrors! Brain transplantation: Using AI at work can be a real time saver, and it is tempting to simply accept what it provides and move ...
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Why You Should Have a Reasonable Suspicion Plan in Place

By Employers Council Staff posted 10-22-2025
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When developing your risk mitigation strategy and drug testing policy, include these two essential components: a formal reasonable suspicion policy , also known as for-cause drug testing, in your employee handbook or as a standalone document; an operational guide for frontline supervisors and HR team members. Many organizations ...
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Controlling Benefit Costs Through Strategic Planning

By Kirsten Ellis posted 10-08-2025
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Managing employee health benefits has become increasingly challenging over the years. Benefit surveys from both AON and Mercer project an average increase of 9-10% in the cost of healthcare for employer-based plans. Anecdotally, some employers are reporting increases of 20% or more. Healthcare costs are rising at unprecedented ...
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Who You Gonna Call? The Ins and Outs of Choosing a Workplace Investigator

By Julia Paris posted 09-30-2025
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Workplace investigations are a crucial part of Human Resources. When complaints or conflicts arise, investigations are essential to addressing these issues and determining next steps. The need for a workplace investigation is both legal and practical. Workplace investigations allow employees to be heard, make it clear ...
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The PTO Dilemma: Separate or Combined?

By Brandy Walker posted 09-30-2025
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Paid time off benefits can be a powerful component in an organization’s total rewards package. Offering paid sick leave and vacation benefits helps employers compete in the talent market, while also increasing wellness and decreasing burnout. However, they can be a compliance headache if not administered in accordance with state ...
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No Dues Increase for 2026 – Continuing Value You Can Count On

By Glenn Pelster posted 09-29-2025
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Employers Council: Driving Strategic Value in Your 2026 Budget As you begin planning for 2026, Employers Council is here to ensure that you have the support you need to build a smart, strategic budget. We understand that budgeting is not merely a numbers exercise – it also requires us to align our resources with our goals, ...
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A Workers’ Comp Claim Was Denied. What Now?

By Desiree Sullivan posted 09-02-2025
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When a workers’ compensation claim is denied, what’s next ? For employers, here’s what to consider before deciding how to proceed : When the E mployee I s U nable to R eturn to W ork If your employee cannot return to work , on e of the first considerations ...
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Leave-Sharing Plans: What Employers Need to Know

By Ruth Rusongoza posted 09-02-2025
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Employers Council members often inquire about how to handle PTO or leave approvals for employees who have exhausted all their accrued leave. One effective approach for employers to support workers in need of time off is by implementing leave-sharing plans. Leave-sharing plans are employer-sponsored initiatives that enable ...
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The NFL Season is Upon Us. Are Office Betting Pools Legal?

By Barbara Bagdon posted 09-02-2025
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With the NFL season in full swing, employers may find that office betting pools are popping up. But are they legal? And how should employers respond? Whether an office betting pool is legal depends on the jurisdiction in which the employer is located. Both federal and state laws apply. Federal Law. While gambling ...
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Never Ending Workday

By Wayne D'Antoni posted 08-27-2025
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The work ethic of the average American employee has rarely been questioned over the years. While there are many who look upon today's youthful generation of workers with disdain, lamenting a perceived sense of entitlement and lack of “drive” of the younger Millennials and Gen- Z'ers , most workers are quite driven ...
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Boomerang Employees: What Employers Need to Know About the Rehiring Process

By Brandy Walker posted 08-27-2025
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As many employers struggle to find skilled job candidates, rehiring a worker who previously left the organization, or a boomerang employee , can be an effective way to fill a position. According to ADP Research , this practice is on the rise, with boomerang employees accounting for 35% of new hires in March 2025. That’s ...
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Let’s Talk About It: How to Improve Communication with Employees

By Wayne D'Antoni posted 08-13-2025
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Many managers and HR professionals are all too familiar with the following scenarios: An employee has been out of touch and difficult to reach for a couple of days. An employee with whom you have been texting about a certain problem is providing you with little or vague information. ...
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