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New DOL Guidance Address Mental Health Leave Under FMLA

The past few years have heightened feelings of stress and isolation for many people, and with the seemingly continuous news cycle of incidents of mass violence, mental health has taken a much-needed place in the forefront of the national conversation. Recently, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) reminded employers that mental health affects both employees […]

Breaking the Cycle of Bad Training

Companies have been following a broken training system for a long time now. They recruit and hire top talent, spend hours and money training, and then focus on upskilling the existing workforce. But when the desired results don’t follow all that and even more, the desired change in behavior doesn’t occur, and organizations go back […]

The Disconnect Between Workers and Managers on Employee Training

When companies embark on employee training programs, it’s important they find alignment between the employer (including managers) that’s providing for and developing the training program and the employees who will receive the training. If employers are trying to train employees on material they don’t feel is valuable, for example, those trainees are not likely to […]

Software, Algorithms, and AI: New EEOC Guidance for Employers

It’s the year 3022, and you’ve just applied for a new job as an engineer on a starship traveling to Mars. You submit your resume, and an algorithm selects you for an interview. You record video answers to the employer’s interview questions and upload them for a robot to review. Using software to review applicant […]

6Everyday Practices for Building Trust, Especially in Times of Change

When I work with our clients who are implementing an organizational change, the most critical ingredient to a successful change or transformation is always trust—trust among leaders, within teams, and across the employee culture. However, if we find that trust is missing, eroded, and/or neglected, even before the organizational change is initiated, we know we’re […]

Employers Cutting Back on Hiring Despite Tough Labor Market

For well over a year now, the big story in the labor market has been the Great Resignation and the tremendous difficulty so many employers have been having finding qualified and engaged workers. Restaurants have had to cut back on hours and days of operation, airlines have had to cancel routes, and job openings in […]

The Importance of Responding to (and Paying) Workers’ Comp Premiums

In North Dakota, like all states, it’s extremely important for employers to properly identify (and classify) their employees and secure proper workers’ compensation insurance coverage. North Dakota’s Workforce Safety and Insurance (WSI) requires employers to identify their employees and submit payroll data so WSI can calculate the premium during that policy period. Failure to submit […]

6 Ways to Hire Skilled Professionals

Recruiting and hiring professionals combine diligence with creativity. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, some of the most significant employment shortages are in skilled labor industries, mining, warehousing, etc. According to a recent Indeed survey, 48% of job applicants admitted that they stopped communicating with hiring managers during the recruitment process. The reasons for this include […]

The Mirage of ‘Unlimited’ PTO

All employers want to make their compensation and benefits packages sound as attractive as possible to prospective employees. This is why it’s no surprise that “unlimited PTO” has become a common offering – what could be more attractive to candidates than the idea of taking all the paid time off they want? But this “benefit” […]

Mental Health in the Workplace: World Suicide Prevention Day 2022

Nearly 264 million people across the world suffer from depression or anxiety. In the wake of COVID-19 and a push to return to the office, 44% of workers believe that in-person work will have a negative impact on their mental health. Over 30% of workers that are already in the office report that the return […]