Human Resources

By Kathryn Mayer   Economic concerns are pushing some employers to think more conservatively about raises next year compared with this year. But overall, employers are reaching their 2024 salary consensus, and it’s a good one for employees: They will be handing out competitive pay bumps, especially as their workforce continues to grapple with high...

By Kathy Gurchiek   Generative artificial intelligence, such as ChatGPT, was all the buzz in 2023 as employers and workers tried to figure out how the new technology could help them better perform their jobs. What does AI have in store for workplaces and HR? Experts offered the following AI predictions for 2024. “AI is...

By Katie Navarra   In the course of just a few days, Kristi Safranek, the director of human resources at Lawrence County Memorial Hospital in Illinois, had one team member who had to arrange hospice care for their mother and then learned their son was in a nearly deadly car accident. The stress of either event...

By Paul Falcone   Managers have been well-trained on what discrimination, retaliation, harassment and bullying look and feel like in the workplace. But “reverse bullying” often gets short shrift, even though it is just as real. Subordinates have been known to “intimidate upward,” making their managers afraid to hold them directly accountable for their actions....

By Kathryn Mayer   The holidays aren’t all parties and presents or candy canes and champagne. For workers, this time of year—brimming with looming end-of-year deadlines, financial and social obligations, and more—can cause a serious decline in mental well-being. Research from jobs site Monster finds the majority of U.S. workers (61 percent) say their mental...

By Kathryn Mayer   Since  blockbuster GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy burst on the scene as a weight-loss aid phenomenon, employers have been mulling whether or not to cover their costs for employees. Now a new survey of employers reveals just how many are covering these drugs for weight loss—and how much they are paying....

By Kylie Ora Lobell   Since the advent of the 9-to-5 workday, employers have largely stuck to this schedule and offered little flexibility to workers, except for vacation time and sick days. In fact, as of 2019, 47 percent of workplaces offered very limited flexibility regarding work schedules, according to Statista. However, during the COVID-19...

By Kathryn Mayer   Challenging economic times, soaring prices, and fears of a recession are leading some major employers—including Yahoo and Disney, both of which announced cuts in February—to announce layoffs. And while some downsizing of rank-and-file employees is inevitable, a number of company leaders are trying to avoid such downsizings.   A somewhat surprising...

By Roy Maurer   Employees frequently complain about a “hostile work environment,” leaving it to HR to distinguish whether a situation involves potentially unlawful conduct, bad behavior or just the ordinary stresses of the workday. “A ‘hostile work environment’ is a legal term with a narrow definition, and most complaints you hear will not meet...

By Kathy Gurchiek   Feeling a bit frayed around the edges? Energy zapped, emotionally drained, decreased job satisfaction? Burnout is real for HR professionals.   Your work often involves handling workplace complaints and investigations, dealing with multiple generations who expect different things from their employer, recruiting challenges, and the work-from-home/return-to-office tug of war. Then there are...