The Latest

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  Opinion

  HR records in the cloud can create a perfect storm

  A management-side attorney says she is increasingly seeing cases where decisive documents — ones that could have resolved a dispute early — were not retained.

  Compliance

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  8 religious rights stories that define summer 2025

  Employees are filing a variety of lawsuits that challenge workplace policies and bring sensitive issues like bodily autonomy, respect for others and free expression to the fore.

  Compliance

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  This week in 5 numbers: Hopeful employees are more likely to produce great work

  Here’s a roundup of numbers from the last week of HR news — including what share of HR pros think their workforce has the right skills.

  Talent

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  2026 raises expected to hold steady, compensation leaders report

  “Today’s labor market is one of recalibration, not retreat,” an economist at The Conference Board said.

  Comp & Benefits

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  Older job seekers’ complaints about ageism have skyrocketed, Glassdoor says

  Recruiting pros could analyze the ways that older job seekers are kept out of the workforce to adjust their own hiring processes.

  Talent

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  CHROs should take a more active role in digital security, Gartner advises

  “Many CHROs do not have strong digital awareness and are struggling to lead and influence AI and digital transformation,” a Gartner analyst said.

  HR Tech & Analytics

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  Appeals court rules that Georgia county can exclude gender-affirming surgeries from insurance coverage

  In a rehearing, the court reversed its May 2024 opinion, citing the U.S. Supreme Court’s controversial U.S. v. Skrmetti decision from June. 

  Compliance

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  Opinion

  Earned wage access should be free

  “This industry simply cannot continue to charge employees to access their pay,” writes a fintech founder. “We cannot expect employers to deduct these fees from paychecks through payroll.”

  Compliance

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  Merck manager’s awkward whispers didn’t constitute harassment, judge rules

  The plaintiff, who spoke with a “heavy African accent,” said a manager’s comment that his voice is “very specific” was discriminatory.

  Compliance

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  Tesla’s former DEI lead has some advice about fear in the workplace

  Kristen Kavanaugh shares her story and lessons learned from the journey with HR Dive.

  Diversity & Inclusion

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  Only half of employees feel hopeful about the future of work, survey shows

  “Employees everywhere are struggling to feel good about the trajectory of their careers,” O.C. Tanner said in its report.

  Talent

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  Salesforce still sees a place for live customer service agents after massive cuts

  The company slashed about 4,000 customer service agents as its use of AI picked up, but CEO Marc Benioff still expects people and AI to work together.

  Talent

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  Health benefit cost increases expected to hit 15-year high, Mercer warns

  2026 will mark the fourth consecutive year of substantial health benefit cost growth, signaling “mounting pressure on employers’ healthcare budgets.”

  Comp & Benefits

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  6 labor and employment issues that are in flux, according to law firm Littler

  “In less than nine months, the new administration has transformed more than six decades of labor and employment policy,” Littler Workplace Policy Institute experts said.

  Compliance

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  Bojangles told worker she was ‘not a good fit’ because of pregnancy, disability, per lawsuit

  Employers are required to provide reasonable accommodations to workers who are pregnant or have a disability, unless doing so would pose an undue hardship.

  Compliance

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  Amid shifts in online recruiting, job boards hold strong, report finds

  But job boards may only stay relevant if platforms reinvent themselves, such as by adding access to messaging and skills assessments, iHire said.

  Talent

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  HR pros have little confidence in workforce’s current skills, survey says

  The most significant skill shortages were in leadership, AI and technology-related skills, according to a Skillsoft report.

  Learning

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  AI drives worker retraining — not replacement, New York Fed finds

  Adoption of the technology has, however, affected hiring: Some companies have reduced hiring, and some have added workers with AI skills.

  Talent

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  Generational, gender differences key to workplace experience, research shows

  With employee experience playing more of a role in office performance, operators must monitor feedback to ensure workplaces are successful, firms say. 

  Talent

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  FTC drops Biden-era noncompete ban but promises continued enforcement

  Industries “plagued by thickets of noncompete agreements” will soon see warning letters from the agency, its chairman said Friday.

  Compliance

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  Judge tosses EEOC long COVID lawsuit, finding worker never made disability clear

  Use of leave as a disability accommodation is often a thorny issue for employers to navigate.

  Compliance

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  3M successfully showed undue hardship in religious bias vaccination case

  The company established it would become less competitive if employees who promote its medical devices could not work in person at healthcare facilities, according to a court ruling.

  Compliance

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  Gallup: Hybrid work rates have stabilized — and flexibility is key

  Managers will need to coordinate the future of work by addressing challenges such as team coordination and trust, a new report found.

  Talent

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  Former EEOC employee files charge alleging transgender bias at the agency

  The employee said he was allegedly forced to “create business processes and technical tools that were being weaponized to facilitate discrimination against transgender employees” like himself.

  Compliance

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  Opinion

  How to bridge the AI skills gap to power industrial innovation

  A Kyndryl survey found that the majority of manufacturing leaders don’t think their workforce is ready to embrace artificial intelligence. 

  Talent

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