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.

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.

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.

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.

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.”

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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. 

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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. 

Walmart taps OpenAI for employee training

The mass retailer will debut training for employees in 2026 through a partnership with the company behind ChatGPT.

Firefighters’ vaccine exemption lawsuit fails SCOTUS’ updated religious test, court says

The lawsuit is a test of the high court’s Groff v. DeJoy precedent, which clarified the standard by which religious accommodations must be evaluated.

‘Anemic’ job creation confirms workers’ anxieties, economists say

The job market is stalling short of the runway, one economist said.

Sociable: LinkedIn expands company page and recruiter verification

Workplace verification will be required when a member adds or updates a leadership or recruiter-related role, the company said.

Most managers can’t participate in training because they don’t have time, study shows

High-performing organizations were more likely to use pre- and post-training activities, as well as bite-sized learning options, ATD says.

DOL says it’s thinking about overtime as it provides timelines for regulations

The agency published its full Spring 2025 regulatory agenda Thursday, nearly a month after apparently removing an earlier version from a White House website.

Judge expands pregnancy law exceptions for Catholic bishop group

The group cannot be required “to make accommodations for abortions, contraception, sterilization, artificial reproductive technologies, or surrogacy” in violation of their religious beliefs, the court said. 

This week in 5 numbers: Workers aren’t surprised by executives’ affairs

Here’s a roundup of numbers from the last week of HR news — including how many HR professionals expect to see their department head count grow or remain the same.