Companies today face a growing need to reimagine traditional workplace practices amid labor shortages and evolving employment regulations. As the workforce landscape evolves and expectations shift, organizations are discovering that maintaining a competitive edge goes beyond the usual perks and benefits.

Many employers have instructed employees to return to the office, either full time or for a specified number of days per week. Despite employers’ efforts, many employees have refused to return to in-office work. In fact, numerous organizations, including large corporations like Amazon, Apple and Twitter, are currently struggling with workers refusing to follow return-to-office (RTO) orders. Employee refusals have caused some organizations to change course and soften RTO orders, while others have doubled down on their efforts to have employees return, threatening to terminate those who don’t.

Welcoming a newborn into your family is a joyous occasion. It also comes with significant responsibilities, such as ensuring your infant’s health and properly using your health care benefits. Securing health insurance for your newborn is a crucial step toward making sure they receive the medical treatment they need, safeguarding their health, and providing you and your family financial protection against unexpected medical expenses.

Currently, health care costs in the United States are high and rising, outpacing inflation and wage increases. While many employers had relatively lower claim costs during the COVID-19 pandemic, medical plan costs are approaching pre-pandemic levels as health care utilization rebounds.

The war for talent has been putting stress on many organizations. As employers continue to struggle to retain workers, they must simultaneously deal with talent shortages. As workers resign, there seems to be a lack of qualified candidates to fill open roles. Compounding employers’ labor struggles is the fact that many workers are currently disengaged. According to a 2022 Gallop report, the current level of disengaged workers is the highest in over 10 years.

As small businesses compete amid ongoing talent shortages, often with fewer resources than large companies, they may need to get creative in their attraction and hiring efforts. As such, employee referral programs are growing as a popular strategy. They are generally successful because employees put their names on the line by endorsing someone else.

Workplace harassment has significant negative consequences for an organization and its employees. It can damage employee morale and company culture, decrease productivity, and cause heightened employee turnover. It’s also illegal.

The concept of a four-day workweek isn’t new, but it’s gained traction as the COVID-19 pandemic caused increasing numbers of employees to work remotely some or all the time. A 2022 survey by professional services company Ernst & Young found that nearly half (40%) of surveyed companies had or were in the process of implementing a four-day workweek.

Work environments can significantly impact the mental health of employees. In fact, research by the American Psychological Association found that 2 in 5 employees report that work negatively affects their mental health. Workers’ poor mental health can, in turn, negatively impact employee communication, performance, morale and productivity. According to a recent report by Mental Health America, employees in mentally unhealthy workplaces were also more likely to leave their jobs.

Due to rising health care costs, small businesses often struggle to provide employees with affordable, high-quality benefits. In fact, many small businesses choose not to offer employee benefits because of cost constraints. Failing to offer health benefits can place small businesses at a disadvantage when it comes to attracting and retaining key talent compared to their larger counterparts.

“Quiet quitting” is not a new concept new to employers. It occurs when employees become less invested or engaged in their work and only perform their core job duties without going above and beyond. While these employees continue to perform their primary responsibilities, they’re less invested overall. Quiet quitting can be a sign that a worker is unhappy in their role or is feeling burned out. In fact, many workers engage in quiet quitting to help alleviate work-related stress and burnout.

The popularity of weight loss drugs has reached a fever pitch in the United States. This trend has made its way into the workplace, with employees increasingly asking their employers about coverage for popular drugs used for weight loss, such as Wegovy. Other drugs intended to treat Type 2 diabetes, such as Ozempic or Mounjaro, are also in high demand for off-label weight-loss use. As a result, employers are presented with the decision of whether to cover these expensive drugs or face potential negative attraction and retention repercussions in the coming years, if not already.

Imposter syndrome, a pervasive psychological phenomenon, affects individuals across various professions. Despite their accomplishments and competence, those experiencing imposter syndrome doubt their abilities constantly and fear being exposed as frauds. This internal struggle can undermine productivity, hinder career growth, and contribute to feelings of stress and inadequacy.

The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) provides minimum wage and overtime pay protections to nearly all workers in the United States. Under the FLSA, all employees must be classified as either “exempt” or “nonexempt” from minimum wage and overtime provisions. Misclassification of employees occurs when employers classify nonexempt workers as exempt and fail to provide workers FLSA protections such as overtime. This is a common problem that many employers face. In fact, employee misclassification is one of the most common violations of the FLSA.

Employees who feel disregarded by their organization are more likely to get frustrated, feel burnt out and quit. Forbes listed being unheard by supervisors and feeling “overlooked or ignored” as two of the top ten reasons employees leave their jobs. This can devastate employee retention rates, increasing hiring costs and making it challenging for employers to keep talented workers.

The results of the 10th annual Cost of Care Report show that child care has become unaffordable for most U.S. families. Of 3,000 surveyed parents, 67% are spending 20% of their annual income or more on child care, up from 51% in 2022. This marks the 10th year in a row child care costs have risen.

The recent explosion of artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots, like ChatGPT, has many employers searching for ways to leverage this technology’s ability to create efficiencies, enhance workflows, streamline operations and improve customer experience. In fact, many organizations are already utilizing AI chatbots to aid and augment HR functions. These tools can help HR professionals screen job applications, generate job descriptions, improve onboarding efficiency and enhance employee engagement.

Various factors can influence company culture, and new norms can be introduced to employees anytime. As technology advances and becomes more common in today’s workplaces, organizations can specifically leverage HR data to optimize the overall employee experience and foster a strong company culture. With accurate data, HR professionals better understand who employees are and what they need and value. In turn, this can help organizations develop and foster a positive and authentic workplace culture.

When an employee becomes sick, has a disability or must take leave to support their family, they may be entitled to legal protections under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) or both, in some situations. However, determining which laws apply to an employee’s circumstances can often be complicated, and missteps can be costly for employers.

The Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA), which was signed into law on Dec. 29, 2022, became effective on June 27, 2023. Under this law, employers with at least 15 employees must provide reasonable accommodations to workers with known limitations related to pregnancy, childbirth or related medical conditions unless the accommodation will cause the employer an “undue hardship.”