$30 an Hour by 2030: New Pushes to Increase Minimum Wage in New York and California
Campaigns in California and New York City are pushing to raise the minimum wage to $30 an hour by 2030 for large employers, with Oakland and Alameda County placing ballot initiatives on the November 2026 ballot. New York City councilmember Sandy Nurse introduced legislation to reach the same $30 target, giving small businesses a two‑year grace period. Both efforts face strong opposition from business groups, who argue the hikes could hurt profitability, while labor advocates cite research showing minimal job loss and improved worker stability. The proposals arrive amid rising living costs and a federal minimum still stuck at $7.25.
How Employees Are Spending Their HSA Dollars, From Amazon to GLP-1s
The 2025 Lively HSA Spend Report shows Amazon becoming a leading HSA merchant, with spending up 123% year‑over‑year. Growth is also evident in GLP‑1 drug purchases, where Lilly’s spend jumped 5,610% and Hims & Hers rose 134%. Mental‑health platforms such as BetterHelp...
Scrap 60% Office Mandate, Union Demands Amid Rising Living Costs
The Public and Commercial Services (PCS) union is urging the UK government to abandon its 60 % office‑attendance mandate for civil servants as the war in Iran drives up energy, fuel and food costs. PCS cites a 9 % rise in petrol,...
Is Employee Retention Too High? The Risks of Low Turnover
A surprisingly low employee turnover rate can mask hidden challenges for organizations, including skill atrophy and stalled internal mobility. The Work Institute suggests a healthy turnover range of 10‑15%, while the 2025 US Mercer Turnover Survey cites a 13% voluntary...
Women in Rail Award 2026: Women Make up only 23% of the Workforce in the Rail Sector
The European Commission and key rail organisations have opened nominations for the 2026 Women in Rail Award, highlighting that women comprise only about 23 % of the European rail workforce. The award, presented at InnoTrans 2026, aims to accelerate gender diversity through...
New ABAP Program No Analyze Payroll Performance
SAP has introduced a new ABAP utility aimed at customers running payroll with the RPCALC0/H**CALC0 programs on ECC, ECP, or S/4HANA systems. The tool operates in the background to address long‑standing performance bottlenecks that can delay payroll runs. Early tests...
ResNav Added to Paycor Marketplace to Deliver Secure Historical Payroll & HR Data, and Document Archiving
ResNav Solutions has joined Paycor’s marketplace, introducing its History Link service to Paycor’s extensive HCM customer base. History Link is a secure, FLSA‑aligned archive that pulls historical payroll and HR records from more than 200 legacy systems. The offering gives...
Goodwin Recruiting Is Named to Staffing Industry Analysts 2026 Best Staffing Firms to Work For
Goodwin Recruiting has been named a 2026 Staffing Industry Analysts (SIA) Best Staffing Firm to Work For, an award derived from top scores on an anonymous employee survey. The recognition highlights the firm’s strong culture, leadership, and innovation, building on...
Scheer IMC Selected as Eminence Partner by Brandon Hall Group
Scheer IMC has been appointed an Eminence Partner by the Brandon Hall Group, a leading HCM research firm. The designation places Scheer in a select cohort that will co‑create original research, executive dialogues, and market‑shaping thought leadership. As part of...
How Gamified Hiring Cut Unilever's Time-to-Hire by 90%
Unilever teamed up with Pymetrics and HireVue to replace traditional CV screening with 12 neuroscience‑based games and AI‑scored video interviews. The revamped workflow slashed the hiring cycle from four months to four weeks, a 90% reduction in time‑to‑hire. In the...
Gig Worker Registration on E-Shram Portal Remains Low in Odisha
In Odisha, enrolment of gig and platform workers on India’s e‑Shram portal remains minimal, according to Labour Minister Ganesh Ram Singkhuntia. Despite rapid growth in ride‑hailing and food‑delivery apps, only a tiny fraction have signed up. Low awareness and the...
HRDA Frankly Speaking: McKesson’s Sr. Director of Talent Succession: How to Make Engagement a Repeatable Outcome
Jenessa Disler, Senior Director of Talent Succession at McKesson, highlighted at SPARK HR 2026 that cohesive messaging across performance, feedback, development, and succession systems is essential for repeatable employee engagement. She explained that misaligned goals and feedback cause engagement to...
Ageism Claim | NHS Worker Wins Harassment Case After Colleague Called Her 'Auntie'
An NHS worker, Ilda Esteves, won a harassment claim after a colleague repeatedly called her “Auntie” and suggested she would be a good match for an older male staff member. The London Employment Tribunal upheld the harassment claim based on...
Three-Quarters of Retail Managers Would Rather Not Manage People
A YouGov survey commissioned by SafetyCulture reveals that 76% of retail team leaders in the UK and Ireland would prefer not to manage people, even if pay and benefits remained unchanged. The primary deterrent is emotional fatigue, cited by 84%...
Aspect Software and Five9 Formalize Partnership to Expand Intelligent, Workforce-Optimized CX Solutions
Aspect Software and Five9 have formalized a partnership that links Five9’s cloud contact‑center platform with Aspect’s workforce management suite. The integration streams real‑time agent states and historical interaction data into Aspect Intelligence, sharpening demand forecasts and enabling automated intraday staffing...
TCT DEEP DIVES | How Best to Address the Skills Gap in Manufacturing?
The manufacturing sector faces a widening skills gap, with the UK alone needing a million new engineers by 2030 and 20% of its current workforce set to retire within five years. A £15 million (≈ $19 million) High Value Engineering (HiVE) Centre opened...
The L&D Content Factory: Generative AI for Training at Scale
Generative AI platforms can now produce complete corporate training courses in minutes, replacing weeks‑long instructional design cycles. The software automatically creates syllabi, quizzes, presenter scripts, visual assets and even multilingual dubbing, letting L&D teams scale content without expanding staff. It...
Co-Op Chief Executive Steps Down After ‘Toxic Culture’ Claims
Co‑op Group chief executive Shirine Khoury‑Haq will step down on March 29 after internal allegations of a “toxic” senior‑level culture. Her tenure delivered a 95% debt reduction and a 30% profit increase, but a 2025 cyber‑attack erased roughly $362 million in sales...
New Names and Faces: March 2026
Construction firms announced a wave of senior appointments in March 2026, highlighting regional expansion and technology focus. Wells promoted Nate Roscovius to director of project management for its Midwest operations, while Swinerton elevated Jay Quackenbush to vice‑president of its Northeast...
Digital Commerce Hiring Surges in India
India’s e‑commerce and quick‑commerce sector is entering a hiring boom, with total talent demand projected to rise 35% from 73,320 roles in 2023 to nearly 98,750 by 2025. Supply‑chain and fulfilment positions are expanding 25% as quick‑commerce spreads into tier‑2...
Drivers ‘Asleep at the Wheel’ as TfL Insists on ‘High Standards’
London bus drivers have disclosed falling asleep at the wheel and working in dusty, unhygienic cabs, highlighting acute fatigue and welfare issues. An ITV News investigation captured testimonies of drivers who lack basic restroom access and must clean their own...
Nic Fry On Confidence Opportunity And The Future Of Female Leadership
Nic Fry, former CMO of Merlo Coffee, contributes to IMAA’s Female Leaders of Tomorrow series, urging mentorship and equitable opportunities for women. She highlights the gender gap in AI skills and the risk of losing female perspectives as technology reshapes...
MP High Court Restores Worker After 22 Years
The Madhya Pradesh High Court reinstated a peon after 22 years, ruling that an irregular appointment cannot justify dismissal after long service. The court distinguished illegal appointments, which are void, from irregular ones, which cannot be cancelled after decades. It...
Workers Are Holding on to Their Jobs While Layoff Pressures Persist: Is ‘Job Hugging’ the New Threat to HR?
HR experts identify a growing "job hugging" trend where employees stay in roles despite dissatisfaction, driven by economic uncertainty and hiring freezes. Workers are trading growth and satisfaction for the perceived safety of their current positions, especially in Southeast Asia...
‘No Silver Bullet’: The Iterative Staffing Strategies Home-Based Care Providers Need
Home‑based care providers are confronting a rapidly changing caregiver workforce, prompting them to adopt a series of experimental staffing tactics rather than relying on a single solution. Companies such as Caretech and By the Bay Health are building high‑school pipelines,...
Association of Justice Counsel Challenges Memo Increasing LPs’ In-Office Presence Requirement
The Association of Justice Counsel (AJC) has lodged a policy grievance against a federal employer’s memo that requires lawyers and prosecutors (LPs) to be on‑site four days a week starting July 6. AJC argues the employer violated the LP Collective Agreement...
Statutory Sick Pay Reforms From April 2026: What Employers Need to Know
Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) reforms take effect in April 2026, moving the start date from the fourth to the first day of an employee’s absence. The removal of the lower earnings limit expands eligibility to low‑income and part‑time workers, increasing...
Why Pay Stub Accuracy Should Be an HR Priority, Not an Afterthought
Pay stub accuracy, often overlooked, directly influences employee trust, satisfaction, and turnover. A 2023 American Payroll Association survey shows nearly half of workers would start job hunting after just two payroll errors. Errors such as incorrect tax withholdings, missed deductions,...
Why Working Longer Isn't Working Anymore
India’s historic badge‑of‑honour long workday is losing relevance as the country eyes a $5‑trillion economy. Recent surveys show 88% of Indian employees are contacted after hours, while 70% prefer firms that respect personal time. Global experiments in Iceland and the...
Meta Australia Lays Off Sales Staff Amid Global Restructure
Meta Australia is cutting roughly a dozen sales executives as part of a global restructuring that has eliminated about 700 roles worldwide, including staff in sales, recruitment and Reality Labs. The move follows the departure of Naomi Shepherd, the region’s...
Family, Cultural, and Social Support Gaps Drive Early End to International Assignments: Study
A new AXA Global Healthcare study of 641 international assignees reveals that nearly half of overseas assignments end prematurely, driven primarily by family concerns, cultural adjustment difficulties, and social isolation. Mental‑health challenges affect 54% of assignees within the first three...
South Korea Revises Employment Act to Bolster Paternity Leave Support and SME Hiring
South Korea’s Ministry of Employment and Labour is expanding its workload‑sharing subsidy programme to compensate employees who cover colleagues on the 20‑day spousal childbirth leave, starting July 1. The move adds a new subsidy tier alongside existing caps of roughly...
Acas: Mental Health Problems Among Top Three Reasons for Staff Absence
A YouGov survey commissioned by Acas finds that roughly one‑third of managers cite stress, anxiety, depression and other mental health issues as among the top three reasons for employee sickness absence. The same poll shows two‑thirds attribute absences to minor...
Placement Students Deserve the Same Protections as Workers
Research from the Student Working Lives project reveals that university placement students, especially in nursing, midwifery and social care, are enduring severe time poverty as they juggle unpaid, full‑time‑like placements with part‑time jobs and coursework. Many report 60‑plus hour weeks,...
Revolut to Base 40% of Workforce in India
Revolut announced that 40% of its global workforce will be located in India by the end of 2026. The fintech plans to add 1,600 jobs in 2026, raising its Indian headcount to 5,500 by 2027, supported by a $625 million investment....
Nobody Talks About Why Intelligent, Capable People Keep Accepting Bad Management — and It Has Nothing to Do with Being...
Intelligent, high‑performing employees often stay under ineffective managers because they believe their competence can patch systemic flaws. Their identity is anchored to the work itself, not the leader, and the entrenched meritocracy myth convinces them that sustained results will eventually...
From Access to Impact: How Merge Forward Is Building a More Inclusive Future for Open Source
The Cloud Native Computing Foundation’s Merge Forward program, launched less than a year ago, now unites seven underrepresented diversity groups and more than 300 engineers. It offers mentorship, proposal workshops, and accessibility sessions to help newcomers make their first open‑source...
DOJ Eliminates Disparate-Impact Liability Under Title VI
On December 10, 2025, the U.S. Department of Justice announced a final rule that eliminates disparate‑impact liability under Title VI, limiting enforcement to intentional discrimination only. The rule rescinds several CFR provisions that previously barred neutral policies with disproportionate effects on...
AI Companies Lick Their Chops as FCC Proposes Forcing Call Center Onshoring
The FCC voted to draft rules that would limit the share of customer‑service calls handled by foreign call centers, effectively forcing a degree of onshoring for telecom, cable and wireless providers. The proposal also requires notifying callers when agents are...
LinkedIn and INVNT Launch AI Skills Sprint Sydney for Recruiters
LinkedIn partnered with experiential agency INVNT to host a four‑day AI Skills Sprint in Sydney, drawing over 270 talent‑acquisition leaders. The immersive event showcased LinkedIn’s AI‑powered Hiring Assistant through live demos, prompt‑engineering challenges, and AI myth‑busting exercises. Participants reported an...
DoD IT Leaders Push ‘Smarter Not Harder’ Enterprise Cyber Workforce System
Defense Department IT leaders are urging the Pentagon to replace fragmented service‑level cyber workforce tools with a single enterprise system. Senior officials from the Marine Corps, Army and Air Force highlighted that current separate platforms duplicate effort, hinder talent mobility,...
Fired Worker Sues Employer over Supervisor's Alleged White Supremacist Tattoos
Legna Soto filed a federal lawsuit against Everglades Equipment Group, alleging she was terminated after reporting her supervisor's overt white supremacist tattoos and racist behavior. She claims supervisor Charles Russell displayed an "SS lightning bolts" tattoo and a "white supremacist...
Former VP Sues Axos Bank, Claims HR Ignored Her Harassment Reports
Former Axos Bank vice president Breanna Baldridge filed a federal lawsuit alleging that the bank’s HR department ignored her reports of pay discrimination, harassment, and disability‑association discrimination before terminating her. She claims her male supervisor pressured her to alter her...
Federal Court Revives Retaliation Claim over Atlanta Cop's Stripped Flextime
The Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals revived a retaliation claim by Atlanta police lieutenant Terry Joyner after his flexible schedule was abruptly revoked following a whistleblower complaint. The court held that removing an informal flextime arrangement—known to management and tied...
DC Court Upholds DOL Penalties Against Landscaper for H-2B Worker Violations
A U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., upheld Department of Labor penalties against Maryland landscaper C.S. Lawn & Landscape for multiple H‑2B visa program violations, including wage underpayment, uniform overcharges, and illegal worker housing. The DOL ordered $36,000 in back...
USAID Officer's Discrimination and Retaliation Claims Survive Dismissal Bid
Former USAID Foreign Service Education Development Officer Janet Thomas filed six claims after her 2019 termination. A D.C. federal judge trimmed the case but allowed the core Title VII allegations of racial discrimination and retaliation to proceed. The court found the...
Award of Excellence Winner Judaline Cassidy: Empowering Girls to Consider Careers in Construction
Judaline Cassidy, a 25‑year‑old New York City plumber, became the first female plumber hired by Duo Heating and Plumbing after proving her skills on a one‑day trial. Despite initial ridicule from a foreman, she demonstrated competence, earning full‑time employment. ENR recognized...
Today’s Equal Pay Day. Women and Men Still Disagree About Who Has More Economic Opportunities
A new AP‑NORC poll reveals a stark perception gap: about 60% of full‑time women say men have more opportunities for competitive wages, while only 40% of full‑time men share that view. The survey also shows that roughly one‑third of women...
First Circuit Rejects Per Se Rule that Performance Improvement Plans Automatically Qualify as Adverse Employment Actions
The First Circuit ruled that placing an employee on a performance improvement plan (PIP) does not automatically constitute an adverse employment action under the Age Discrimination in Employment Act or Title VII. The court emphasized that a fact‑intensive inquiry is required,...
'Empathetic' Salesforce Bots to Help Those Fired by Uncaring Humans
Salesforce is deploying its Agentforce AI bots to the U.S. Department of Labor’s national call centre, automating triage for unemployment insurance, OSHA, Job Corps and other programs that generate roughly 2.8 million cases annually. Built on the FedRAMP‑certified Government Cloud and...