This Week in 5 Numbers: 1 in 5 Recent Grads Say They’re Overqualified for Their Roles
A ZipRecruiter survey reveals that 20% of recent graduates consider themselves overqualified for their current roles, while only 26% report being on their ideal career path. The same research highlights a broader talent mismatch, as fewer than 10% of business leaders rank workforce‑training programs among their top priorities. Meanwhile, FedEx agreed to pay $280,000 to settle a disability‑discrimination complaint, underscoring heightened HR compliance scrutiny. These figures signal shifting expectations among new talent and growing pressure on employers to align skills, training, and inclusive policies.
What Are Companies Looking for in Early-Career Professionals?
A new Robert Half survey shows that proficiency with AI tools is becoming a baseline expectation for early‑career professionals, but soft skills such as time management, punctuality and communication still top employers’ wish lists. Only 22% of leaders believe recent graduates...
Coke Bottler Rebuts EEOC Claim that Women-Only Work Trip Harmed Male Workers
Coca‑Cola Beverages Northeast filed a motion to dismiss the EEOC’s reverse‑discrimination lawsuit over a women‑only networking trip. The company argues the trip was a lawful affirmative‑action measure to address a gender imbalance, invoking Title VII and the Supreme Court’s 2024 Muldrow...
On the Eve of the Draft, NFL Calls on Employers to Judge Candidates Based on Skills — Not Criminal Records
The NFL has partnered with the Center for Employment Opportunities to launch a fair‑chance hiring campaign urging employers to evaluate candidates on skills rather than criminal records. Approximately 600,000 people leave prison each year, and 68% are re‑arrested within three...
Recent Grads Are Settling for Jobs They Plan to Leave, Says ZipRecruiter
A new ZipRecruiter survey of 3,000 recent and rising graduates reveals that many are accepting positions below their qualifications, with 20% feeling overqualified and 18% deliberately applying for lower‑level roles. Only 26% say they are on their ideal career path,...
DOL Proposes New Joint Employer Rule
The U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division has issued a proposed rule to create a single nationwide standard for joint‑employer status under the Fair Labor Standards Act, Family and Medical Leave Act, and Migrant and Seasonal Agricultural Worker...
FedEx Settles Charge It Denied Telework Accommodations to Workers with Disabilities
FedEx has agreed to pay $280,000 to settle an EEOC lawsuit alleging the company denied telework accommodations to disabled dispatchers in New York. The settlement also obligates FedEx to provide annual ADA training, report all accommodation requests to the EEOC,...
California Contractor Ordered to Pay $468K in Wage Theft Case
A California contractor, SCA General Contracting, was ordered to pay $468,505 in back wages and damages to 137 construction workers after a Department of Labor investigation uncovered minimum‑wage and overtime violations from November 2024 through November 2025. The consent judgment...
Employers Hesitate to Train High-Turnover Workers — but Training May Strengthen Retention
A recent Indeed Hiring Lab analysis reveals a stark perception gap: 67% of U.S. workers view learning as a top priority, yet only 48% say their employers share that focus. Employees without a bachelor’s degree—who often occupy high‑turnover roles—are far...
Organizations and Employees Want Different Things From Leaders, Study Finds
A new Hogan Assessments study of over 21,000 executives and 10,000 employees across 25 markets reveals a stark disconnect between the leadership behaviors companies reward and the traits workers value. In the United States, executives are promoted for visibility, ambition...
Leaders May Be Overspending on Tech and Underspending on Talent
KPMG’s latest research reveals that while 57 % of executives prioritize performance and efficiency, less than 10 % rank workforce training as a top goal. Executives are investing twice as much in new technology as they are in employee development, creating a...
Alleged Denial of $1,700 Accommodation Leads to $100K ADA Settlement
Smiths Detection, Inc. agreed to a $100,000 settlement with the EEOC after being accused of denying a $1,700 custom hearing protection device and demoting an employee with hearing loss. The EEOC alleged the demotion violated the Americans with Disabilities Act...
How HR Leaders Can Lower Healthcare Costs Through Employee Education and Engagement
HR leaders confronting a projected 6.5% rise in per‑employee health costs in 2026 are turning to education and engagement solutions instead of solely relying on high‑deductible plans. Transparent tools that combine price and quality data, such as Valenz Bluebook, empower...
CHRO Caught on Tape Admitting to Culture that ‘Protected’ Harassers, Workers Claim
A lawsuit filed April 10 alleges the CHRO of the New Orleans Regional Transit Authority (RTA) admitted on multiple audio recordings that the agency’s culture shielded harassers and violated federal labor laws. The recordings capture the CHRO acknowledging a hostile work environment,...
PepsiCo Settles EEOC Lawsuit Alleging It Failed to Accommodate and Fired Blind Employee
PepsiCo has settled an EEOC disability‑discrimination lawsuit by paying $270,000 to a blind former customer‑service employee and agreeing to work with an accessibility consultant. The two‑year consent decree requires the company to develop screen‑reading‑compatible software for its Winston‑Salem, North Carolina, call...
Tire Company Settles Allegations It Discriminated Against Workers with Opioid Prescriptions
The Carlstar Group, a specialty tire and wheel maker in Franklin, Tennessee, agreed to pay $300,000 to settle EEOC charges that it discriminated against employees taking prescribed opioid medications. The discrimination occurred despite medical clearance, prompting a five‑year consent decree...
Employers Say They Struggle to Find Workers with the Right AI Skillset
Employers are increasingly reporting difficulty finding entry‑level talent with practical AI skills, with 53% naming the gap as their top hiring challenge. While 78% of higher‑education leaders claim they meet employer expectations, only 28% of employers agree that universities are...
Are Workers Paid Fairly? It May Depend on Who You Ask.
Salary.com’s new report reveals a 31‑point confidence gap: 75% of HR leaders believe pay is fair, yet only 44% of employees share that view. The gap stems from missing structural foundations—just 51% of firms have formal job architecture and 22%...
Discrimination, Retaliation Lawsuit Against Marriott Hotel Can Proceed, Judge Rules
A federal judge denied Shreeji Hotel Group's motion to dismiss a lawsuit filed by a former assistant general manager who claims retaliation after requesting leave for gender‑affirming surgeries. The court found the plaintiff presented plausible claims under Title VII, the ADA,...
Judge Denies SHRM’s Request for a New Trial
A federal judge denied the Society for Human Resource Management’s (SHRM) request for a new trial in the Mohamed v. SHRM case, leaving an $11.5 million jury verdict intact. The plaintiff, a former SHRM employee, alleged that White colleagues received favorable...
Are Rising Costs Hitting Voluntary Benefits?
Rising healthcare premiums, inflation, and cost‑of‑living pressures are forcing U.S. workers to tighten budgets, prompting many to seek supplemental coverage. Voluntary benefits such as accident, disability, and supplemental life insurance remain a low‑cost safety net, but enrollment has stayed flat...
Deloitte Consulting Penalized Employees for Taking Pregnancy-Related Leave, Lawsuit Alleges
A proposed class‑action lawsuit filed in California alleges Deloitte Consulting penalized exempt employees who took protected pregnancy‑related, parental or family leave by evaluating them against peers who worked a full year. The complaint says performance ratings, which drive salary raises...
US Workers Say They Are Experiencing ‘Death by a Thousand Pings’
A new Isolved “Voice of the Workforce” survey of 1,300 full‑time U.S. employees reveals that more than six‑in‑ten workers face payroll or scheduling glitches, and nearly half lose at least five hours each week to broken systems—a phenomenon the firm...
Worker’s Firing Days Before Retirement Didn’t Violate ERISA, Judge Holds
The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio ruled in *Armstrong v. Western & Southern Financial Group* that the insurer did not violate ERISA when it terminated a sales representative days before her planned May 2022 retirement. The...
Employee Benefits Regulator to Focus on ‘Bad Actors’
The U.S. Department of Labor’s Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA) announced a strategic shift to target enforcement on the most egregious conduct that harms employee benefit plans. The agency outlined four guiding principles emphasizing timely, fair action tied directly to...
Why AI Readiness Training Fails
Companies are pouring resources into AI readiness programs, yet Docebo’s 2026 AI Readiness Gap report shows most initiatives miss the mark. Eighty‑five percent of employees say they cannot translate training into everyday tasks, while 56% feel swamped by pre‑AI manual...
Opaque Hiring Process Prompts Job Seekers to ‘Spray and Pray,’ Monster Says
Monster’s April 10 survey of 1,006 U.S. job seekers reveals that nearly half now use a “spray and pray” approach, applying to many openings quickly due to a lack of employer feedback. Over 75% say they would be more selective...
Tulsa Medical Center only Let Workers Pump if ‘Sufficient Staffing’ Was Available, DOL Says
The U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division determined that Hillcrest Medical Center in Tulsa violated the Providing Urgent Maternal Protections for Nursing Mothers (PUMP) Act by restricting lactation breaks to periods when staffing was deemed sufficient. The hospital...
With Health Costs Ballooning, Workers Turn to Wellness and the Internet, ADP Finds
ADP’s 2026 employee benefits survey shows rising medical costs are prompting workers to skip needed care, cut medication use, and even forgo vision or dental coverage. Twenty‑six percent delayed care and 22 percent reduced prescriptions, while 68 percent rely on...
EEOC Settles with Republic Services for $200K in Sex Discrimination Case
The EEOC settled a sex‑discrimination lawsuit against Republic Services' Missouri subsidiary for $200,000, ending claims that the firm repeatedly rejected qualified female driver applicants since early 2020. The case stemmed from a May 2020 interview where interviewers suggested the applicant discuss...
What Makes a Culture of Learning?
A new Association for Talent Development (ATD) report shows that while most firms claim a learning‑focused culture, three‑quarters report insufficient staff or time to sustain it. Sixty‑two percent provide dedicated learning hours—about 40 per year—63% use public recognition, and 68%...
HR Skills Are Among the Most Sought-After in the Job Market, Indeed Reports
Indeed's Hiring Lab reports that human‑resources skills rank third among U.S. job‑skill demands, appearing in 27.3% of postings at the end of 2025. The data shows HR expertise—especially employee engagement and management—spills over into non‑HR roles, with more than 20%...
Many Agents Plan to Leave Their Current Job, but Fear of AI Isn’t a Big Factor
A Verint survey of 1,000 customer‑service agents finds nearly one‑third plan to quit within six months, driven mainly by a desire for schedule flexibility. While 90% prioritize flexible hours, only 8% fear AI replacement, though most expect AI to reshape...
Trans Worker Fired for ‘Bringing Morale Down’ Can Proceed with Case, Court Says
An Alabama district court denied Federal Injury Center of Birmingham’s motion to dismiss a transgender employee’s discrimination lawsuit, allowing the case to proceed. The plaintiff, a physical therapist assistant, disclosed her transgender status and was terminated within a week for...
AI Industry Recruiting Platform Faces Multiple Lawsuits over Data Breach
Mercor, an AI‑focused recruiting platform, disclosed a March data breach that exposed personal information of independent contractors and customers. The breach, linked to a hack of the open‑source LiteLLM interface, prompted at least four class‑action lawsuits filed in the Northern...
Week in Review: ‘Payroll Leakage’ Is Prompting Millions in Losses
A joint UKG‑KPMG report warns that poorly governed payroll processes can create "payroll leakage," eroding up to 4% of a company’s total labor spend and costing millions in waste and fraud. The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission recorded a record...
AI Is Stress-Testing Hiring — and Hurting Trust
AI‑driven hiring tools are being adopted at scale to cope with record application volumes, but they are eroding trust in the recruitment process. Nearly half of job seekers now use generative AI to bulk‑produce resumes, while 30% of hiring stakeholders...
EOR Isn’t Just for Expansion Anymore; It’s Becoming a Core Workforce Strategy
Employer of Record (EOR) services, once viewed as a temporary bridge for market entry, are now being positioned as a foundational element of global workforce strategy. Companies are shifting from a location‑first hiring model to a capability‑first approach, using EOR...
A Smarter Way for Employers to Offer GLP-1 Access — with Built-In Cost Control
GLP‑1 medications, once diabetes treatments, now dominate employee drug demand, pushing costs above $1,000 per member each month. Self‑funded employers face unpredictable utilization that threatens premium stability and talent retention. A growing solution is to carve GLP‑1 coverage out of...
Security Guard’s Retaliation Claim Fails because Firing Manager Didn’t Know of Complaint, Court Holds
The 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the dismissal of a security guard’s retaliation lawsuit against Weiser Security Services, finding he failed to prove his supervisor knew about his HR complaint. The guard alleged he was fired for reporting...
3 Ways HR Leaders Can Redesign Roles for Gen Z and Millennials
A new Cangrade report, based on 71,747 personality assessments, outlines three ways HR leaders can redesign jobs for Gen Z and millennial employees. The study recommends structuring work around meaningful interpersonal interaction, shifting burnout‑prevention to systemic factors, and defining roles by...
JPMorgan Invests $600,000 to Scale Atlanta’s Clean Tech Workforce and Startups
JPMorgan Chase is providing a $600,000 grant to the Georgia Cleantech Innovation Hub (GACIH) to expand clean‑technology innovation and workforce development in Atlanta. The funding will be administered through Georgia Tech’s Partnership for Innovation Network and will support programs at...
Dental Supply Company Settles EEOC Charge Alleging It Fired Worker After Learning She Was Pregnant
iPro Dental Laboratory, a Fort Lauderdale dental supply firm, agreed to a $30,000 settlement—$5,000 in back pay and $25,000 in compensatory damages—after the EEEEOC alleged it terminated a newly hired employee upon learning she was pregnant. The consent decree also...
This Week in 5 Numbers: US Workers Are Quitting at the Lowest Level in a Decade
U.S. worker quit rates have slipped to 2%, the lowest level in a decade, according to Economist Enterprise. Global employee engagement continues to decline, with only 20% of workers feeling engaged, down from a 23% peak in 2022. A Deloitte...
HR Teams Cautiously Experiment with Using AI to Help Set Workers’ Pay
HR departments are cautiously testing AI for compensation decisions, with experimentation rising from 2025 to early 2026 per a Korn Ferry survey. Yet 57% of firms have not started any AI projects in total rewards. Experts warn that data quality,...
Starbucks, Target and Dave & Buster’s Are Investing in Employees to Try to Boost Customer Experience
Major retailers Starbucks, Target and entertainment chain Dave & Buster’s are turning to employee‑centric investments to lift customer experience. Starbucks introduced quarterly bonuses tied to satisfaction scores, while Target pledged $1 billion for in‑store upgrades and expanded associate benefits such as...
Manager Engagement Is Slipping — and Affecting AI Use, Gallup Finds
Gallup’s 2026 State of the Global Workplace report shows global employee engagement fell to 20% in 2025, with manager engagement dropping from 31% to 22% between 2022 and 2025. The decline is linked to slower AI adoption, as employees who...
Transgender Nurse Fired for ‘Serious Deficiencies in Performance,’ Not Gender, Judge Finds
A federal judge granted summary judgment to Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, ruling that a transgender nurse was terminated for documented performance deficiencies rather than gender discrimination. The nurse had alleged repeated misgendering, deadnaming, and a hostile work environment under Title VII,...
Rocket Resume Accuses Monster, CareerBuilder Owner of ‘Deception’ in the Resume-Making Market
Rocket Resume has filed a federal lawsuit accusing Bold Limited and affiliated entities of monopolizing the online resume‑building market. The complaint alleges Bold controls more than 80% of the sector through a network of undisclosed sham companies that own brands...
Workers Say They’re Staying Put Out of Fear, Not Enjoyment — and It’s Likely Costing Employers
A new Economist Enterprise study finds the U.S. quit rate has fallen to a decade‑low of 2%, as workers cling to jobs out of fear rather than satisfaction. About 62% say long‑term security outweighs new opportunities, and 30% have stopped...