The HR Specialist

02/09/2026

A new global study finds that while environmental, social and governance language and priorities keep shifting, human capital remains the most common non-financial factor tied to executive pay, even as DEI measures lose ground in the U.S.

02/09/2026

Chances are, at some point an employee is going to come to HR and tell you they believe they have been discriminated against, harassed or otherwise been treated unfairly. How you respond to that complaint can mean the difference between losing a lawsuit and all that entails or resolving the problem early and avoiding liability.

02/09/2026

Back in late 2025, the NLRB laid out a new rule on when employers may ban workers from carrying and using recording devices, including phones and other smart devices like Apple watches. That new rule told employers that banning recording via a handbook rule was presumptively an NLRA violation, and employers have a heavy burden to prove their handbook rule is legal. Now an NLRB administrative judge has clarified what employers must show to justify a no-recording handbook rule.

02/09/2026

The cap on nonimmigrant H-2A visas in the agriculture industry has been increased by the availability of over 64,000 additional visas for fiscal year 2026.

02/09/2026

If you’ve had to create lunchroom rules based on what employees are bringing to eat or heating up in the microwave, it’s time to rethink that strategy. An employer recently paid $200,000 to a couple whose discrimination lawsuit began with a co-worker’s complaint about allegedly “pungent” Indian food and deteriorated from there.

02/02/2026

Late last year, Congressional Democrats introduced the Fair Warning Act (FWA). If enacted, it would radically overhaul WARN, covering more employers and smaller layoffs.