U.S. Weekly Jobless Claims Fall for Third Straight Week

?States reported that 232,000 workers filed for new unemployment benefits during the week ending Aug. 27, a decrease of 5,000 from the previous week’s revised level. The generally sustained level of jobless claims signifies... Read more »

The Benefits of Hosting an Employee Retreat

?When the pandemic first started, most companies asked their employees to work remotely, and Merit was no exception. “We used to be an in-person company, so our traditional structure of knowledge transfer... Read more »

Employees Need to Be Persuaded of Value in Working from the Office

?Companies are asking more workers to return to the office after Labor Day. But CEOs who want or require their employees to return to the office regularly must earn their willingness to... Read more »

New State Laws Restrict Nondisclosure and Nondisparagement Agreements

?It’s common for employers to require employees to sign nondisclosure and nondisparagement clauses during hiring, in severance agreements and in legal settlements. But employers and HR professionals need to be careful that... Read more »

Which Workers Value Employer-Provided Travel Assistance for Abortions?

?Since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, companies in states that now prohibit abortion have contemplated whether to provide travel support for employees to receive abortion services in states that... Read more »

Court Allows Partial Enforcement of Federal Contractor Vaccine Mandate

?On Aug. 26, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit narrowed the scope of a nationwide injunction that had barred enforcement of President Joe Biden’s COVID-19 federal contractor vaccine mandate.... Read more »

Ask an Expert: Retrieving Company Equipment

?When a remote employee quits without notice or is fired, the difficult job of retrieving the worker’s laptop and other company equipment often falls to the HR team. HR professionals might be... Read more »

The Time for Skilled Credentials Is Now

?Month after month, for over a year, more than 10 million jobs went unfilled in the U.S., with workers leaving their jobs in droves. Labor force participation sits at historically low levels,... Read more »

How to Handle Employee Resignations

?When you’re overloaded with day-to-day concerns, adding a surprise task to your to-do list—such as coordinating an employee’s exit—can feel daunting. The good news is that solo HR practitioners can develop a... Read more »

Cancer Now Top Driver of Employer Health Care Costs, Survey Shows

Health care costs for large employers spiked sharply in 2021 after remaining flat in 2020 due to nonemergency care being delayed during the COVID-19 pandemic, a new survey shows. In addition, cancer... Read more »