Employee discipline is a necessary but often fraught element of workforce management. Disciplinary action taken in lieu of immediate termination can help mitigate the risk of potential wrongful termination claims, but failure to handle employee discipline properly can negatively affect employee morale and expose employers to other legal claims. Therefore, it is important for employers to consider a variety of factors before disciplining employees.

To minimize legal risks and protect employee morale, we’ve created 2 new documents related to employee discipline best practices:

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We recently released our 4th quarter HR Edge Newsletter. This edition of the newsletter includes the following information:

• 5 Attraction and Retention Trends to Monitor in 2025
• Why Employers Are Offering Family-building Benefits
• Engaging Employees During the Great Gloom

Read the full article here: HR Edge Quarterly Newsletter

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Although employee quits have trended down in 2024, EY’s 2024 Work Reimagined Survey report found that 38% of employees are likely to leave their jobs in the next year. According to the survey results, EY advises that to maintain a talent advantage, employers may need to hone their attraction and retention tactics to prioritize enhancing workplace culture, expanding rewards, and building agile employee skill sets.

The survey revealed that employees are generally searching for the following benefits:

• Bonus and incentives: 37%
• Health and well-being benefits: 33%
• Paid time off: 33%
• Compensation tied to cost of living: 31%
• Flexible schedules: 30%
• Work from anywhere/remote: 22%
• Training classes to build skills: 21%

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Maine Issues FAQs for Paid Family and Medical Leave Program – The Maine Department of Labor has published answers to frequently asked questions (FAQs) for the state’s paid family and medical leave (PFML) program. The department included a caveat at the beginning of the FAQs stating that they are subject to change pending the adoption of forthcoming rules.

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Recently, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that it updated its Employment Eligibility Verification form, also known as Form I-9, to extend the form’s expiration date from July 31, 2026, to May 31, 2027. Employers must use the Form I-9 dated “08/01/2023,” which may have an expiration date of either “07/31/2026” or “05/31/2027.” Employers may use either form until its respective expiration date. However, the USCIS website will only include the Form I-9 with the new “05/31/2027” expiration date for downloading.

Background – On Aug. 1, 2023, the USCIS published a new version of the Form I-9 that employers were required to use beginning on Nov. 1, 2023. Some of the most notable changes included the following:

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Employee terminations are often complicated, and if not conducted properly, employers can open themselves up to costly legal challenges and negatively affect their business or reputation. Understanding the legal obligations of employee terminations can help employers ensure this process is conducted in a manner that minimizes legal risks and accounts for various business considerations.

Employers should carefully consider their obligations at each stage of the termination process, including:

• Pre-termination considerations
• Preparations for and conducting the termination
• Post-termination considerations

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“Quiet vacationing” is when employees take vacation days without informing their employer, so it would look like they worked more than they actually did or work from home and do not put in a full day’s worth of work. It’s important that employers understand this new trend and take the appropriate steps to address it.

Why Are Employees Quiet Vacationing? Since the COVID-19 pandemic, many employers have adapted to hybrid or remote work policies. As a result, management approaches and work styles have changed, potentially contributing to quiet vacationing. Specifically, quiet vacationing in remote work settings might be happening for many reasons:

• Burnout or lack of interest in work tasks
• Difficulty separating work and personal life
• Feelings of isolation and disconnect from the team
• Lack of structure and boundaries

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The U.S. Department of Labor’s (DOL) Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) recently published a report examining employee benefits in the country. The estimates in the report are from the BLS’ National Compensation Survey, which measures costs and trends related to employer-provided benefits.

The survey represents more than 146 million civilian workers in private industry and state and local government. The following article summarizes the main points of the DOL’s Employee Benefits in the United States release and shares information related to what average employers are providing related to:

• Insurance benefits for full-time and part-time employees
• Median hourly wage
• PTO days based on years of service

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We recently released our 4th quarter Attraction and Retention Newsletter. This edition of the newsletter includes the following information:

• Labor market continues to slow
• Employee benefits as a workplace retention factor
• Supporting working parents during the 2024-2025 school year
• Workplace outlook (BLS data)

Read the full article here: Attraction & Retention Quarterly Newsletter

Colorado FAMLI Premium Rate to Remain at 0.9% for 2025 – The premium contribution rate for Colorado’s paid family and medical leave insurance program, known as FAMLI, will remain at 0.9% of employee wages for calendar year 2025, according to the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment.

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