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Employee Benefits Trends 2025–2026: Attracting Top Talent

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HR Question We want to evaluate our employee benefits and consider different offerings. What are the latest employee benefit trends? HR Answer Organizations that strive to offer competitive benefits have an advantage in attracting and retaining top talent. However, there can sometimes be a misalignment between the benefits or extra perks employees value most and […]
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Do I Need HR?

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HR Question: As a business owner, how do I know when I should engage someone to help me with our human resources needs? HR Answer: The quick answer is the typical rule of thumb is to have one HR professional for every 100 employees. However, depending on the scope of the role and how proactive […]
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How Can I Support Employee Well-Being Beyond the EAP?

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HR Question: Our HR team is exploring ways we can support employee well-being in addition to offering an EAP. What should we consider in our approach? HR Answer: While many organizations have implemented an Employee Assistance Program (EAP) as an important way to support their employees’ mental health, that is only one component of well-being. […]
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What Employers Need To Know About Michigan’s Earned Sick Time Act (ESTA)

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How Can I Use Salary Benchmarking As a Recruitment Strategy?

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Do I Have to Give Performance Bonuses to Employees on FMLA Leave?

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What to do if the IRS notifies you of Affordable Care Act (ACA) penalty fees

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What Are The Top 5 Commonly Missed Records In Employee Personnel Files?

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Can We Cut a Live Check to Entice an Employee to Return Company Property?

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Can My Employee Take a Vacation While on FMLA Leave?

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How Can We Address Pay Compression?

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HR Question: To remain competitive in the marketplace, our company’s upper management decided to raise our minimum rate of pay. Unfortunately, HR was not included in this decision that has now led to salary compression and angry seasoned workers. How do you recommend for our human resources team to handle this? HR Answer: This is […]
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What Laws Apply When Businesses Reach 50 Employees?

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Are You Ready For These Top HR Trends in 2024?

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As we transition into a new year, the world of Human Resources is poised to undergo several transformative trends that reflect the evolving landscape of work. Some transformations are already at work, such as the continued integration of technology in HR processes, with the adoption of artificial intelligence (AI), data analytics, and automation tools. These […]
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What Is the Difference Between FSAs and HSAs

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HR Question: We’ve been fielding a lot of benefits questions from our employees and some are trying to choose between opting into an FSA or HSA. What’s a good way to describe the difference between FSAs and HSAs? HR Answer: HR professionals play an important role in helping employees understand their benefits options so they […]
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What Are Total Compensation Statements?

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HR Question: Can you explain Total Compensation Statements … What are they? What should they include? When should we use them? HR Answer: Total Compensation Statements convey the total value of your compensation and benefits offerings as they include an employee’s direct and indirect compensation. They are a great tool to show not only how […]
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Clark Schaefer Strategic HR's wheel of HR Services, including HR Strategy, Recruitment, Training & Development, Benefits & Compensation, Communications, Employee Relations, Recordkeeping, and Health, Safety & Security

HR’s Role During An Economic Crisis

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High inflation, rising interest rates, record-low unemployment, and strong consumer spending seem to have economists scratching their heads. In today’s economic uncertainty, HR professionals are preparing to pivot to meet the needs of their organizations should the economy go into recession. HR professionals are no strangers to navigating and leading through turbulent times. Throughout the […]
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What is Equal Pay Day?

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HR Question: I keep seeing information about “Equal Pay Day” during Women’s History Month. What is Equal Pay Day, and how can I recognize it in my organization? HR Answer: Equal Pay Day is a symbolic day that puts into perspective the 23% pay gap between a woman and a man in the same role. Based […]
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Could Sabbaticals Be Your Next Retention Tool?

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HR Question: In today’s fast-paced and high-pressure market, it’s difficult to truly disconnect from work. We’ve been trying to find ways to give our team a break to avoid burnout, but sometimes a week of vacation just isn’t enough. Could sabbaticals be the newest tool in our retention toolbox? HR Answer: You’re not alone in […]
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Who’s Using Your EAP

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Question: We just implemented an Employee Assistance Program. What do I need to know about EAP use in order to better share this new resource with employees? Answer: Although depression is a primary reason employees call their Employee Assistance Program (EAP), many other services are available. In addition to personal and family counseling, most programs […]
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What Are the Benefits of Total Compensation Statements?

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Question: What are total compensation statements and why should I consider them for my employees? Answer: Most of the time, an employee’s pay and benefits spread far beyond the base pay.  A total compensation statement can be anything from a simple, computer-generated spreadsheet to an elaborate, in-depth analysis with charts or graphs.  Providing total compensation […]
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Work-Life Balance Has Become Work-Life Integration

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Let’s begin with the understanding that some people are going to hate this idea. Work-life integration? Work seeping into all areas of your life at all hours of the day sounds awful, right? Isn’t it already happening? It is likely that most of you thought about an upcoming deadline, had a great idea on that […]
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Clark Schaefer Strategic HR's wheel of HR Services, including HR Strategy, Recruitment, Training & Development, Benefits & Compensation, Communications, Employee Relations, Recordkeeping, and Health, Safety & Security

Are Employee Gift Cards Considered Taxable Benefits?

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HR Question: To thank my employees for their extra efforts, I have provided them with a $50 gift card.  Accounting is telling me I have to report the value of the gift cards as taxable benefits.  Is that true? HR Answer: Yes, it’s true! According to the IRS, cash, gift certificates, and gift cards are […]
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How To Determine If A Home Office Injury Is Covered By Workers’ Compensation

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HR Question: Our company has agreed to allow employees to work a hybrid schedule, allowing them to work from home on multiple days during the week. Although this has been very well received by employees, we have seen an increase in the number of injuries from employees working from home. How do I know if […]
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Clark Schaefer Strategic HR's wheel of HR Services, including HR Strategy, Recruitment, Training & Development, Benefits & Compensation, Communications, Employee Relations, Recordkeeping, and Health, Safety & Security

What is HR’s Role in the Mergers & Acquisitions Process?

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Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A) are a complicated process affecting every facet of an organization – most importantly, its people. Because employees are the key to ensuring the success of any organization, it is critical to develop a thoughtful and strategic human resources-focused approach in the M&A process. This requires HR leaders to be involved from […]
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Clark Schaefer Strategic HR's wheel of HR Services, including HR Strategy, Recruitment, Training & Development, Benefits & Compensation, Communications, Employee Relations, Recordkeeping, and Health, Safety & Security

Mental Health Concerns in the Workplace

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In today’s chaotic environment, many American workers have been searching for ways to cope with the “new normal.” Between the pandemic, civil unrest, a divisive and contentious election, and frequent changes in their day to day life, it’s no surprise that mental health concerns in the workplace are on the rise. What impact can your […]
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Clark Schaefer Strategic HR's wheel of HR Services, including HR Strategy, Recruitment, Training & Development, Benefits & Compensation, Communications, Employee Relations, Recordkeeping, and Health, Safety & Security

Do Our Remote, Out-of-State Employees Qualify for FMLA?

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HR Question: Our company has employees located in Ohio who all qualify for the protections covered under the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA), but we also have employees working remotely in other states. Do our remote, out-of-state employees qualify for our FMLA policy? HR Answer: Great question. Even if the employees don’t fall within the […]
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Bonus Grants: A Creative Way to Retain and Reward Key Employees

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HR Question: I’ve been asked to look into how we can use bonus grants as part of our retention strategy. Can you help? HR Answer: Changes in the economy – as well as clashing generations in the workforce – have altered the employment landscape. Gone are the days of someone retiring after 40 years with […]
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Does My Company Need an AED?

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Question: AED’s have been mentioned in safety demos and tutorials that I have attended. Does my company need one of these devices? If so, what type of training is needed in order to use it? Answer: The safety and well-being of your employees and anyone who visits your place of employment should be top of […]
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What Should I Consider Before Doing a Reduction in Force?

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HR Question: I may need to restructure my workforce as a result of the downturn in business activity. What should I consider from a fairness and legal standpoint? HR Answer: Determining the need for a Reduction in Force (RIF) is a challenging decision to make, but it is sometimes necessary to keep the business running […]
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What Should Ohio Employers Know About Marijuana in the Workplace?

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Question: As an Ohio employer, can you help me understand how marijuana legalization fits into our employment policies? Answer: You are not alone in trying to navigate the everchanging state of marijuana legalization. A growing number of states have either passed laws, or are considering legislation, to ease restrictions on employees’ use of marijuana for […]
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When to Offer a Part-Time Employee Company Benefits

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Question: How quickly do we need to offer benefits once a part-time employee is working 40 or more hours per week? The employee is regularly scheduled to work 30 hours per week and is ineligible for coverage. However, the employee is currently working on a major project where the hours worked tend to often exceed […]
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Total Rewards Statements

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Question: I’ve always heard that Total Rewards Statements were a great tool to provide to employees the ones I have seen seem very difficult to understand.  How can I provide a Total Reward Statement that is valuable, easy to understand, and will help my employees truly understand what their total compensation is? Answer: While knocking […]
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