Two Department of Labor opinion letters—one from 2023 and one issued in October 2025—clarify how to calculate how many hours of FMLA leave an employee is eligible for.

• The difference between managing and coaching. Learn how shifting to a coaching mindset turns managers into leaders.
• A step-by-step coaching process. Follow a structured approach to guide and develop employees effectively.
• 3 core coaching skills every leader needs. Master the fundamental skills that elevate your leadership style.
• Coaching for promotions, growth and development. Identify high-potential employees and prepare them for future roles.
• Investing in your team from Day 1. Foster engagement and create the right chemistry for long-term success.
• Addressing poor performance with leadership and empathy. Correct problems while maintaining trust and motivation.
• Unique strategies for coaching remote workers. Keep distributed teams engaged and avoid Zoom fatigue.
• Creating a coaching playbook. Set measurable goals, energize your team and empower employees to succeed.

At the 2025 HR Specialist Summit, Carrie Hoffman, labor and employment partner at Foley & Lardner LLP, reminded attendees that the Fair Labor Standards Act doesn’t grant employers much leeway. Exemptions are narrowly construed, the burden of proof is on the company and even small oversights can snowball into class claims.

The EEOC had been unable to vote on substantial policy changes since January, when President Donald Trump terminated two Democratic commissioners before their terms were set to expire.

The E-Verify system, temporarily unavailable during the first week of the government shutdown, resumed operations on October 9. U.S Citizenship and Immigration Services offered guidelines for employers on handling new hires who came on when the service was offline.

According to the Department of Justice, employers must allow remote work as a religious accommodation even if they have switched back to a full in-office schedule or never allowed remote work at all. That’s the gist of the DOJ’s Sept. 18 internal guidance for federal agencies that are supposed to be bringing all federal workers back to the office.

The Protect Older Job Applicants Act is aimed at providing older applicants with stronger protections in hiring than currently exist under the Age Discrimination in Employment Act.

Effective Sept. 30, the EEOC has closed its processing of cases where the basis for the complaint is an allegation that an employer’s practices or policies have a disparate impact on members of a protected class. These are cases where the employer isn’t accused of intentional discrimination, but the policy or practice impacts a protected class more than it impacts other applicants or employers.

• The 5 benefits of a good job description, and the risks associated with outdated ones.
• The 4 federal laws that require accurate and up-to-date job descriptions, including the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act.
• 4 simple steps to create accurate and defensible job descriptions that match industry standards and local variations—with online resources.
• How to define “essential functions” for ADA, FMLA and PWFA purposes.
• Using job descriptions as a disciplinary tool to guide performance reviews and employee discipline, including designing PIPs in the era of reductions in force.
• Choosing the right language that locks in an employee’s FLSA classification, avoids discrimination charges and more.
• Tips and tools for continually evaluating job descriptions to avoid misclassification errors and other legal issues throughout the year.

With the government shutdown that began at midnight Oct. 1, some services may be temporarily unavailable. That includes the use of the E-Verify system for employers that participate. However, that does not mean employers can have new employees start work without gathering necessary documentation to verify that the new employee is legally authorized to work in the U.S.