IES Blog Archive

Author Archive

Group of people holding a puzzle
November 1, 2021 Read time: 9 minutes

In the early days of pandemic lockdowns, there was a lot of talk about what work would look like post-pandemic. Although some businesses believed that everything would eventually go back to the way things were, many others thought employees could forget about going back to the office altogether. As the pandemic wore on, workers began…

Read the full story

Group of people working on a project
October 25, 2021 Read time: 4 minutes

By now, we’ve all heard the saying, “There are only two types of companies: those who’ve been hacked, and those who don’t yet know they’ve been hacked.” It’s a scary thought, but I believe there are two other types of companies with an even more important distinction: those who make a mark, and those who think…

Read the full story

Law Gavel
April 14, 2021 Read time: 3 minutes

With the inauguration of President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, companies and contingent workers are looking to understand their new proposals for federal workplace laws. The Biden-Harris campaign advocated for strengthening regulations around the gig economy and employee classification laws. What this means for companies and workers as we move forward into 2021 is still…

Read the full story

US Capitol and Federal Law Making Buildings
January 25, 2021 Read time: 3 minutes

It’s only fitting that a roller-coaster presidential race would cap off an unquestionably tumultuous year, but now that President Joe Biden has been sworn in, employers should start anticipating the various ways in which the new administration could change federal workplace laws. There’s still plenty of uncertainty, but the Democratic majority in the Senate provides…

Read the full story

4 contingent workforce trends in 2021 banner
January 18, 2021 Read time: 1 minutes

An unprecedented year created unfamiliar challenges for companies and their HR departments in 2020. Many businesses shuttered, and others watched their workforces go completely remote overnight. Throughout it all, the stress of the pandemic weighed on workers in countless ways. These trends and the emerging future of remote work have created opportunities to find and…

Read the full story

HR Team meeting about strategies
December 16, 2020 Read time: 1 minutes

While global economic activity has picked up since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, there’s still a long way to go. A recent World Economic Forum report predicts the current recession could last through late 2022. Surviving a recession requires companies to make difficult decisions, and executives will lean heavily on their HR departments for…

Read the full story

Woman working from home on a group video conference
May 5, 2020 Read time: 4 minutes

The COVID-19 pandemic is sending shockwaves through the economy. As of late March, a Bain/Dynata weekly survey reported that nearly 60% of Americans had experienced cuts in pay or hours, layoffs, or closed their businesses because of the virus. The fallout of these losses creates an unprecedented situation for HR crisis management. Many businesses have transitioned their…

Read the full story

Smiling group of professional business people
April 21, 2020 Read time: 3 minutes

In years past, companies looked at contract work as a way to fill temporary voids. They used it for seasonal work, during leaves of absence, or as administrative support. For generations, contract workers have helped companies remain profitable and competitive, and their ranks are only set to increase in the coming years. Research from TrueBlue and Emsi suggests that hiring contract…

Read the full story

A group of a millennial workforce collaborating in a room of couches sharing a table
February 18, 2020 Read time: 3 minutes

The world is changing, and businesses need to change with it if they expect to thrive. These changes are wide-ranging, but perhaps the two most relevant ones are technology and the workforce — and they’re inextricably linked. Workers, especially Millennials in the workforce, expect a lot from their employers. Their lengthy lists of employer expectations include the ability…

Read the full story

independent contractors sitting in a classroom setting for a sexual harassment training
January 7, 2020 Read time: 1 minutes

The rise of the #MeToo movement has spurred long-overdue discussions about sexual harassment in boardrooms and statehouses across the country. Although many companies have been providing sexual harassment training for years, a number of states have recently enacted laws that require companies to provide sexual harassment training for employees. Even if your state doesn't currently…

Read the full story