🏈 Superbowl Monday Absenteeism

On today’s agenda:

🏈 Superbowl Monday absenteeism

🛒 Intranet buyer guide

🥜 Peanut butter pay raise

🛠️ Worker co‑ops on the rise

THE HR SPOTLIGHT

🏈 Super Bowl Monday Absenteeism: When Company Culture Calls in “Sick”

TOGETHER WITH HAYSTACK

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🛠️ Worker Co‑ops on the Rise — TheNewsCoop

• What’s unfolding: Worker co‑ops in the U.S. are growing, with more democratic workplaces and shared decision‑making across industries.

• Why it matters: HR should note the appeal of autonomy and collaboration; borrowing co‑op practices could boost engagement and retention in traditional workplaces.

📰 Washington Post Cuts Big, Culture at Stake — AP News

• What’s unfolding: The Washington Post cut about a third of its newsroom, including major sections, in a historic restructuring.

• Why it matters: Major layoffs show pressures on employers; HR should support morale, manage workloads, and communicate clearly during restructuring.

🏛️ Fed Jobs Now Easier to Cut — Reuters

• What’s unfolding: A new rule reclassifies ~50,000 federal jobs, easing discipline and removal by reducing certain job protections.

• Why it matters: Shifts in federal employment highlight broader trends toward accountability; HR should understand protections and risks to ensure fair, compliant policies.

COMPLIANCE CORNER

• What’s unfolding:  A federal appeals court chief judge says a district judge likely violated rules by fostering a hostile work environment, a rare, serious finding.

• HR implications: Even top institutions face workplace conduct issues; HR should review policies on hostile environment complaints and ensure clear reporting and investigation processes.

• What’s unfolding: New Jersey’s Family Leave Act now lowers eligibility and adds job protections for smaller employers, effective July 17, 2026.

• HR implications: Employers must update leave policies, compliance checklists, and communications before the law takes effect to avoid fines or reinstatement claims.

• What’s unfolding: The EEOC won a $1.1M settlement from Kickback Jack’s for refusing to hire male servers, showing that sex‑based hiring—even informal—is illegal.

• HR implications: HR should audit hiring practices immediately to ensure decisions are merit‑based and bias-free, and provide Title VII training to reduce legal risk.

HR TREND WATCH

🥜 Peanut Butter Pay Raise Spreads

Digesting the data: The latest compensation data shows a notable shift in how companies are awarding raises this year. According to HR Dive’s coverage of Payscale’s 2026 Compensation Best Practices Report, roughly 44% of organizations are either using or considering “peanut butter” pay raises—modest, across‑the‑board increases that don’t differentiate by performance.

This comes as median base‑pay raises hold steady at about 3.5%, unchanged from last year, and reflects growing concerns that traditional merit‑based increases can be subjective, biased, or complex to administer. Employers with large frontline or lower‑wage populations are particularly drawn to this approach as they balance equity goals with tight budget realities.

Outlook for HR: For HR professionals, this trend matters because it challenges long‑standing compensation strategies tied to performance evaluations. While flat raises can simplify budgeting and feel fair at a surface level, they risk demotivating high performers who see no pay differentiation for stronger contributions.

HR teams may need to reevaluate performance management systems, explore alternative reward levers like bonuses or skill‑based increases, and clearly communicate how pay decisions align with organizational goals and equity commitments. Cultivating trust through transparency and balanced compensation design will be key as this trend takes shape across industries.

👉 See the full story at HR Dive »

BREAKROOM

📬 Missed Friday’s issue on ‘Office Psychology’? Read it »