A big week for those of us thinking about trust, truth-seeking and the future of the employee experience. We saw new momentum around workplace investigations, renewed focus on employee wellbeing and some hard questions about whether organizations truly value their people or just say they do.
Welcome back to “This Week in Employee Relations,” your fast-scan digest of the employee relations headlines shaping policy, culture and compliance. Catch up in five minutes; walk into the week with the context (and the talking points) your organization expects.
🚨 HR Acuity Partners with Van Dermyden Makus Law to Strengthen Workplace Investigations
HR Acuity announced a formal partnership with Van Dermyden Makus Law Corporation to elevate investigation quality, legal defensibility and standards across the field.
→ ER Insight: This is exactly where our function is heading: Deeper rigor, tighter alignment with legal and clearer expectations for what “good” looks like. Investigations are no longer a back-office process; they’re a strategic safeguard for culture and for the business.
🎉 HBR: Happier Employees Drive Meaningfully Better Performance
Harvard Business Review published new data showing that employees with higher well-being scores deliver stronger outcomes, lower turnover and better decision-making. It’s not a perk conversation; it’s an operational one.
➝ ER Insight: Happiness and engagement are lagging indicators. Employee relations is the leading indicator. When employee relations starts to see early conflict, coaching strain or shifts in how people describe their experience, those signals will show up in well-being scores later. If you want to improve performance and retention, act on what employee relations is surfacing now.
☕ Starbucks Reaches $39M Agreement Over NYC Fair Workweek Violations
Starbucks agreed to pay $39 million related to city allegations that scheduling practices violated labor rules, affecting tens of thousands of workers.
→ ER Insight: Scheduling is becoming one of the clearest windows into organizational fairness. The moment scheduling is inconsistent, punitive or opaque, culture takes the hit. Employee relations should treat schedule data the same way we treat investigation data: As an early warning system.
💼 Company Settles $2M Claim After Allegedly Retaliating Against Its HR Director
Glunt Industries agreed to pay $2 million after the EEOC alleged it retaliated against its HR director for hiring two qualified women and maintained broader barriers for female workers.
→ ER Insight: When HR leaders are punished for fair hiring, that’s a culture warning light. Ask where bias shows up in your processes, and who pays the price for challenging it.
We’re tracking the headlines so you can focus on what matters most: Early action, consistent resolution and a culture where everyone feels safe speaking up.
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