HRMorning’s Top 10 HR Stories of 2024

While the newest – or worst – workplace trends are a hot topic this time of year, we’ll also want to take a closer look at what worked for HR in 2024. And the top 10 HR stories of the year show a solid recap of the ups and downs HR pros faced this year.

The top-rated stories – those that our HRMorning readers clicked on and needed most – were full of compliance updates, ground-breaking legal cases, and best practices in HR strategy and execution.

Glimpse: Top 10 HR Stories of 2024

They include important topics, such as wages, FMLA, lousy trends and pay transparency.

Here are the top 10 HR stories from our site in 2024, a brief excerpt from each and a link to the full story:

1. EEOC: Managers Fired 2 Older Workers Who Refused to Retire

Two EEOC lawsuits – and the expensive settlements they produced – show that some managers need a refresher training course in age and disability discrimination. Here’s what went wrong at companies in Georgia and New York.

2. Pay Transparency Laws by State: HR’s Latest Compliance Guide

The pay transparency trend has been strong for the past couple of years and will get another major boost in the next year. At least five more states are lined up to have pay transparency laws take effect next year. Here’s what HR needs to know about pay transparency laws, why they’re becoming more important, and which states and localities have passed pay transparency legislation.

3. Worker Death: OSHA Points Finger at Employer

No one ever wants to find themselves in violation of safety standards as determined by OSHA. But this case is a strong reminder that if such a determination is made, employers need to take prompt and effective steps to remedy the dangerous condition and improve workplace safety. According to the agency, this employer engaged in repeated violations that ultimately led to an employee’s death.

4. SSA Bumps Up Social Security Taxable Wage Base for 2025

Time to update your systems: SSA has announced the 2025 Social Security taxable wage base. Do you have employees on the payroll who have already begun to receive Social Security retirement benefits? If so, workers who haven’t reached full retirement age may prefer to keep their earnings under the annual limit set by SSA, as exceeding that limit will cause the agency to reduce their retirement benefits.

5. 5 Times It’s OK to Fire an Employee on FMLA Leave

Of course, you’d never fire someone for taking FMLA leave. But perhaps the termination had been in the works long before the person took leave. In that case, can you fire someone out on FMLA? It’s still a sticky situation, but a federal appeals court ruling outlined when it’s generally safe to say goodbye to someone on FMLA leave. 

6. Goodbye to 5 Lousy HR Trends

HR trends come and go. Some are good. And some are just lousy. While we love to talk about trends at HRMorning to keep our readers ahead of what’s next, here we talk about HR trends to put behind us. Even better, we have proof some of them are on life support or even dead!

7. Can Employees Be Fired for Gossiping at Work?

Let’s face it: Whether the topic is as fluffy as a workplace romance or as tense as a looming layoff, people are going to talk. And it’s unlikely that managers will be able to play Gossip Cop and effectively shut down the rumor mill. How can employers keep the office chatter in check? Do you need an official Office Gossip policy? Or can you fire employees for gossiping at work? A decision from the National Labor Relations Board offers some great takeaways for HR.

8. 3 Things Managers Can’t Say to Employees Who Request FMLA

As an HR professional, you know that when employees request FMLA leave, those conversations need to be handled carefully. You have to stick to the facts about what the workers need and why. The problem is, some managers may not realize that – and their stray comments could come back to bite you in court. These three court decisions are the proof.

9. White Employee: Woke Training Created a Hostile Work Environment

In one of the latest woke training lawsuits, an employee claimed his employer’s mandatory DEI training created a hostile work environment. When the case reached the Tenth Circuit, the appeals court affirmed a ruling in the employer’s favor. Even so, the court’s decision contained a stark warning for employers: In some cases, DEI training can create hostile work environments. Here’s what you need to know.

10. New Supreme Court Ruling Is a Big Win for Employees

A ruling from the U.S. Supreme Court will make it easier for many employees to prove an allegation of unlawful discrimination under Title VII. The Court’s ruling washes away a rule, followed by many courts, that required Title VII claimants to show not just any harm but harm that is significant. This is an artificially high bar that the law’s language does not permit, the Court decided. Instead, the Court said, Title VII plaintiffs need to show only that the challenged action resulted from discrimination and left them worse off than they were before – and not necessarily in a “significant” way.