Eugene Scalia, President Donald Trump's nominee for Labor secretary, may have to recuse himself from some litigation with the agency, owing to a conflict of interest with his brother, John Scalia. John Scalia is a management-side labor attorney who has argued cases in front of the Department of Labor and the Equal Opportunity Employment Commission.

Some business owners go out of their way to support employees facing personal crises, including financial issues or major illnesses, Joyce Rosenberg writes. Rick Gibbs, a consultant with Insperity, says employers who do this can nurture loyalty from staff, but they should be mindful of issues that could arise, such as other employees feeling slighted if they learn about the assistance.

HR leaders have a key role in any decisions related to defined benefit plan de-risking, writes Elliot Dinkin. "Working together, finance and HR departments can better align their workforce strategy with business goals, determine the best way to successfully deliver benefits and ultimately increase ROI," Dinkin writes.

Annual surveys are a common way for organizations to measure employee engagement, but many companies say these surveys do not produce actionable data, writes Larry Stevens. New survey tools seek to address this issue by providing granular data -- in real time and in graphical format -- that managers can use to assess engagement and uncover problem areas.

A survey gauging the effect of #MeToo on women's experiences in the workplace has found mixed results. "[W]hile blatant sexual harassment ... might be declining, workplaces may be seeing a 'backlash effect,' or an increase in hostility toward women," write researchers Stefanie Johnson, Ksenia Keplinger, Jessica Kirk and Liza Barnes.