Michelle Travis (she/her)

Why HR Professionals Should Be Involved In AI Strategy Development A 2026 study finds that most HR professionals are sidelined from AI strategy development, which reduces the efficiency, equity and acceptance of workplace AI initiatives.

New survey data finds that HR professionals are being sidelined from AI strategy development in the workplace, resulting in less efficient and less equitable AI initiatives that face greater employee resistance. www.forbes.com/sites/michel...

AI Notetakers Change How Much Women Versus Men Talk In Meetings A 2026 study finds that using AI notetakers equalizes men's and women's speaking time in workplace meetings, which improves collaboration and decision making quality.

Numerous studies have found that men tend to dominate workplace meetings, talking earlier, longer, and more often than women. So what happens when an AI notetaker is present? The gender airtime imbalance disappears. @readai.bsky.social @usfca-pr.bsky.social www.forbes.com/sites/michel...

Workplace Harassment Remains Prevalent As EEOC Rescinds Guidance A 2026 report finds workplace harassment remains prevalent and is often unreported. But the EEOC has hindered employer compliance by rescinding its harassment guidance.

www.forbes.com/sites/michel...

Women Exiting Workforce At Record Pace, New Catalyst Data Reveals Why Women exited the U.S. labor force at a record pace in 2025. A national survey by Catalyst reveals caregiving pressures as the main driver for women leaving the workplace.

Catalyst released new national survey data today revealing why women are leaving the U.S. labor force at record pace. Not surprisingly, it's not a lack of ambition. www.forbes.com/sites/michel...

Companies With Women Executives Have Better Workplace Safety Records A new study finds that U.S. companies with at least two women executives have significantly better workplace safety records, in part due to lower employee workloads.

A new study finds that U.S. companies with at least 2 women executives have significantly better workplace safety records, in part because their employees have less excessive workloads. www.forbes.com/sites/michel... @usfca-pr.bsky.social

5 State Employment Law Trends To Watch In 2026 State laws regulating the workplace are proliferating in the face of congressional inactivity, creating a complex employment law environment for multi-state employers.

State legislators are stepping into the employment law void created by Congressional inactivity on issues ranging from AI to menopause. In some areas, states are moving in opposite directions, creating a growing divide in employee rights. @usfca-pr.bsky.social www.forbes.com/sites/michel...

Google Images And AI Tools Fuel Age-Based Gender Bias In The Workplace A 2025 study finds that Google images depict women as younger than men across all occupations, and ChatGPT amplifies this age-related gender bias when evaluating resumes.

New research finds that Google images inaccurately depict women as younger than men across all occupations. And this age-related gender bias is getting baked into AI Algorithms: ChatGPT shows the same age-related gender bias when generating and evaluating resumes. www.forbes.com/sites/michel...

7 Large Companies Earn Gold Standard As Best Workplaces For Parents Seven of the 500 largest U.S. companies earned 2025 Gold Standard status as a parent-friendly workplace by meeting six best practices to support working parents.

New data out of UCLA Anderson School of Management has recognized 7 of the largest 500 U.S. companies for achieving Gold Standard status for meeting six best practices to support working parents. www.forbes.com/sites/michel...

Meta’s Plan To Evaluate Employees’ AI Use May Negatively Impact Women Meta's plan to evaluate employees' AI use in 2026 may pose gender bias concerns. New research finds that women who use AI are viewed as less competent than male AI users.

Meta just announced that it will start evaluating employees' AI use in its 2026 performance reviews. This poses hidden risks to women, as new research finds that women who use AI are viewed as less competent than men who use AI and produce identical work product. www.forbes.com/sites/michel...

Which Large U.S. Companies Scored Best On Paid Parental Leave In 2025? New data reveals key trends on paid leave policies among the 500 largest U.S. companies and highlights ten companies that scored highest on paid parental leave in 2025.

#paidleave www.forbes.com/sites/michel...

Best New 2026 Books On Workplace Inclusion And The Future Of DEI Companies face a challenging environment for diversity, equity and inclusion. Experts offer four new books in 2026 to help leaders effectively navigate the future of DEI.

www.forbes.com/sites/michel...

Rhode Island Law Fueling Trend To Protect Menopause In The Workplace Rhode Island's new law banning menopause discrimination and requiring reasonable workplace accommodations for menopause symptoms may fuel progress on other states' laws.

Rhode Island is the first state to enact a (bipartisan!) law prohibiting menopause discrimination in the workplace and requiring employers to provide reasonable accommodations for menopause symptoms. Other states are racing to catch up. www.forbes.com/sites/michel... @usfca-pr.bsky.social

More Men Taking Paternity Leave, Study Reveals Impact Of State Laws New data finds that men are taking paternity leave at high rates in states with mandatory paid family leave laws, but some gender gaps remain in paid leave use patterns.

New data from @momsfirst.bsky.social & @paidleaveforall.bsky.social finds major increase in number of men taking paternity leave to care for new children in states with mandatory leave leaves, but more work is needed to achieve gender parity. @usfca-pr.bsky.social www.forbes.com/sites/michel...

3 Ways Companies Can Support Employees Facing Domestic Violence Experts identify best practices for businesses to support employees facing domestic violence, which will reduce costs from lost productivity, turnover, and health care.

Domestic abuse costs U.S. businesses $3-5 billion annually from lost productivity, health care expenses, and workplace violence. Experts identify employer best practices on employee domestic abuse. (Spoiler alert: one tip involves redesigning your 401(k) plan.) www.forbes.com/sites/michel...

Most Employees Support DEI, Revealing Talent Risk From DEI Retreat A 2025 survey finds employee support for diversity, equity and inclusion across age, gender, race and ethnicity lines, revealing risks of talent loss from DEI retreat.

The majority of employees support DEI across gender, age, race and ethnicity lines, based on 2025 survey data. Corporate action on DEI is also impacting employees' career decision making, revealing the talent acquisition risk from DEI retreat. www.forbes.com/sites/michel... @usfca-pr.bsky.social

Women Who Use AI At Work Face A Predictable ‘Competence Penalty’ Women who use AI are seen as less competent than men who use AI, even when producing identical work. This reflects a common gender bias known as the "competence penalty."

A new study finds that when women and men both use AI to produce identical work product, the women are viewed as less competent than the men. Add this to list of ways that women face a "competence penalty" at work - and learn three strategies for disrupting this bias. www.forbes.com/sites/michel...

3 Resources To Help Companies Design And Defend Legal DEI Programs Most business leaders still view diversity, equity and inclusion as a business necessity. Legal experts offer advice for designing and defending lawful DEI initiatives.

Legal experts cut through the political rhetoric to remind business leaders about what the law actually requires and permits when it comes to DEI.
@usfca-pr.bsky.social www.forbes.com/sites/michel...

The Mistake Most Companies Make When Offering Abortion Care Benefits While more companies are offering coverage for abortion care and travel, most are creating legal risks by failing to protect employees' private reproductive health data.

Since Dobbs, more companies' health benefits plans cover abortion care and abortion-related travel expenses. But most firms are making a crucial mistake: not safeguarding the private reproductive health data from their employees' benefits use. www.forbes.com/sites/michel... @usfca-pr.bsky.social

3 Small Companies Recognized For Paid Leave Innovation In 2025 Index The 2025 Leading on Leave Index highlights top small companies on paid leave, while revealing the need for public policies to close the gap between small and large firms.

Need some good news in your feed? Cheers to 3 small companies that are working hard to invest in paid leave, despite the lack of public policies to support their efforts. Learn about key trends in paid leave among small and mid-sized firms in my latest Forbes article. www.forbes.com/sites/michel...

Supreme Court Didn’t Make DEI Illegal In Ames Ruling, Lawyers Explain The U.S. Supreme Court's decision in Ames eliminated an initial hurdle for Title VII reverse discrimination claims in some states, but lawyers say that DEI remains legal.

DEI critics are hailing the Supreme Court's ruling in Ames v. Ohio Dep't of Youth Servs as the final nail in the corporate DEI coffin. But legal experts say that's more rhetoric than reality: standard DEI programs are still legal under Title VII. www.forbes.com/sites/michel... @usfca-pr.bsky.social

4 Large Companies Top List For Best Paid Leave Policies In 2025 Index Leading on Leave Report highlights paid leave trends among large companies, including expanding eligibility, easing barriers to use, and covering wider caregiving needs.

Employee demand for paid leave is higher than ever. Which companies are responding? The National Partnership for Women & Families released its 2025 Leading on Leave Report today, recognizing company leaders and highlighting paid leave trends. www.forbes.com/sites/michel... @usfca-pr.bsky.social

Corporate Social Responsibility Is Adapting, Survey Reveals Key Trends Despite external pressures against corporate social responsibility, companies are still investing in CSR, while strategically adapting their focus and communications.

New data reveals that investment in corporate social responsibility programs continues to thrive, while adapting strategically to external demands. Learn about the current trends in CSR in my latest Forbes article. @usfca-pr.bsky.social www.forbes.com/sites/michel...

Workers Want Companies To Keep Fighting For Reproductive Rights More than half of employed adults in the U.S. say companies should publicly support reproductive rights. Companies that stay silent may face a competitive disadvantage.

The majority of employed adults in the U.S. believe that companies should speak out in support of reproductive rights and that companies should work with lawmakers to protect access to reproductive health care. www.forbes.com/sites/michel... @usfca-pr.bsky.social @usfca-pr.bsky.social

The PUMP Act Turns Two, But Most Employers Still Aren’t In Compliance Most employers are still not complying with the federal PUMP Act, which requires them to provide employees a private room and break time to express breast milk at work.

Today's marks two years since the PUMP Act gave employees the power to sue employers that violate their federal right to safe and protected lactation in the workplace. So how are employers doing? New research finds there's still work to be done. www.forbes.com/sites/michel... @usfca-pr.bsky.social

Companies Face Increasing Talent Shortage In States With Abortion Bans States with abortion bans create talent shortages by driving away young, educated workers. This link reveals another reason why reproductive rights are a business issue.

Need more evidence that reproductive rights are a business issue? www.forbes.com/sites/michel... @usfca-pr.bsky.social

Netflix Doc Reveals Risks To Kid Stars, As States Gut Child Labor Laws The Netflix docuseries, "Bad Influence: The Dark Side of Kidfluencers," highlights the inadequacies of U.S. child labor laws, while many states are weakening protections.

It took a Netflix docuseries on kidfluencers to make me notice a disturbing trend: many states are rolling back child labor laws (while child labor violations are on the rise). Learn what's fueling the deregulation of child labor in the U.S. in my latest Forbes article. @usfca-pr.bsky.social

10 Experts Say New EEOC Guidance Misleads Employers About Lawful DEI Ten former EEOC officials set the record straight on the legality of employers’ diversity, equity and inclusion practices, in a statement defending DEI on April 3, 2025.

Ten former EEOC officials set the record straight on the legality of employers' diversity, equity, and inclusion practices in an April 3, 2025 Statement. www.forbes.com/sites/michel... @usfca-pr.bsky.social

7 Experts Rebuke EEOC For Unlawful Anti-DEI Targeting Of Employers Seven former officials of the Equal Employment Opportunities Commission have challenged the legality of the Acting Chair's unprecedented anti-DEI targeting of 20 firms.

Seven former EEOC officials sent a letter to the EEOC's Acting Chair Lucas rebuking her anti-DEI targeting of law firms as illegal. The letter isn't just an exercise in courage: it's a legal blueprint for employers who refuse to comply with the EEOC's unlawful anti-DEI tactics. @usfca-pr.bsky.social

Gender Identity Discrimination Still Illegal, Lawyers Remind Employers Executive orders can't change federal or state laws governing private sector employers, and companies can still get sued if they discriminate against transgender employees.

Legal experts remind business leaders that despite the Administration's anti-trans agenda, the law has not changed: It is still unlawful for most employers to discriminate against transgender employees because of their gender identity. @usfca-pr.bsky.social

3 Ways That Gender Bias Fuels Employee Burnout In Women Women have higher rates of job burnout, partly due to juggling greater caregiving duties. But new research shows that gender bias in the workplace also plays a key role.

Women’s higher rates of burnout are often attributed to women’s disproportionate caregiving responsibilities. But women’s double shift is only part of the picture. New research finds that 3 forms of gender bias in the workplace may also contribute to women's job burnout. @usfca-pr.bsky.social