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In this installment of our Workplace Strategies Watercooler 2025 podcast series, Bill Grob (shareholder, Tampa) sits down with Jennifer Colvin (shareholder, Chicago) and Katie Terry (Assistant General Counsel—Vice President Legal, Mphasis) to discuss the impact of social influences on workforce motivations and communication styles across different generations in the workplace. The conversation focuses on how employers can maximize the strengths of their multigenerational workforce by promoting open communication, encouraging collaboration, providing employee training and individual development opportunities, and offering flexibility in work practices.

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In this installment of our Workplace Strategies Watercooler 2025 podcast series, shareholders Christina Mallatt (Indianapolis), who co-chairs the firm’s Drug Testing Practice Group, and Brent Kettelkamp (Minneapolis) discuss the history of drug testing and the current dynamics of this complex and rapidly evolving field. Brent and Christina focus on the implications of legal marijuana use and the growing prevalence of opioid use, whether legal or otherwise. The speakers also explore how employers can establish and enforce effective and legally compliant drug and alcohol testing policies and protocols that are specifically tailored to meet their workplace safety requirements and align with their company culture.

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In this installment of our Workplace Strategies Watercooler 2025 podcast series, John Stretton (shareholder, Stamford) and Maria Greco Danaher (shareholder, Pittsburgh) discuss mental well-being and mental health issues in the workplace. Maria and John highlight the challenges employers face when dealing with employees who have mental health conditions, and explore common issues, such as anxiety, depression, addictive behaviors, introversion, and discrimination concerns. The speakers provide tips on how to recognize, discuss, and manage anxiety among employees. They also share effective practices for promoting a professional and emotionally supportive work environment while properly handling accommodation requests under the Americans with Disabilities Act and addressing potential legal concerns.

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In this installment of our Workplace Strategies Watercooler 2025 podcast series, shareholders Heather Ptasznik (Detroit (Metro)), Dalton Green (Raleigh), and Burt Garland (St. Louis) discuss the most challenging aspects of leave management—with a particular focus on navigating the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA). Heather, Dalton, and Burt tackle the most common pain points in leave administration, including what frontline managers should listen for and how HR can proactively manage the process to minimize legal risks. The speakers answer the most common questions on managing the FMLA, covering topics such as what constitutes proper notice, chronic condition certifications, tracking intermittent leave, training for managers, keeping up with regulatory changes, and more.

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In this podcast, shareholders Nonnie Shivers (Phoenix) and Scott Kelly (Birmingham) discuss the complexities of participating in and/or sponsoring cultural events that celebrate diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in light of the current administration’s scrutiny of such programs. Using Pride Month as a focal point, Scott and Nonnie—who co-chairs the firm’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Compliance Practice Group—review the legalities and risks associated with these events. They also offer strategies for employers to balance celebration, education, and compliance while fostering an inclusive workplace.

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In this installment of our Workplace Strategies Watercooler 2025 podcast series, three key members of our Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Compliance Practice Group—Simone Francis (St. Thomas/New York), Scott Kelly (Birmingham), and Nonnie Shivers (Phoenix)—address the status of DEI initiatives as they face unprecedented scrutiny. The speakers start by level setting about the status of equal employment opportunity laws, Title VII, Section 1981, and protected characteristics, while outlining strategies for adapting to increased DEI oversight and initiatives from the new administration. Nonnie (who co-chairs the firm’s DEI Compliance Practice Group) drills down on the guardrails organizations can put in place regarding resource and affinity groups in the workplace, in addition to the legal status of quotas and preferences. Simone shares perspectives on the importance of identifying the goals of resource groups when assessing their legality and utility for an organization, and whether organizations have used objective data in designing these programs. Scott probes the usefulness of data regarding the policies, design, and implementation of resource groups especially when ensuring the practices of these groups do not go far afield from the policies used to implement them. Finally, Scott stresses the importance of internal and external communications regarding these programs while assessing their effectiveness.

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In this installment of our Workplace Strategies Watercooler 2025 podcast series, Tom Davis (shareholder, Nashville) and Tom Stanek (shareholder, Phoenix)—both of whom are chairs of the firm’s Traditional Labor Relations Practice Group—are joined by Sara E. Olschewske (shareholder, Greenville) to provide the latest updates from the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). Our speakers reflect on the NLRB under the former administration, when the agency overruled significant precedent and created new rules, most of which dramatically favored labor unions—and how the change in administration has created the opportunity to appoint a new general counsel and two new Board members. The panel also offers insights into what lies ahead for employers in light of the changes brought by the new administration and, in particular, what changes new leadership at the agency may bring to the NLRB and how quickly changes will be implements, and how will they impact employers.

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In this installment of our Workplace Strategies Watercooler 2025 podcast series, Jenn Betts (shareholder, Pittsburgh), Simon McMenemy (partner, London), and Danielle Ochs (shareholder, San Francisco) discuss the evolving landscape of artificial intelligence (AI) in the workplace and provide an update on the global regulatory frameworks governing AI use. Simon, who is co-chair of Ogletree’s Cybersecurity and Privacy Practice Group, breaks down the four levels of risk and their associated regulations specified in the EU AI Act, which will take effect in August 2026, and the need for employers to prepare now for the Act’s stringent regulations and steep penalties for noncompliance. Jenn and Danielle, who are co-chairs of the Technology Practice Group, discuss the Trump administration’s focus on innovation with limited regulation, as well as the likelihood of state-level regulation.

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Ogletree Deakins’ new podcast series, Payroll Brass Tax, offers insights into frequently asked questions about employment and payroll tax. In the inaugural episode, Mike Mahoney (shareholder, Morristown/New York) and Stephen Kenney (associate, Dallas) discuss paid time off (PTO) donation programs, which allow employees to support each other during challenging times, such as natural disasters or prolonged illnesses. Stephen and Mike explain the three types of PTO donation programs—general, medical emergency, and natural disaster—and highlight the tax implications and administrative considerations associated with each type. The speakers emphasize the importance of carefully structuring PTO donation programs to avoid potential tax issues, particularly those related to the assignment of income doctrine, which provides that income is taxed to the individual who earns it, even if the right to that income is transferred to someone else.