Insights
Practical notes for Texas employers.
Written by Andrew M. Crawford from more than a decade inside HR and labor relations. General information, not legal advice about your situation.
Why employees hate engagement surveys, and what to do instead: a ten-minute check-in that measures real engagement
Annual engagement surveys are outdated the day they close and skewed by whatever happened that week. A short, conversational check-in throughout the year becomes a living engagement survey: it tracks goals, career growth, and performance, flags compliance problems early, and measures whether people are actually thriving.
Employment and labor arbitration in Texas: what it hears, what it does not, and when an arbitration agreement is worth it
How employment arbitration differs from court, which claims Texas employers cannot send to arbitration, what an enforceable arbitration agreement needs, how union grievance arbitration works, and how to weigh the cost against the benefit.
Workplace training done right: mandatory, message-driven, and targeted training that actually changes behavior
Three kinds of workplace training, what each is for, and why the best training does not stop at the class. Including targeted coaching after an investigation, when an employee did not break a serious rule but came too close.
The job description problem: how getting job classification wrong creates accommodation, workers' comp, and misclassification risk
A job description looks like paperwork until it is evidence. How a vague or outdated description and a wrong classification lead to ADA and pregnancy accommodation disputes, workers' comp problems, overtime and contractor misclassification, and pay equity claims, and how a good one attracts and keeps talent.
Job descriptions are living documents: why to audit them, and why to keep updating them
Jobs drift, laws change, and a description written three years ago may be wrong today. What a job description and classification audit covers, the events that should trigger an update, and how to keep descriptions current on a schedule you choose.
Affirmative action for federal contractors in 2026: what is still required, and what a well-run outreach program looks like
After the 2026 rules, federal contractors still owe affirmative action programs for protected veterans and individuals with disabilities. A well-run program never changes merit-based selection. It fishes in more ponds and develops talent.
Effective workplace investigations: speed, direct questions, and why an outside investigator pays for itself
Why the first 48 hours of a workplace investigation matter, how to ask direct questions, what a defensible termination looks like in at-will Texas, and when to bring in an outside investigator.
Texas unemployment claims: what an uncontested claim really costs an employer
How a Texas unemployment claim is charged to an employer's account, how chargebacks raise the state unemployment tax rate for about three years, and how to respond and win a TWC hearing.
Texas workers' compensation: what makes Texas different, and how employers should prevent and handle injuries
Texas is the only state where most private employers can opt out of workers' compensation. What subscribing and non-subscribing employers must do, the deadlines that matter, and how to prevent and respond to workplace injuries.