Hiring ex-offenders is one way to fill the current talent gap, says Tony Lee of the Society for Human Resource Management. Lee and other experts offer tips for making sure these hires are successful, including being transparent about recruiting plans and talking to other employers who have brought formerly incarcerated people into their organizations.

Santa Clara County's Office of Labor Standards Enforcement in California was created to oversee its Food Permit Enforcement Program to make sure workers are paid fairly and not exploited. The move comes after a 2015 analysis found the county has the highest number of wage theft claims per capita in the state.

The average premium for families with employer-provided health insurance coverage is $20,576, with employees paying an average of $6,015 toward the cost, according to a report from the Kaiser Family Foundation. Average deductibles also have increased from $1,573 last year to now $1,655.

Google Assistant and Amazon's Alexa are helping potential McDonald's employees apply for jobs using the standard voice prompts to begin the application process. Once applicants answer a few questions via their assistant, they receive a text with a link to complete their applications online.

Author and entrepreneur Caroline Stokes writes that there are seven trends shaping workplace practices, including flexible hours and focusing on financial, mental and emotional wellness of employees. Freelance workers, an aging workforce and use of artificial intelligence also are trends, Stokes asserts.