AIM HR Helpline data for the first seven months of 2026 shows employers spending much of their time navigating four issues: leave, compliance, discipline, and wage-and-hour.

Those areas accounted for roughly three-quarters of calls from January through July, with a handful of questions recurring especially often.

The first seven months of calls offer a useful snapshot of what is landing on HR desks across Massachusetts.

Get the complete picture. The Helpline Call Insights Report charts month-by-month trends and explains what each issue means for Massachusetts employees. Most Frequent Topics of Conversation

Four categories made up approximately 76 percent of all Helpline calls during the period:

• Time off and leave: the single largest category, at about one-quarter of all calls.
• Compliance: handbooks, policies, recordkeeping, and evolving regulations
• Discipline and termination: conducting and documenting both fairly
• Wage and hour: pay, deductions, classification, and final wages

PFML Drives Leave Questions

Time off and leave generated more questions than any other category, driven largely by Massachusetts Paid Family and Medical Leave (PFML). More than half of leave calls involved PFML, making it the most frequently raised subject on the helpline – roughly one call in seven.

The most challenging leave questions rarely involved PFML, FMLA, earned sick time, or workers’ compensation in isolation. They arose when programs overlapped: How does intermittent leave work? Does PFML run concurrently with FMLA? What happens when an employee exhausts leave but still cannot return to work? How long does job protection last?

The Questions Employers Ask Most

1. PFML: eligibility, intermittent leave, and coordination with other leaves
2. Pay: overpayments, permissible deductions, and amounts owed at termination
3. Handbooks and policies: updates, sample language, and the need for an AI-use policy
4. Immigration: I-9 and E-Verify questions and shifting work-authorization rules
5. Workers’ compensation: claims, denials, and return-to-work
6. Earned sick time: accrual, use, and interaction with discipline
7. Work hours and breaks: compensable time, meal breaks, and overtime
8. Exempt versus non-exempt: proper classification under the Fair Labor Standards Act
9. FMLA: federal eligibility and coordination with state leave
10. Employee complaints: complaints, conduct concerns, and investigations

Most questions surround routine workplace situations, and each carries the potential for significant liability when handled incorrectly.

Call volume held steady through the spring before reaching its high point in July. The seasonal pattern suggests employers would be well served to review their leave and wage policies before the summer months, when demand on those policies tends to peak.

What It Means for Massachusetts Employers

The data points to several priorities worth addressing before questions become problems.

Prepare for leave. Massachusetts PFML is complex and seldom operates in isolation. Employers should maintain a written PFML policy, train managers to identify and track intermittent leave, and map how their leave programs — FMLA, earned sick time, and workers’ compensation — interact before a request arises.

Treat the Wage Act seriously. Massachusetts wage mistakes can get expensive fast. Violations can lead to treble damages and attorneys’ fees, and in some cases owners and officers may be personally liable. Employers also need to remember that a discharged employee’s final wages are due on the day of termination. Classification decisions, final pay, and payroll deductions are all areas worth reviewing carefully before a problem arises.

Make sure sick time fits with your other policies. Problems can occur when earned sick time overlaps with PFML, PTO, or an attendance policy. Employers should be clear about which policy applies, how time will be tracked, and when an absence may or may not result in discipline. Supervisors need the same guidance, so employees are not getting different answers depending on who they ask.

Keep an eye on newer issues. Immigration and work-authorization questions increased during the first half of 2026 as federal requirements shifted. Another new concern is AI and handbook policies to regulate its use in the workplace. Employers should ensure their I-9 records are in order, stay current with work-authorization changes, and decide how employees can and cannot use AI at work.

How AIM HR Solutions Can Help

Some HR questions can be answered quickly. Others can turn into much bigger problems if they are handled the wrong way.

AIM HR Solutions helps employers work through both. Our team supports organizations of all sizes with leave of absence management, I-9 audits, compliance and best-practice assessments, workplace investigations, recruiting, employee handbooks, supervisor and HR training, and fractional HR support for short- or long-term needs.

“Our members call because these are the kinds of questions that can have real consequences, and the answer is not always obvious. Looking across seven months of calls, the same issues kept coming up: leave, wages, compliance, and discipline. Leaves stood out the most, especially when PFML, FMLA, sick time, and workers’ comp overlapped. Employers in the strongest position are usually those that already have clear policies and managers who know how to apply them.” – Kyle Pardo, Executive Vice President of AIM HR Solutions

AIM HR Solutions · AIMHRSolutions.com · HRInfo@AIMHRSolutions.com · 617.488.8321

— https://aimhrsolutions.com/masshr-helpline-report/

The report reflects an analysis of AIM HR Solutions helpline calls from January through July 2026 with all identifying details removed. It is intended as general guidance, not legal advice; employers should confirm the specific requirements that apply to their circumstances.