Melissa is a trusted HR advisor with 20 years of experience across government contracting, healthcare, nonprofits, and other sectors. A certified mediator skilled in conflict resolution, she helps organizations strengthen benefits, compliance, and the everyday employee relationships that keep a workplace healthy.
By:
Melissa Hajjar
July 29th, 2026
Deepfake candidates now top the list of hiring worries, but the reflex to bolt on more screening tests can drive away the honest applicants you want most. The fix is a more human hiring process, not a more suspicious one. Here is how to do both at once.
By:
Melissa Hajjar
May 4th, 2026
Most M&A deals fall short because of people problems, not financial ones. This guide covers what CHROs and senior HR leaders should focus on, from HR due diligence before close to communication, talent retention, and long-term integration planning.
By:
Melissa Hajjar
April 1st, 2025
My first job in HR required a heck of a lot of filling out paper forms, and even more time filing them all away. There was a form for everything. Each one triggered a chain reaction of manual events, which usually included personally escorting the document all over for various signatures.
By:
Melissa Hajjar
January 12th, 2024
Each month, around 1.2 million American workers take illness-related time off from work. That's a staggering number, equivalent to 75% of Walmart's entire U.S. workforce taking sick leave!
By:
Melissa Hajjar
December 15th, 2023
Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs) are a popular, tax-efficient way to help people deal with everyday health costs. Employees participating in eligible health plans can make an affordable, pre-tax contribution to spending accounts each month, and then use those savings when they need to cover a medical expense.
By:
Melissa Hajjar
May 31st, 2023
There were so many details to consider in the early days of the pandemic. Many of us were operating quickly and without a rulebook to provide guidance. So when USCIS issued guidance permitting employers to complete I-9 forms virtually, we all jumped for joy and started scheduling Zoom verifications.