Employers, the new year is almost here. We hope your business is prosperous, your hiring policies are effective (and updated), your managers are trained, and you were not subject to workplace inspections by federal, state, or local agencies.
Looking back at 2022 can help employers set the bar for 2023.
Looking back helps us move forward. Profits, productivity, and efficiency should increase, but employers want headcount reductions and costs (especially off-budget) to decrease.
Let’s Dive Right In
RTO or “back to office” It was once again a contentious topic in the workplace this year, with an ongoing battle between employers who want to work physically and employees who would rather work remotely. Employers were struggling with their return-to-work policies.
I advised employers to be flexible in their RTO policies. Employers are focused on maintaining workplace culture, but both productivity and inclusive corporate culture depend largely on private organisations’ face-to-face time.
RTO should be done judiciously and holistically. Returning to in-person operations will vary by industry, size, office state, mask plans, federal, state and local laws (including discrimination concerns and his COVID-19 guidance).
As we have seen, by strictly adhering to face-to-face attendance, quiet end. According to this washington post article, “[Q]Quiet is a new term for the old idea of employee turnover. “
Some workers define it as doing the bare minimum. Others think it’s about setting reasonable boundaries and saying no to being late or endless emails or Slack calls.
One of the most important factors in a quiet retirement is whether employees feel they have a good work-life balance. Whatever the definition, the goal is the same. That means decoupling employee identities from their work so they can invest more of their time and energy elsewhere.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2022/12/28/quiet-quitting-rto-workplace-buzzwords-faq-productivitiy-paranoia/#UC5I6ODJI5HENAZGYZGWISLZAQ-1
Organizations are looking for dedicated employees. Engagement is productive and profitable.
How can employers get their employees involved? Consider what your employees want before mandating an in-person day at the office. Plan with flexibility and empathy.
Employers have reported concerns that their employees are unable to be productive at home. This is often not true, but the solution lies in management. train the manager To
Document We will notify you via email if there are any performance and engagement issues. in real time. Yes, same day.
Employees want flexibility, and when implementing administrative guardrails when productivity or performance is flagged, there is little reason not to offer it.
what else?
Sexual harassment in the workplace continued to gain prominence.
Some states, such as New York, have added preventive measures to their anti-discrimination laws and requirements. For example, the state of New York amended human rights law to expand “retaliation,” prohibiting employers from publishing or disclosing employee personnel files in response to protected activities. When The Empire State maintains a statewide, toll-free, confidential hotline, 1-800-1, for individuals who have experienced sexual harassment in the workplace, along with real-world attorneys who provide pro bono assistance and counseling to those who call. Established HARASS-3 (1-800-427-2773).
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has been pretty busy Investigate allegations of systematic sexism and harassment.
We published a new pregnancy rights poster to combat pregnancy discrimination and a new “Know Your Rights” poster not once but twice in October.
The EEOC has filed countless lawsuits and settled such (often six-figure) employer claims against the employers of managers who did not stop or report the harassment.
About this employer who demonstrated comprehensive leadership by responding quickly to sexual harassment complaints, communicating transparently with employees, and firing harassers after thoroughly investigating the matter. We talked.
The new Federal Speak Out Act prohibits agreed upon or agreed upon confidentiality and non-discrimination clauses. before a dispute arises Engages in sexual harassment or sexual assault in violation of federal, tribal, or state law; (Yes, that italicized bit is important.)
Employers who have strong and clear anti-harassment policies, follow those policies and lead by example do Helps you comply with state and federal laws prohibiting sexual (and other) harassment.
antisemitism reared its ugly head A famous NBA player’s refusal to disavow anti-Semitism at work for the beginning and end of 2022 – These blogs will help employers on what they can do to prevent anti-Semitism in the workplace. Mostly a reminder: Many people have written to me saying they can’t believe anti-Semitism is still prevalent in 2022.
received by the employer new pandemic guidance From the EEOC on COVID-19 Testing.
Employers also addressed new issues, such as whether and how to offer additional benefits to women seeking to terminate a pregnancy in the wake of Landmark. dobbs vs jackson U.S. Supreme Court decision.
Mainstreaming mental health After mental illness continued to surge, more people were working, prompting the U.S. Department of Labor to launch a public awareness and education campaign on the importance of mental health-friendly workplaces.This blog about DOL’s campaign Check out the resources and toolkits I linked in.
have seen the importance of finally ChattingRegarding mental health at work, according to the results of one study (pre-pandemic), nearly 85% of people said they were uncomfortable discussing mental health at work, and NAMI said that It is estimated that 8 in 10 workers with the condition are not receiving treatment. Because of the shame and stigma that comes with it.
I think one of my biggest professional achievements this year was organizing a discussion group on mental health.
my My workplace I wrote here.
Others, especially my legal partner Eric Meyer, write great blogs almost every day. If you missed Eric, his legal partner Christina his boss his Seaton, and my conversation with myself earlier this month about his 2023 hiring update, you can watch it on Eric’s YouTube channel.
That’s not all. New non-compete bans (or restrictions), increased union activity, a continued focus on fairness and inclusion, and additional paid family leave laws have appeared in some jurisdictions.
This just scratches the surface as a pirouette from 2022 to 2023. Employers, are you ready?
The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide on the subject. You should seek professional advice for your particular situation.
