Image by mohamed Hassan from Pixabay
2019 was a busy year for HR compliance. That’s a true statement even if we forget about all that went down in New Jersey.
Among other things, the U.S. Department of Labor announced a final rule to make 1.3 million American workers eligible for overtime pay under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). The DOL also made it easier to offer perks and benefits to your employees and still pay those workers properly and clarified that an employee may take FMLA leave to discuss a child’s special education needs at school.
The National Labor Relations Board provided employers several holiday gifts:
- restoring longstanding arbitral deferral standards,
- restoring an employer’s right to restrict employee use of email,
- approving greater confidentiality in workplace investigations, and
- modifying representation case procedures
And while it was a pretty quiet employment law year at the Supreme Court, we’re damn close to learning whether Title VII makes it unlawful to discriminate against an employee based on LGBT status.
But, what interested you the most?
My minions have compiled for me the most popular posts in 2019 at The Employer Handbook. Here’s the Top 5:
5. Your EEO-1 will now take 3.4 hours longer to complete
4. I come bearing HR-compliance gifts for you today
3. U.S. Department of Labor flips the bird for FMLA-eligible employees who then try to decline FMLA leave
2. Do we have to pay out accrued PTO when an employee separates?
And the number one post:
1. When can you fire the employee who just complained about discrimination or took FMLA leave?
Looking over this list, I’ve concluded that ya’ll scare me and I’m glad that I don’t work for you miserable monsters. But, since you’re my miserable monsters, if you keep reading in 2020; I’ll keep writing.
And here’s to an HR-compliant, lawsuit-free 2020! Well, lawsuit-free(ish). Daddy’s got to eat chateaubriand.