Articles by Editorial Staff

December 21, 2020

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New York Sick Leave Requirements Are Fully Effective January 1st

In 2021, New York State and New York City employers need to prepare for new and amended sick leave requirements. The New York State Paid Sick Leave Law goes into effect on January 1st, 2021. In addition, amendments to the New York City Paid Safe and Sick Leave Law are effective the same day. As a result of those amendments, New York City employees’ paid sick leave entitlements will expand. Ove...

December 18, 2020

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Federal Agencies Release Joint Interim Final Rule on COVID Vaccines

In late October, the Trump Administration released an interim final rule (IFR) regarding employer health plan coverage of COVID-19 vaccines. In summary, the IFR provides rules from multiple federal agencies, including the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), Department of Labor (DOL), and Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Certainly, with the recent release of COVID-19 vaccines from Pf...

December 15, 2020

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Final Rule for Faith-Based Organizations Issued

On December 14th, 2020, the Department of Labor (DOL) announced a joint final rule to implement an Executive Order (EO) affecting faith-based organizations. In conjunction with eight other agencies, the DOL implemented President Donald Trump’s EO 13831 from May 2018. Under EO 13831, religious and non-religious organizations need to experience equal treatment in DOL-supported programs. The origi...

December 14, 2020

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Final Rule Issued for Grandfathered Group Health Plan Flexibility

On December 11th, 2020, the U.S. Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Treasury announced a joint final rule. The rule amends the requirements for grandfathered group health plans and grandfathered group health insurance coverage to preserve grandfather status. This final rule follows a long line of final rules that the Department of Labor has released in recent months. Overview...

December 11, 2020

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Labor Department Issues Employee Benefit Plan Rights Final Rule

On December 11th, 2020, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) released a final rule on employee benefit plan shareholder rights. This regulatory framework, created for private employee benefit plan fiduciaries, includes information on proxy voting. It also discusses rules for when fiduciaries select and monitor proxy advisory firms. This announcement comes a month after the DOL released a final ru...

December 8, 2020

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EEOC Launches Resource to Track Employment Trends

On December 2nd, 2020, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) launched a new interactive tool called “EEOC Explore.” EEOC Explore is a data query and mapping tool that gives users the most current aggregate EEO-1 data publicly available. Users can analyze aggregate data associated with more than 56 million emplo...

December 7, 2020

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Department of Labor Releases 2020 Form 5500 Series Annual Report

The Department of Labor’s (DOL’s) Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA) has announced the release of the Form 5500 Annual Return/Report. The 2020 form, released December 2nd, 2020, was in conjunction with the IRS and the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC). The release includes the Form 5500-SF and the IRS released Form 5500-EZ, which now also appears on the EBSA website. It ...

December 3, 2020

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Centers for Disease Control Issues Guidance on Shorter Quarantines

On December 2nd, 2020, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued new quarantine guidance. This revision allows people possibly exposed to COVID-19 to shorten their own quarantine period. The CDC currently recommends a quarantine period of 14 days. However, based on local circumstances and resources, the agency has announced acceptable alternative options that could shorten qua...

December 1, 2020

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Interim Final Rule on H-1B Visa Classification to Go into Effect

On December 7th, 2020, an important interim final rule (IFR) from U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) will officially take effect. This IFR, “Strengthening the H-1B Nonimmigrant Visa Classification Program," was originally published on October 8th, 2020. According to the DHS, the IFR strengthens H-1B nonimmigrant visa programs, protects U.S. workers, and restores the program’s integr...

November 30, 2020

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Department of Labor: Protect Workers and Their Pay During the Holidays

The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) has a reminder for employers this holiday season regarding safety and pay. Firstly, as enforced by the DOL’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), employers must keep employees safe in the workplace. Secondly, under laws enforced by the DOL’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD), employers must also protect worker pay by following proper wage & ho...

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Editorial Staff

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Practical articles on HR, Safety, compliance, and people operations—written for real businesses, not legal textbooks.

Latest EEOC Enforcement Data Shows Increased Pre-Litigation Activity

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) recently released its FY 2025 performance and enforcement results. In a news release dated April 6th, 2026, the agency reported increased monetary recoveries for victims of employment discrimination and increased enforcement activity overall....

EEOC Pens Letter to Companies Regarding Title VII Compliance and DEI Initiatives

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NLRB Officially Reinstates Previous 2020 Joint Employer Standard

On February 26th, 2026, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) officially reinstated its 2020 Joint Employer standard. Specifically, to do so, the agency needed to formally withdraw a 2023 Joint Employer standard. That final rule was to go into effect on February 26th, 2024.

OSHA Releases New Job Safety and Health Workplace Poster

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has released a new workplace job safety and health notice. Specifically, the OSHA Cares Job Safety and Health poster informs workers about their rights under the Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Act. Per OSHA’s poster page, employers do...

Agency Releases Newly Proposed Independent Contractor Status Rule; Seeks Employer Comments

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Articles by Editorial Staff