Will second time be the charm?  Julie Su, the Acting Secretary of Labor, was renominated for the Secretary position a second time.  The first time she failed to get through the Senate process as Senator Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., said he would not back her.  There has been no change in support for Ms. Su. Therefore, her nomination will be squeaker if successful.

Flexibility is a key benefit for employees:  Flexibility is now the most sought-after work benefit in the world. For many workers, flexibility has shifted from being a perk to being an essential job component. In a survey conducted by the Harris Poll, eight out of 10 workers said a flexible schedule was important when considering taking a new job. In fact, a flexible schedule is now more important to job seekers than employer retirement contributions and unlimited PTO.  Flexibility is not remote work.  At the center of flexibility is autonomy. What many workers crave more than just working from home is the freedom to figure out for themselves how, when, or where to work. It is this ability to apply personal preferences to work arrangements or respond in real time to unexpected life developments that truly determines whether an employee experiences flexibility. With true flexibility, employees get influence and adaptability. Flexibility, in some places, may also mean allowing workers to tune in to when they are most productive. When employees enjoy more control, choice, and influence over their work arrangements, they take more ownership of their work, which they perform with greater care and attention over time. Flexibility is part of the recipe for true employee engagement.  Source:  Strategic CHRO 1/3/23

Judge rules federal contractor EEO-1 reports must be released by DOL: Will Evans, a reporter with The Center for Investigative Reporting, submitted a Freedom of Information Act request to the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) seeking the consolidated (or Type 2) EEO-1 Reports for all federal contractors from 2016 through 2019. The OFCCP provided contractors with the opportunity to object and released the EEO-1 Reports of those contractors who did not object. Meanwhile, Mr. Evans and his organization filed suit against the U.S. Department of Labor (of which the OFCCP is a sub-agency) to obtain a court order requiring the OFCCP to release the remaining EEO-1 Reports for all contractors.  The judge just ruled they must be released.  The court ordered the OFCCP to produce the remaining EEO-1 Reports of contractors within 28 days (or by January 19), but then issued a subsequent order extending that deadline to February 20 – the deadline for the DOL to file an appeal.  Source:  Constangy 1/2/24

New OSHA rule to require greater reporting detail in workplace incidents:  An Occupational Safety and Health Administration rule going into effect  will require about 50,000 employers to beef up their reporting of workplace incidents to OSHA. The details will be published on the agency’s website. The new rule applies to companies with 100 or more employees in industries with hazardous jobs. “Food production, manufacturing, health care. Basically, those jobs that have been shown in the past to be more dangerous,” said Jordan Barab, an OSHA official in the Barack Obama administration.  He said employers will have to report the details of basically any injury that requires more than first aid, something they we’re already supposed to be doing, but only for their internal records. “What’s different now is that this information is being sent into OSHA and then put on its web page,” Barab said. “Previously, OSHA only had access to that information when OSHA went and actually physically inspected a workplace.”  Source: Marketplace 12/29/23

Workers aren’t feeling it:  MyPerfectResume® has found that 85% of workers are worried that they will lose their jobs in 2024 with 50% saying they are a “little worried” and 35% saying they are “definitely worried.” Other key findings from the survey, which polled over 1,800 U.S. based respondents in October 2023, also reflect a negative sentiment from job seekers as we head into 2024:

•             8 in 10 respondents (78%) expect a recession in the US in 2024;

•             69% believe that competition for jobs will increase in 2024;

•             Nearly half (4%) predict a reduction in remote job openings;

•             8 in 10 respondents (78%) fear losing their jobs due to the growth of AI in 2024;

•             62% expect the labor market will be more stressful than in previous years; and

•             40% predict more people will suffer job burnout in 2024.

Source: MyPerfectResume® 1/2/23

Numbers are in – December job growth still positive, with the exception of manufacturing:  Private employers added 164,000 jobs in December and annual pay was up 5.4% year-over-year. Job gains rose for the fourth straight month, led by a healthy bump in leisure and hospitality hiring. Construction held strong in the face of high interest rates, but manufacturing continued to struggle, notching another month of losses.  Source:  ADP 1/4/23