EEO-1 reporting opening in March:  Due to the partial lapse in appropriations, the opening of the EEO-1 has been postponed until early March 2019. The deadline to submit EEO-1 data will be extended until May 31, 2019. The EEO-1 is an annual survey that requires all private employers with 100 or more employees; federal government contractors, or first-tier subcontractors with 50 or more employees and a federal contract, subcontract, or purchase order amounting to $50,000 or more to file the EEO-1 report. The filing of the EEO-1 report, is required by federal law per Section 709(c), Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as amended; and §1602.7–§1602.14, Title 29, Chapter XIV of the Federal Code of Regulations.  Source:  EEOC 2/1/19

Did you skip work last Monday? Employee absenteeism after major sports events like the Super Bowl is on the rise, suggests new research from staffing firm OfficeTeam. More than half of professionals (54%) know someone who's called in sick or made an excuse for skipping work following a big game. That's up from 41% three years ago. In a separate survey, senior managers identified playing hooky the day after (42%) as the most distracting or annoying employee behavior when it comes to sports, a 20-point jump from a similar survey in 2017.  Source: Robert Half 1/24/19

SHRM angers its members:  Sometimes doing the right thing can be considered wrong.  The Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) found itself in some hot water recently. Earlier this week, the organization announced its Getting Talent Back to Work pledge, a national initiative designed to promote the hiring of people with criminal backgrounds.  According to the announcement, the participating organizations are pledging to provide opportunities to qualified people with a criminal background who deserve a second chance.  Many believe an initiative like this is certainly necessary given the shortcomings of the nation’s prison industrial complex, which disproportionately affects minority populations and can often result in high rates of recidivism. These two factors alone significantly impact the likelihood of employment following release. According to SHRM, nearly 700,000 people are released from jail each year. Koch Industries is a partner to this effort.  However, opposition to the partnership between SHRM and Koch Industries can be seen across social media. Many of the comments include hashtag #fixitshrm (which was created before this announcement). While some of the posts recognized the importance of the initiative, they question why SHRM, a non-partisan organization, would link up with Koch brothers, who are known for promoting a libertarian agenda that can include eyebrow-raising practices.  Source:  Human Resource Executive 1/30/19

New CSALs are coming:  The Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) will be providing notice of Corporate Scheduling Announcement Letter (CSAL) sometime this month. A CSAL is a notice to the establishment to be selected to undergo a compliance review and an invitation to contractors to utilize the various compliance assistance resources and activities provided by OFCCP through its website, and through the district and regional offices. In September 2018, CSALs were both listed on the website and mailed out to 750 contractors.   However, it appears that the letters will not be sent out, but simply listed on the OFCCP website.  Federal contractors will have to check the OFCCP website to learn if they have been scheduled.  Scheduling letters will likely be sent out 60 days after CSAL posting on the website. 

Cadillac tax on hit list:  On January 24, Reps. Joe Courtney (D-Conn) and Mike Kelly (R-Pa) reintroduced H.R. 748, the Middle Class Health Benefits Tax Repeal Act, which would repeal the excise tax on high-cost health care plans, otherwise known as the “Cadillac tax.” Repeal of the Cadillac tax has broad bipartisan support in Congress, the legislators noted. In the previous Congressional session, over 300 members in the House of Representatives cosponsored repeal legislation.  The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) requires plan sponsors and insurers to pay a 40% excise tax on the excess cost of employer-sponsored health coverage for employees—amounts over $11,100 for employee-only and $29,750 for family coverage, adjusted for inflation annually. The tax has been delayed several times, most recently to 2022.  It could likely pass under the current administration.  Source:  CCH 2/1/19

Paycheck Fairness Act is back:  In advance of the identified-but-not-yet-announced hearing on gender-based wage discrimination, Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro and Senator Patty Murray reintroduced the Paycheck Fairness Act, which would expand remedies under the Equal Pay Act to include compensatory and punitive damages, weaken employer defenses to claims of pay discrimination, and ban reliance on salary history, among other things.  A version of the bill has been introduced in every Congress since 1997, but this time is co-sponsored by every democratic member of the House, as well as 45 senators.  It is unlikely to be passed in the senate, and if it is, by the 60 votes necessary to overcome a veto.  Source:  Seyfarth Shaw 1/31/19

Do you feel overloaded by new programs at work? HR teams are currently overloaded and find it difficult to scale to support new programs. That’s because on average, companies are using four technologies to manage workplace programs. While most organizations are using some automation to manage the tasks associated with workplace programs, less than half are fully automating any tasks. The more companies increase workplace benefits programs, the more hours HR spends on them.  According to a new survey from Espresa, the most time-consuming tasks are management of program details and creating and scheduling program/event promotion. Only 32% of HR professionals report these tasks are mostly automated.  The top-ranked benefit of automating workplace management is reducing human error, with 40% of HR professionals identifying that as a benefit.  Source:  CCH 1/23/19