Who’d expect religious discrimination raising its head: Kanye West (who now goes by Ye) and his latest headline-making commentary may be the most public example of the insidious nature of antisemitism — which could be more widespread in recruiting than assumed, data released Nov. 22 by ResumeBuilder shows.

Congress passes bill voiding NDAs in cases of sexual assault, harassment:  The Speak Out Act would allow those who have experienced sexual assault or sexual harassment in the workplace — and who have signed Non-Disclosure Agreements (NDAs) — to talk about their experiences. The Speak Out Act would render unenforceable workplace pre-dispute non-disclosure and non-disparagement clauses involving sexual assault and sexual harassment.  Source:  HR Dive 11/16/22

Minimum wage increases for 2023:  Minimum wage increases already scheduled for 2023 are found for the following 12 states:

This past Sunday, we ushered daylight saving time (DST) out, and welcomed back standard time by falling back one hour.  While gaining an hour is a little easier than losing an hour, is any of it necessary anymore?

Allowing or encouraging social media posts leads to cyber risks at work: Tweeting, Instagramming, and even TikToking through the workday has become a common (and even encouraged) practice. But are those seemingly harmless social media habits creating potentially harmful cybersecurity risks?  On average, organizations experience 13 data exposures and risks per employee per day, according to Code42, a risk management platform.

Daylight Savings Time ends November 6: When clocks are turned back an hour in the early morning on November 6th, workers on the midnight shift at that time will actually work an extra hour.

Continue using the current I-9 until further notice: Employers should continue using the Form I 9, Employment Eligibility Verification, after its expiration date of Oct. 31, 2022, until further notice. DHS will publish a Federal Register notice to announce the new version of the Form I 9 once it becomes available.  Source:  USCIS 10/12/22

Despite a long-standing hypothesis that personality traits remain relatively stable over most of a person’s adult life, the COVID-19 pandemic may have altered personalities, especially in younger adults, according to a new study published this week in the open-access journal, PLOS ONE.

Michigan court allows City of Jackson, Michigan to tax remote worker who works for company located in city: The Michigan Court of Appeals held that it was not illegal for the City of Jackson to require a company located there to withhold city income taxes from the pay of an employee working remotely outside the city.

Another California first, protecting off-duty marijuana use: Beginning on January 1, 2024, California employers will be prohibited from discharging employees or refusing to hire individuals based on their off-duty use of marijuana.

If you have a policy how to communicate absences, don’t let managers deviate:  In a recent ruling, Roberts v. Gestamp (Decided August 15, 2022), the Fourth Circuit reversed, in part, the lower court’s decision to grant the Company’s motion for summary judgment on the grounds that the employee did not follow the Company’s “usual and customary” absence notice procedures as required by the Family and Medical Leave Act (“FMLA”). 

OFCCP extends deadline for EEO-1 Type 2 report objections to October 19: OFCCP announced an intention to produce federal contractors’ Type 2 EEO-1 data in response to a FOIA request from the Center for Investigative Reporting (CIR). 

Is there a growing drug problem in the workplace?  With the legalization of marijuana in many states, drug use appears to be growing for young working age employees.  Marijuana and hallucinogen use among young adults has reached a new high.

And you wonder why you cannot find employees:  Detroit unemployment rate dropped 1.1% to 3.5%. Grand Rapids is 3.6%.  Maybe you need to look at other areas in the state-unemployment rates range from 4-6%.  Flint is at 6.7%, Muskegon at 6.2%.  Even Ann Arbor is at 4%.  Source BLS 8/31/22

ICE is moving to permanent review of I-9 forms remotely:  The federal government has moved to permanently allow employers to review Form I-9 identification documents remotely, according to a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking published August 18.