The American public is against racial preferences:  A new Pew Research Center report found that 74% think race and ethnicity should not be considered in admissions decisions. For gender, 82% think it shouldn’t be considered. The results extend to every racial group and to Democrats as well as Republicans. The findings come as the U.S. Supreme Court prepares to hear two cases, probably in October, on the future of affirmative action in admissions.

I got a new job, now I am looking for the next:  The Great Resignation is far from ebbing, a Lattice report suggests 52% of respondents having worked for three months or less in their new role reported they are actively trying to leave their current company.

What is the drop dead date for filing EEO-1 reports? Per an EEOC FAQ,  following the May 17, 2022 published deadline, the EEOC will enter the “failure to file” phase. All filers who have not submitted and certified their mandatory 2021 EEO-1 Component 1 Report(s) by the Tuesday, May 17, 2022, published deadline will receive a notice of failure to file instructing them to submit and certify their data AS SOON AS POSSIBLE, and NO LATER THAN TUESDAY, JUNE 21, 2022.

I-9 flexibility extended to October 31:  The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) announced an extension of the flexibility in complying with requirements related to Form I 9, Employment Eligibility Verification, due to COVID-19.

Boomerangs are growing:  Per LinkedIn, the percentage of employees that come back keeps rising. It amounted to 4.3% of all job switches last year, up from less than 2% in 2010. Second, the average time for such “boomerang hires” in the United States has shrunk to just 17.3 months after employees walk out the door, down from the 2010 norm of 21.8 months.

OFCCP updates the Veteran Hiring Benchmark:  The benchmark as of March 31, 2022 is now 5.5% (which is the estimate of the number of veterans in the workforce).  The unemployment rate for veterans is 2.4%.

Reminder:  EEO-1 reporting opens next Tuesday, April 12 and remains open until May 17^th.

I-9 Expired List B documents no longer acceptable starting May 1: DHS is ending the COVID-19 Temporary Policy for List B Identity Documents. Beginning May 1, employers will no longer be able to accept expired List B documents.

When HR is the problem:  A lawsuit against American Airlines was allowed to proceed that included allegations of improper investigation by HR.  In the complaint, a plaintiff alleged that the airline asked her to travel to Germany and join a team planning the new menu for its European International Business Class menu.

Remote I-9 flexibility continued until April 30:  The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) announced another extension of the flexibility in complying with requirements related to Form I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification, due to COVID-19.   This temporary guidance was set to expire Dec. 31, 2021. Because of ongoing precautions related to COVID-19, DHS has extended the Form I-9 requirement flexibility policy until April...

Vagueness and lack of specificity causes FMLA claim to fail: A dental office employee's references to sickness in her family were too vague to trigger Family and Medical Leave Act and COVID-19-related worker protections, a Florida federal judge said. The employee alleged that her termination the previous month was an illegal act of retaliation in response to her repeated requests for time away from work to care for her children, who she said were sick with COVID-19.

White House announced the nomination of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to Supreme Court:  Judge Jackson, following Justice Stephen Breyer’s upcoming retirement, is being nominated to take his place, with President Biden calling her “one of our nation’s brightest legal minds.” 

The 6^th Circuit Court of Appeals Vaccination ETS case is dismissed: Legal challenges to the now-defunct Occupational Safety and Health Administration's COVID-19 vaccine-or-testing rule for large employers officially ended last Friday, when the Sixth Circuit dismissed the case as moot following the U.S. Supreme Court's blockbuster January ruling that panned the regulations.

Michigan 2022 UIA contribution rates published: Contribution rates for employers with three or more years of experience will continue to range from 0.06% to 10.3% in 2022. The maximum rate of 10.3% includes a 6.3% maximum chargeable benefit component, a 3.0% maximum account building component, and a 1.0% maximum nonchargeable benefits component.

Remote and hybrid work here to stay new survey says: According to PricewaterhouseCoopers' (PwC) Executive Views on Business in 2022 Pulse Survey, 43% of business leaders plan to keep hybrid work options for employees, and 30% plan on making remote work a permanent option. In addition, 77% of executives see hiring and retaining employees as the two most important factors to consider in 2022. The survey -- which included 678 C-suite executives