Illinois joins states with Paid Sick Leave for any reason: On January 10, 2023, the Paid Leave for All Workers Act (the “Act”), S.B. 208, passed both chambers in the Illinois Legislature, mere days into the new legislative session. The Act will require all employers in Illinois to provide up to 40 hours of paid leave per year to their workers, to be used for any reason. Illinois joins Maine and Nevada as the only states with such a mandate. This will make Illinois the seventeenth state to enact a statewide paid sick leave or general paid leave mandate.  Frontloading would be allowed.  For new employees, there would be a 90-day wait before they could use any leave. It would not be payable upon termination.  The new statewide law will go into effect on January 1, 2024.  Source:  Seyfarth Shaw 1/17/23

Gen Zers are less likely to report workplace misconduct:  The nonprofit Ethisphere Institute has released its annual Ethical Culture Report, which covers ethical trends in workplace environments and looked at in part employees’ willingness to report workplace misbehavior. A core finding?   According to the survey, 38.9% of Gen Z respondents said they did not report misconduct when they observed it, despite their professed willingness to report it. That compares with 31.8% of millennials who did not report observed misconduct and 27.6% of both Gen Xers and baby boomers.  Why for Gen Zers?  55.5% of respondents who witnessed workplace misconduct said they did not report it because they didn’t believe corrective action would be taken.  47.1% said they worried about retaliation for reporting misconduct.  41.2% said they feared they wouldn’t remain anonymous after reporting.  40.1% said they didn’t feel comfortable reporting on employees who were senior to them.  21% said they were afraid that reporting misconduct would hurt their team members.  According to the report’s authors, organizations must do more to show younger employees that they can trust their company.  Source:  Fast Company 1/12/23

More employees reducing savings for retirement:  Nearly half of U.S. adults (41%) who have been squirreling away for retirement stopped feathering their nest eggs last year due to soaring costs for everything from groceries and rent to monthly credit card and utility bills and mortgages. One in three adults dipped into retirement savings to make daily ends meet. The sobering findings, from a U.S. News & World Report "Retirement and Inflation" survey published Jan 10, come as a new law seeks to improve Americans' retirement readiness in the wake of jolts to the economy from the COVID-19 pandemic. "The survey data shows a clear correlation between the rise of inflation and Americans' delayed or altered retirement plans," Scott Nyerges, a senior insurance editor at 360 Reviews, a division of U.S. News, said in a statement. "Americans continue to worry about the future repercussions of the COVID-19 pandemic."  Source: EBN 1/11/23

Antisemitism is becoming more public in the workplace:  Across American culture, politics, and even business, expressions of antisemitism have grown louder in recent years. Incidents of antisemitic harassment, vandalism and assault reached a 42 year high in 2021, the most recent year with available data, according to the Anti-Defamation League. And there’s evidence that discrimination is seeping into the workplace, too.  A 2022 study published in the academic journal Socius surveying 11,356 workers of all faiths found that more than half of the Jewish respondents experienced discrimination at work — a higher percentage than any other religious group, besides Muslims. A smaller survey from November of 1,131 hiring managers and recruiters commissioned by ResumeBuilder.com had even starker findings: Nearly a quarter said they wanted fewer Jewish people in their industry and a similar share admitted they’re less likely to advance Jewish applicants. Among the top reasons cited for those discriminatory behaviors: Perceptions that Jewish people have too much power and wealth. “It would seem to confirm our concerns that the growing antisemitism in our society is also spilling over into the workplace,” said Vlad Khaykin of the Anti-Defamation League. Source:  Bloomberg 1/11/23

No salary range, less likely to apply:  The trend of workers demanding salary transparency shows no signs of slowing down. According to a recent survey from ResumeLab, 80% of respondents said they likely wouldn’t apply for a job if salary range information was lacking, 77% said it should be illegal to not include a salary in job postings, and 80% said employers should always explain how pay is determined.  Workers continue to mistrust employers’ reasoning for not disclosing salary information; 79% of respondents said omitting salary information was likely due to employers not wanting current employees to know they are underpaid.  Responses varied slightly by demographic groups. For example, 89% of respondents with master’s degrees agreed employers should disclose salary information, while only 66% of respondents without college degrees agreed.  Source:  HR Dive 1/26/23

HR is a hot job: But not all HR. The 2023 LinkedIn Jobs on the Rise list reveals the 25 fastest-growing job titles over the past five years and the trends defining the future world of work.  Number 2 on the LinkedIn list is Human Resources Analytics Manager, People Analytics Manager, or Talent Analytics Manager. Human resources analytics managers are responsible for collecting, analyzing, and reporting HR-related data within an organization, such as performance, attrition, and employee demographics. Number 3 is Diversity and Inclusion (D&I) Manager. Diversity and inclusion (D&I) managers are responsible for the strategy and implementation of policies related to fostering diversity, equity, and inclusion within an organization.  Number 5 after Truck Driver is Employee Experience Manager. Employee experience managers oversee processes that support employee engagement, well-being, and development within an organization, which may include training programs and mentoring initiatives. Number 15 is Chief People Officers, Chief Human Resources Officer, or Head of HR Operations. Enough said.  Number 21 is Head of Rewards or Total Rewards Manager or Head of Regulatory Compensation. Heads of Rewards are responsible for an organization’s employee benefits, such as health insurance and retirement plans, as well as its employee development and recognition initiatives.  Source: LinkedIn 1/18/23