SHRM

For years, organizations have invested in compensation, benefits, incentives, wellbeing initiatives, and an ever-growing list of employee perks. And rightly so, these investments matter. But there’s another question organizations need to ask: Do employees feel that what they do really matters?

Learn how Marsh McLennan successfully boosts staff well-being with digital tools, improving productivity and work satisfaction for more than 20,000 employees. The proliferation of artificial intelligence in the workplace, and the ensuing expected increase in productivity and efficiency, could help usher in the four-day workweek, some experts predict.

National Labor Relations Board General Counsel Crystal S. Carey has identified a series of major labor-law precedents she wants the Board to reconsider, while emphasizing that her immediate priority remains reducing the agency’s case backlog. In an Aug. 26 memorandum, Carey said she has deliberately avoided requiring regional offices to send specified categories of cases to the Division of Advice.

Takeaway: Consistent, well-documented enforcement of Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) reporting procedures can support a legitimate, nondiscriminatory basis for discipline. Treat similarly situated employees consistently in applying disciplinary decisions and follow the regulatory process provided under the FMLA for resolving conflicts between medical opinions.

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) is proposing sweeping changes to the process federal employees and job applicants use to pursue workplace discrimination complaints, arguing that the existing system has become too slow, complicated, and burdensome. The Aug. 26 proposal would revise the federal-sector equal employment opportunity rules under 29 C.F.R. Part 1614, which govern discrimination complaints against federal agencies.

When a New Jersey court this year allowed people to sue employers who deny them jobs or promotions because of recreational marijuana use, the ruling potentially opened the gates for lawsuits by job applicants and employees elsewhere who allege they were discriminated against for using cannabis.

When handling workers’ compensation claims, few decisions are as important as whether to accept claims as compensable or contest them. “A denial may not end the matter,” said Bob Robenalt, an attorney with Fisher Phillips in Columbus, Ohio, and Cleveland. “It often triggers the adjudication or hearing process.” He added, “One important consideration: while a claim is being adjudicated, the employee may continue to accumulate compensation benefits for time the employee is away from work.

New York has become the first state to prohibit AI-enabled smart glasses and other recording-enabled eyewear in all state courthouses. The new policy reflects growing concern over the ability of these devices to discreetly capture audio, video, photographs, and AI-generated transcripts. Below are answers to some common questions about the new rule and what it may signal for how organizations approach this technology. Are AI Glasses Permitted in New York Courts?

California’s main privacy watchdog recently announced its very first compliance audit, and while the sector-wide review will focus on gig economy platforms, the implications extend to all employers across the state and offer an early indication of the agency’s enforcement priorities.

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