Dive Brief:
- XpertHR legal editors Melissa Silver, Marta Moakley and Rena Pirsos developed a chart that tracks state preemption laws under several categories including: compensation and benefits; distracted driving; smoke-free/indoor clean air; discrimination and "ban the box" regulations.
- Preemption laws are laws some states have passed to essentially stop municipalities from expanding employer requirements beyond state laws, meaning they actually make compliance slightly easier for employers. Silver believes it's important, however, that HR departments continue to monitor certain legal developments, like those over paid sick leave, to keep compliance measures up to date.
- It's an understatement to say that 2016 has been a busy year for employment law. Several new federal, state and local measures have been debated, litigated and adopted to widely varying degrees. Others have fueled harsh media and public criticism. XpertHR's newest tool aims to make these situations easier to manage.
Dive Insight:
HR departments are by no means uniform in their responses to legal battles (nor should they be, given the differences between industries and organizational sizes), but the general consensus seems to be, as Silver suggests, that HR leaders should be proactive. That means preparing for some regulations regardless of the legal battles and controversies surrounding them.
It's also important to have a finger on the pulse of issues that are important to an organization's employees. High-profile organizations like Chobani have placed themselves favorably to comply with initiatives that are gaining popular support among their employee base, improving employee engagement and enhancing office culture.
