ComplianceHR Updates

Spring officially arrived this week, and that means it’s time for spring cleaning! In all the hustle and bustle of sprucing everything up and making updates, don’t forget that your employee handbook may also be in need of some attention. If you don’t currently have an employee handbook, there are many reasons to consider implementing one this season. Here are two PolicySmart^TM features you can use to get your handbook cleanup underway.

PolicySmart News allows you to see a timeline of when new regulations are going into effect, and now is a good time to review what will be happening over the next few months. Don’t forget that you can add effective dates that are relevant to your jurisdiction and company to your calendar directly from PolicySmart. To do so, click on the news item, and then select the “Add to Calendar” option:

As we’ve mentioned before, 2023 is a busy year with many employment law updates. In honor of St. Patrick’s Day, we wanted to remind you of some of the resources available to help you stay up to date, so you don’t feel like you’re leaving it to luck!

ComplianceHR Reference Center and Platform: We continually work with Littler, the world’s largest labor and employment law firm, to make sure our content is as up to date as possible. If you have a question, it’s always best to refer back to the Reference Center (or your saved content smart links) or your ComplianceHR Platform to ensure you are referencing the most current content. As we continue to update the reports on the Reference Center, more topics will include the content smart link feature.

PolicySmart^TM News: In addition to the helpful PolicySmart News page, where you can view, filter, and create calendar reminders for updates that will be going into effect, there is a monthly email that summarizes the updates that have been made on PolicySmart. If you would like more information about this email, please contact us at support@compliancehr.com.

ComplianceHR Webinars: We try to host at least one webinar discussing a current employment topic that may be of interest to you each month. Be sure to watch your inbox for invitations to these free webinars. You can check out our past webinars here.

Littler News & Analysis: We are working to grow the number of topics available to you on ComplianceHR. If you would like to learn more about employment law news for topics we are yet to cover, we encourage you to check out Littler’s News & Analysis page.

As always, if you have any technical or content-related questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us at support@compliancehr.com.

PolicySmart^TM is a great resource for accessing up-to-date handbook templates for your jurisdiction. You can use the templates in PolicySmart as a starting point and then edit them to fit your organization’s specific details and voice and tone. But, you may be wondering, what happens when it’s time to update my edited version of the handbook? Do I really have to go through the entire editing process from beginning to end again? Following the steps below can help streamline your review and update process.

With the increasing popularity of hybrid and remote work environments, many people have asked if we have a remote work solution to help with employment law questions surrounding hybrid and remote work. Although we don’t offer a remote work solution per se, our solutions can help answer remote work questions. Here are a few common scenarios.

One of my remote employees moved to a new jurisdiction…

As we mentioned last week, there are a few more new year updates we would like to share with you. To help you stay compliant, our solutions are continually updated to keep up with employment law changes. The only downside: It’s impossible for us to highlight every single update to every single solution. So, we’ve picked the top highlights and would like to remind you that, if time has passed, it’s always best to go back to the solution or check your content smart links.

Navigator OT
When determining the risk of classifying an employee as overtime exempt, a few states have new wage rates to consider. Alaska, California, Colorado, Maine, and Washington have all been updated. If you have older Navigator OT evaluations for any of these states and are wondering if the new rates will affect the final risk report, you can create a copy of the old evaluation and then re-run it to see the outcome with the new rates.

Navigator IC
In Navigator IC, Delaware and Kentucky have updated summaries regarding classifying employees as independent contractors. Check out the solution if you have an employee you’re considering classifying as an independent contractor in these, or any other, states.

PolicySmart^TM
Our handbook supplements have been updated in PolicySmart, so take a look at your states under View Policy Documents to make sure your handbook policies are still compliant. Don’t forget to check out the timeline and updates listed under View Policy News so you can stay up to date with future changes as well.

Handbook. That word can be scary. For some, the thought of the new year and staying ahead of any needed policy changes may be stressful. Others may feel stuck, wondering...

Paid Sick Leave (PSL). Paid Family Medical Leave (PFML). Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA). Paid Time Off (PTO). What’s the difference? Does it matter? How concerned should I be about these?

We know there are always questions surrounding the topic of leave laws and PSL, but we’re here to help! Our solutions provide you with guidance designed to assist your organization in remaining compliant with this growing area of law. For a brief overview of PFML and FMLA in general, check out Littler’s page “What are some of the key similarities and differences between PFML laws and the FMLA?”

Our Paid Sick Leave Rapid Reference solution provides an overview of the laws within states, counties, and cities that generally require private employers, that are not government contractors, to allow employees to accrue and use PSL and/or PTO. The following issues are included:

Even though it’s hard for some of us to believe, Thanksgiving has passed, and it will be 2023 before we know it! We understand this can be a hectic and stressful time of year for our customers, so we want to reassure you that we are here to help you with your compliance needs.

Like previous years, there will be employment law changes taking effect in 2023. Littler’s Insight, “Employment Law Update 2023: New Compliance Obligations for the New Year,” provides a brief look at some of the employment law changes that will occur. We are working to update our solutions to reflect changes for 2023, and we plan to post some updates for you to check out in January.

If you or your team members would like a refresher on how to best utilize our solutions now and in the new year, we invite you to attend our Live Open Office Hours. We have two dates left in 2022: December 7 and December 21. During these sessions, we will demo and provide insights on: