New Year’s resolutions every employer should make

As the new calendar year begins, many organizations are wisely asking, “What can we do to protect our business assets from an employment law perspective?” This is a great question, and the beginning of the year is the perfect time to take stock of existing policies and their effectiveness, review recent changes to applicable laws, and press the reset button by revising and rolling out updated workplace policies and legal documents, if needed. Although every business is unique, here are five issues every employer should think about as we head into the New Year.

Make sure you’re compliant with applicable laws

Organizations are often surprised to learn that even though they operate a privately-owned business with a moderate number of employees or contractors, they’re still bound by state and federal labor and employment laws. For example, federal laws relating to minimum wage and overtime under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) or workplace safety laws under the Occupational Safety & Health Act (OSHA).

In addition, many states also have specific laws and regulations relating to issues such as paid time off, sexual harassment, final paychecks, unemployment, and medicinal marijuana, among others. For example, in Arizona, employers are required to give all employees (even part-time and temporary employees) paid sick time.

Moreover, throughout 2022, at least 17 states passed laws regarding relevant workplace issues such as background checks, weapons in the workplace, wage theft, hairstyle discrimination, disability insurance, drug testing, and protected time off.