Patchwork of State and Local Laws Prompting Employers to Take Action, Survey Says
Author: Michael Cardman, XpertHR Legal Editor
May 16, 2017
The patchwork of labor and employment requirements at the state and local levels has created compliance challenges for about eight out of every 10 employers, according to a new survey from the law firm Littler.
As a result of changes in state and local laws, employers reported taking the following actions during the past year:
- Updating policies, handbooks and HR procedures (85%);
- Providing additional training to supervisors and employees (54%);
- Conducting internal audits (50%);
- Reducing working hours for staff (10%); and even
- Considering moving their businesses from their current location (4%).
(Note: Littler partnered with XpertHR to help develop XpertHR's Employee Handbooks tool.)
Only 7% of employers reported that they did not make any changes during the previous year.
"As states and municipalities continue to propose and enact a dizzying array of rules and regulations, it is no wonder employers are struggling with the increasingly fragmented landscape of employment laws," said Michael Lotito, Co-Chair of Littler's Workplace Policy Institute. "With the Trump administration working to overturn labor and employment rules and to reduce regulations at the federal level, employers can expect a continued increase in new regulations impacting the workplace at the state and local levels."
The survey also examined employer opinions about healthcare reform, Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) enforcement, Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) leave administration, and more.
The opt-in online survey of about 1,200 HR professionals, in-house attorneys, executives and others was conducted during February and March of this year.