On January 31, 2020, the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (“USCIS”) released the revised Form I-9 Employment Eligibility Verification (“Form I-9”). Until the release of the revised form, employers were required to continue to use the previous form, which expired on August 31, 2019. Although the revised Form I-9 is now in effect, USCIS has permitted employers to continue using the prior version of the form until April 30, 2020 in order to provide additional time to make the necessary updates and adjust their business processes. HR Partners recommends using the January 31, 2020 form as early as possible. However, if an employer chooses to utilize the April 30, 2020 extension and continue to use the previous form, employers should consider attaching a memorandum to the expired Form I-9s noting the USCIS directive.
President and Chief Executive Officer of the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), Johnny C. Taylor, Jr., SHRM-SCP, suggested, “Diversity—just diversity—doesn't work. You can hire the most multicultural, multigenerational workforce imaginable. But left alone, their differences are going to cause more problems than they solve.” Merriam-Webster defines “inclusion” as the state of being included. Inclusion, in human resources professionals’ minds, means being invited to the "right" meetings at work, feeling included with team activities, and having a development pathway and access to tools and opportunities. It's also making sure people are not being treated differently at work due to their appearance, beliefs or background.
Halloween can be an opportunity to create positive employee engagement and morale outside of the normal day-to day operations. If your company allows Halloween costumes at work, follow our “Top Five Tips” to set appropriate guidelines and reduce potential risks:
Can an employer terminate an employee because they are gay or transgender? That is the question before the Supreme Court of the United States (“SCOTUS”) today, October 8, 2019. SCOTUS will hear arguments on three (3) cases in order to decide whether discrimination based on sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, or transgender status constitutes discrimination “on the basis of sex.”
In the 2015 session, SCOTUS determined in Obergefellv. Hodges that the states could not ban same-sex marriage. As a result, the EEOC determined that discrimination against LGBTQ individuals was illegal. However, no federal law expressly prohibits employers from terminating an employee due to that person’s sexual orientation or gender identity.
The final rule updates the earnings thresholds necessary to exempt executive, administrative, or professional employees from the FLSA’s minimum wage and overtime pay requirements, and allows employers to count a portion of certain bonuses/commissions towards meeting the salary level. The new thresholds account for growth in employee earnings since the currently enforced thresholds were set in 2004. In the final rule, the Department is:
Mindi Pfannenstiel
Sr. Director, Finance & Administration
Sports Car Club of America
“Thank you for the exceptional service that you and your team always provide us!”