Employee handbooks are important for establishing employee expectations, addressing workplace issues, and defending against potential lawsuits. Failing to update the employment policies in these handbooks regularly can make employers vulnerable to legal risks and liabilities that may result in costly fines, penalties, and attorney fees. Employment laws are often complicated, and employers must know about new regulatory developments that may impact their organizations and workforce. The start of the year provides employers with an excellent opportunity to review and update their policies.

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On Nov. 5, 2024, Donald Trump won the presidential election. Employers can expect a number of changes to employment law policy under the Trump administration. Although these specific policy objectives remain to be seen, employers may look to the campaign policies on which President-elect Trump ran, as well as the initiatives that Trump took during his first term in office, as an indication of what is to come.

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California Passes Broad Range of Labor and Employment Laws – In late September 2024, California passed a series of bills that will make several important changes to the state’s labor and employment laws. Each of these new laws will take effect on Jan. 1, 2025.

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On Aug. 30, 2024, the DOL’s OSHA published a proposed rule to protect workers from heat injury and illness. The new standard would apply to all employers conducting indoor and outdoor work in all general industry, construction, maritime, and agricultural sectors where OSHA has jurisdiction, subject to limited exceptions. If finalized, the new standard would require employers to create a plan to evaluate and control heat hazards in their workplaces.

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Many benefit plan limits have changed for the new calendar year. Plans such as 401(k), FSA, and HSA all have new maximums set for 2025.

Click the following link to access our Infographic – 2025 Limits to Know.

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Our HR teammates continue to provide expertise and serve as a valuable resource for navigating the pressing challenges facing employers today. This team fields questions each day from employers seeking answers to their HR questions.

In recent months, employers have been requesting clarification or seeking guidance on the following topics:

• Are we required to provide employees with voting leave?
• How much will the ACA pay-or-play affordability percentage increase by in 2025?
• How do I tell if our business is covered under the ACA?
• How do we determine whether our prescription drug coverage is creditable?
• We have an employee who is requesting FMLA leave on an intermittent or reduced-schedule basis. How does intermittent FMLA work?

We created a summary of the guidance related to questions and answers to these common HR situations.

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Employee discipline is a necessary but often fraught element of workforce management. Disciplinary action taken in lieu of immediate termination can help mitigate the risk of potential wrongful termination claims, but failure to handle employee discipline properly can negatively affect employee morale and expose employers to other legal claims. Therefore, it is important for employers to consider a variety of factors before disciplining employees.

To minimize legal risks and protect employee morale, we’ve created 2 new documents related to employee discipline best practices:

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We recently released our 4th quarter HR Edge Newsletter. This edition of the newsletter includes the following information:

• 5 Attraction and Retention Trends to Monitor in 2025
• Why Employers Are Offering Family-building Benefits
• Engaging Employees During the Great Gloom

Read the full article here: HR Edge Quarterly Newsletter

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Although employee quits have trended down in 2024, EY’s 2024 Work Reimagined Survey report found that 38% of employees are likely to leave their jobs in the next year. According to the survey results, EY advises that to maintain a talent advantage, employers may need to hone their attraction and retention tactics to prioritize enhancing workplace culture, expanding rewards, and building agile employee skill sets.

The survey revealed that employees are generally searching for the following benefits:

• Bonus and incentives: 37%
• Health and well-being benefits: 33%
• Paid time off: 33%
• Compensation tied to cost of living: 31%
• Flexible schedules: 30%
• Work from anywhere/remote: 22%
• Training classes to build skills: 21%

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Maine Issues FAQs for Paid Family and Medical Leave Program – The Maine Department of Labor has published answers to frequently asked questions (FAQs) for the state’s paid family and medical leave (PFML) program. The department included a caveat at the beginning of the FAQs stating that they are subject to change pending the adoption of forthcoming rules.

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