Why You Need to Get Ahead of New HR Laws Now--Are You Prepared?

By Matt Straz

We’ve entered a new and exciting year. But as HR professionals, 2016 also brings some new challenges. Being an election year, there are multiple bills that, if voted into HR laws, will mean big changes in the future.

Instead of being overwhelmed by these new laws, why not get ahead of the curve? Some bills, if adopted right now, would benefit you and your employees--not only because they will prevent countless legal headaches, but also because they make good business sense.

Here are three HR laws that are best to get ahead of before they go into effect:

1. Minimum wage increase

Currently, 37 states and the District of Columbia have proposed legislation related to minimum wage. Whether or not a bill to raise minimum wage passes in your state, there are compelling reasons to increase your hourly employees’ pay this year.

A 2015 CareerBuilder survey found that 65 percent of minimum wage employees couldn’t make ends meet--and that has some serious implications for the companies they work for. When it comes down to it, the majority of employees still choose where they work based on the pay they receive. A 2015 Indeed survey of more than 2,000 workers found that 77 percent were attracted to a new job because of the compensation.

Increasing employees’ pay helps with employee retention. And by doing so now shows your employees that you’re giving them a raise because it is the right thing to do, not because it was legally mandated.

2. End of workplace bullying

A 2014 survey by VitalSmarts found an astounding 96 percent of respondents had experienced some form of bullying in the workplace. What’s more, the bullies don’t seem to face any sort of punishment. Fifty-four percent of bullies have been at the same job for more than five years.

States like Vermont have decided to take action against workplace bullying. Along those lines, proposed HR laws would give employees legal relief for any psychological, physical, or economical pains that occur in the workplace. These laws would also provide incentives for employers with preventive policies.

A 2015 SHRM report, found that respectful treatment of all employees was the number-one factor in employee satisfaction. Yet only 33 percent of employees were “very satisfied” with the reality of this concept in their organization.

Even if a company already has anti-bullying protocol, it’s up to employers and HR professionals to make sure that everyone is aware of the rules and the resources available to bullying victims. Furthermore, it’s important to enforce the rules when bullying does occur.

3. Paid time off

More than a dozen states have at least one proposed bill regarding leave from work. New HR laws would affect everything from what reasons qualify for paid leave to how much paid leave employees receive. Instead of making extensive changes to PTO policy, there’s a simple solution for organizations: give employees unlimited paid leave.

Don’t worry about instituting an unlimited leave policy and then never seeing employees again. A 2014 survey by Glassdoor found that 51 percent of employees use only half of their vacation time each year, and 15 percent used no paid leave at all.

Switching to unlimited paid time off is not only appealing to employees, it also makes HR tasks like payroll simpler--not to mention how it can help with recruiting.

The year is sure to bring many new changes to HR laws, but that doesn’t mean HR professionals need to wait until legislation is passed to adjust their policies. By getting ahead of legal changes now, companies will be able to enjoy the benefits of these changes no matter what.