Working Knowledge

Around the world, airlines, restaurants, hotels and so many others can’t fill open jobs, thwarting efforts to capitalize on resurgent consumer demand. Many workers that went home when the pandemic hit haven’t returned to work, and they aren’t trying to return yet either. What’s increasingly clear is that after the coronavirus pandemic delivered an unprecedented…

Forecasts suggests that some people may be reluctant to return to the labor market. Employers may need to change their approach to address workers’ post-pandemic concerns to navigate the labor market successfully. As of March 2021, the labor force was almost 5 million people smaller than it was in March of 2020 due to the…

The American Jobs Plan, President Joe Biden’s recent $2 trillion infrastructure proposal, includes many labor-friendly recommendations. The Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act, union neutrality, and changes to wages and enforcement of health and safety regulations are part of the legislative plan under review by Congress. Of these proposals, the PRO Act, which already…

Labor force participation rate of Americans age 55+ is at its worst level since the rise of the coronavirus pandemic. Falling from 40.3% in February of 2020 to 38.3% this February—representing a loss of 1.45 million people from the labor force. Many of these Americans have chosen to permanently leave the workforce which could impair…

The COVID-19 pandemic has only accelerated technological investments. As a result, nearly 1 in 3 organizations have now invested in cloud-deployed human capital management (HCM) for administrative HR and talent management.  Recent research* highlights six emerging HR technologies from our Human Capital Management Hype Cycle that HR leaders should invest in to grow and thrive in this…

More than 1/3 of American Workers are frustrated by the technology used to do their jobs Less than 1/2 believe their companies prioritize technology solutions to make their jobs easier 1/5 say technology makes their worker more difficult Research has proven that failure to involve employees in decision-making around purchasing and deploying technologies negatively impacts…

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has announced that the 2019 and 2020 EEO-1 Component 1 data collection has opened on April 26. The deadline for submitting 2019 and 2020 EEO-1 Component 1 data will be July 19. Recognizing the continuing differential impacts of the pandemic on workplaces nationwide and the requirement to submit…

Washington Gov. Jay Inslee signed into law, SHB 1206, last week legislation intended to prevent injuries to temporary workers from staffing firms that. This new law takes effect July 25. The law requires increased communication between staffing agencies and worksite employers that will close safety and training gaps for temporary workers. Employer obligations. Prior to the…

Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed the Marijuana Regulation and Taxation Act into law, legalizing the use of recreational marijuana for individuals ages 21 and older in New York state effective immediately. New York is the 15th state to have legalized the drug for recreational use. Legalization of the plant is effective immediately, but legal recreational sales…