HR Roundup: Small Businesses Continue to Hike Wages

• Wage increases at small businesses continue to escalate, according to the latest Paychex & IHS Markit Small Business Employment Watch report. Across the Midwest, the average hourly wage has hit $29.13.
• Employers in a dozen states — including Ohio — should expect significant hikes in minimum wage rates for 2023 due to laws tying the minimum wage to inflation, says OMA Connections Partner Benesch.
• The U.S. Department of Justice is set to secure its first successful criminal prosecution of a labor-side antitrust violation after a health care staffing firm plans to plead guilty to charges it suppressed wages. Read this insight from OMA Connections Partner Thompson Hine.
• “Quiet quitters” comprise at least 50% of the workforce, Gallup says. (OMA Connections Partner Fisher Phillips has published these tips on how employers can ensure more engaged employees.)
• These tips from OMA Connections Partner William Vaughan Co. can help businesses establish (or re-establish) their workplace culture to improve employee retention.

Members should be aware that the National Labor Relations Board on Sept. 6 took a first step towards changing the standard for when two employers that do business together are considered to be joint employers and thus liable for one another’s unfair labor practices. See this analysis by OMA Connections Partner Calfee. 9/8/2022