Human Resources

Federal Overtime Rule Changes on the Horizon?

The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) is expected to change some of the existing white-collar exemptions under the federal overtime rule. Manufacturing would be especially hard hit if the Biden administration raises the overtime rule’s salary thresholds. According to this summary from the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM), the current salary threshold is $35,568 per year. 5/17/2022

EEOC Will Allow Late Filings of EEO-1s Until June 21

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) will now allow late filings of EEO-1 Reports, extending the deadline from May 17 until June 21, according to the agency’s FAQ document. The extended deadline applies to most employers with 100 or more employees and most federal contractors with 50 or more employees. 5/16/2022

More on the Feds’ Warnings About Algorithms, AI for Hiring

Federal agencies have warned employers that relying on algorithms and artificial intelligence (AI) to make hiring decisions could unintentionally lead to discriminatory employment practices.

OMA Connections Partner Fisher Phillips has published these five takeaways from the new federal guidance, while Connections Partner Frantz Ward has published this summary, complete with examples. 5/17/2022

Mental Health Compliance Resources for Employers

Under federal law, all health plans with 50 or more participants must apply similar rules to mental health and substance use disorder benefits as they do for physical health benefits. To help employers with questions about complying with the law, the U.S. Department of Labor is offering these four resources, including an online self-compliance tool. 5/19/2022

Feds Warn Employers on Use of Algorithms, Artificial Intelligence for Hiring

The Biden administration has announced that employers using algorithms and artificial intelligence to make hiring decisions risk violating the Americans with Disabilities Act if applicants with disabilities are disadvantaged in the process. Last fall, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission launched an initiative to ensure that the emerging hiring tools comply with civil rights laws. 5/12/2022

EEO-1 Survey Deadline Is May 17

The annual EEO-1 Survey filing deadline is quickly approaching. While the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission extended last year’s filing deadline multiple times due to COVID-19, it has not announced any similar extension for this year’s reporting requirement. OMA Connections Partner Thompson Hine, in this analysis, reports the current deadline for covered employers to file their EEO-1 Survey report is Tuesday, May 17. 5/12/2022

Are Sign-On Bonuses Driving Higher Quit Rates?

Sign-on bonuses are encouraging manufacturing employees to job-hop, according to experts interviewed by IndustryWeek.

Ball State University economics professor Michael Hicks says two classes of manufacturing jobs have emerged in recent years: high-wage jobs compatible with increasing automation and low-wage jobs too cheap to automate. Workers in the latter group — now facing more job options — “can stay at a business long enough to earn the sign-on bonus, then move onto the next one,” Hicks said. 5/12/2022

Insight Into Agenda of the NLRB’s Top Lawyer

Jennifer Abruzzo, the Biden-appointed general counsel for the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), has urged the agency to reverse several existing precedents in ways that would dramatically enhance the ability of unions to organize employees. OMA Connections Partner Frantz Ward has published this insight to spotlight the scope and nature of Abruzzo’s “anti-employer agenda” — including her support for card-check recognition.

In the first six months of the NLRB’s 2022 fiscal year, the number of union representation petitions filed with the NLRB have increased by 57%. 5/11/2022

Benefits As Part of Your Attraction and Retention Strategy

Being an employer in a competitive market means that pay is only part of the equation. OMA Connections Partner GBQ Partners is sponsoring a June 16 in-person learning event in Columbus to address the importance of a robust benefits package to attract and retain employees. 5/12/2022

Federal Bill Would Impose Fines on Employers for Tweaking Health Plans of Striking Workers

U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) recently introduced a bill (S. 3747) to make revoking or tweaking striking workers’ health insurance an unfair labor practice punishable by fines up to $100,000 per violation. The union-backed legislation is spotlighted by a Politico story, which examines how federal policymakers are intensifying their focus on employer-sponsored health care benefits that are impacted by labor disputes. 4/3/2022