Arkansas to Disqualify Unemployment Claimants Who Ghost Employers – On Feb. 21, 2023, Arkansas adopted the Prohibiting Unemployment Claimants from Ghosting Employers Act of 2023 (PUCGEA). As the name suggests, the purpose of this law is to disqualify individuals from unemployment benefits if they ghost possible employers, meaning they fail to respond to an offer of employment or appear for a previously scheduled job interview. This law becomes effective on Jan. 1, 2024.

Read more: Arkansas Legal Update

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On Feb. 9, 2023, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) published a Field Assistance Bulletin (FAB) No. 2023-1 that includes guidance on how to apply eligibility rules under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) when employees telework or work away from an employer’s facility.

The FMLA requires covered employers to provide eligible employees with up to 12 weeks of unpaid, job-protected leave for specific reasons related to the health and well-being of themselves and their families. Generally, employers are covered if they have at least 50 employees. Employees are eligible for FMLA benefits if they:

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The tight labor market has led employees to make new demands. One of the newest expectations of employers is pay transparency. Despite many employers’ reluctance to embrace pay transparency—because pay transparency can reveal unintended pay gaps and trigger questions from current employees—the practice has gained a stronger foothold in 2023. In fact, a growing number of states and localities require employers to share pay information with applicants and employees. As a result, pay transparency requirements are impacting more employers.

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We recently released our 2nd quarter Attraction and Retention Newsletter. This edition of the newsletter includes the following information:

• Attraction and Retention Expected to Remain Operational Challenges
• Building an Employee Value Proposition to Attract and Retain Employees
• Skills-based Hiring
• Workplace Outlook Including Recent BLS Data

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Artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot ChatGPT has recently made waves for producing human-like text and communications from user inputs. Accessible to anyone with a computer and internet connection, ChatGPT produces usable written material on a wide range of topics and helps make decisions. These functions are leading many employers to consider ways to incorporate this technology into their organizations to enhance workflows, streamline operations and improve customer experience.

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Many employees do not use their allotted paid time off (PTO) despite their employers’ vacation and other leave policies. As a result, some employers are implementing minimum PTO policies to address this challenge. This emerging trend takes standard PTO policies one step further by mandating that employees take off a minimum number of days each year. When done properly, minimum PTO policies can help curb employee burnout, improve workplace productivity, and strengthen attraction and retention efforts.

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A recession’s impact on employers can vary greatly. Employers of all sizes and industries generally experience reduced sales and profits due to changes in consumer behaviors, forcing organizations to embrace cost-cutting measures. These measures include layoffs, reductions in spending, and decreased marketing and research. A recession can also curb an organization’s access to credit and lessen overall cash flow, leading to an increase in bankruptcies. The strategies employers implement to mitigate the effects of a recession can greatly impact whether their organizations withstand such an economic downturn. Therefore, employers can prepare for a recession by taking steps now to limit recession-related ramifications and maintain financial stability.

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Employers are likely familiar with “quiet quitting,” where employees put no more effort into their jobs than necessary, or “quiet firing,” where employers or managers slowly pull back employees’ duties instead of outright firing them. Now, there’s another phrase gaining traction in workplaces: “quiet hiring.”

Overview of Quiet Hiring – Quiet hiring is when companies upskill existing employees and move them to new roles or give them greater job duties to fit business needs. This often happens when an employee leaves an organization, leaving their role or responsibilities open. This strategy can be an efficient, cost-effective way for employers to snag in-demand talent without going through traditional external hiring channels.

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