A recent post at Human Resources Executive Online, entitled “Warnings from the Top”. provides an excellent overview of some of the new challenges employers have been presented since the beginning of 2009. “Like it or not” say the authors, changes are coming, and employers better be prepared.
According to several attorneys the authors interviewed, some of the most pressing new laws and regulations relate to the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, the Employee Free Choice Act being debated in Congress, and Amendments to the ADA. These new laws mean it is time to train–about labor relations issues, what managers can and cannot say about unions; about safety, and about reasonable accommodation. Now is also a good time to conduct an audit of your company’s human resources practices, especially wage and hour compliance issues and compensation practices.
Iowa employers are not immune from these changes. Indeed, as discussed in a prior post on Iowa Employment Law Blog, compensation fairness issues may be even more urgent in Iowa because the the State has enacted its own version of the Lilly Ledbetter Act.
We will continue to keep you posted on developments in these important areas of the law.