Constantly changing labor laws can make it difficult for companies to remain compliant. New laws in 2024 affect everything from child labor to the use of artificial intelligence in recruiting, and these rules continue to develop across the country.
In an evolving legal landscape, maintaining your knowledge is an absolute must for HR managers, CEOs, and other important business stakeholders.
To help you prepare for what lies ahead, we’ll discuss some of the most important labor law developments in 2024. We’ll cover concerns that may affect your personnel management, from limits on non-compete agreements to requirements for bereavement leave. Finally, we’ll share how Mosey can help you stay on top of corporate compliance.
How Have Child Labor Regulations Changed in 2024?
Laws pertaining to child labor are changing significantly in 2024 and demonstrate a clear legislative division. Driven mostly by continuing workforce shortages, there is a movement on one side of the political divide to relax the rules. States like Arkansas and Iowa, which have already acted to lower limitations, represent this shift.
For example, Iowa reduced the minimum working age to 13, while Arkansas’s Youth Hiring Act of 2023 removed the requirement for work licenses for adolescents under 16.
Similar policies are under consideration in other states, including eliminating work permit requirements, lowering working-hour limits, and loosening restrictions on the kinds of occupations that children are allowed to hold.
Corporate Impact
For companies, this loosening of regulations may present a possible answer to workforce problems. However, it also raises serious issues of worker safety and exploitation.
Will younger employees be sufficiently safeguarded at their workplace? Will businesses prioritize education and development alongside employment?
Conversely, in reaction to increasing violations, there’s a movement to fortify child labor laws at the other end of the political spectrum. This trend emphasizes harsher fines for companies violating child labor policies.
Penalties for Violations
Oregon, for instance, increased its maximum penalties for child labor violations from $1,000 to $10,000. Virginia and Nebraska also want to increase fines to discourage companies from using illicit techniques.
This more rigorous approach seeks to protect young people’s welfare and safety. However, it also becomes more difficult for companies to understand and follow complex rules.
Employers will have to pay attention to age verification, work hour restrictions, and limitations on dangerous jobs. Whether your state is relaxing or strengthening its child labor rules, the lesson is clear: These rules are changing.
Businesses must stay updated on these developments to prevent legal problems and ensure the moral treatment of young employees. As the debate continues in 2024, we will likely see further legislation.
What Are the New Limits on Non-Compete Agreements?
Once a mainstay of many businesses, non-compete agreements are increasingly being re-examined across the U.S. California’s long-standing opposition to these agreements primarily shapes the trend toward limiting or even outlawing them. States like Illinois, Missouri, and others are following suit in proposing restrictions.
Setting salary levels and exempting lower-wage workers from non-competes is often a suggested method. According to this plan, the agreements would shield businesses from workers with access to trade secrets or sensitive data.
Another strategy is outright banning non-competes for some sectors or job types, especially those where workers have less leverage in their negotiations.
Corporate Impact
These developments have major ramifications for companies and workers alike. Without the protection of non-competes, businesses might find it more difficult to attract and keep top personnel.
Companies may have to change their plans and concentrate on building a good working culture and providing competitive pay scales. Conversely, workers — especially those in lower-paying roles — may have more freedom to search for better prospects and migrate between employment.
Increased talent rivalry from these changes might drive up pay and demand better working conditions. With workers switching jobs more often, it could possibly lead to a more erratic employment market.
Though the future of non-compete agreements is unknown, companies should pay close attention to these evolving rules. Monitoring this changing terrain will depend on adjusting your approach to talent leadership.
How Has Bereavement Leave Changed in 2024?
Legislators are realizing more and more that employees must recover and grieve following the death of a loved one. Because of this, the debate surrounding bereavement leave is changing. States are increasingly contemplating paid leave alternatives, realizing the financial weight that frequently accompanies loss.
Massachusetts, Minnesota, and New Jersey are among the states looking to let staff members use paid family and medical leave or paid sick leave for mourning. This move toward paid leave can offer vital help for people coping with the emotional and practical difficulties of a family loss.
Many states are also tackling another kind of loss: reproductive loss. Bills aiming to provide bereavement leave, especially for people suffering a miscarriage, stillbirth, or other reproductive loss, are currently under consideration in Kentucky and New Jersey.
These developments point to a more sympathetic attitude to occupational bereavement. Offering paid time off and acknowledging different forms of loss might help companies better assist their staff members through trying times.
Are Mandatory Employer-Sponsored Meetings Banned?
The legislative initiatives of 2023 to reduce mandated employer-sponsored meetings have momentum that has carried into 2024. These rules seek to shield workers from having to attend meetings where companies voice opinions on political or religious issues. States like Alaska, Colorado, and Hawaii are actively debating legislation on this hot-button topic.
These laws aim to protect workers’ personal convictions and prevent workplace discrimination or pressure. Many of these rules also seek to forbid companies from firing employees who decline to show up for such meetings.
Still, there remains debate over this trend. Legal challenges against the validity of these statutes and their possible incompatibility with the National Labor Relations Act are already underway.
A recent federal court decision in New York demonstrates the difficulty of this matter. The court reversed legislation shielding union organizing operations, ruling that the law was discriminatory and could chill free expression among businesses.
Corporate Impact
Should these regulations be maintained, companies will have to rethink their approach to employee engagement on delicate subjects and their communication policies. That may result in more careful internal messaging or a greater reliance on volunteer involvement in corporate activities.
Conversely, if these regulations were reversed, companies would have more freedom to voice opinions. However, this could also lead to a more divided workplace as staff members feel pressure to conform to their company’s viewpoint.
The argument regarding required corporate-sponsored meetings is far from resolved. Businesses must remain vigilant and modify their operations to follow changing rules as this legislative trend continues, preserving a respectful and inclusive working culture.
What Are the New Laws on AI and Automated Decision-Making?
Though imperfect, artificial intelligence (AI) is making waves in the HR space. While AI seems to simplify employment and promotion procedures, worries about algorithmic discrimination are becoming more audible. Will artificial intelligence reinforce current biases in our companies, or can we rely on it to make objective decisions?
Aiming to control the application of artificial intelligence in employment decisions, proposed regulations are popping up throughout the nation. These rules sometimes demand companies to evaluate their AI technologies and alert staff members and candidates should AI be included in their recruiting or promotion processes.
Corporate Impact
For HR experts, this means staying current with these changing rules and making sure your AI systems match. Working closely with legal counsel, routinely reviewing your AI systems, and being open with candidates and staff about how you apply artificial intelligence might help the situation.
Still, it goes beyond compliance and comes down to fairness. You must ensure that neither new nor old biases are amplified as you embrace artificial intelligence. This calls for a careful strategy of mixing human judgment with AI capabilities, all with an eye toward diversity and inclusiveness.
The golden rule is to utilize AI as a tool to improve your decision-making and build a more fair workplace, not to substitute robots for people.
What Are Other Notable Labor Law Trends in 2024?
Several other noteworthy trends are also changing the work scene. Here are the most important:
Warehouse Worker Protections
New laws address the particular difficulties warehouse workers experience. These protections generally emphasize safety precautions, a safe working environment, and fair compensation.
Penalties for Antisemitism
Rising antisemitic incidents have led several state governments to tighten penalties to fight this kind of discrimination.
Limits on Non-Disclosure Agreements
For years, non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) have been a weapon for companies guarding private data. Recent developments, however, point to a rising drive to restrict the use of NDAs, especially in situations involving harassment or discrimination.
Difficulties With At-Will Employment
The at-will employment philosophy, which lets companies fire workers for any reason — or none — is currently under growing criticism. Several state governments are considering policies to provide workers with more employment stability.
These developments emphasize the evolving nature of employment law and the continuous initiatives to provide a more fair and equal workplace. Even though the results of these trends are still unknown, they highlight the need to stay informed of the most recent changes in your business sector.
Manage Evolving Compliance with Mosey
Businesses of all kinds should stay one step ahead in an always-shifting legal landscape. From pay transparency to AI, the main legislative developments examined in this guide underscore the importance of vigilance and adaptability.
Try Mosey today if you’re seeking a complete solution to simplify your compliance and HR processes. Our compliance automation is designed to keep you up to date on current laws, reduce your administrative load, and promote a positive work environment.
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