• HR Specialist: Employment Law
  • The HR Weekly

Compensation & Benefits

California expands eligibility for bereavement leave

10/04/2026
Beginning on January 1, 2027, California employees will have expanded rights to bereavement leave. California Governor Gavin Newsom signed the amended law on September 27, which allows eligible employees to add a “designated person” to the list of family members. The designated person must either be related by blood (aunt, cousin, etc.) or be someone… View Article

Lessons from the DoorDash settlement

09/27/2026
Last week, DoorDash agreed to settle claims it underpaid DoorDash drivers due to sloppy and inaccurate recordkeeping for the time those drivers spend accessing their DoorDash apps and waiting to pick up orders. The settlement, announced by New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, will compensate about 264,000 delivery workers out of a $115 millionsettlement fund…. View Article

Employees volunteering time

09/27/2026
Question: “As a company, we are experiencing a decline in sales and may have to conduct a layoff. We have been open about it. Now, several employees have proposed clocking out early and continuing working to help us make payroll. What’s the risk?” J.M., Alabama Answer: Under no circumstances can you legally allow work to… View Article

New DOL opinion letter targets tip pool distribution

09/27/2026
In many restaurants and bars, supervisors sometimes step up and perform non-managerial tasks like bartending or waiting tables. It makes sense from a business point of view. After all, during busy periods, customers expect every employee to help. But according to a new DOL opinion letter, employers must make sure that those supervisors don’t share… View Article

Latest HR fad: Using AI to set salaries

09/27/2026
In a month that’s seen increasing discomfort with the potential unintended consequences of the rapid deployment of artificial intelligence (AI), a recent HR AI deployment trend is in the news. Reports indicate that in a year when salaries are expected to grow slower than the inflation rate, HR departments are turning to AI to help… View Article

Daycare shortage may be robbing employers of talent

09/21/2026
According to a recent report from the National Women’s Law Center, wait lists for daycare subsidies have nearly doubled in the last two years. That’s the biggest year-to-year increase since the Center began collecting data 20 years ago. Daycare subsidies are essential for many low-to-middle-income parents, who cannot afford the going rates for commercial daycare… View Article

Younger workers anticipate job-hopping through fall

09/21/2026
A new survey from consulting firm Robert Half may spell trouble for employers with workers aged 29 and below who hold professional jobs. It seems they are impatient for pay raises and see finding a new job as the easiest path to riches – or at least keeping up with the rising cost of living…. View Article

Amazon raises its minimum wage to $20

09/21/2026
Ahead of the holiday season, retailer Amazon has announced it is raising the minimum wage it is paying new employees to $20 per hour. Amazon said the increase means the average pay for full-time workers in warehouses will reach almost $24 per hour and the average total compensation, which considers benefits, will reach more than… View Article

Is a 32-hour workweek coming?

09/21/2026
With all the talk about artificial intelligence (AI) replacing workers and the potential impact that will have on employment, a proposed federal bill is generating lots of attention as a partial solution to the workplace disruption allegedly coming. That bill, the Thirty-Two Hour Workweek Act, would amend the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), the first… View Article

2027 pay increases expected to be modest

09/14/2026
It’s that time of year again, when next year’s pay increases are being set. According to the consulting firm Marsh (formerly known as Mercer) total pay increases are expected to be modest as they have been in the past three years. The firm surveyed 1,001 U.S. organizations and found that employers on average plan to… View Article