Biggest Changes in the Employee Handbook 2022 -National Labor Relations Act

The NLRB enforces the National Labor Relations Act, which gives both unionized and non-union employees certain rights in the workplace. The extent of these protections tends to shift depending on the makeup of the Board in Washington. With a recent shift to a new administration, we expect the Board to apply the NLRA more broadly, meaning greater restrictions on employer policies and practices.

If your organization is in the private sector (i.e., not a governmental entity), then you are likely subject to the NLRB’s jurisdiction. There are more than 50 categories of cases where the current NLRB leadership may try to reverse course on existing precedents that it deems to be too employer-friendly.

Employers must get prepared for all the employment regulations scheduled to be effective in 2022 and beyond. Federal regulations have increased more this year than in previous years. Both Federal and State regulations have at times been at odds with each other. The Department of Labor (DOL) has increased their efforts to audit companies who have not updated their policies & workplace regulations. The other regulatory agencies are also increasing efforts to target Employers who are not compliant with their regulations.

In our workplace compliance experience, employees review the handbook when they are new employees coming onboard to the company and when they are considering leaving the company or when they are considering suing the company. Find out how the changes at the NLRB may affect your company and why you might want to start making changes in your Employee Handbook now. You'll also receive a FREE customized compliance tool to help you develop a better understanding of curating and updating your employee handbook.

Why is it Necessary to Attend?

The Employee Handbook is one of 4 documents that Attorneys review when deciding to pursue litigation. Over 26-35 regulations have changed since 2021. If you haven’t updated your employee handbook since 2019, your handbook is already outdated and is a risk of violations. Multi-State regulations have increased and continue to expand to other states.

Employee handbooks have been a tool for Employers from small to large companies for several years. Many companies elect to have employee handbooks and utilize employee handbook templates that are provided online which we call “cookie-cutter handbooks” since they are created as a “one size fits all”.

Unfortunately, employee handbooks can be a huge risk if not updated regularly, adapted to each company, reflect policies that are followed consistently, and reflect current regulations. Employee handbooks are also a critical communication tool for employees to understand what the company expects from them as well as what the company expects from employees.

What'll You Learn?

-You will learn, identify and prepare for employee handbook violations
-How the new NLRB changes the Impact on Employers and new policies
-Expanding employee rights related to employer discipline
-Reestablishing NLRB jurisdiction to decide matters involving religious educational institutions
-Social media and the impact of penalties when employees choose to speak negatively about their Employer
-New paid leave laws and how Employers can manage them
-Impact of “Ban the Box” regulations on criminal background screening regulations
-States where asking candidates for salary history has been prohibited. This means removing the salary history in handbooks, applications, and career websites
-How training can be one of your “first line of defense” if you are sued
-You will be aware of all the new regulations that will impact their company
-You will identify the most common employee handbook violations and learn to mitigate them

Get Answers To

-What five employee handbook policies do more to reduce risk when added to your handbook?
-What is the difference between employee handbooks and company policies?
-What employee handbook policies will be outdated before the year is out?
-New Employee Handbook changes established that help employers
-Which regulatory agency will focus on which regulation and mitigate the risk?
-What policies will land them in hot water?
-What policies are “must-have” for your employee handbook?

What Else?

-Best practices in developing an employee handbook
-Identify the best practices that can propel your company to be compliance savvy
-Learn how your managers and supervisors can be your Ambassadors in workplace compliance or your downfall
-Best practice on communicating your updates to employees and having them acknowledge your employee handbook according to guidelines

Who Will Benefit?

-All Employers
-Business Owners
-Company Leadership
-Compliance professionals
-Office Managers
-HR Professionals
-Managers/Supervisors
-Employers in all industries
-Small Business Owners
-Large Business Owners

You may ask your Question directly to our expert during the Q&A session.