New U.S. Human Resources Regulations: 2022 Starts Out with a Bang

Welcome to 2022! A new year always brings new opportunities and challenges. In the world of human relations law, the federal government has passed new rules and regulations to improve employees working conditions after the third year of the pandemic. The first week of 2022 brings many significant changes. Keep reading to see what's changing.

With a health crisis still ongoing, H.R. trends remain similar to last year's. However, we are seeing major changes in how H.R. manages day-to-day recruitment, which should be even more pronounced in 2022.

Candidates may no longer be asked about their criminal history. This limitation was fused into the Fiscal Defense Authorization Act 2020 and came into effect on December 20, 2021.

On November 4, 2021, the Biden organization, via the Office of Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), established an order requiring managers with at least 100 representatives to either require every one of their workers to be immunized or get tested weekly.

Typically, the order was quickly challenged in courts around the nation. The Biden administration has chosen not to implement the order until the courts decide the various legal issues.

The U.S. Supreme Court will hear oral contention on the legitimateness of the OSHA order on January 7, 2022.

Hourly workers get some wins.

On January 1, 2022, the minimum wage leaped to eleven dollars ($11.00) in Virginia and will stay that way until January 1, 2023, when it will go as much as twelve dollars ($12.00) an hour.

However, Virginia is not alone. Twenty-one states saw a wage increase on January 1. Go here for the complete list.

The Federal government is looking at childbirth and work regulations related to COVID-19.

The Senate is currently working on the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA), fortifying protections for pregnant employees making it unlawful for employers to deny pregnant individuals any sensible convenience.

The PWFA so far is being promoted as a bipartisan bill receiving backing from both political parties. Will the U.S. soon do more to help women and families?