With widespread closures of schools and childcare centers, COVID-19 kicked away the scaffolding of care working families rely on to balance the demands of work and family. Mothers, in particular, have borne a heavy load.

Washington has recently adopted legislation (Substitute House Bill 2409 that established Revised Code of Washington 51.14.179) that will impose new licensing and other regulatory requirements on workers compensation Third Party Administrators (“TPAs”) that contract with one or more self-insured employers to handle their claims.  Specifically, effective July 1, 2021, all TPAs administering workers compensation business for self-insured employers must be licensed by the Washington State Department of Labor and Industries (“Washington DLI”). Per the Washington DLI, such self-insured employers have used TPAs for a long time in Washington, but this is the first time there will be a requirement to obtain a TPA license.

What do you need to connect with meaningful employment? As we grappled with major changes in the workforce and the pandemic’s many challenges, that’s the question we asked military spouses who were transitioning with their service member from active duty last year.

Return-to-work programs are only effective if they are implemented with the support of upper, middle and lower management.

On April 13, 2021, the New Jersey Supreme Court affirmed the Superior Court’s decision in Hager v. M&K Construction that required New Jersey employers to reimburse the cost of medical marijuana for injured workers.

Teen workers have workplace rights but are not always aware of them. To gather ideas on how best to share information with teens about their rights and workplace protections, the U.S. Department of Labor is hosting a national online dialogue from April 19–30.

https://www.societyfordiversity.org/Throughout the year 2020, diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) remained a priority for both the human resources (HR) department, as well as research and development professionals.

Outside of the HR department, executive owners and leaders focus more on the DEI criteria, incorporate it into their business culture, and use it for vital business advantages.

Keeping in view the importance of diversity and inclusion in the workplace, its training should be considered an integral part of every organization. Diversity and inclusion training drives growth and innovation.

Diversity and inclusion are also important factors that job seekers usually consider before accepting any job. 

Though this criterion is important for most job seekers, it holds more value and importance for the people who fall into a minority group.

According to a survey, 72% of women (vs. 62% of men), 89% of African Americans, 80% of Asians, and 70% of Latinos ranked workforce diversity as an important factor while searching for any job. 

It should come as no surprise that the COVID-19 pandemic has led to a dramatic decrease in unemployment rates in Arizona and the rest of the country.

Since the COVID-19 outbreak, over 600,000 Arizonans have filed for unemployment thus far. That amounts to roughly 17 percent of the total state workforce.

What may be more of a surprise is that with higher unemployment comes a lower rate of workers’ compensation claims. This finding is based on data from multiple studies.

Even before the COVID-19 pandemic fundamentally altered the way we live and work, the U.S. workforce was increasing the number of workers who did their jobs from their own homes. But when COVID-19 hit, the rate of telecommuting grew exponentially out of necessity.

As it pertains to workers’ compensation laws, recognized Native American tribes are immune from having to comply with state workers’ compensation regulations. That said, the recognized tribes traditionally have taken 1 of 3 approaches to workers’ compensation.