HR Tuned In

11/23/2025

Important Update from the EEOC About Hiring Practices (11/19/2025)

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission recently released new information to help employers understand what national origin discrimination looks like in the workplace.

In simple terms, this type of discrimination happens when someone is treated differently because of:

The country they come from

Their cultural or ethnic background

Their accent

How others think they look or sound

The EEOC also reminded employers that:
✔ Customer preferences
✔ Lower labor costs
✔ Stereotypes about work ethic
do NOT justify favoritism or discrimination.

What businesses should do now:

Double-check job ads and applications

Make sure all hiring steps are consistent

Train HR and recruiters

Review third-party staffing contracts

Document fair, job-related hiring standards

This update is a great reminder to keep workplace practices fair, consistent, and compliant.

WASHINGTON – The U.S.

11/06/2025

The Hidden Cost of HR Mistakes

💡 Did you know that the average small business pays over $30,000 per year in avoidable HR penalties?
Most violations come from simple oversights — missing forms, misclassified employees, or outdated handbooks.

Compliance isn’t about paperwork — it’s about protecting your team and your business.

“Start with small changes. Review your new hire forms and pay classifications — they matter more than you think.”

07/09/2025

Reminder for small businesses!!
June 30th, is the Texas State Comptroller’s due date for filing your quarterly sales tax return.

06/29/2025

11/18/2024

TEXAS
Euless, TX
City Council Repeals Predictive Scheduling Ordinance
On Sept. 24, 2024, the Euless City Council voted to repeal the Overtime and Scheduling Standards Ordinance due to it being preempted by the state’s Regulatory Consistency Act. Under the Ordinance, covered employers with at least 200 employees were required to provide employees with written schedules at least 10 days in advance and pay employees three times their regular rate of pay for any additional hours or shifts worked in an emergency. The repeal of the ordinance’s requirements took immediate effect.

11/06/2024

Employee Not Protected by Post-Termination FMLA Certification. Read about a recent court case that dives deeper into Post - Termination under FMLA.
https://shawe.com/eupdate/employee-not-protected-by-post-termination-fmla-certification/

08/20/2024

Spring 2024 Regulatory Agenda
The Biden Administration announced the release of the Spring 2024 Unified Agenda, detailing regulatory activity planned for the coming months. Notably, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission may issue a proposed rule in early 2025 to collect pay data from employers. The Department of Labor plans to issue a proposed rule detailing its ongoing reconsideration of the regulations that enable employers to pay subminimum wages to employees with disabilities, and the National Labor Relations Board indicated it plans to release a final rule revising union election procedures.

08/20/2024

National Labor Relations Board Publishing Fair Choice-Employee Voice Final Rule
The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) published its Fair Choice-Employee Voice final rule on Aug. 1, 2024, returning three policies to their pre-Trump era standard. The three policies are intended to provide workers with a fair opportunity to decide whether they want union representation: 1) the blocking charge policy allows regional directors to delay union elections in response to claims of unfair labor practice charges; 2) the voluntary recognition policy allows employers to voluntarily recognize a union without the mandatory 45-day waiting period; and 3) the construction industry union policy increases pathways for construction unions to seek the same protections available to unions in other industries. The final rule will apply to cases filed after Sep. 30, 2024. Note: If you have questions regarding union policies, please contact your legal counsel.

08/20/2024

Make sure your team is trained yearly to catch costly mistakes. Contact us if you need to find out how to train your team.

The Department of Homeland Security issued a final rule adjusting its fines for employers who fail to comply with Form I-9 requirements. The increased amounts adjusted for inflation will apply to penalties assessed after June 28, 2024, for violations after Nov. 2, 2015. The penalty range for Form I-9 paperwork violations has increased from $272 - $2,701 to $281 - $2,789. The penalties for knowingly employing unauthorized employees (first, second, and subsequent offenses) and violating key provisions of the Immigration Nationality Act (INA) have also increased.

08/05/2024

📢 Attention Employers: Ensure Your Managers are Trained on Religious Discrimination.

Employers must ensure their managers are well-trained in handling religious accommodations. The landmark Supreme Court decision in Groff v. DeJoy mandates that employers must accommodate almost all religious accommodation requests from employees and job applicants.

Many employers have not updated their policies, resulting in a surge of EEOC complaints and religious-discrimination lawsuits. A recent case, EEOC v. Houchens Food Group (ED KY, 2024), highlights the consequences of failing to comply with these requirements.

🔍 Key Takeaways:

Groff v. DeJoy impacts both employees and job applicants. Rejecting a candidate based on their religious accommodation needs can lead to significant legal repercussions.

Ensure your company policies are updated to reflect these changes.

Train your managers thoroughly to handle religious accommodation requests properly.

Don’t wait for a lawsuit to remind you of these important obligations. Proactively train your managers now to avoid legal pitfalls and promote an inclusive workplace!

07/15/2024

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has decided to ban almost all noncompete agreements starting on September 4, 2024. These agreements often stop workers from taking new jobs or starting their own businesses, which the FTC says is unfair and keeps people stuck in jobs they want to leave.

Here’s what the new rule means:

Employers cannot make new hires sign non-compete agreements.
All existing noncompete agreements will be canceled, except for those with high-level executives who make more than $151,164 a year. However, these executives won’t have to sign new noncompete agreements.
Employers must tell their current and former employees that the old noncompete agreements are no longer valid.
This rule doesn’t apply to nonprofit organizations.

There is already one lawsuit trying to stop this rule, and more lawsuits might follow.