Immigration. Last month, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) made minor changes to Form I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification, and notified employers. The new revised Form I-9 with an edition date 01/20/25 and an expiration date 05/31/2027 is now available for download. There are previous editions that remain valid until their respective expiration dates. Specifically, the 1 page version of the Form I-9 (08/01/23 edition) is valid until 05/31/2027, and still complies with Title VII. There were only minor changes to terminology in the newest version. Read more.

Immigration. It has not been easy for employers to make sense of the fast-moving immigration regulation changes and court cases. One topic creating lots of HR questions is Venezuelans who were granted Temporary Protected Status (TPS) under the Biden Administration. The Secretary of Homeland Security is authorized to designate a foreign country for TPS due to temporary conditions such as ongoing armed conflict, or other extraordinary and temporary conditions that prevent nationals from safely returning to their country. Upon taking office, the Trump Administration’s Secretary of Homeland Security canceled the TPS extension and reinstated the end of TPS for Venezuelans. Biden’s DHS Secretary issued extensions to TPS on January 17, 2025. After a court challenge, a federal judge issued a nationwide order postponing the cancellation of the latest 18-month extension of the TPS status. Read more.

Recruiting. Discover how an employee referral program can boost recruitment, foster workplace collaboration, and empower your team to play an active role in shaping your company’s success. If you have never used one, try the following program and see how your employees respond. In a recent blog post, we shared a simple template for an employee referral program so you can supercharge your hiring. Read more.

Discrimination. Under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, covered employers must provide reasonable religious accommodations unless there is an undue burden. Employers have a duty to work with their employees to attempt to find an accommodation and cannot revoke an accommodation without justification. The EEOC recently sued Marriott Vacations Worldwide and Marriott Ownership Resorts, Inc. for failing to accommodate an employee’s request not to work Saturdays so she could observe Sabbath (7th Day Adventist). Under new management. the company stopped giving her Saturdays off, and she repeatedly complained. Not working on Saturday negatively impacted her sales and commissions, and she quit. Read more about religious accommodation rules.

Safety. OSHA regulation, 29 CFR 1926.51(f)(1) requires construction employers to provide potable water and hand soap for washing hands in some cases. The rule states "(f) Washing facilities. (1) The employer shall provide adequate washing facilities for employees engaged in the application of paints, coating, herbicides, or insecticides, or in other operations where contaminants may be harmful to the employees. Such facilities shall be in near proximity to the worksite and shall be so equipped as to enable employees to remove such substances. A letter of interpretation also concludes that "having rags and a can of waterless hand cleaner available" does not meet compliance. Read more about sanitation requirements for construction sites here.