In the midst of the latest surge in omicron COVID-19 cases, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments Friday on whether the Biden administration can force private-sector firms to vaccinate or test tens of millions of employees.
The court is expected to make a decision swiftly that could freeze the vax-or-test mandates on businesses with more than 100 workers — and the threat of fines — or let the Biden plan be implemented, legal experts say. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration, or OSHA, which regulates workplace safety, has said it could begin fining businesses that fail to comply with the mandates on Jan. 10.
As we enter 2022, changes in how we work, where we work, who we work with, why we work, and the technologies we use are in continual flux. Many of these changes started prior to the pandemic, were accelerated by it, and have become permanent aspects of the workplace.
Here is my countdown of what you should include on your HR roadmap for 2022.
Record numbers of U.S. workers leaving their jobs and a slowdown in hiring at front-line businesses may show that the latest COVID-19 wave is denting labor supply, possibly pushing the Federal Reserve further toward concluding that employment is nearing its practical limits.
Hiring data tracked by small business payroll management firm Homebase showed employment edging down through December, coinciding with a record outbreak of coronavirus infections driven by the Omicron variant.
Conversations with hundreds of managers and two national surveys have unearthed clear trends about the future of working from home. Working from home is here to stay, with hybrid arrangements fast becoming the dominant strain.
By 2022, the typical firm will have everyone in the office three days a week, typically Tuesday to Thursday, and working from home Monday and Friday.
2021 was the year of the "Great Resignation"—a year when workers quit their jobs at historic rates. According to some, the trend was driven by an economic and psychological shift as employers struggled—and often failed—to tempt anxious staff to return to industries that have too often treated workers as dispensable.