Compliance Stuff

Here are the top 10 workplace compliance items you should tackle in April 2026, based on the latest labor and employment law updates:   _____ Update your workplace violence prevention plan.  April is Workplace Violence Prevention Month, making it a good time to assess whether your current policies and procedures are up to date.  Here’s everything you need to know and the steps you can take to keep your staff and customers safe . _____ Track the latest news from the federal government.  There were some recent significant federal developments that should cause you to review your policies and practices in April:   The DOL General Counsel announced that the agency will shift the focus of its investigation resources to non-union workplaces and promised maximum compliance assistance.  Here are the important points of the memo that your business should know . The NLRB General Counsel issued new guidance on work rules, raising questions about whether employee handb...

About eight years ago, toward the end of a panel I was moderating on cybersecurity, I turned to the panelists and asked them to tell me what to expect when quantum computing would come online. I got blank stares. Quantum computing, and its implications for national security and cybersecurity, had not yet made its way into the consciousness of most experts. Today, that has changed and lawyers, particularly those advising on system and data security issues, need to get ahead of the upheaval that is coming. For those unfamiliar, quantum computing is based on the principles of quantum physics, which govern matter and energy at atomic and subatomic levels, where classical physics ceases to apply . Quantum tech has already begun to influence areas like  medical imaging . Once they become commercially viable, quantum computers will launch a sea change in many additional areas of technology. Quantum computers’ use of qubits that can hold multiple values simultaneously will inaugurate an e...

At a Glance The Policy Week in Review, prepared by Littler’s Workplace Policy Institute (WPI), sets forth WPI’s updates on federal legislation, regulations, and congressional activity affecting the workplace. Senate Passes Partial DHS Funding Legislation; House Rejects It; DHS Shutdown Continues   After a shutdown lasting over a month (41 days) at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and ensuing failed negotiations in the Senate to reach consensus on legislation to fund the Department over demands for reforms to immigration enforcement, the Senate finally voted early this morning to pass a bill to partially fund the DHS. The deal funds most of DHS except for Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Patrol. The legislation shifted over to the House for consideration where it was rejected this afternoon by House conservatives who want full-year ICE and CBP funding, plus voter-ID requirements added to the bill. Moments later, amid mounting TSA pressures and long...

A sweeping new federal cybersecurity mandate is on its way, and now is the time for businesses to build the infrastructure you’ll need to comply. T he Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) is finalizing draft rules that will require a massive swath of American businesses to report certain cyber incidents, putting more structure and teeth behind the Cyber Incident Reporting for Critical Infrastructure Act (CIRCIA) . While the agency has been targeting May 2026 for the release of the final rule, recent federal appropriations disruptions could alter that timeline. But the core obligations are not expected to change from the draft rule, and businesses that wait for the ink to dry before preparing will be starting from behind. Here’s a set of FAQs to help you understand what’s about to happen and what you should do. What is CIRCIA, and why should my business care? CIRCIA was passed in 2022 as the federal government’s first comprehensive, cross-sector approach to mandatory ...

California employers often focus on whether an employee’s complaint has legal merit. That instinct makes sense. If the complaint is wrong, exaggerated, or based on a misunderstanding of the law, it is easy to assume the risk is low. That assumption is where employers get into trouble. A recent California Court of Appeal decision makes the point. In  Contreras v. Green Thumb Produce, Inc. , the court confirmed that an employee can pursue a retaliation claim even when the underlying complaint is legally incorrect, so long as the employee reasonably believed a violation of law occurred. That is the disconnect employers often miss. The Shift Employers Need to Understand Under California law, an employee engages in protected activity when they complain about conduct they reasonably believe violates the law . That belief does not have to be correct. It only needs to be “reasonable.” An employee may complain about something that is not actually unlawful. They may misunderstand wage and h...