Dear %%FirstName%% %%LastName%%:

Here’s what’s new this week on HR.BLR.com^®:

Recent/Upcoming Compliance Dates

• *Reminder* In a statement issued by the USCIS, the agency is advising employers to continue using the Form I-9 currently available on I-9 Central—even though the expiration date of Aug. 31 has passed—until further notice or a revised form is issued. The USCIS has not announced exactly when the new edition of the form will be published. That fact aside, employers should continue to use the current version (with expiration date of August 31, 2019) until a revised version is available.
• October 8, 2019: An amendment to the New York Human Right Law (NYHRL) prohibits employers from pay discrimination based on any characteristic protected under the law.
• October 11, 2019: New York employers may be liable for an unlawful discriminatory practice against a nonemployee in the employer’s workplace (e.g., contractors, vendors, consultants). The “severe or pervasive” standard for harassment will no longer be applied. Instead, harassment is unlawful if it subjects a person to inferior terms of employment. Employers are prohibited from requiring mandatory arbitration to resolve a claim of unlawful discrimination or retaliation. In a settlement agreement, employers are prohibited from preventing the disclosure of a discrimination claim unless the employee wants the nondisclosure provision.
• October 30, 2019: All private employers in Westchester County, New York will be required to provide up to 40 hours of paid safe leave for covered employees who are victims of domestic violence and human trafficking. This leave will be provided in addition to the already-required sick leave.
• November 1, 2019: Oklahoma amends its existing concealed carry laws to allow individuals to carry firearms without a permit or training—post notices to prohibit in the workplace. Additionally, an amendment has been made to the smoking law, which clarifies that “smoking” includes smoking tobacco or marijuana, or vaping marijuana; employers must post 4x2 inch notices.
• November 4, 2019: National Labor Relations Board comment period ends for input on protecting employees who engage in profane and offensive speech, which are part of the factors it considers when determining if an individual’s comments go beyond what’s protected by the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA).
• December 10, 2019: The NLRB has extended the comment period on its recent proposed rule changes related to union representation elections. The Board announced on October 4 it would accept comments through December 10, 2019. The previous deadline was October 11.

Recognizing and Overcoming Unconscious Bias for Employees and Supervisors

We all have unconscious biases that affect our interactions with others and how we view the world. These unconscious biases can have a negative effect in the workplace when they go unchecked. This course will benefit everyone who interacts with coworkers, customers, or anyone else as part of their job. After completing this course, learners will be able to identify and address their own unconscious biases and take steps to "interrupt" them when communicating and interacting with others in the workplace.

• Audio
• Exercise 1
• Exercise 2
• PowerPoint^®
• Quiz
• Speaker’s Notes
• Trainer’s Guide

Interrupting Unconscious Bias for Supervisors

Unconscious bias can hurt morale, productivity, and innovation when it happens among employees. When it sneaks into critical workplace personnel and management decisions, it can be costly for your company in terms of lawsuits and discrimination charges. This course will benefit all managers, supervisors, and workplace leaders who are tasked with recruiting, hiring, and evaluating performance. Building on the concepts and strategies presented in "Recognizing and Overcoming Unconscious Bias for Employees and Supervisors," this course offers strategies for eliminating unconscious bias from personnel decisions and how to recognize and counteract microaggressions that often stem from unconscious bias. After completing this course, supervisors should be able to identify their own unconscious biases and "interrupt" them when making critical personnel management decisions.

• Audio
• Exercise 1
• Exercise 2
• Handout
• PowerPoint
• Quiz
• Speaker’s Notes
• Trainer’s Guide

Be sure to check HR.BLR.com’s training section for all the latest training materials.