HR and future of work · Industry brief
Top three stories shaping HR and future of work today, written for someone who already works in the industry: regulation, M&A, new entrants, notable filings, and any precedent worth pulling. Cite the trade publication (e.g. trade press, government source, court docket) directly so I can follow up.
← See today's latestWellness rule relief lands, precedent reversals wait, compliance deadlines tighten
DOL wellness guidance
The DOL just gave wellness vendors a reprieve on retroactive rewards.
Federal agencies released new FAQs clarifying notice requirements and retroactive reward relief for group health plans, signaling they will not penalize sponsors who missed earlier deadlines [Quelle: Seyfarth Shaw]. The guidance stabilizes what had been a moving target for plan administrators navigating conflicting Department of Labor and IRS timelines. Employers rolling out or refreshing wellness incentives should lock in compliance calendars now before further regulatory shifts.
Watch for follow-up rulemaking this fall.
NLRB reversal watchlist
Continuing the precedent reversal roadmap from yesterday, the enforcement timeline is accelerating.
Cases challenging severance confidentiality, work rules, and captive-audience meetings remain docketed under NLRB General Counsel Carey's August 26 reversal memo, and the Republican majority is signaling aggressive litigation through fall 2026 [Quelle: Seyfarth Shaw]. Any settlement or consent decree signed in 2024 to comply with prior Board standards should be flagged for potential renegotiation. By December, employers may face dual-track handbook language obligations.
Draft contingency severance language now.
Q4 compliance deadline crush
October and November are a regulatory gauntlet.
OFCCP affirmative action plan rules expire October 26, Maryland FAMLI declaration deadlines hit November 15, and VEVRAA threshold shifts land September 21—all converging as enforcement machinery ramps up [Quelle: Seyfarth Shaw]. Multi-state operators need to audit federal contractor status, vendor threshold classifications, and leave-policy equivalency claims across all jurisdictions immediately. A single missed date on an EPIP declaration or affirmative-action-plan rescission creates back-pay and audit exposure.
Compliance calendars should reflect September-first action starts.
Wellness Program FAQs: Agencies Offer Relief on Retroactive ...13 hours ago ... Monitoring future regulatory developments, as the Departments indicated ... Management Writes: Practical Labor Law Updates · The Blunt Truth® · The ...seyfarth.com