Editor's Note

Today’s labor economy is a workers’ market. As unemployment rates reach historic lows, candidates get their pick of positions at companies desperate for talent. Contingent workers are no exception. Like full-time, salaried employees, they are beginning to expect more from their employers in areas beyond pay. Though fair pay is certainly a factor, perks and benefits can be just as enticing, as can overall working experience and company culture. According to LinkedIn, 70% of professionals would not elect to work at a well-regarded company if it came at the cost of poor workplace culture.
 

As this often-overlooked segment of the workforce grows, it’s time—actually, past time—for employers to pay attention to contractors’ needs and working conditions. Facebook recently announced it would raise the minimum hourly wage for contractors in its costliest markets. Google announced it would only work with staffing firms that extend full benefits to their contractors; this policy change will affect the thousands of contingent workers that are part of today’s "shadow workforce." The tide is changing for the employer-contractor relationship; companies must rise to the occasion and ensure their policies recognize and compensate contract employees fairly.

This month's cover article, Contractors Are Employees Too. Employers Need To Treat Them Like It., by Anil Dharni look deep into the topic and shares some insights into this issue.

California is now one step closer to excluding information relating to employees from the scope of the California Consumer Privacy Act (“CCPA”). On May 29, 2019, the California Assembly passed Assembly Bill 25 (“AB 25”), which would narrow the CCPA’s definition of “consumer” to exclude, among others, employees. AB 25 now goes to the Senate for its consideration.  As a result, how big of a step this represents, and how much closer we are to an amendment widely supported by companies across industries, remains to be seen. Learn more about this in Nathan D. Taylor's article CCPA: One Step Closer to Excluding Employee Data.

New York lawmakers just introduced the “Dependent Worker Act” into the Assembly and Senate recently, which proposes to provide workers in the gig economy with certain rights that previously were only available to “employees.” However, just as quickly as the bill was introduced, the bill’s sponsor delayed consideration of the bill until the next legislative session amid criticism that the bill was rushed, poorly drafted, and did not go far enough in protecting gig economy workers. 

Seth Kaufman's article New York Considering Gig Worker Protection Law talks about how a law could better address the issues faced by gig businesses.

Also check, Gender Pay Gap: Earnings Peak At Different Ages For Women And Men by Teresa Perez and The California Consumer Protection Act And Employers by Jennifer Daimon, among others featured in this edition.

That’s not all! We hope this edition of HRIS & Payroll Excellence will help you with your payroll and HRIS challenges.

Happy reading and don't forget to send us your feedback!