Editor's note

In any industry and any workplace, gut instinct just doesn’t cut it anymore – strong job candidates who pass the pre-hire background check and wow leadership with their interview skills can easily devolve into individuals who put the company at risk. 
 

Validating the fact that this is now a common workforce occurrence, the National Counterintelligence and Security Center (NCSC) and the National Insider Threat Task Force (NITTF) spent all of September raising awareness for insider threat. This month’s cover article It’s Time We Talk About Insider Threat Solutions by Tom Miller, discusses why leaders need to become aware of criminal offenses in real-time, and need to be able to see and keep an eye on high-risk or inappropriate employee behavior as it’s happening. 

Recently, the Department of Health and Human Services, the Department of Labor, and the Department of the Treasury  released the Transparency in Coverage proposed rule—a follow up to the final regulations requiring hospitals to make publicly available, “in a consumer-friendly manner,” their list price, cash price, payer-specific negotiated rates and lowest/highest negotiated rates for a federally defined list of 70 “shoppable services.” This final rule—and the proposed rule for employers and plan issuers—is designed to make the cost of health care more transparent for patients. So, how can employers prepare themselves to brace this proposed new law? Read New And Proposed Transparency Rules by Kim A. Buckey to know more. 

Compliance issues make up a large chunk of most of the HR function and can impact everything from recruiting to outplacement. Compliance laws and guidelines can vary based on state legislation, industry, federal rule changes, and sweeping societal changes such as the #MeToo movement. It can be difficult for HR Leaders to stay up-to-date and prioritize the issues and changes they should pay attention to. Catch up with Rachel Sobel’s article, 5 Compliance Issues Every HR Leader Should Know to learn about key compliance issues of today. 

On December 11, 2019, the Washington State Department of Labor and Industries (L&I) announced significant changes to the eligibility for employees to be classified as exempt under the white-collar exemptions, as well as exemptions for outside salespeople and computer professionals across all industries in Washington. Heather M. Fossity and Sarah I. Hale’s article, Washington Radically Expands Eligibility For Overtime, helps you in aligning with the requirements of the federal standards. 
  
This is not all! This month’s issue of HR Legal & Compliance Excellence is packed with top trending topics in the legal and compliance arena, and infused with information on new policies and laws to arm you and your employees to stay compliant and safe. 

We wish you a Happy and Safe New Year. Cheers!