The beginning of a new year is a time of reflection and resolve for positive change. Resolutions for self-improvement on health, relationships, and other personal goals abound. Some will fail to materialize. Many will be short-lived. However, in the business world changes are often imposed by law and cannot so easily be ignored. Here are some suggested resolutions for employers to consider going forward in 2024:

1. Improve employee communications – A variety of laws require a broad array of notices that must be given to employees regarding newly legislated rights. Instead of merely covering what legislators want communicated to employees, employers should try to improve their own communications on expectations for employee performance, customer satisfaction, quality, etc.
2. Beware the temptation to dive headlong into DEI – the past few years may have been the era of DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion), but employers who took this well intended concept too seriously and began implementing quotas, or preferences of one group over another in the name of equality, have begun to find themselves being sued by those who are excluded from jobs, schools, or other opportunities in the name of DEI.  It turns out DEI is not a defense to a discrimination claim and so it remains a sound practice for employers to hire, promote, etc. based on legitimate business factors such as qualifications. 
3. Be adaptable to change – None of us needs to be reminded that 2024 is an election year in perhaps the most contentious of times. Employers who thought 2023 was a time of tumult and change in employment laws (e.g. from the NLRB, EEOC, Courts, and legislative bodies) had better “buckle up” as they say.  2024 just might have all of us yearning for the good old days of 2023 and earlier, when running a business was more predictable, and peaceful???   

Questions? Contact attorney James Sherman in our Minneapolis office at (952) 746-1700 or by email