November Update

New guidance from the White House says Federal Contractors may educate workers who haven't been vaccinated by Dec. 8th instead of firing them.
They recommend counseling, accomodating, and then enforcing the mandate.
It appears that the mandate applies to all employees of federal contractors, whether the employees are active on any contract work or not.
Federal employees have until Nov. 22nd to be fully vaccinated.
Battles are brewing over the vaccine mandate for private companies with over 100 employees. The trucking industry says they'll lose their workforce which will only add to the massive delays in deliveries.
If you have remote employees working in New Jersey, start withholding income taxes. The state ended its temporary relief period for employees there in October.
Companies have been hit with discrimination lawsuits for inclusion efforts that are perceived as exclusionary practices, such as paying higher wages to those who meet their diversity goals and terminating those who do not meet their diversity goals. It's easy to violate employment laws if you're making decisions based on race, age, gender, etc.
If you're a fan of the "virtual review" option for I-9 documents, add your comments to support the possibility of extending that option permanently. This could be a big plus for multi-location organizations and for those with remote workers. Public input is due by Dec. 27th.
If you're struggling with religious exemptions for vaccine mandates, click here to see key takeaways from the EEOC's updated technical assistance.
Accommodations are not required for "social, political, economic views, or personal preferences."