Workplace Compliance News & Resources
Get the latest safety and workplace compliance news and resources from the federal, state, and local government levels. Below you’ll find late-breaking news, an interactive state map, the latest federal news, and minimum wage changes.
We try to keep it easy to understand and give you some general considerations on what to do, but we always recommend that businesses seek legal counsel for further advice and guidance on your particular situation.
Wherever available, KPA products are updated with the latest government notices and posters for employers.
Who: All employers
When: Effective immediately
The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) released a new version of its “Your Rights Under USERRA” poster, dated July 2026. USERRA — the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act — protects the employment rights of employees who serve in the military, including National Guard and Reserve members, and bars employers from discriminating against them because of their service.
Every employer must give all employees notice of their USERRA rights, whether they work onsite or remotely. Employers can display the notice in the workplace alongside other required labor law posters or distribute it electronically via email, the internet, HR portals, or other channels if that’s how the organization typically communicates HR notices.
How:
- Print and post the new USERRA notice alongside other required labor law posters in a physical workplace or distribute the notice electronically.
Additional Resources
Your Rights Under USERRA Poster
Who: Federal agencies
When: Effective immediately
On July 23, 2026, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) released new guidance on religious protections in the federal workplace, which replaces and broadens the department’s 2017 guidelines. The update folds in recent Supreme Court rulings and directs federal agencies to make sure their employment practices, programs, contracting, rulemaking, and enforcement actions align with the Constitution, the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, Title VII, and other federal laws.
The guidance applies to federal agencies and not directly to private employers, but Title VII’s religious-accommodation duty already applies to private employers, and that hasn’t changed. Under the Supreme Court’s 2023 Groff v. DeJoy ruling, employers must reasonably accommodate an employee’s sincerely held religious beliefs unless doing so would cause undue hardship.
Employees may also have protections for religious practices and expression on the job. Employers need to evaluate every accommodation request individually and apply policies and procedures consistently to avoid claims of religious discrimination.
How:
- Review all policies and procedures related to religious accommodation.
- Train HR personnel and managers on how to handle accommodation requests.
- Make sure you are applying the undue hardship standard correctly, if applicable.
Additional Resources
Religious Discrimination and Accommodation in the Federal Workplace
Who: All employers
When: Effective immediately
On August 6, 2026, the IRS issued Fact Sheet 2026-13, which replaces the January 2026 FAQs (Fact Sheet 2026-01) and issued Notice 2026-28. Together, they explain two provisions from the One Big Beautiful Bill Act: a tax deduction for qualified overtime pay and a credit for paid family and medical leave (PFML).
Fact Sheet 2026-13 answers 32 questions about the tax deduction for qualified overtime and covers:
- Federal income tax treatment;
- How to calculate qualified overtime pay;
- Which employees fall under FLSA coverage and exemptions;
- How to report overtime on 2026 W-2 and 1099 forms;
- How to correct reporting mistakes; and
- How compensatory time and non-FLSA overtime arrangements factor in.
Qualified overtime pay is defined as an income tax deduction for overtime compensation required under Section 7 of the Fair Labor Standards Act.
Notice 2026-28 updates the rules for the PFML tax credit, including:
- How to claim credit on qualifying insurance premiums;
- How to calculate creditable premiums when a policy bundles PFML with other benefits;
- How the credit interacts with state paid-leave requirements; and
- Expanded eligibility that now covers employees who’ve been on the job for at least six months and part-time employees who work 20 hours a week.
How:
- Monitor for updates from the IRS and Treasury Department regarding these laws.
Additional Resources
Who: All employers, particularly those with voluntary affirmative action plans
When: Effective immediately
On June 30, 2026, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) announced that it rescinded two long-standing policy documents that guided voluntary affirmative action plans under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964: the interpretive guidelines “Affirmative Action Appropriate under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 as Amended” under 29 C.F.R. Part 1608, and Section 607 of the EEOC’s Compliance Manual. Both had been in place for roughly 40 years. The final rule went into effect on July 6, 2026.
They served as a roadmap for employers seeking to adopt voluntary affirmative action plans and as a framework for demonstrating that a plan was reasonable and defensible if challenged. Employers have relied on them for decades when structuring diversity-related hiring and promotion initiatives.
The rescission doesn’t amend the statute, eliminate the ability to bring a discrimination claim, or overrule existing Supreme Court precedent. Rulings such as United Steelworkers v. Weber and Johnson v. Transportation Agency, which upheld certain voluntary affirmative action plans, remain binding law. What has changed is the EEOC’s interpretive framework, and, with it, the safe harbor that employers used to cite when defending their plans.
The Commission says the guidelines:
- Were inconsistent with the plain text of Title VII;
- Weren’t supported by Supreme Court precedent when first issued;
- Applied only to plans benefiting women and minorities; and
- Hadn’t kept pace with decades of subsequent case law.
This action lines up with the broader federal push to move away from DEI programs and toward strictly merit-based employment decisions. The EEOC operates under the principle that when making employment decisions, employers should not consider an applicant’s or employee’s protected characteristics unless permitted by law.
Because the good-faith defense tied to the old guidelines is no longer available, employers with voluntary affirmative action plans should take a fresh look at how those plans are structured and documented.
How:
- Review all hiring, promotion, compensation, and diversity-related initiatives.
- Audit existing policies, agreements, programs, and practices with legal counsel.
- Continue monitoring federal and state law in this area.
Additional Resources
EEOC Votes to Rescind Affirmative Action Interpretive Guidelines and Related Compliance Manual
2026 Minimum Wage Updates
KPA tracks state and local minimum wage changes for our Vera HR customers, providing them with updated labor posters and more.
Check out the latest minimum wage changes for 2026, typically updated in December and June to ensure you know about the majority of increases before taking effect on January 1 and July 1.
Resources for Success
OSHA Reporting Resource Hub
If regulatory paperwork makes your head spin, have no fear—the workforce safety and compliance professionals at KPA are here to help.
We’ve created this resource hub chock full of OSHA recordkeeping and reporting best practices to help keep your head on straight.
