- Report: 32% of Workers Believe Election Will Impact Careers
- IRS Issues 403(b) Guidance for Part-Time Workers
- Malware Targeting HR Departments through Fake Job Applications
- Maryland Implements New Work Heat Protection Law
- NLRB Accuses Apple of Imposing Illegal Workplace Rule
Report: 32% of Workers Believe Election Will Impact Careers
FlexJobs’ new Politics at Work Pulse Report found that nearly a third (32%) of surveyed workers believe the November general election will have a “significant impact” on their careers, while 68% said the impact will be negligible. FlexJobs surveyed more than 3,000 U.S.-based professionals between Aug. 5 and Aug. 18.
Among the respondents who anticipate that the election will have a career impact, 59% feel the result will be positive and 41% feel it will be negative.
While many respondents downplayed the impact of the election on their career, a significant portion of participants did feel today’s political climate has generated professional impacts, including:
- Increased expenses due to inflation or economic instability (31%)
- Increased stress and anxiety related to job security and financial stability (30%)
- Difficulty finding new employment or opportunities (27%)
- Higher stress at work (22%)
- Increased awareness of social justice and equity issues (21%)
- Loss of income, benefits or hours (19%)
- Reduced earning potential or salary stagnation (19%)
- Changes in workplace policies or practices (15%)
- Greater discrimination or bias in the workplace (15%)
- Shifts in company culture and values (15%)
- Feelings of isolation or disconnection from colleagues (13%)
- Changes in career goals or aspirations (13%)
- Greater focus on work-life balance and personal well-being (11%)
- Forced career change (11%)
IRS Issues 403(b) Guidance for Part-Time Workers
According to benefits and human resources consulting firm Segal, the U.S. Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has issued additional guidance on the requirement that certain employers give long-term, part-time (LTPT) employees the opportunity to make elective deposits to defined contribution plans. The latest guidance, Notice 2024-73, addressed the LTPT employee rule for 403(b) plans covered by the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA). It will be effective for plan years beginning after Dec. 31, 2024.
Cooperative hospital service organizations, public school systems and tax-exempt organizations are among the covered employers.
Notice 2024-73 explained how 20-hour-per-week employees and student employees are treated with respect to the LTPT rules:
- A 20-hour employee must be included as an LTPT employee if they meet the LTPT employee definition (500 hours worked in each of two consecutive years). This is because the 20-hour exception is a “service” rule that the LTPT employee requirement overrules.
- The student rule, on the other hand, is a statutory exception, and thus is not overruled by the LTPT employee inclusion rule. Accordingly, the ERISA-covered 403(b) plan can exclude an employee who meets the student exception, even if such employee would otherwise be an LTPT employee.
- The guidance also announced that any final rule addressing the LTPT employee rules for 401(k) plans, which was the subject of a proposed rule published Nov. 27, 2023, will apply no earlier than for plan years that begin on or after Jan. 1, 2026.
Malware Targeting HR Departments through Fake Job Applications
Trend Micro and other technology companies recently provided warnings about a spear-phishing email campaign that has targeted recruiters within corporate HR departments.
According to a report in The Hacker News, the threat incorporates a JavaScript backdoor called More_eggs that persistently tries to infiltrate an organization’s IT environment under the guise of fake job applications.
The malware reportedly is capable of siphoning credentials, including those related to online bank accounts, email accounts and IT administrator accounts.
Maryland Implements New Work Heat Protection Law
Maryland on Sept. 30 became the first state on the East Coast to adopt a work heat protection law for inside and outside work settings, according to a report from DC News Now.
The work heat protection law requires employers with workers in any indoor or outdoor environment that is above 80 degrees to ensure there is access to shade, rest breaks and at least 32 ounces of water per individual, and provide training on heat illness and prevention.
The bill was first introduced in 2020.
“The goal is [to] protect workers from heat illness and, in the extreme case, death from heat illness,” Maryland state delegate Lorig Charkoudian told DC News Now. “If you look at the number of days of extreme heat every summer, even since 2020, that’s increased significantly. The average temperatures have increased significantly — every year has been the hottest year on record.”
NLRB Accuses Apple of Imposing Illegal Workplace Rules
As reported by Reuters, the U.S. National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) issued a complaint accusing Apple of violating employees’ rights to organize and advocate for better working conditions by maintaining a series of unlawful workplace rules.
In the complaint announced on Sept. 30, the NLRB claims Apple required employees nationwide to sign illegal confidentiality, nondisclosure and noncompete agreements, and imposed overly broad misconduct and social media policies.
If Apple does not settle the case, it will be heard by an administrative law judge beginning in January. The agency is seeking to require Apple to rescind the allegedly unlawful rules and notify its entire U.S. workforce of their legal rights.
In a statement, Apple said it has always respected its employees’ rights to discuss wages, hours and working conditions, which is reflected in its employment policies.
“We strongly disagree with these claims and will continue to share the facts at the hearing,” the company said.
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