TIME TO PLAN YOUR SUMMER HR/LAW READING AGAIN
As I seem to note each year about this time, there are many tempting times to curl up with a good book or article, of course, but one of them (to quote singer Nat King Cole) is during those Lazy Hazy Crazy Days of Summer. Now that it’s summer time (and the livin’ is easy…), here are some links, some suggestions, and some recommendations (in addition to these Parsons Behle employment law updates), for good HR/law reads when you are relaxing in the mountains, at the beach or under the air conditioner.
TRUMP EMPLOYMENT LAW IN VOGUE
There have been lots of interesting recent articles about the ongoing efforts of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) to implement what it believes is the workforce agenda of President Donald Trump (EEOC Is Prioritizing Job Discrimination Cases That Match Trump’s Agenda - The New York Times). That effort reflects a broader trend among other agencies too (Federal Labor Agencies Formalize Employer-Friendly Shift Under Trump Administration | Employment Law Letter).
EEOC GETS TRUMPIER
For the EEOC, this agenda includes bathrooms (EEOC Says Agencies Can Restrict Bathroom Use by Sex - The New York Times), EEO-1 modifications (Federal civil rights watchdog wants to stop tracking data on race and sex - The Washington Post and EEOC Proposal Puts Future of EEO-1 Reporting in Question), lawsuits on behalf of white males, (EEOC sues New York Times, alleging it discriminated against White male employee - The Washington Post), and more lawsuits on behalf of white males (Trump administration lawsuit says women’s retreat discriminates against men - The Washington Post). Certainly, the antidiscrimination laws must be applied evenhandedly, but not everything the EEOC is doing these days is evenhanded, as I wrote about last year in The Salt Lake Tribune (Discrimination against transgender workers is illegal and immoral. Just ask the LDS Church, attorney argues).
NLRB MAY SOON COME BACK TO LIFE: The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), which was so active with a pro-employee agenda in the Obama and Biden administrations, has been quiet so far about what many thought would be a pro-employer backlash in Trump 2.0. That could change soon, now that the board has a quorum (NLRB Reaches Quorum with New Appointments, Retains 2 Vacancies - The Labor Beacon) and is making efforts to address its large case backlog (NLRB Transfers Raft of Open Cases in Bid to Manage Backlog (1) and Spring Cleaning: Labor Board Continues Efforts To Clear Backlog - Employee Rights/ Labour Relations - United States). Stay tuned.
DOL GETS IN THE ACTION: Although the president has had some trouble with, and now has fired, his Secretary of Labor, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) is now getting in the act too. DOL is rescinding the Biden-era salary threshold rules for employees exempt from overtime (DOL Rescinds Biden-Era Overtime Rule: Cementing $35k Salary Threshold | Fisher Phillips LLP) and has implemented a new rule defining independent contractors (DOL’s Proposed 2026 Independent Contractor Rule: What Employers Need to Know - Jackson Lewis).
LOTS TO READ IN UTAH TOO
Employment law issues have made headlines in Utah too, with articles ranging from discussions of ongoing cases (‘No reasonable cause’ for five discrimination complaints against Grand County, Utah agency says) to the possible reasons for workplace harassment (Voices: Why sex-based harassment is more common — and dismissed — in Utah) and how some institutions try to recover in the aftermath of claims. (Utah Tech president Shane Smeed works to rebuild trust after scandals and lawsuits).
WHAT ABOUT THE WORKPLACE BIG PICTURE?
There have been some interesting recent articles looking at big picture 2026 workplace trends (America Isn’t Ready for What AI Will Do to Jobs - The Atlantic). Some new books examine the place of work in our lives—and how people throughout history have tried to change it (Workplace | The New Yorker). And in Deloitte’s 2026 Global Human Capital Trends survey, 7 in 10 business leaders say their primary competitive strategy over the next three years is to be fast and nimble—to quickly adapt to and capitalize on changing business, customer or market needs (Deloitte Human Capital Trends)
DON’T FORGET TO READ ABOUT THE HR RENAISSANCE
Last month I finished my fourth (and likely final) presentation with my old friend (and a former Utah employment lawyer) Jathan Janove. Jathan has written a book suggesting a path to a possible HR renaissance. Instead of using corrective action, documentation, and performance reviews, Jathan offers employers some unique ideas about how to create a more humane workplace while still trying to comply with the law and deal with employee problems. Jathan and I don’t agree on everything, but we’ve had lots of fun debating the issues. His book is worth a summer read too (see: The HR Renaissance: Transforming from Legal Guard to Growth Partner), but just make sure you also get good advice from an employment lawyer if you look to implement any of Jathan’s ideas.
ENJOY SOME NON-HR/LAW READING (OR WRITING) TOO
Here is what I am up to when it comes to reading and writing for pleasure: (1) making plans to be another Irish Catholic to visit the renovated Salt Lake Temple…A look at Catholic encounters at LDS temples: (2) celebrating the 100th birthday of Harper Lee…The Harper Lee Century; (3) learning all about LDS leader Brigham Young's colorful and conflicted Catholic daughter; (4) noting the 150th anniversary of Mark Twain’s wonderful book about Tom Sawyer…Commentary: Revisiting Tom Sawyer's tomfoolery at church — and my own; and (5) enjoying a new documentary about the beautiful trees at the old Trappist monastery in Huntsville in Northern Utah…Utah monks/trees featured in new documentary. Enjoy your summer reading!
