As with any organizational division, the laws and regulations surrounding human resources and people operations grow and evolve alongside societal expectations and views. The year 2023 represents a time of shifting attitudes toward the workplace and workforce, with the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic continuing to wax and wane, pro-employee movements taking place in high-profile industries, and the make-up of the U.S. Supreme Court and the rest of the federal court system on a conservative shift. Keeping up with the hot topics ensures employers understand their workforce and the issues facing them.

COVID-19 and remote employees

Without a doubt, the COVID-19 pandemic has been the most significant shift in individual workplaces and the workforce at large in a generation. Ignoring the effect of the lost lives, the view of the work-life balance brought by the quarantine, and the shift of the workforce market to put more power in the hands of employees, the pandemic introduced a new concept that has completely changed the work environment—remote work.