2026 Employment Law Guide - Essential Updates Every Employer Should Understand

Looking ahead to 2026, employers need to view the legal landscape more broadly than ever. Wage standards are evolving, accommodation expectations are widening, and the enforceability of arbitration agreements is under renewed scrutiny. Leave entitlements and worker safeguards continue to grow, along with an expanding list of required postings. Many states are also tightening limits on arrangements like pay-or-stay, non-compete clauses, and employee repayment obligations.

This program highlights the key federal and state shifts shaping workplaces in 2025 and explains what organizations should revise right away to stay aligned with 2026 compliance.

As the new year begins, businesses are facing one of the most sweeping periods of change in modern employment law, touching overtime rules, salary tests, protected leave frameworks, religious and disability accommodations, contract restrictions, pay transparency, notice obligations, and broader worker protections—all at the same time. Parallel increases in minimum pay and fresh interpretations of worker rights mean policies, forms, and manager training can’t stay on autopilot.

This webinar offers HR leaders, executives, and legal professionals a practical guide for adapting confidently to these changes.
 

• Recognize the most important federal and state changes affecting employers in 2025.
• Put required updates into policies, handbooks, notices, and agreements.
• Improve accommodation handling, leave administration, and wage practices to lower risk.
• Equip HR teams and managers to respond confidently to evolving workplace obligations.

• Introduction
  • A snapshot of the major themes defining 2026.
  • Why employers need a proactive reset this year.
• Federal Employment Law Updates
  • Revised federal exempt-status salary minimums and HCE tests.
  • What automatic three-year adjustments mean for planning.
  • New federal direction on disability and religious accommodations.
  • Developments in federal leave programs and benefit continuation.
• Protected Leaves of Absence & Benefits
  • ​How federal and state leave rights overlap.
  • What benefit-maintenance rules are required during protected absences.
  • Day-to-day challenges: intermittent time off, hybrid schedules, re-entry paperwork, and FMLA leave.
• Disability & Religious Accommodations
  • ​Broader readings of ADA and Title VII obligations.
  • Addressing mental health, neurodiversity, and faith-based requests fairly.
  • When remote work may qualify as a reasonable adjustment.
  • How to document undue hardship decisions correctly while supporting ADA compliance.
• Minimum Wage Increases & Compensation Rules
  • ​State and local pay floors are rising nationwide.
  • Pay-range disclosure rules for hiring and internal moves.
  • Pay-tracking and classification issues for remote and hybrid teams.
• Arbitration Agreements & Contract Developments
  • ​Current boundaries on mandatory arbitration at the federal level.
  • State limits on repayment deals and pay-or-stay arrangements.
  • Shifts in how confidentiality and severance provisions are judged, especially where new labor laws apply.
• Worker Protections & Required Notices
  • ​Updated posters and notices employers must display in 2025.
  • Worker-education mandates such as harassment prevention, leave rights, and safety training.
  • Expanded whistleblower safeguards tied to labor laws.
• Steps to Compliance for 2026
  • ​A checklist for revising policies, handbooks, and contracts.
  • Ensuring HR systems, recruiting tools, and payroll align with pay and leave changes.
  • What managers must be trained on to reduce risk.
  • Documentation habits that protect the organization, including attention to termination laws and other workplace rules.
  • Keeping HR compliance steady as labor laws continue to shift.
• Conclusion
  • A clear recap of what employers must implement.
  • How to sequence updates in Q1.
  • Final practical guidance for maintaining a forward-looking compliance posture amid changing labor laws and workplace expectations.

• Steer clear of the common missteps that tend to spark lawsuits.
• Refresh handbooks, notices, and agreements correctly and efficiently.
• Handle updated accommodation and leave duties without creating risk.
• Prepare for new pay rules and the steady rise in worker-protection expectations under workplace regulations.

• HR Professionals
• Compliance Officers
• Business Owners & Executives
• Operations Managers
• Legal & Employee Relations Leaders.

Don has been a California employment practices attorney since 1983. He litigated employment and business cases for 17 years and quit once he figured out that nobody wins a lawsuit. Since leaving litigation, he has written numerous books and presented more than 500 times to executives nationwide. He loves talking about emotional intelligence and creating engaging workplaces!

Don was the founder and President of HR That Works, used by 3,500 companies and acquired by ThinkHR in January 2014. He worked there for two years as a V.P.

Now in his “wisdom-sharing years,” Don loves advising and coaching executives. He continues to inspire with his speaking and training.