Ok, dear readers, I feel that I have been neglecting you.  I was swamped with preparing for a trial right before my well-deserved vacation to France and Spain.  I know, excuses, excuses.

I came back from vacation feeling refreshed.

I mean who would not be refreshed with views like this:

I feel that I have so much to catch you up on.

The first thing is that, while I was on vacation, the Diane B. Allen Equal Pay Act went into effect in New Jersey on July 1, 2018.  As we previously reported, this law dramatically expands equal pay protections by making it illegal to pay employees for similar work differently because of any protected class, not only gender.

If you are thinking, I am not in New Jersey, so I do not need to worry about this, I would not be so sure.  Equal pay for equal work has been a hot topic in a lot of jurisdictions as reports continually show that women are still earning less than men.

Compensation reviews can be time-consuming and expensive.  However, it is far better to do one proactively, at your own leisure, rather than under the gun when facing an EEOC or DOL investigation or a lawsuit.

If you are planning your HR expenditures for this year, you may be wise to include a comprehensive compensation review in your budget.