With much of the focus on the federal healthcare law, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, and other federal initiatives (or the lack thereof due to political constraints in Congress), it is often all too easy for employers operating in multiple states to overlook the need to familiarize themselves with the many state laws to which they are subject. Alternatively, multistate employers may very well know they need to keep their eye on state laws throughout the country – but quickly become overwhelmed by the sheer number of rules and regulations coming out of the states in which they operate. Understanding how those laws may interact with or alter the effect of federal law may be as equally complicated. Littler attorney Erin Reid-Eriksen was recently interviewed by XpertHR and noted the following current and pressing issues weighing upon multistate employers:

1. Understanding and applying the federal government’s new recognition of same-sex marriages when there are a patchwork of state laws providing varying levels of recognition for same-sex relationships.
2. Keeping track of the various state leave statutes and administering all leaves in accordance with federal and state law.
3. Handling the hiring process when there are competing rules at the federal and state level.
4. Accounting for variations across states and localities in antidiscrimination protections.

For the full interview with Reid-Eriksen, see the XpertHR blog post at http://www.xperthr.co.uk/blogs/employment-intelligence/2013/12/four-headaches-facing-multistate-employers-us/.   For additional information on how employers can stay current with employment laws across the country by subscribing to Littler’s online service, Littler GPS, click here.