As summer arrives in the Northland, here is a snapshot of four HR updates impacting employers.
The Minnesota Paid Leave law will take effect on January 1, 2026, covering most employers in the state. Savvy employers will take stock of the changes to be prepared in the new year.
The new law will provide:
Upon implementation, eligible individuals will be entitled to a maximum of twelve weeks of family leave or a maximum of twelve weeks of medical leave in one benefit year. If an individual uses both medical and family leave within a single benefit year, paid leave will max out at twenty weeks.
The new law will provide job protected leave, so that means the employee has a right to the same or similar position upon returning to work. The employee will also maintain benefit coverage (if applicable) while on leave for things like health and life insurance.
The premium rate for the new law will be 0.88 percent. Employers may split the cost of premiums with employees. However, employers must pay at least 50% of the total premium (and may pass along 50% of the premium to employees), though employers may opt to pay up to 100%. The first premium payments will be due on April 30, 2026, and will be based on wage detail reported between January 1, 2026, and March 31, 2026. Small employers (currently defined as having 30 or fewer employees) will pay a reduced premium rate. Minnesota DEED (Department of Employment and Economic Development) now provides an online calculator to assist employers in estimating costs.
Minnesota DEED also issued guidance for employers opting for private plans. To comply with the new law, employers will have three options: (1) pay into the state-run plan; (2) apply to administer their own private plan; or (3) purchase a qualifying plan from a third-party insurance carrier. Both options (2) and (3) must be approved by the state. DEED is still in the process of building the application process to submit a request to offer an equivalent plan.
According to DEED, Minnesota will be the 14th jurisdiction to establish a paid leave program, joining California, Colorado, Connecticut, District of Columbia, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, and Washington. In addition to Minnesota, paid leave programs are anticipated to come online in 2026 in Maryland, Delaware, and Maine.
In early June of this year, in Ames v. Ohio Department of Youth Services, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a unanimous decision impacting Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
The Court reiterated that Title VII prohibits discrimination based on protected class characteristics, regardless of an individual’s membership in a majority or minority group. The Court echoed that the initial burden to establish a claim under Title VII is low and shifts the responsibility to the employer to provide a legitimate, nondiscriminatory reason for the employment decision at issue.
In response to the decision, SHRM (Society of Human Resource Management) Chief of Staff and Head of Government Affairs, Emily Dickens, J.D., reminds employers “the takeaway is straightforward: continue to focus on legitimate, well-documented, and transparent decision-making processes.”
The Department of Labor (DOL) announced an opinion letter program to support employer compliance with federal employment laws. According to the DOL, these offer “official written opinions on how a law we enforce applies to a specific workplace situation, providing practical answers to help the public understand their rights and responsibilities.” Generally, the letters will cover matters where it is unclear how to apply existing regulations or guidance. Interestingly, opinion letters can be requested by anyone, including employees, employers, employment associations, lawyers, human resource professionals, unions and industry leaders.
A few changes to the Minnesota break regulations will be effective January 1, 2026. Currently, the language for rest breaks requires an employer “allow each employee adequate time from work within each four consecutive hours of work to utilize the nearest convenient restroom.” Regarding meal breaks, an employer “must permit each employee who is working for eight or more consecutive hours sufficient time to eat a meal.”
Effective 1/1/26, the new regulations will require:
HR Summer Updates: Stay Tuned!
Stay tuned for updates and consult with a trusted advisor to fully understand how these laws and trends impact your organization.
Unsure how to navigate the complexities of employment law changes? Check out our recent blog post for tips and guidelines.
About the Author
HR Consultant, Stacy Johnston, provides innovative solutions with a mission to support organizations in understanding and engaging their biggest competitive advantage… their employees. Johnston is a licensed attorney in Minnesota and holds the SHRM-CP (Certified Professional) credentials.
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