As we move into a new year preceded by a wave of workplace trends and developments, it’s important to recap what we experienced in 2022. Staying in line with the new year spirit, this two-part series will look at all the uplifting workplace developments of 2022, followed by positive trends that we’re likely to see come 2023. From remote and hybrid work trends that have given workers their lives back to the IRA’s generation of nearly nine million jobs, this past year saw a handful of wins for U.S. and California employees.
Get my overview of the most positive workplace developments of 2022, and be sure to return for Part II following your New Year’s festivities.
Remote Work Continues to Grow
Although many employers may attempt to bring their workers back into the office amid a looming recession, as mentioned in my recent blog, it seems that remote work is staying its course. Between 2019 and 2021, the number of workers working primarily remotely skyrocketed from 5.7%, or about nine million people, to 17.9%, or 27.6 million people. And as of 2022, that number has risen to 26% – with about 36.2 million U.S. employees working from home.
This, if anything, shows the continued growth of remote work despite attempted return-to-work mandates, which seem to be ramping up with the threat of a recession. Allowing many people to spend more time with family, tend to their health, and escape the incremental costs of working in the office, such as gas, lunch, and childcare expenses.
Jobs Created by the Inflation Reduction Act
The $750 billion Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), signed into law by President Biden in August 2022, is set to majorly impact the U.S. energy, healthcare, environment, and tax sectors. Along with a three-year expansion for premium tax subsidies enacted under the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), the bill is expected to generate nearly nine million jobs across a range of industries:
- About five million jobs due to clean energy investments,
- Over 600,000 jobs from investments in our natural infrastructure,
- About 150,000 jobs in environmental justice and “climate resilience,”
- Over 900,000 jobs from programs to build clean manufacturing supply chains,
- Over 400,000 jobs from investments in electric vehicles and clean transportation, and
- Over 900,000 jobs from programs that make homes and offices more energy efficient.
Visit my blog for more detailed insights into Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act.
New Pay Transparency Laws
Just a month later, on September 27th, 2022, Governor Newsom joined a growing number of U.S. states in bolstering pay transparency laws with the signing of SB 1162. This rising trend and soon-to-be law is all for the employees’ benefit, demanding that employers disclose pay scales to current employees, as well as in postings for open positions come the new year.
More specifically, employers with over 15 employees will be required to include a pay scale for all online job listings, and current employees will be granted the right to request a pay scale no matter the company’s size. Although SB 1162 doesn’t go into effect in California until January 2023, the broader push for pay transparency across the U.S. largely took place over the past year. For a deeper dive into SB 1162, visit my blog.
Despite inflation and the looming threat of a recession, we’ve seen record job growth with unemployment numbers dropping significantly from 7% in 2020 to just over 3% in November, 2022. Looking ahead to the second portion of this blog, I’ll be complementing 2022’s best workplace trends and developments with a forecast of what awaits in 2023. And for my recent updates on COVID-19 return-to-work policies, which affect remote models, visit my YouTube channel.
Be sure to follow me on Facebook and Instagram @iamangelareddockwright, LinkedIn at Linkedin.com/in/angelareddock, and tune in to her weekly radio show, KBLA Talk 1580’s Legal Lens with Angela Reddock-Wright each Saturday and Sunday at 11 am PST, or catch past episodes on Anchor.fm/Spotify. You can learn more about the radio show here – https://angelareddock-wright.com/radio-show/.
Also, learn more about my book – The Workplace Transformed: 7 Crucial Lessons from the Global Pandemic – here – https://angelareddock-wright.com/book/.
For media inquiries, please reach out to monty@kwsmdigital.com.
Experienced Employment Law Attorney, Mediator, Arbitrator, Investigator, Legal and Media Commentator
Twice-named a U.S. News Best Lawyer in America for employment and labor law, Angela Reddock-Wright is an employment and labor law attorney, mediator, arbitrator, and certified workplace and Title IX investigator (AWI-CH) in Los Angeles, CA. Known as the “Workplace Guru,” Angela is an influencer and leading authority on employment, workplace/HR, Title IX, hazing, and bullying issues. Furthermore, she’s been named a “Top 50 Woman Attorney” in California by Super Lawyers, a “Top California Employment Lawyer” by the Daily Journal and one of Los Angeles’ “Most Influential Minority and Women Attorneys” by the Los Angeles Business Journal.
Angela is a regular legal and media commentator and analyst and has appeared on such media outlets as Good Morning America, Entertainment Tonight, Law and Crime with Brian Ross, Court TV, CNN, NewsNation, ABC News, CBS News, Fox 11 News, KTLA-5, the Black News Channel, Fox Soul – The Black Report, NPR, KPCC, Airtalk-89.3, KJLH Front Page with Dominique DiPrima, the New York Times, the Washington Post, the LA Times, Forbes.com, Yahoo! Entertainment, People Magazine, Essence Magazine, the Los Angeles Sentinel, LA Focus, Daily Journal, Our Weekly and the Wave Newspapers.
Angela is a member of the panel of distinguished mediators and arbitrators with Judicate West, a California dispute resolution company. She also owns her own dispute resolution law firm, the Reddock Law Group of Los Angeles, specializing in the mediation, arbitration, and investigation of employment discrimination, harassment, retaliation, and other workplace claims, along with Title IX, sexual harassment, assault, and misconduct conduct cases, along with hazing and bullying cases in K-12 schools, colleges and universities, fraternities and sororities; fire, police and other public safety agencies and departments; and other private and public sector workplaces.
For more information regarding resources for employers, businesses, and employees during this time, connect with Angela on LinkedIn for new updates, or contact her here. You may also follow her on Instagram.
This communication is not legal advice. It is educational only. For legal advice, consult with an experienced employment law attorney in your state or city.