New York City is set to ban weight and height discrimination, providing additional protections for employees and job-seekers.

The latest. The city council voted on May 11 to pass a ban on weight and height discrimination. The bill stipulates that employers and housing authorities cannot reject applicants based on their height or weight, with limited exceptions, according to reports.

“Over 50 years ago, hundreds of body positivity activists gathered in Central Park to protest the daily injustices faced by heavier people,” City Councilman Shaun Abreu said in a press release. “While it took way too long to enact something so basic and widely-supported, it is only fitting that the most diverse New York City Council in history is the one to step up and enshrine this anti-discrimination principle into law, in the very city where this movement began,” he said. Abreu told the New York Times that he has personally received comments on his weight, noting the need for the legislation.

Protections needed. Advocates view the legislation as a crucial step in addressing workplace discrimination. Research has found that overweight women tend to earn less than their “normal weight” peers, according to a Vanderbuilt study, and are subject to negative bias from employers. “Walking into a job interview as a fat person, I’m already at a disadvantage…I know that whatever my qualifications are, my weight is a con,” fat activist Victoria Abraham told CNN.

However, opponents say that the law will unfairly burden businesses and will open the floodgates for more lawsuits, the BBC reported.

The legislation is awaiting Mayor Eric Adams’s signature, but he has previously voiced support for the intent of the bill.—KP

Here’s an enlightening stat for ya: Up to 81% of employees who can work remotely or in a hybrid situation will choose to do so. Know what that means? As more employees set up shop from home, they expect seamless, on-demand access to people ops.

It’s time for HR service delivery to get a remix. Enter Workday. Their new Rethinking HR Service Delivery ebook’s got all the goods you need to meet changing employee expectations, shifting biz requirements, and much more.

Want a sneak peek? You’ll learn:

• 4 common HR service delivery models
• 3 strategies for improving HR service delivery
• the benefits of personalized HR services

Meet your employees where they want. Prep for the next phase of HR service delivery.

South Africa, where racial inequality remains a persistent problem, recently signed the Employment Equity Amendment Act (EEAA) into law. While the law aims to increase racial diversity in the workplace, it’s receiving pushback from some business leaders.

Where in the world? The legislation, signed by South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa in April, allows the country’s employment minister to set racial equity targets based on region, according to a government website. The law also stipulates that businesses must pay salaries in accordance with job descriptions, Eyewitness News reported. In addition, workers now have clear guidelines on how to report workplace discrimination under the law, which applies to companies with more than 50 employees.

The EEAA is an update to the Employment Equity Act of 1998, which allowed employers to set their own racial diversity goals, and prohibited discrimination based on attributes such as race, gender, and age.

However, the law is already under fire by some, including Solidarity, a trade union, whose leaders believe that the new legislation is unconstitutional, BusinessTech reports, while some political leaders argue it furthers a racial divide.

Satellite view. US-based employers with workers based in South Africa may want to familiarize themselves with the new requirements before they go into effect on September 1, 2023, according to SHRM. If a company has employees in South Africa, they must provide documentation from the employment and labor department confirming that the company is complying with the law.—KP

We’re all hangin’ on by a thread here: The pandemic has had a “significant impact on mental health,” according to the US Department of Labor, which noted that 83% of workers reported suffering from work-related stress.

While some companies have chosen to adopt a four-day workweek, broaden holiday schedules, or offer inflation-based bonuses to help ease employees’ mental burdens, it’s clear we still have a way to go in combating the mental health crisis.

For Mental Health Awareness Month this year, brands, agencies, and organizations have chosen to address the issue in both their policies and campaigns—some deeper than others.

Policy is personal: According to Ad Age, agencies like RPA are offering employees mental health support via office hours with an HR professional, while VMLY&R partnered with Bright Horizons to provide help with caring for children, elders, and pets.

Talk it out: Other companies have opted this month to create campaigns around mental health, many of them focused on prevention and awareness.

Keep reading on Marketing Brew.—KH

Today’s top HR reads.

Stat: Less “hustle,” more “survival.” 42% of people with a side hustle are living on a household income of under $50,000 a year. (Bankrate)

Quote: “It required us to really rethink how people spend their time…Frankly, it’s reminding employees that meetings cost money. They’re expensive.”—Natalie Breece, thredUP’s chief people and diversity officer, on the company’s four-day workweek pilot (the Washington Post)

Read: Gen Z employees have faced challenges adapting to remote work and the rise of generative AI usage, leaving them with a unique set of professional development needs that managers may be too burnt out to tackle. (Yahoo Finance)

Remote resources: Hybrid work’s here to stay, and that means HR delivery needs a recharge. Workday’s Rethinking HR Service Delivery ebook shows you how to meet your employees’ new expectations. Step forward.*

^{*This is sponsored advertising content.}