Survey of more than 450 employers reveals critical insights on layoffs, hiring practices and more

(March 8, 2023) – Littler, the world’s largest employment and labor law practice representing management, has released the results of its latest Employer Pulse Survey Report: 2023 Economic Outlook, based on responses from more than 450 in-house lawyers, C-suite executives and human resources professionals across the United States.

Terri M. Solomon talks about Littler’s 2023 Employer Pulse Survey results, which show that employers are rebounding from 2020 as consumer spending on entertainment, travel and sports increases.

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Raoul Parekh talks about current workplace issues reflected in Littler’s 2023 European Employer Survey Report, including remote work and a four-day work week.

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European companies are navigating a variety of social and equality-related issues impacting their workplaces and, according to Littler’s second annual European Employer Survey, are increasingly channeling their concerns into concrete actions.

The novel coronavirus (COVID-19) has created a host of challenges for employers while accelerating fundamental shifts already underway in the workplace. As the pandemic’s many lasting implications for the workplace and the way we work begin to emerge, Littler surveyed more than 900 employers, based in North America and with operations around the world, on their concerns and the actions they have taken in response.

With stay-at-home orders across the country being lifted, employers are navigating a host of legal and operational issues in bringing employees back to the workplace in the wake of COVID-19.

In Littler’s survey of more than 1,000 in-house counsel, HR professionals and C-suite executives, we gathered insights about when employers will reopen their workplaces (if at all), how they plan on doing so safely, what accommodations they will make for remote work, and their top liability concerns.

Government-ordered office closures that swept much of Europe early in 2020 appear to have helped convince employers across the continent that workers could be just as productive remotely as they could while gathered in offices.

With COVID-19 cases surging and the changing tides in Washington, D.C., employers have a lot on their minds going into 2021. Littler’s latest survey of nearly 1,100 in-house counsel, HR professionals and C-suite executives finds employers focused on the implications of the extended remote work environment and the workplace policy changes ahead under a new presidential administration.

The COVID-19 vaccine breakthroughs in late 2020 brought hope that the pandemic’s end could be in sight, but a return to normalcy will require widespread inoculation, raising an urgent question: Should employers mandate COVID-19 vaccinations for their workers?

Employers transitioning to a post-pandemic workplace face a host of novel challenges.

High on that list is navigating hybrid work models and what a return to physical workplaces looks like – especially when, as our survey reveals, the percentage of employees who prefer remote or hybrid work is higher than the percentage of employers who plan to offer it. The survey also finds employers taking a cautious approach to asking about employees’ COVID-19 vaccination status and making a range of changes to their physical workplaces.

After more than a year of a crushing global pandemic, the early summer brought hope for a long-anticipated return to normal business operations, at least in the United States. But those plans were derailed by the rapid spread of the highly contagious delta variant and mounting COVID-19 infections. The abrupt change left companies – many of which had just updated plans with an eye toward a post-pandemic future – scrambling to adjust policies on such pressing issues as vaccination, return-to-office timing and mask wearing.

Despite all that remains uncertain for European employers – involving the trajectory of the COVID-19 pandemic, new working models or any number of other emergent workforce issues – one area has come into greater focus: Most companies are planning a return to the office in some form.

That much is clear from Littler’s fourth annual European Employer Survey. It’s less clear, however, whether companies’ plans for balancing remote and in-person work align with employee preferences – setting the stage for some very real workplace tensions in the critical months to come.

No one said adjusting to the “new normal” would be easy.

That sentiment is hitting home for employers as workers increasingly return to offices in the midst of a historically tight labor market and after more than two years of a global pandemic. Issues and initiatives that have consumed the corporate world’s attention – from vaccine policies to hybrid work models to evolving regulations and emerging technologies – are now entering a pivotal phase, posing new challenges and opportunities alike.

Just how far can companies go in requiring in-person work?

That is one of the critical questions facing European employers today, according to Littler’s fifth annual European Employer Survey. Drawing on insights from nearly 700 human resources executives, in-house attorneys, and business leaders, this year’s survey finds employers pulled in different directions as their desire to increase in-person work may conflict with the flexibility needed to attract and retain talent.

The economy has been awash with mixed messages in recent months – throwing a wrench into many employers’ workforce planning.

This complex picture raises a host of important questions for companies: Do they continue hiring as normal? Prepare for a downturn? Implement reductions in force (RIFs) or layoffs?

Widespread economic uncertainty. Evolving workforce expectations. Accelerating adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) tools. A growing patchwork of local, state and federal regulations.

Numerous headwinds are colliding in 2023 – and presenting employers with a litany of tough decisions.

Employers are increasingly looking to reap benefits from both generative and predictive artificial intelligence (AI) technologies, including in human resources (HR) functions. Yet an evolving patchwork of AI regulation and the rampant pace of technological change place many at a crossroads.

How will the growing use of AI impact workforce decisions and expose new vulnerabilities?

Under pressure to provide increasingly flexible work arrangements, leverage artificial intelligence (AI) tools, and wade into contentious social issues, how are European employers responding?

Littler’s sixth annual European Employer Survey – completed by 780 human resources executives, in-house attorneys and business leaders – investigates this critical question, exploring how today’s employers are responding to widespread shifts in workplace management, policy and culture.

Employers face numerous legal and workplace complexities in managing their inclusion, equity and diversity (IE&D) programs, from the repercussions of the U.S. Supreme Court’s affirmative action decisions to new anti-IE&D state laws and mounting calls for corporate leaders to take a stance on social issues.

How are employers responding to this critically important – and increasingly embattled – workplace issue?

Balancing Risk and Opportunity in AI Decision-Making

As the adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) spreads across corporate America, the risks are growing in kind. The question on every business leader’s mind, then, is how to seize the opportunities created by AI – without exposing their organizations to new vulnerabilities. 

European businesses are navigating numerous changes impacting their workplaces, driven by factors that range from national election outcomes and the rapid adoption of AI to ESG initiatives and emerging compliance challenges.

Littler’s seventh annual European Employer Survey – completed by nearly 630 business leaders, in-house lawyers, and HR executives (57% of whom hold C-suite positions) – offers an in-depth look at how business leaders are responding to these issues and steps they are taking to prepare for what’s to come.

Devjani Mishra discusses Littler’s Executive Employer survey, which found that most employers are planning to implement a hybrid work model.

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(November 8, 2023) – Littler, the world’s largest employment and labour law practice representing management, has released its sixth annual European Employer Survey Report. Based on responses from 780 human resources (HR) executives, in-house lawyers and business leaders from across Europe, the report explores the myriad ways in which employers are responding to changes in workplace management, policy and culture.

(January 10, 2024) – Littler, the world’s largest employment and labor law practice representing management, has released its Inclusion, Equity and Diversity (IE&D) C-Suite Survey Report, completed by more than 320 C-suite executives across the United States.

Survey also reveals significant misalignment among top executives, posing challenges for effective AI risk management

Littler, the world’s largest employment and labor law practice representing management, has released its 2024 AI C-Suite Survey Report, completed by more than 330 C-suite executives across the United States.

Littler, the world’s largest employment and labour law practice representing management, has released its seventh annual European Employer Survey Report, based on responses from nearly 630 human resources (HR) executives, business leaders, and in-house lawyers from across Europe—57% of whom hold C-suite positions at their organisations.

2024 promises to be a consequential year for employers. The U.S. is preparing for an election that could significantly impact the future of employment and labor law. At the same time, businesses continue to wrestle with cultural changes stemming from the pandemic and are confronting newer challenges such as the disruptive impact of artificial intelligence (AI).

(May 8, 2024) – In an election year that could significantly impact the future of employment and labor law, U.S. employers expect heightened regulatory enforcement as they navigate a host of workplace issues, including the disruptive impact of artificial intelligence (AI) and managing divisive political beliefs among employees.