AB 5, the California Assembly bill that offers wage and benefits protections to gig workers, has become law. The law, which goes into effect Jan. 1, 2020, faces opposition from app-based businesses, including Lyft and Uber.

The legalization of marijuana for recreational and medicinal use has created a complicated labyrinth of state and local laws, write Joshua Bauchner and Rahool Patel. Employers must exercise caution when testing employees and job candidates or risk running afoul of the laws and incurring fines and penalties, they say.

The sudden closure of MyPayrollHR took a toll on small businesses and employees who were expecting their paychecks. About 4,000 businesses were affected, and the home of the company's CEO was raided by the FBI, although there were no arrests.

One way to build employees' trust in artificial intelligence is to create a code of ethics, writes Rob Scott, global lead for HR strategy and innovation at Presence of IT. "If you are using AI tools in HR, ensure you declare this to users and find ways to explain how the tools got to an answer," he writes.

Older workers are integral to company success, but many employers say they don't know when these employees are planning to retire, according to a Willis Towers Watson survey. Business owners can prepare by educating employees, examining company demographics and providing more benefit options, writes Tricia Blazier of Allsup.