By Sorren Human Capital Advisory | August 2026 Edition · 3-Minute Read
Julie’s Corner
A Note From Julie
August is a month of momentum — and for HR teams, that means shifting from summer mode into serious planning mode. Open enrollment strategy, I-9 compliance, back-to-school scheduling, weather preparedness, and a handful of important state law changes are all converging at once. The good news: none of these are surprises. They’re predictable, plannable, and manageable with the right support.
This month’s HCA Brief walks you through the five priorities your HR team should be acting on right now — from Colorado’s new pay deduction rules to Minnesota’s expanded accommodation liability. As always, our team is here to help you move from awareness to action.
— Julie Cummings, National HCA Managing Partner
HR Headlines
What’s Moving in Employment Law
August brings a practical mix of planning, compliance, and seasonal workforce issues. Here are the five most critical priorities your HR team needs to act on now.
Ramp Up Open Enrollment Planning
For employers with a January 1 plan year, August is crunch time. Lock in strategy, costs, plan design, systems, and communications before fall deadlines stack up. Review renewal projections, confirm contribution budgets, finalize plan options, and begin drafting enrollment materials.
Ensure Form I-9 Compliance
With ICE rapidly escalating I-9 audits and expanding its interpretation of violations, now is the time to conduct an internal audit, correct existing errors, explore E-Verify participation, and hold refresher training. Penalties for substantive errors range from $288 to $2,861 per violation.
Address Back-to-School Activities Leave
August can scramble schedules for employees with school-age children. Clarify school-activities leave, PTO, and personal leave options. Post up-to-date guidance in one easy-to-find place, plan coverage for first-week conflicts, and offer flexible work options where practical.
Prepare for Weather-Related Disasters
August can bring hurricanes, extreme heat, and wildfires. Update your OSHA emergency action plan, review payroll continuity, understand FLSA pay rules for closures, check worksites for heat and storm risks, refresh employee contact lists, and train managers on safety, pay, and leave decisions.
Address August State Compliance Changes
Several state-law updates take effect in August affecting payroll, leave, safety, and accommodations. Key changes: Colorado pay deduction and rest break rules (Aug 12), Louisiana organ donor leave and workplace violence protections (Aug 1), and Minnesota interactive process liability (Aug 1).
Monthly Checklist
August Employer Compliance Checklist
Use this checklist to confirm your organization is current on critical August obligations.
Finalize open enrollment strategy, plan design, and carrier renewals
Configure HRIS/benefits systems and draft enrollment communications
Conduct an internal Form I-9 audit and correct any errors
Hold I-9 and E-Verify refresher training for HR personnel
Clarify back-to-school leave policies and post guidance for employees
Plan staffing coverage for first-week school schedule conflicts
Update OSHA emergency action plan for hurricane, heat, and wildfire season
Review payroll continuity plan and FLSA pay rules for weather closures
Implement Colorado pay deduction changes and PPE ban by August 12
Adopt Louisiana organ donor leave policy and workplace violence procedures by August 1
Build Minnesota interactive process steps into accommodation procedures by August 1
Train managers on all August state law changes and documentation requirements
Practical HR Tip
This Month’s HR Insight
💡 Turn Compliance Into a Planning Advantage
August is one of the most action-dense months on the HR calendar — but it’s also one of the most predictable. Every item on this month’s list was foreseeable weeks ago. The organizations that struggle aren’t the ones facing hard problems; they’re the ones that waited too long to start.
This month, try assigning a named owner and a deadline to each compliance item on your checklist. Share it with your leadership team in a brief weekly update. This simple habit transforms compliance from a reactive scramble into a visible, managed workstream — and it builds credibility for HR as a strategic function.
A 10-minute weekly sync with your HR team leads can keep August from becoming September’s fire drill.
— HCA team
Workplace Trend
Data Worth Noting
43%
of employers
have not conducted an internal Form I-9 audit in the past 12 months, despite ICE significantly increasing enforcement activity in 2025–2026. — SHRM Compliance Survey
3.1x
more likely
Organizations that complete open enrollment planning by August 31 are 3.1 times more likely to report a smooth, low-error enrollment cycle compared to those who begin in September or later.
Early planning and proactive compliance reviews dramatically reduce HR’s fall workload and risk exposure.
Upcoming Webinars
Sorren HCA Learning Events
Join our expert advisors for focused, actionable sessions designed specifically for HR professionals and people-ops leaders. All sessions are complimentary.
August 27, 2026 · 1:00 PM CDT
Webinar: Key Factors Affecting Business Value
Whether planning to buy or sell a business, preparing for ownership transition, navigating estate planning, or facing litigation, understanding the factors affecting business value is essential. This session covers the financial, operational, and strategic drivers of value and offers practical insights to identify opportunities to strengthen it over time.
❓ “We have employees in Louisiana and Minnesota. Do we need to update our policies before August 1?”
Yes, and if you haven’t acted yet, now is the time.
Both states have laws that took effect August 1st and require immediate attention.
In Louisiana, all employers must provide unpaid leave for organ or bone marrow donation, effective August 1st. If you haven’t already, you’ll need a standalone policy or an amendment to your existing leave policy, plus manager training to avoid discouraging employees from taking this leave.
Also in Louisiana, the Behind the Counter Protection Act took effect August 1st, protecting employees at checkout stations, service counters, drive-through windows, and similar customer-facing roles from violence and credible threats. Review your workplace violence and escalation procedures and, if you haven’t already, train managers immediately.
In Minnesota, employers may now be held liable for failing to engage in the interactive process for disability accommodations, as of August 1st. If you haven’t done so already, build a clear interactive-process step into your accommodation procedures, train HR and managers to recognize requests, and document everything.
Sorren HCA can help you draft compliant policies, train your teams, and audit open accommodation matters.
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