A Florida bill set to take effect on July 1 would extend the window during which employers can enforce noncompete agreements for up to four years.

The legislation, which awaits Gov. Ron DeSantis’s signature and is called the Contracts Honoring Opportunity, Investment, Confidentiality, and Economic Growth (CHOICE) Act, will give Florida employers the ability not only to impose longer noncompete agreements, but also make it easier to enforce them. In addition, it applies to “garden leave” agreements, which require workers to remain on the payroll of their current employer for a certain period of time before leaving for a new job.

This expected change to Florida employment law comes as other states have gone the opposite direction and moved to restrict noncompete agreements over concerns they limit workers’ earning potential and freedom of movement, while also stifling innovation.

Noncompete agreements may prohibit workers from going to work for a competing company for a certain period of time, as well as starting a competing business or recruiting workers from a previous company to work for that business.

For more on how Florida’s expansive noncompete law would work, keep reading here.—CV

With the July Fourth holiday coming up, next week is expected to see sky-high travel in the US. Thousands of HR pros are getting ready to descend upon San Diego—but not for vacation.

This year, SHRM is hosting its annual conference at the San Diego Convention Center, from June 29 through July 2. More than 20,000 attendees are projected to attend this year, SHRM spokesperson Anne Sparaco confirmed with HR Brew.

Attendees can expect to be treated to a star-studded mainstage speaker lineup, hundreds of breakout sessions, and some 500 exhibitors on the expo floor. Feeling overwhelmed by all there is to offer? Don’t fret, HR Brew has a breakdown below of what attendees can expect during the four-day conference.

For more on some of the highlights at SHRM’s annual conference next week, keep reading here.—PM

It’s a messy world, and the workplace is starting to reflect it.

Employee claims of discrimination, harassment, and retaliation reached 14.7 per 1,000 employees in 2024, according to a recent report from case management software company HR Acuity, the highest level since the company started tracking these stats nine years ago. The biggest issues in these claims include a 21% increase in accommodation requests, 15% more mental health issues, 13% more job performance disputes, and 12% more unprofessional conduct/policy violations.

“The workplace has just gotten more complicated. There’s economic pressures, social division, [and] non-stop change…When the environment gets messy, behaviors tend to follow in that way,” said Deb Muller, HR Acuity’s CEO and founder. “That’s why we’re seeing this.”

For more on the rapid rise of employee claims and what HR can do about it, keep reading here.—MC