HR & workforce news on October 19, 2026

1. 0102:37 UTC

   Time and attendance mistakes are the costliest payroll errors, EY analysis finds

   2 outlets · first: HCAMag Compensation

   Machine summary Research commissioned from EY by Paycom Software found 1,139 errors involving time, attendance and expense per 1,000 employees annually, with $289,722 a year required to correct them for each 1,000 employees. Vacation, paid time off and sick leave request errors followed with 721 errors per 1,000 employees and a cost of $255,252, and the report puts the average cost of fixing one payroll error at $339.

   1. Time, attendance and expense errors totalled 1,139 per 1,000 employees a year, costing $289,722 per 1,000 employees annually, according to the EY analysis commissioned by Paycom Software
   2. That error category's annual cost has risen by more than $40,000 since the 2022 findings, the report states
   3. Vacation, paid time off and sick time request errors ranked second, at 721 errors per 1,000 employees a year and $255,252 in cost
   4. Correcting a single payroll error cost an average of $339, nearly 20% above the 2022 figure, with respondents reporting errors in one of every five payrolls
   5. Missing or incorrect time punches were both the costliest and slowest error type, at an estimated $93,600 per 1,000 employees a year and about 440 hours to resolve

   Reported by HCAMag.

   • HCAMag
   • EY
   • Paycom Software

2. 0220:01 UTC

   Contractor DEI certification rule stands after court refuses injunction

   2 outlets · first: Ogletree Regulation

   Machine summary On October 14, 2026, a Maryland federal district court declined to prevent Executive Order 14398 from taking effect—an order obliging federal contractors, via clauses written into their agreements, to promise they will avoid "racially discriminatory DEI activities," meaning treating people differently due to race or ethnicity in recruitment, employment, contracting, involvement in programs, or the distribution of resources. Plaintiffs include organizations representing higher education employees and construction contractor trade associations.

   1. According to the National Law Review, on October 14, 2026, the District of Maryland's U.S. District Court refused to grant a preliminary injunction that five organizations sought and also declined to put on hold FAR Council guidance implementing EO 14398.
   2. EO 14398, "Addressing DEI Discrimination by Federal Contractors," was issued March 26, 2026 and directs agencies to add a contractor clause within thirty days barring "racially discriminatory DEI activities," defined as "disparate treatment based on race or ethnicity."
   3. A court declined to block an executive order that bars federal contractors from racially discriminatory DEI activities, while a memorandum, dated April 17, 2026, from the FAR Council implements the order.
   4. Three plaintiff organizations represent higher education employees and two are trade associations of construction contractors, according to the report.

   Reported by National Law Review and Ogletree.

   • National Law Review
   • Executive Order 14398

3. 0322:30 UTC

   NAB plans up to 2,500 job cuts, union objects to timing

   2 outlets · first: via Google News Market trends

   Machine summary The Finance Sector Union said it was appalled at reductions scheduled so close to Christmas, while NAB chief executive Andrew Irvine said customer-facing roles would see no material impact.

   1. NAB flagged a pre-tax restructuring charge of about $300 million, with more detail due at its full-year results on 5 November 2026
   2. Andrew Irvine, the chief executive, stated per the ABC report that customer-facing banking roles would see no material impact.
   3. NAB also said it would materially reduce its use of consultants and external contractors
   4. FSU national assistant secretary Nicole McPherson said the union was appalled and called the timing before Christmas disgraceful

   Reported by via Google News and abc.net.au.

   • Finance Sector Union

4. 0420:18 UTC

   Court revives Lidl pay claim over required pre-shift wait time

   2 outlets · first: National Law Review Compensation

   Machine summary A former employee alleges opening-shift staff were told to arrive 15 minutes early while managers who unlocked the stores arrived at the scheduled start, leaving workers outside without time-clock access, according to National Law Review. The Second Circuit revived the proposed class action on October 13, 2026, holding the waiting time may be compensable under the FLSA.

   1. A putative wage-and-hour class action targeting Lidl US, LLC was brought back to life by the Second Circuit on October 13, 2026, according to National Law Review.
   2. An employee alleges that opening-shift staff were required to arrive 15 minutes before their scheduled start times.
   3. The suit alleges managers who unlocked the stores regularly arrived at the scheduled start, leaving employees waiting outside without access to time clocks, roughly once per week.
   4. The report said the appeals court turned down the contention that 15 minutes of unpaid waiting each week must be too trivial to back a wage claim.
   5. Lidl invoked the federal Portal-to-Portal Act, which generally excludes preliminary or postliminary activities; the district court had accepted that position before the appeal.

   Reported by National Law Review and JD Supra.

   • National Law Review
   • Portal-to-Portal Act
   • Lidl US, LLC

Each summary and its key facts are a machine summary of the reports linked under it; the outlets, times and counts come from those reports' own records. How a rundown is built.