“There are employees that have questions about what their rights are, what their benefits are, is it covered, is it not covered,” Cotney said.

The confusion is only worsened by the fact that many states are currently in flux on how to handle abortion laws, meaning employers need to pay close attention in order to properly handle the issue from a business standpoint.

“I anticipate there are going to be more decisions along these lines coming from the Supreme Court in the next few months,” Cotney said.

On a global scale, the ongoing supply issues may be further complicated by human rights violations in China. The United States recently banned all goods produced in China’s western Xinjiang region over concerns of human rights abuses, including people being placed in internment camps. This includes all goods, whether they were partially or wholly produced in the region, as they may have been created using forced labor.

“There’s textiles, computer parts, electronics, garments … there’s going to be some construction-based products, specifically silica,” Cotney said. “This could potentially slow up or possibly prevent distributors and manufacturers from obtaining either raw materials or finished products.”

Cotney also discusses subrogation claims, which is the act of a person or party taking the place of another person or party, specifically for collecting a debt or damages. A recent case is affecting how this process works, which Cotney breaks down so contractors can better handle such claims.

Watch the full video here, or visit our If Walls Could Talk page for the podcast version.