Rhode Island employers must keep up with new workplace laws enacted this year, including some that have already taken effect. The state not only joined a growing number of states that prohibit so-called “captive audience” meetings and became the first to provide explicit protections for employees managing the menopausal transition, it also added new onboarding notice requirements and hiked the minimum wage for 2026. Here’s a quick guide to help you keep track of it all and prepare for the changes.

Accommodations for Menopause-Related Conditions (Effective June 24, 2025)

Rhode Island just became the first state to explicitly enact workplace protections for women experiencing the menopausal transition. Gov. Dan McKee signed a bill into law on June 24 that extends the state’s existing law requiring workplace accommodations for pregnancy- and childbirth-related conditions to also cover menopause-related conditions.

Under the new law, employers in the state with at least four or more employees:

• must, upon request, make reasonable accommodations for a current or prospective employee’s condition related to menopause or a related medical condition (including, but not limited to, vasomotor symptoms such as hot flashes and night sweats), unless the accommodation would pose an undue hardship on the employer;
• are prohibited from denying employment opportunities based on a woman’s need for such accommodations; and
• must update certain employee notices and workplace posters to include...

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