Workplace safety regulations are getting stricter. Effective January 1, 2022, California Senate Bill 606 will dramatically expand OSHA’s enforcement powers, meaning stringent fines for employers who fall foul of their OSHA compliance responsibilities. And although the new law is state-level, California tends to set the bar when it comes to workplace safety. So, employers coast to coast had better take note.

Below, learn what changes are ahead, why the new Occupational Safety and Health Administration laws are coming, and how to turn workplace safety into a profitability driver at your company.

What types of violations will be subject to the new OSHA fines?

There are two new categories of violations – “Enterprise-wide” and “Egregious.” Senate Bill 606 creates a presumption that an “enterprise-wide” violation has been committed if an employer has a written policy or procedure that violates current OSHA workers’ rights, or, if there’s a pattern or practice of the same on-site health and safety violation involving more than one location. (Things like known hazards that employers haven’t taken action to fix, persistently high worker injury or illness rates, or a record of consistently working people over 60 hours a week.)

Why is this change a big deal for companies operating in California?

Because the fines are massively more expensive! Traditionally, when Cal/OSHA found an on-site health and safety violation, it would fine an employer for that instance only. But now, it can slap fines on multiple sites based on one violation – and for every time an employee is exposed – without investigating other sites or observing other violations. And considering that each violation can incur fines up to $124,709, that’s a huge multiplier effect.

Why should employers outside of California pay attention?

California is known as a leader in worker rights. As such, labor laws often start in California and move on out to the East Coast. Senate Bill 606 is one of a whole host of new Californian labor laws that come into play next month. Employers across America should take note and make adjustments to comply with California safety standards.

What’s the reasoning behind this new law?

Today’s labor crunch means unprecedented safety challenges for American employers. And an alarming uptick in workplace-related injuries, accidents, and illnesses. In the scramble to fill millions of jobs, we’re seeing multiple staffing companies operating on the same shop floors. This makes it difficult for employers to ensure that all workers are pre-screened, skill-tested, and drug and background checked. Unfortunately, this has meant that workplace accidents and illnesses are on the rise. And that’s why we’re seeing more stringent on-site health and safety measures to uphold OSHA workers’ rights.

What can employers do to get ahead of the changes?

Employers with strong on-site health and safety cultures will already be one step ahead in complying with the California safety standards. Ensuring staffing solutions are streamlined and well-managed is paramount. Adecco is the ideal partner for employers navigating this minefield because we’re just as invested in worker safety as they are. We keep abreast of every piece of Cal/OSHA news and send our safety team out and offer on-site training to ensure ongoing OSHA compliance.

“At Adecco, we’re experts in helping employers with large contingent workforces and multiple staffing vendors in complying with California safety standards and OSHA workers’ rights,” says Susan Shemanski, Vice President of Risk Management at Adecco USA. “We have a great safety team who can help identify areas of concern, and train on-site teams and managers.”

Visit Adecco USA for more advice on all aspects of building a safe, healthy, and inclusive workplace. From helping you get your workers safely back to a physical workplace, to promoting mental health at work, to sourcing temperature takers, we can help you build the resilient, flexible, and engaged workforce you need.

Visit our employer resources pages for articles, white papers, case studies and more. And talk to us about making your workforce the best it can be.

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The post Big violations, big fines: What to know about California’s new OSHA laws appeared first on Paragon Strategic Staffing.

Good-bye pajama pants – hello necktie?

Even before the pandemic, cultural transformations were pushing many American businesses away from formal attire. From Goldman Sachs to JP Morgan, even the most traditional stalwarts were relaxing dress codes in the hope of encouraging innovation, creativity, and individual autonomy. As workers return to the office after 18 months of working in sweatpants, the thought of returning to pre-pandemic wardrobes feels dull and oppressive to many. To help your employees make the transition – and avoid awkward fashion faux pas – you should be proactive and set clear standards.

Below, read six steps you can take to get your company’s back-to-work dress code just right:

Start with why

Many may not enjoy giving up their freedom, but your people will find your policy easier if you can provide a good reason for it – you can even consider asking for their input. For example: Just as our doctor’s scrubs and stethoscope gives us trust in her competence, the right office attire can boost your clients’ confidence in your people’s professionalism, creativity – and what your brand stands for.

Choose attire that reflects your brand

Is your culture creative and ‘start-up’? Or is it more staid, traditional, and corporate? By matching your brand ethos and corporate purpose, you can appeal to the people you want to hire and retain. Conventional thinking says that a more formal dress code will encourage your employees to take their work more seriously. But it can also stifle individuality. On the other hand, a casual dress code can give employees freedom to be themselves, serving as an attractive recruitment perk and retention mechanism.

Be clear

Your client-facing workers will have different expectations than those working in your contact center. An effective dress code is easy to understand and not open to individual interpretation. Give specific, visual examples of which clothes work and which clothes don’t. What does ‘business casual’ mean in detail? Does ‘casual’ include flip-flops and baseball caps? Make sure you explain and document your dress code policy in your employee handbook and on your employee intranet. And remember, certain employee segments like second-chance hires, younger workers, and workers who have been remote for a long time.

Build in wiggle-room

After the tumult of the pandemic, workers need re-energizing and may want to ‘dress happy.’ Before setting a prescriptive dress code, ask yourself: is this rule necessary? What’s the business reason? Do the benefits of having a polished-looking workforce outweigh the benefits of allowing your employees to feel comfortable in their own skin at work? Giving employees some freedom is a straightforward way to help them feel happier and more in control as they return to the office.

Be fair

You can use your dress code to stand against the subtle forms of discrimination that can creep into any workplace. For example, people of color regularly face discrimination in corporate America simply for wearing their natural hair to work. Other policies ruling out head coverings can discriminate against followers of certain faiths. And cultural norms around appropriate ‘male’ and ‘female’ clothing can exclude gender non-conforming employees. Use your dress code to make it clear that differences are something to celebrate in your workplace. And always have your legal team review any policies before sharing.

Don’t shy away from enforcement

A policy is useless if not enforced. Make sure your workers understand the repercussions of non-compliance, with appropriate and well-documented reprimands. For a first-time offense, a quiet word is probably enough. But if employees are repeatedly failing to follow the rules, you’ll have to react swiftly and firmly to uphold standards.

Clothing still matters, and perception is powerful. Creating an office dress code that’s fair, flexible, and enforceable is not easy, but we can help you find the middle ground between sneakers and dress shoes.

Learn more about how we help businesses of all sizes navigate today’s tricky labor environment. And for more insights on the complex, unfolding issues shaping our working world take a look at our freshly launched research Resetting Normal: Defining The New Era Of Work.

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The post Rethinking (and restarting) dress codes for your returning workforce appeared first on Paragon Strategic Staffing.

All organizations have experienced the effects of a bad hire at some point, and managers likely know how disruptive and expensive it can be when the wrong candidate is chosen for a key position.

In this blog post, we’ll walk you through actionable steps that will help you improve your recruitment process. Let’s get started!

What Is a Bad Hire?

A bad hire is when the person you hired for a job is unable to carry out what you expect of them or is harming your organization. Here are five characteristics of a bad hire.

Your new employee:

• Is not producing the quality of work you expected
• Doesn’t get along with their team or has a negative attitude
• Doesn’t have the knowledge or skills they claimed to have
• Is unable to receive feedback and constructive criticism
• Is constantly late for work or regularly doesn’t show up

Why Is a Recruitment Strategy Important?

If you want to hire the best talent for your organization, then you need a recruitment strategy. While employers might have adapted their talent search to suit an increasingly remote world of work, the pandemic has been a drastic wake-up call for organizations that have inefficient recruitment processes.

So, what exactly are the advantages of having a proper recruitment strategy? One of the most obvious advantages is the ability to find and hire the best candidates for the job. Another upside is the money your company will save. This can be seen in reduced costs related to training, employee turnover, and increased revenue. Implementing a good recruitment strategy also offers legal protection. Employers with an unstructured hiring process expose themselves to potential legal issues when candidates feel there was bias or discrimination that led to them not getting the job.

Recruiting Tips to Avoid a Bad Hire

Now that you know the negative impacts of hiring the wrong person and the importance of having a recruitment strategy, you’re ready to start making changes to the way you find and hire talent. Here are our top actionable steps to avoiding bad hires.

1 –Represent Your Company Accurately

Paint an accurate picture of the responsibilities of the position, the company culture, and the expectations you have of them are fundamental at every stage of the hiring process. Doing this will reduce the chances of hiring someone that doesn’t fit with the company culture and gives candidates a chance to back out if they feel the position isn’t right for them.

2 – Learn from Your Mistakes

Carrying out exit interviews gives you valuable insight into why employees are leaving your company, and whether the recruiting process had something to do with their departure. This also allows you to see what factors you could change to make new hires feel welcome, committed, and motivated as soon as they become part of your organization.

3 – Look for Red Flags

If someone has a bad attitude, is repeatedly late for virtual interviews or calls, gives vague answers to interview questions, or has a negative online presence, these could be red flags telling you that they’re a bad hire. By developing your ability to spot these red flags at different stages of your talent search, you’ll save yourself the trouble of hiring a problematic candidate.

4 – Set Your New Hire Up for Success

Make sure you inform your new employee about what to expect in their first three months at the organization and establish clear communication channels between them, HR, and the rest of their team so that they feel comfortable reaching out for support. Starting a new job remotely can feel lonely compared to presential work, so organizing introductory calls and virtual social events can make all the difference.

At Adecco, we’re experts at helping businesses just like yours find top talent, even during a pandemic. To learn more about how we can benefit your company, click here!

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