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| | Newsletter #94 August 3, 2021 |
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We have Fall In-Person Training 2021 Leadership Training Series
A Six Part Series for Lead Personnel, Team Leaders, Supervisors and Future Front-Runners
Time and Dates
All workshops will be held from 9:30 am – 4:30 pm.
Printed materials will be provided the day of class.
08/25/2021 Leadership I 09/15/2021 Leadership II 10/06/2021 Leadership III 10/27/2021 Leadership IV 11/17/2021 Leadership V 12/01/2021 Leadership VI
Location
Fickling Building
577 Mulberry Street, Macon, GA 31201
16th Floor Cherry Blossom Suite
Visit Website for Overview and Pricing
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| | Pete's HR Corner - Article 5 |
| Is Your Organization Following a Conscious or Unconscious Strategy?
As you may do at this time of the year, I try to take time to reflect on the upcoming 12 months - thinking strategically about the services that will help clients achieve their goals.
2021 promises to offer significant business opportunities. However, in today's hyper-competitive business environment, success will not come easily. All businesses want to be successful in 2021 - but 'wanting to' is not a strategy.
Every organization operates with some type of strategy. Often that strategy just evolves from day-to-day tactics and the organization continues to roll along in the same direction until it hits a roadblock. These organizations are following an 'unconscious' strategy based on their tactical decisions and routines. However, those decisions and routines may not be in the best, long term interest of the organization. A key step toward your organization's success will be - having and executing on an appropriate, 'conscious' strategy.
And this time of the year is ideal for enabling employees to start the new year with a clear focus by understanding:
- your organization's strategy
- what their teams are accountable for accomplishing
- and their individual roles in making the above happen - the all-important strategic initiatives, action steps, accountabilities, and deadlines
This understanding generates unified focus and commitment enabling employees to make a much greater contribution. Frequently there is insufficient clarity - particularly regarding this third element.
Conducting business without answers to the following questions wastes time and people resources:
- What are the company's aspirations?
- What are the critical upcoming trends involving customers, competitors, suppliers, technology, and regulations?
- How is the business currently performing?
- What are the key challenges and opportunities the company faces?
- What capabilities need to be developed?
- What new uses for the company's products and services should be explored?
- How can the company create a distinctive competitive advantage?
A strategic planning process enables the management team to have a solid understanding of the business, share a common fact base and agree on important assumptions. It does not just create a strategy, but it also enables a management team to make sound strategic decisions by creating 'prepared minds'.
Business today is more unpredictable than ever - market swings, new technologies, government regulations, etc. Without a strategic plan and its associated thinking major decisions are often based more on opinion and gut instinct than facts and thoughtful analysis. Companies with strategic plans gain a competitive advantage by following a disciplined process and preparing for future uncertainties.
The GEA assists organizations in developing strategic plans through
a strategic planning process that:
- addresses the issues the planning team feels are 'real world' and of the highest priority for the organization
- takes advantage of the planning team's experience, knowledge, and suggestions in developing their strategy
- is focused, practical, action-oriented and generates maximum follow through and buy-in from the planning participants
- provides everyone an equal voice throughout each step as well as the opportunity to consider their suggestions in the context of those from the other planning participants
And the process usually only requires two or three meetings.
A strategic plan can significantly increase your organization's chances of achieving its profit, growth, productivity, quality, etc. goals. Let's make 2021 a successful one by creating and then executing effective 'conscious' strategies.
To contact us: Georgia Employers' Association
Phone: 478-722-8282 director@georgiaemployers.org or chris@georgiaemployers.org
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| | US Department of Labor
Proposed rule issued on minimum wage increase for federal contractors
POSTED IN AFFIRMATIVE ACTION, WAGE-HOUR Déjà vu!
As we previously reported, President Biden signed Executive Order 14026 on April 27, to increase the minimum wage for some federal contractors. The U.S. Department of Labor has now issued proposed regulations to implement this Executive Order.
President Biden’s Executive Order increases the contractor minimum wage to $15 an hour, but its other terms are almost identical to those of an Executive Order issued in 2014 by President Obama (Executive Order 13658). Namely, the Biden Order applies to
- Davis-Bacon Act construction contracts
- Service contracts covered by the Service Contract Act
- Contracts for concessions
- Contracts in connection with federal property related to offering services to federal employees, their dependents, or the general public
Thus, it is not surprising that the new proposed regulations are generally consistent with the regulations that implemented President Obama’s Executive Order.
Significant differences
There are, however, a few notable differences between the Obama regulations and the Biden proposed regulations.
Unlike the Obama Order, the Biden Order specifically applies to workers with disabilities whose wages are based on special certificates issued pursuant to section 14(c) of the Fair Labor Standards Act. Thus, if the wage rate in the special certificate is less than $15 (or the applicable minimum wage, as it automatically increases each year), contractors would have to increase the pay for those disabled employees to comply with these new regulations.
The proposed rule would also expand geographic coverage beyond the 50 states and the District of Columbia to include contracts performed in U.S. territories. This would include Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, areas covered by the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act, American Samoa, Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Wake Island, and Johnston Island.
The proposal would also extend coverage to independent agencies of the federal government. Although expressly excluded from the Obama Order, independent agencies were previously “strongly encouraged” to include the contract clause in their agreements. The proposed rule seeks to include these agencies because the Biden Order does not expressly exclude them. Examples of independent agencies include the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the Central Intelligence Agency, and the Federal Labor Relations Authority. (A complete list of independent agencies is available here).
Contractors with workers performing on or in connection with a contract covered by both the Obama and Biden Orders would be required to pay the higher minimum wage of the Biden Order.
Assuming the proposed regulations become final, the new contract clause may be included by reference with the following language: “Executive Order 14026 (Increasing the Minimum Wage for Federal Contractors), and its implementing regulations, including the applicable contract clause, are incorporated by reference into this contract as if fully set forth in this contract.” This reference should also include a citation to the web page that contains the entire contract clause.
The proposed rule also points out that the Biden Order rescinded President Trump’s Executive Order exempting contracts for recreational services on federal land. Thus, as of January 30, 2022, contracts in connection with seasonal recreation services or seasonal recreation equipment rental on federal lands will again be subject to the contractor minimum wage requirement.
Compliance pointers
Contractors who are currently covered by the Obama Order should carefully review the requirements of the existing regulations as well as the proposed rule and begin preparing to comply with the final rule, which is expected by this November. The window of time between the final rule and the effective date (January 30, 2022) would be relatively small, so if covered contractors have not already determined which workers are performing work “on or in connection” with a covered contract, they should start doing so now.
Covered contractors should also recognize that, although the effective date would be January 30, 2022, the new minimum wage rate would not automatically apply to all covered contractors on that date. The new wage rate would not affect each individual contractor until it had a new or revised contract that incorporated this new contract clause. Contractors who are able to track their different contracts should monitor those agreements and any new solicitations very closely to see whether the new clause is included. For contractors who have numerous contracts or are not able to track when the new clause may become effective for them, it may be easier to assume that the proposed effective date of January 30, 2022, applies.
Tags: Department of Labor, Federal Contractor, Minimum Wage |
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| Covid-19 update ¶46,001 CDC recommends fully vaccinated mask indoors in public where COVID transmission is substantial — FEDERAL NEWS,(Aug. 2, 2021)
From GEA HR Answers now Complicating matters for employers contemplating returns to the office, the CDC on July 27 updated its position on safety recommendations for fully vaccinated individuals. Those who are fully vaccinated may participate in many of the activities that they did before the pandemic. However, to maximize protection against the Delta variant and prevent possibly spreading it to others, they should wear a mask indoors in public if they are in an area of substantial or high transmission, according to the CDC.
The updated recommendations are not intended for health care settings. The CDC also said that people should continue to wear a mask where required by laws, rules, regulations, or local guidance.
Masking regardless of transmission level? According to the CDC wearing a mask is most important for people:
- With a weakened immune system;
- Who, because of age or an underlying medical condition, are at increased risk for severe disease; or
- Who have someone in their household with a weakened immune system, at increased risk for severe disease, or unvaccinated.
Where one of these circumstances apply, people may choose to wear a mask regardless of the level of transmission in their area.
About the vaccines. The CDC also said that COVID-19 vaccines are safe and effective at preventing COVID-19, including severe illness and death. The vaccines are also effective against severe disease and death from variants of the virus currently circulating in the United States, including the Delta variant. Infections occur in only a small proportion of people who are fully vaccinated, even with the Delta variant, and when they do occur, they tend to be mild.
However, people with weakened immune systems, including people who take immunosuppressive medications, may not be protected even if fully vaccinated.
Notably, a fully vaccinated person who becomes infected with the Delta variant can spread the virus to others.
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Georgia Employers' Association |
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