Breaking HR News - New Rules About Workplace Returns

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On 9/9/21, President Biden announced that he is directing the Department of Labor to draft a rule requiring all private sector businesses with 100 or more employees to mandate that their employees get the vaccine or undergo weekly COVID19 testing or face fines of $14,000 per violation. Here we go…the Return-to-Work thinking is undergoing considerable change yet AGAIN!

While many employers were holding back on making their decision to mandate vaccinations with weekly COVID19 testing for employees opting out, this proposed order seems to have equalized the playing field and taken some pressure off employers who have been concerned about moving forward too fast or too early.

President Biden has directed the Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration to unveil the entire regulation later this week with guidelines the employers and employees are expected to follow.

As the rules and regulations continue to unfold, HRToolkitsOnline.com will be in the process of designing a very affordable “COVID19 Return to Work Toolkit”.  This Toolkit will focus solely on what you should do in order to safely implement the new regulations. At this time, we are planning to include the following:

  • Sample Mandatory Vaccine Policy with Opt-Out Testing Option

  • Sample Optional Vaccination Policy

  • Procedures to ensure you meet the new regulation’s requirements and don’t run afoul of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s discrimination rules

  • Talk points managers can use as they interact with potentially reluctant employees

  • Reference manuals issued by the DOL and the EEOC to answer your questions about what employers can and can’t do while enforcing the new regulations

If there are other COVID19 Return-to-Work resources you would like to see included in this Toolkit, please contact us at info@thewestberrygroup.com. We gratefully appreciate all suggestions.

Because people have experienced this pandemic in many different ways, managers must be prepared to properly respond to varied reactions. Some employees may embrace the opportunity to interact personally with co-workers, while others may be fearful and concerned.  Still, others may be adamant that In-Office work will put them in danger and foster unnecessary risk.  Maintaining a non-judgmental approach to workers reactions (regardless of your private beliefs) is key to ensuring a positive return to the workplace regardless of regulations or government mandates.

My good friend and colleague, Paul Donovan, President of Paul Donovan Insurance, wrote in his last newsletter Insurance News You Can Use ,

“Many times we assume the worst when it’s unjustified. Imagine the positive impact if, regardless of a person’s station in life or what they looked like, we treated everyone with the same level of dignity and respect. As my grandfather used to say, “Judging a person does not define who they are, it defines who you are.”

Until we chat again…be safe, be patient, and always BE Brilliant!

HR Alerts, Human ResourcesElizabeth FanslowCOVID 19, Vaccinations