HR Morning News, Page 13 Category

Executive Orders are becoming the hallmark of President Obama’s second term. His latest seeks to provide workers with paid sick leave. But it won’t affect all employers? 

The latest order, which the DOL is currently reviewing, would require federal contractors and subcontractors to provide their employees with a minimum of 56 hours (seven days) of paid sick leave annually.

Workers could use the leave for their own illness or to take care of sick relatives.

Some of the other notable Executive Orders of Obama’s second term as president include:

• The order to rewrite the FLSA’s “white collar” overtime exemptions (for which the proposed rules just came out)
• The order for federal contractors to explicitly prohibit discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity, and
• The “Fair Pay” order requiring federal contractors to report whether they’ve violated any one of 14 labor laws within the past three years.

Executive Orders allow the administration to impose regulations without Congressional action.

The paid sick leave order is part of a larger nationwide trend of states (like Connecticut, California Massachusetts and Oregon) and cities (Seattle, New York City, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and others) adopting paid sick leave requirements.

Paid sick leave is something President Obama has been very clear on: “Send me a bill that gives every worker in America the opportunity to earn seven days of paid sick leave. It’s the right thing to do.”

Under the new Executive Order, employers that do business with the government would also be required to allow unused paid leave to accrue year after year, according to The New York Times, which obtained a draft of the order.

Some other important notes about the order:

• An employer can’t make taking paid leave contingent upon a worker finding a replacement
• The final regulations would consider a relative any individual “related by blood or affinity whose close association with the employee is equivalent of a family relationship”
• Leave could also be used to seek medical attention, as well as counseling and legal action relating to domestic violence and sexual assault, and
• Detailed regulations will be issued by Sept. 30, 2016.

The Executive Order comes on the heels of the DOL releasing data that showed 39% of private sector employees have no paid sick leave.

We’ve already seen legislation introduced with the sole purpose of getting Obamacare’s controversial “Cadillac tax” tossed. Now an impressive alliance has come together to put pressure on Congress to make sure that repeal actually takes place.  

The group, which consists of more than two dozen public and private employers, insurers and unions, calls itself the Alliance to Fight the 40, a reference to the 40% excise tax imposed by the ACA.

Under the ACA’s Cadillac tax provision, employers will be required to pay a 40% excise tax on the value of any healthcare coverage that exceeds $10,200 for single coverage or $27,500 for families in premium costs starting in 2018.

Since the passage of the Affordable Care Act back in 2010, the Cadillac tax has been one of the most worrisome provisions for employers — and with good reason. Research has shown that a significant number of firms are on pace to trigger the tax in 2018.

For the feds, however, the excise tax is expected to be a major revenue generator. In fact, the Congressional Budget Office estimated that the Cadillac tax will raise $87 billion in the decade after it takes effect. The feds then plan on using this money to fund other key parts of the ACA — e.g., the subsidies for low- and middle-income families on the insurance marketplace.

‘Hits ordinary plans’

The repeal of the excise tax seems to be one of the few components of the healthcare reform law where everybody — Democrats and Republicans, public and private employers, etc. — seems to be on the same page: staunchly opposed to the provision taking effect.

As James A. Klein, president of the American Benefits Council and a member of the Alliance to Fight the 40, put it:

“The 40% tax hits ordinary plans that are expensive simply because they cover many people with high health costs — women, older and disabled workers and families with catastrophic health events.”

It’s also worth noting that many experts believe the repeal of the Cadillac tax is all but inevitable. Example: During “How to Promote a Healthy Workforce Under the ACA Without Breaking the Bank,” a presentation at the 2015 SHRM Conference & Exposition that HR Benefits Alert attended, employment attorney Mark Boxer said he believed there was about an 80% chance the Cadillac tax would be repealed before 2018.

Of course, no manager wants to lie. But sometimes it’s a way to deflect requests or get off the hook without having to let a co-worker down harshly. Which “white lies” are your managers, supervisors and even executives spreading? 

We recently stumbled upon this interesting list produced by our friends over at ResourcefulManager, and we had to share it.

The team over at ResorucefulManager shares advice and resources on how to become a stronger leader, and it recently polled 1,133 managers and executives regarding which “white lies” they tell.

Respondents could select from a list of 33 total “lies.”

Here were the 10 they selected the most:

Employees have long been clamoring for more generous paternity leave, and both Netflix and Microsoft have recently heeded that call. Will this trend trickle down to companies like yours?  

Netflix, the video streaming and delivery service provider, made news recently when it announced it would offer an unlimited amount of paid time off for its employees when they become new parents. The policy applies to both new mothers and new fathers.

Chief Talent Officer Tawni Cranz explained the impetus for the policy in a blog post by stating:

“Netflix’s continued success hinges on us competing for and keeping the most talented individuals in their field. Experience shows people perform better at work when they’re not worrying about home.”

Soon after Netflix’s announcement, tech giant Microsoft announced it will also expand its parental leave offerings, albeit not in an unlimited way.

Microsoft’s new leave policy extends paid parental leave to 12 weeks for new mothers and fathers, while mothers can also get an additional eight weeks of paid leave.

Under Microsoft’s previous leave policy, mothers were entitled to 12 weeks of paid and eight weeks of unpaid leave, and fathers could take up to four weeks of paid time off and eight weeks of unpaid leave.

Netflix and Microsoft join the ranks of other major corporations that offer leave policies that greatly exceed the standard amount, such as:

• Facebook (four months of paid leave for both mothers and fathers)
• Google (18 weeks), and
• Apple (mothers get a total of 18 weeks — four weeks before birth and 14 weeks after — and fathers get six weeks).

89% factor leave into job decisions

While average companies probably can’t afford to offer such generous paternity leave, the call for increased leave time is growing — particularly among new dads.

In fact, a recent study of working fathers by the Boston College Center for Work & Family found that:

• 89% said they took paid paternity leave (PPL) into consideration when deciding whether or not to take a job.
• Of those, 60% rated access to paid paternity leave as very/extremely important.
• 99% said employers should offer paid paternity leave, with 74% suggesting that two to four weeks is an appropriate amount.
• Three-quarters of fathers said they’d prefer PPL time flexibility so they wouldn’t have to use it all right after the baby was born; most see it as part of the life-work balance they seek when selecting an employer.

If you still think of Facebook and Twitter as purely the domain of humble brags and dinner photos, it’s time to rethink your strategy. Here are five ways HR can improve its talent acquisition process through social media, courtesy of guest poster Anand Deshpande.  

Here’s a rundown of Deshpande’s overall strategy:

Target your search

More than 2.55 billion people will use social networking by the year 2017, according to some reports. Abut while a recruiter’s aim may be to cast a bigger net through social media, there is a point of diminishing returns. Failure to target your search can be a drain on time and resources. Instead, aim your social media efforts directly at the best candidates. While large social networks like LinkedIn and Facebook may put you in touch with massive pools of candidates, industry-specific websites, blogs, and forums deliver a relevant, captive audience.

Use a multi-channel approach

While targeting your audience through social media is important, refrain from limiting or restricting the channels through which you reach out. Research shows that the average job seeker uses a whopping 15 sources during a single job hunt. Recruiters who engage candidates across the comprehensive spectrum of touchpoints can expect more comprehensive results.

Use what you’ve got

Your employees are your strongest assets. Failure to leverage their social network connections for job applicants can result in missed opportunities. Internal recommendations can help you locate employees who will not only possess the right skills, but are also more likely to be a solid fit for your company culture. Encouraging your employees to post about job openings on their own pages simultaneously widens and narrows your reach.

Follow the Golden Rule

Today’s job applicants not only have access to more information — they also have louder voices than ever before. Employees who have a bad experience during the job hunt are likely to share this information via social media. It’s particularly important, therefore, for recruiters to keep the applicant experience in mind at all times. This means a commitment to transparency, communication and follow-through along every step of the recruitment process.

Build your brand

Your social media strategies are an essential part of selling your brand to both active and passive job seekers — particularly at a time when 77% of all full-time workers are open to new job opportunities. Social media isn’t just useful for getting your job openings in front of candidates; it’s also useful for positioning your company as a sought after employer. Ultimately, you’re not just building your brand; you’re also building relationships.

And remember: just as you’re vetting candidates via social media, they’re also vetting you. An uneven, poor, or absent social media presence can remove you from the running. Consistent, comprehensive and compelling communication is more important than ever in the brave new world of social media recruiting.

Anand Deshpande is customer success manager with WittyParrot, a cloud-based SaaS company focused on communication and content collaboration with analytics among sales, marketing and customer support functions.

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