The US Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is developing a rule that will require all employers with 100 or more employees to ensure their teams are fully vaccinated or require any employees who remain unvaccinated to produce a negative test result on at least a weekly basis before coming to work. 
OSHA’s rule-making process, according to the Federal News Network, may be completed in the next few weeks. This new rule, though not finalized, may stipulate that companies violating the rule could be subject to fines of $14,000 per violation.
In addition, the administration also is directing that this standard be extended to employees of government contractors. In an announcement made last Friday, the administration stated that federal contractor employees must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 no later than December 8, 2021.
In this interim period, the administration has stated that government contractor employees may still access their federal worksites by providing regular proof of a negative COVID-19 test. This negative test must be from no later than the previous three days prior to entry to a federal building.
impactAction: If you need assistance preparing to comply with these new regulations, contact us at info@impacthrllc.com or 443-741-3900.
DC’s New Non-Compete Law Gets Delayed Implementation to April 2022
DC Mayor Muriel Bowser has announced that a new law banning the use of non-compete provisions in employment agreements and workplace policies will see a delayed implementation to April 1, 2022.
This new law, enacted last January, also protects employees’ right to make a complaint or file a court case and it bars employers from retaliating against employees who inquire about their rights. 
One factor in delaying implementation, according to Wright, Constable & Skeen, is related to “concerns raised by councilmembers and employers questioning the potentially damaging extent of the Act’s impact.”
One key point is that the new law, when fully implemented, will apply only to new restrictions and agreements implemented on April 1, 2022 and thereafter.
impactAction: If you have questions or need assistance preparing to comply with this policy, contact us at info@impacthrllc.com or 443-741-3900.
Your End-of-Year HR Checklist: Getting Ready for 2022
With 2022 closer than it seems, consider it a good time now to evaluate the components of your HR function to prepare for optimum efficiency at the start of the new year. 
Here is a quick checklist of tasks and processes to consider reviewing and freshening up to help you get ready for 2022:
HR infrastructure – Review your current HR structure to determine the effectiveness and efficiency of services provided throughout the organization with a special focus on staffing levels, technology and operating procedures.
Compliance – Complete an overview of the legally required aspects of employee management practices with an audit of all documents, records and policies to ensure you’re in compliance with relevant federal, state and local regulations.
Technology – Review your employee data management, record-keeping and retention policy and data flow management (such as the effectiveness of data exchange across the organization).
Here is a snapshot list of key HR documents plus practices and processes to review for compliance, clarity, completeness and accuracy:
Documents and records:
- Personnel files
- Medical files
- I-9 files
- Terminated employment records/files
- File documentation
- Policies
Practices and processes:
- Management development
- Employee development
- Reward and recognition practices
- Termination practices
- Salary and compensation practices
- Performance management issues
It’s also a good time to review and update your current employee handbook content. Or if your organization or company doesn’t have a handbook yet, consider developing one for your employees.
impactAction: If you need help getting your HR function ready for 2022, contact us at info@impacthrllc.com or 443-741-3900.
Looking to Retain Your Valued Employees? Consider the Exit Interview
What’s one tactic that may help retain your valued employees? Consider putting in place exit interviews with those employees planning to depart.
But how do you go about this? The exit interview, by definition, is a conversation with a departing employee about their time at the company and reasons for their departure. 
These types of interviews are, of course, completely optional, but employers conducting them can learn about workplace issues that may be costing them good employees.
Exit interviews, in short, can shine a light on poor management practices, hostile work environments, departmental conflict and employee concerns that don’t get shared with management or HR.
In addition, exit interviews can be more informative than regular check-ins because departing employees often have little to lose in being candid about their experiences.
Ultimately, exit interviews are most useful if employers are able to act on the information they receive and then work on building a strong employee retention program.
impactAction: If you’re interested in learning more about exit interviews, please contact us at info@impacthrllc.com or 443-741-3900.