Human Resources

Webinar: Addressing Workplace Harassment

Legal experts advise that harassment training should not fall by the wayside, even during COVID-19. On Nov. 3, the OMA will host a webinar presented by Christina Niro, partner with OMA Connections Partner Frantz Ward, to review state and federal discrimination and harassment laws; identify unacceptable behavior in the workplace (in person and online); and profile best practices for preventing and investigating complaints of harassment. Learn more and register. 10/14/2021

Creative Programs to Recognize Your Employees

Talent shortages are making it harder than ever to recruit employees, so it’s important to keep the ones you have. To help in this mission, OMA Connections Partner Paycor has published this list of six easy employee incentive ideas. 10/14/2021

Ohio House Hears Testimony on Bill to Limit Employers’ COVID-19 Options

This week, the Ohio House Commerce and Labor Committee heard testimony on House Bill 435, the latest attempt by certain House Republicans to restrict employer options during COVID-19. As previously reported, House leaders pulled the bill from floor action last week after objections from the business community, including the OMA.

During an Oct. 6 hearing, Ross McGregor, a former state representative and president and owner of Pentaflex Inc., testified on behalf of the OMA to oppose the legislation. (Watch McGregor’s testimony beginning at the 3:05 mark.) He said the bill would impose the state’s will on the operation of private businesses — and that HB 435’s “gaping exemptions” would make an employer’s decisions meaningless.

“Employers are in the best position to decide what measures make the most sense to protect their companies, not the government,” McGregor said.

Meanwhile, Ohio Senate President Matt Huffman (R-Lima) this week told news media that he was reluctant to dictate vaccine policies to private employers. 10/7/2021

Responding to COVID-19 Vaccine Religious Objections

OMA Connections Partner Fisher Phillips has been monitoring how employers with COVID-19 vaccine requirements are managing religious exemption requests.

In this new guidance, the firm says that while each employer must make its own decisions about the lengths it will take to respond to religious accommodation requests, some employers have adopted creative approaches that other employers “may consider replicating.” 10/7/2021

Helping Employees With Chronic Conditions

More than half of the U.S. population has at least one chronic condition — like asthma, diabetes, hypertension, or a back disorder — and nearly 30% has more than one, according to the CDC. EHSToday.com has published this list of strategies for business leaders to better understand and support employees with chronic illness. 10/4/2021

Ohio House Cancels Vote on Bill to Limit Employers’ COVID-19 Options

After fast-tracking a bill that would restrict employer options during COVID-19, Ohio House leaders pulled House Bill 435 this week without a floor vote. Speaker Bob Cupp (R-Lima) said Republicans, who have a supermajority, need more time to examine “additional issues.”

Before this week’s scheduled floor vote, the OMA announced its opposition to HB 435 — and was later joined by other business organizations. If enacted, the bill would:

• Prohibit mandates for COVID-19 vaccines that have not had full FDA approval (meaning only the Pfizer vaccine could be utilized at the present time).
• Provide exemptions to an employer’s vaccine requirement for medical reasons, reasons of conscience, and natural immunity (defined as “presence of COVID-19 antibodies in an amount at least equal to those conferred by a COVID-19 vaccine”).
• Require documentation for all exemptions — although the documentation for the conscience objection would only need to be stated in writing, with employers barred from requiring any further evidence.

At this time, it’s unclear what changes could be made to HB 435 or whether the bill will receive a vote by the full House. 9/30/2021

Survey: Manufacturers Re-Evaluating Supply Chains, Facing Some Return-to-Work Resistance

A new survey finds more than 70% of small and mid-sized manufacturing firms say they have not received any resistance from remote workers who are returning to the workplace (in those instances that working remotely was an option). However, around 18% say they have faced some resistance.

The survey, conducted by the Manufacturing Institute, also found that nearly 79% of small and mid-sized manufacturers have enhanced workplace safety measures and requirements since the pandemic began. More than two-thirds of surveyed firms reported they were re-evaluating their supply chain. 9/30/2021

Ohio Minimum Wage to Increase to $9.30

Ohio’s minimum wage will increase from $8.80 an hour for non-tipped employees to $9.30 an hour beginning Jan. 1, according to the Ohio Department of Commerce. The minimum wage will apply to employees of businesses with annual gross receipts of more than $342,000 a year.

In 2006, Ohioans voted in favor of a yearly minimum wage increase based on the rate of inflation. From Sept. 1, 2020, to Aug. 31, 2021, the Consumer Price Index increased by 5.8%. 9/30/2021

Guidance for Unionized Employers Facing Federal Vaccine Mandate

Employers are awaiting OSHA’s emergency temporary standard (ETS), which is expected to direct employers with 100 or more employees to choose between COVID-19 vaccine mandates or weekly testing. OMA Connections Partner Fisher Phillips, in this new guidance, says unionized employers should carefully evaluate the potential bargaining implications associated with the impending ETS in consultation with their labor relations and human resources teams, along with legal counsel. 9/30/2021

COVID-19 Vaccine ETS Could Still Be ‘Weeks Away’

Employers — especially those with 100 or more employees — continue to await OSHA’s forthcoming emergency temporary standard (ETS) following President Joe Biden’s COVID-19 vaccinate-or-test mandate.

But the ETS could take several more weeks to complete, according to some reports. Once released, the ETS can remain in place for six months. “After that, it must be replaced by a permanent OSHA standard, which must undergo a formal rulemaking process involving a typical notice-and-comment period,” according to OMA Connections Partner Fisher Phillips. (See this updated employer guidance on how best to prepare for the ETS.)

Meanwhile, fewer than 63% of Ohioans aged 12 or older have been vaccinated against COVID-19. Ohio’s new cases per 100,000 have jumped to nearly 700 — due largely to low vaccination rates among younger residents. In response, Gov. Mike DeWine has unveiled a new incentive program to encourage Ohioans ages 12-25 to get their shot. 9/23/2021