Human Resources

HR Roundup: Great Managers’ Most Important Habit

• According to Gallup’s research, 80% of employees who say they have received meaningful feedback from their manager in the past week are fully engaged at work.
• A new survey by Vivian Health finds that manufacturing is among the industries with the most “stress-related absences” over the last 12 months.
• New workplace protections for pregnant and postpartum women took effect this week, as reported by OMA Connections Partners Fisher Phillips and Roetzel.
• Fisher Phillips has published this guidance addressing the evolving legal landscape surrounding workplace relationships, non-disclosure agreements, and arbitration.
• OMA Connections Partner Calfee has published this update on updates to federally required workplace posters.

In other news, 37% of employees placed by staffing agencies nationwide are connected to jobs in the industrial sector, according to a report by OMA Connections Partner Acloché. 6/28/2023

HR Roundup: Compensation Costs Continue to Rise

HR Roundup: The Cost of Low Employee Engagement

• Gallup estimates that low workplace engagement costs the global economy $8.8 trillion (9% of global GDP).
• U.S. worker productivity has suffered a record drop; some economists say it’s reason for alarm. (This map shows productivity trends by state.)
• OMA Connections Partner CliftonLarsonAllen has published this analysis of new federal changes to retirement rules impacting companies and employees.
• OMA Connections Partner Schneider Downs has published these warning signs regarding dysfunctional management at your company.
• A June 13 NLRB decision will make it more difficult for companies to classify workers as independent contractors. OMA Connections Partner Thompson Hine has published this summary.
• OMA Connections Partner Fisher Phillips has published this guidance on effective communication strategies during a reduction in force, including WARN Act compliance.
• Fisher Phillips has also published this list of 10 things to include in a workplace policy addressing the use of artificial intelligence.
• OMA Connections Partner akhia will host a complimentary webinar Friday, June 23 to examine the use of artificial intelligence and AI tools, including in marketing and other business operations.

Finally, the Society for Human Resource Management Foundation has unveiled a skills-based hiring toolkit aimed at improving recruiting practices and prioritizing diverse hiring. 6/15/2023

HR Roundup: Manufacturing Wages up 4.9%

• U.S. manufacturers have added 10,000 workers year to date, a significant slowdown from the 385,000 and 390,000 employees in 2021 and 2022, respectively. (Here are the sub-sectors leading in year-over-year job growth.)
  • This chart shows manufacturing job openings since the start of the pandemic.
  • Average hourly wages for production and non-supervisory employees in U.S. manufacturing jumped to $26.19 in May. Year-over-year wages were up 4.9%.
• Last week, new unemployment claims in Ohio were 61.17% higher than the previous week — the second-highest increase in the nation.
• U.S. worker productivity has dropped significantly — and that could mean trillions of dollars to the economy, experts say.
• One Source Advisors, an OMA Connections Partner, has published this update on HSAs, high-deductible health plans, and flexible spending accounts.
• The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled companies can file lawsuits against unions for strike-related destruction of company property.
• Expect NLRB regional offices to begin issuing complaints challenging non-compete provisions as being unlawful, writes OMA Connections Partner Thompson Hine.
  • OMA Connections Partner Shumaker published this list of actions employers should consider if using non-competes.
• A forthcoming U.S. Supreme Court decision will make it more difficult for employers to deny religious accommodations, OMA Connections Partner Fisher Phillips predicts.

Meanwhile, the EEOC has issued new guidance on the use of artificial intelligence in hiring, according to this guidance from Bricker Graydon, the OMA’s general counsel. 6/8/2023

HR Roundup: Ohio’s Initial Jobless Claims Soar

• Non-compete provisions in employment and severance agreements violate the National Labor Relations Act in most cases, according to a memo from the NLRB’s general counsel.
  • OMA Connections Partner Calfee advises employers to recognize that non-compete agreements will now be subject to scrutiny by the NLRB. OMA Connections Partner Fisher Phillips has also published guidance regarding the NLRB memo.
• Increased work requirements are set to be implemented for certain federal welfare programs as a result of the debt ceiling deal.
• Nearly half of workers aren’t taking all their paid time off, a new report says.
• When it comes to employers’ efforts to attract Gen Z, younger workers appear to most appreciate pay transparency and better job descriptions, a new study finds.
• Companies can increase the volume and quality of employee suggestions and ideas by offering a choice of rewards, a recent study has found.

Meanwhile, here’s Ohio’s latest county-by-county unemployment map, which shows several counties with jobless rates under 3.5% in April. However, initial jobless claims doubled statewide throughout May. 6/1/2023

HR Roundup: Four-Day Workweek Lessons

• ManufacturingDive reports on lessons learned by a mid-sized manufacturer that implemented a four-day workweek, only to return to its previous system two months later.
• Ohio’s unemployment rate dropped to 3.7% in April — the lowest level since 1976 — while labor force participation was 61.8%. Manufacturing added 700 jobs as the sector approaches its employment level of early 2020, before COVID-19.
• LinkedIn’s recruiting platform will soon allow HR professionals to use generative AI to send personalized messages to prospective applicants.
• In its analysis of DE&I initiatives, OMA Connections Partner BSI has suggested these steps that employers can take to boost employee well-being.
• A recent SHRM study showed that 30% of U.S. workers say they have felt unfairly treated due to their age.

Meanwhile, to help employers re-evaluate their hiring standards and practices, OMA Connections Partner Fisher Phillips has published this list of five ways to rethink job requirements. 5/24/2023

Bill Would Require Employers to Provide Pay Stubs

Ohio lawmakers are considering House Bill 106, which would require employers provide their workers with a pay stub or access to a pay stub. Bill sponsors say it’s necessary to protect against wage theft. HB 106 received its second hearing this week. See the bill summary. 5/17/2023

OMA Webinar: Attracting, Retaining Talent

At 10 a.m. Wednesday, May 24, the OMA will host a webinar on strategies to attract and retain talent. Experts from OMA Connections Partner Gallagher will share insights on building workforce resiliency, as well as the impact of culture and leader influence on talent and employee well-being. OMA members can register at no cost. 5/18/2023

HR Roundup: Ohio’s Labor Situation Better Than Most

• Despite having only 79 people to fill every 100 open jobs, Ohio’s worker shortage is still one of the least severe in the nation, the U.S. Chamber reports.
• As of May 11, there were more than 21,700 manufacturing-related job openings posted at OhioMeansJobs.
• Ohio’s total employment is predicted to decrease at an annual rate of -4.43% for the next six months, according to the most recent Leading Indicators Report.
• The U.S. Department of Labor has updated its required workplace poster to include breast milk pumping breaks for exempt employees.

Meanwhile, the Society for Human Resource Management has published this insight on suggested ways employers can address the generational divide between older and younger employees. 5/11/2023

HR Roundup: Manufacturing Compensation Up 4.2%

• Compensation costs (wages, salaries, and benefits) for U.S. private employees were up 4.8% from March 2022 to March 2023, according to federal data. For manufacturers, the increase was 4.2%, down from 4.9% during the previous 12 months.
• According to federal data, U.S. manufacturers saw more separations in March than new hires.
  • U.S. manufacturing job openings fell to 693,000, the lowest since April 2021, while layoffs hit their highest level since July 2020.
• Data also show labor productivity declines were widespread among U.S. manufacturers in 2022, with decreases in 66 of the 86 manufacturing-related NAICS codes.
• OMA Connections Partner CliftonLarsonAllen has published this guidance for HR leaders to re-evaluate their workplace policies and processes three years after the start of COVID-19.
• OMA Connections Partner Fisher Phillips has published this article on the top 10 ways employers can avoid regular rate wage mistakes.
• In this analysis, OMA Connections Partner Calfee reports Columbus has become Ohio’s third major city to enact a salary history ban.

Meanwhile, OMA Connections Partner Dinsmore reports that companies doing business with the federal government scored a major COVID-19-related victory after a federal court rejected a claim by former employees who claimed their rights were violated when they were terminated for failing to comply with the company’s vaccination policy. 5/4/2023