Skip to main content

What I’ve Been Reading This Week

 

One of the key stories this week relates to Dollar General announcing it would offer its employees four hours of pay to get the coronavirus vaccine.  As many employers (and employees) weigh whether to get the coronavirus vaccine, this development is one to keep an eye on...especially if/when other employers implement a similar policy.

As always, below are a couple articles that caught my eye this week.


While Industry Peers Struggle, Chipotle Thrives

This was an interesting article from HRDive that is worth starting things off this week, due in part to it being a bit of good news.  According to the article, Chipotle has continued its expansion and growth during the coronavirus pandemic while many others in the restaurant industry have downsized.  The reason?  In part, the company has placed apparently placed an emphasis on employees including offering a paid parental leave plan and mental health programs for its workers.  As well, Chipotle has been reported to be offering its workers assistance with school expenses, including helping employees obtain their GED.  While no two employers are the same and every benefit offered by one employer does not necessarily translate to others, the growth Chipotle is seeing is likely due in part to how it treats its employees.  This is worth a read for any employer (or HR professional) looking to bolster employee engagement and retention.


Dollar General Offers to Pay Its Employees to Get Vaccine

The Washington Post published an article on Wednesday in which it noted that Dollar General is going to offer its employees four hours of pay to get the coronavirus vaccine.  The company, which operates nearly 17,000 stores in 46 states, noted that it was offering this incentive as a way to help employees cover the cost of childcare and transportation costs in order to get the vaccine.  Will other (large scale) employers follow suit?  I would suspect that Dollar General likely will not be the only one offering this incentive to its employees...especially as the vaccine becomes more widely available.


Canadian Front Line Workers Grapple With Limited Paid Sick Leave

Turning to our friends north of the border, Reuters noted that many workers in Canada are struggling to avoid contracting the coronavirus due in part to limited sick leave being offered.  According to the article, despite Canadian authorities urging people to stay home and work remotely, many workers in the country are unable to do so, in part because approximately 58% of workers in Canada lack adequate paid sick leave.  As a result, many experts point to this being a reason for a growing spread of the coronavirus in the country as workers are forced to return to work due to a lack of paid sick leave.  Will Canadian employers (and/or the government) step in and address the lack of paid sick leave for over half the workforce?  Time will tell...but the clock is ticking.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

NLRB: Discussion Among Employees About Tip Pooling is Protected Concerted Activity

  This Advice Memorandum from the National Labor Relations Board’s Associate General Counsel, Jayme Sophir, addressed whether employees which discussed and complained about tip pooling at work constituted protected concerted activity. In relevant part, an employer in New York operated a chain of steakhouses.  While tip pooling was in place at these steakhouses, some of the employees objected to it on the grounds that it was not transparent and improperly divided tips among the workers.  Employees were told not to complain or talk to each other about the tip pool and were told that doing so would endanger their jobs.  Despite the employer later attempting to provide some clarity as to how the tips were being divided, rancor still existed among some employees.  At one point, the employees were told by a general manager that some employees that had been talking about the tip pool were “cleared out” and the employer would continue to do so. In the Advice Memorandum,...
Post a Comment
Read more

Breaking: Labor Secretary Rumored to Be Leaving Administration

A few hours ago, word leaked out that Labor Secretary Marty Walsh (“Walsh”) is in the midst of negotiations to head up the NHL Players Union and leave his position at the Labor Department. Walsh, who has served as the sole Labor Secretary under President Biden, has taken part in a labor renaissance of sorts as support for organized labor has increased during his term as Labor Secretary (although the number of workers that have joined a union over the past two years has not grown as mush as some expected.)  He has also overseen the ongoing negotiations with rail workers over a new contract, although that matter is still on shaky ground and playing out as we speak. As for who might step into the vacant Labor Secretary role, there are already rumblings that President Biden should nominate Deputy Labor Secretary Julie Su (a strong labor advocate) or even a progressive like Senator Bernie Sanders.  Until Walsh officially gives his notice, however, I would expect some/many potential...
Post a Comment
Read more

San Diego Rolls Back Vaccine Mandate For City Workers

Last Tuesday, the San Diego City Council voted to do away with the vaccine mandate for city employees. The city’s vaccine mandate that was in place required city workers to get the coronavirus vaccine or risk termination.  Perhaps to this surprise of no one, the city’s policy came under fire with 14 employees being terminated and over 100 other employees resigning.  With the coronavirus subsiding, including in Southern California, the San Diego City Council took action. Now, bear in mind, the repeal of the vaccine mandate does not take place immediately. With that being said, the mandate will be repealed March 8th.  I suppose the question now is, what other cities or regions follow San Diego’s lead? For additional information:   https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/politics/story/2023-01-24/san-diego-repeals-controversial-covid-19-vaccine-mandate-citing-drop-in-cases-hospitalizations
Post a Comment
Read more