Month: November 2021

Understanding Why Employees Stay or Leave

Employee retention is a top concern as we enter a postpandemic world. As the pandemic progresses, high numbers of workers have left their jobs for better compensation, benefits and work environment factors, such as work-life balance and remote or hybrid arrangements. This reality has impacted employers, who struggle to attract and retain the talent they need.

If employers are experiencing high turnover, chances are they’re experiencing high losses as well. Research suggests that it can cost as high as 50% or more of an employee’s annual salary to replace a current employee. The costs of reviewing applications, processing candidates, conducting interviews, training and purchasing equipment for new hires aren’t only monetary; they also cost time and productivity and can negatively impact company culture.

Most employers have retention strategies, but it’s worth taking a step back to understand why employees stay—or leave. Ultimately, a deeper understanding of this can inform effective retention strategies. As employers develop and evolve their return-to-work plans, critical retention factors must be thoughtfully included to navigate the current talent shortage.

OSHA Releases Vaccination and Testing ETS

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recently announced a federal emergency temporary standard (ETS) to address the grave danger of COVID-19 infection in the workplace. Affected employers will be required to comply with most provisions of the ETS by Dec. 6, 2021, and with its testing requirements by Jan. 4, 2022. Affected employers include private employers with 100 or more employees (firmwide or companywide count). State plans will have 30 days to adopt the federal ETS or implement their own vaccination standard.
The ETS requires employers to:

• Develop, implement and enforce a mandatory COVID-19 vaccination policy; or
• Create a policy allowing employees to choose to get a vaccination or wear a face covering in the workplace and have weekly COVID-19 testing done.

Employers must also determine the vaccination status of each employee, obtain acceptable proof of vaccination and keep a roster of each employee’s vaccinations status.