Latest News from SESCO Managment Consultants

 

Average Hourly Earnings Decrease 1.0% in June, CPI Increases 1.3%

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics has reported that real average hourly earnings for all employees decreased 1.0 percent from May to June. This result stems from an increase of 0.1 percent in average hourly earnings combined with an increase of 1.3 percent in the Consumer Price Index (CPI). Real average hourly earnings decreased 3.6 percent from June 2021 to June 2022.

 

EEOC Updates Guidance on COVID-19 Testing in the Workplace

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has updated its guidance regarding COVID-19 workplace viral screening testing. The EEOC's original position on COVID-19 workplace viral screening testing was that it always met the Americans with Disabilities Act ("ADA") standard for conducting medical examinations. However, the EEOC explained that going forward, "employers will need to assess whether current pandemic circumstances and individual workplace circumstances justify viral screening testing of employees to prevent workplace transmission of COVID-19." The EEOC's guidance now provides that an employer, as a mandatory screening measure, may administer a COVID-19 viral test "if the employer can show it is job-related and consistent with business necessity." For more, click HERE.

 

Final COVID-19 OSHA Regulation Covering Healthcare Employers Is on OSHA's Agenda for Issuance in September 2022

The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA's) emergency temporary standard (ETS) requiring healthcare employers to adhere to numerous regulatory requirements addressing COVID-19 was largely withdrawn in December 2021. The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) published its regulatory agenda forecasting that employers in healthcare settings can anticipate that OSHA will roll out permanent COVID-19 regulations in September 2022. It is expected that many of the requirements in the ETS will be resurrected in the new final rule. The healthcare ETS required employers to develop and implement COVID-19 plans that included paid time off for vaccination, social distancing, personal protective gear, physical barriers, ventilation, patient and employee screening, employee training, recordkeeping and reporting.

 

DOL Recovers $865K Owed to 413 Employees for FLSA Violations

The Wage and Hour Division (WHD) of the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) has separately announced its recovery of $865,032 in back pay and liquidated damages for 413 workers after investigators alleged employers in Indiana, Virginia, Ohio, and Texas violated the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). For more, click HERE.

To ensure compliance we recommend employers review all applicable policy and practices, and to contact SESCO if questions exist. For assistance, contact us at 423-764-4127 or by email at sesco@sescomgt.com