Worcester Business Journal

38 Worcester Business Journal | September 13, 2021 | wbjournal.com companies are offering remote-only positions, targeting markets where their standard offer is going to represent a 20%-30% salary increase. Desire for change – Aer putting their lives on hold for 18 months, many people have a desire to swing the pendulum in the other direction. Increased dependency on tech – Businesses have become more dependent on technology, which means hiring more people to implement and manage that technology. So what? Most small businesses set their pricing based on local factors – what they expect to pay for talent and/or what their local customers are willing to pay. If they need to compete nationally with major markets on wages, small businesses will find their prices are incompatible. at leaves a best-case scenario of significant price increases to their customers, who will in turn have to increase their prices. Or a worst-case scenario where a business is simply unable to compete and closes up shop. So who wins? Not the small business owner. But what about the loyal employees who stay? Surely it means more opportunities, but it also means more work, more stress, and less happy customers. What about the employee who is getting the 30% raise to jump ship? As the economy slows down and automation catches up, a number of those jobs created in a desperate dash will be eliminated. Furthermore, I have yet to understand how anyone who by design may never meet their employer can truly be engaged. How does one get noticed, learn, grow, get mentorship, or connect with the mission of a company where their contributions will boil down to merely the work they can do from behind a screen in a remote location? I don't think any businesses have cracked the code on how to create meaningful engagement across a highly remote workforce being hired faster than it can be onboarded, but we need to face this situation with our eyes wide open and be flexible, innovative in our approach to fixing it. While I don't profess to have the answers, I think employers, employees and customers have some real soul searching to do when it comes to what they value and what they are willing to sacrifice to get it. By Dr. Joseph Sliwkowski Dr. Joseph Sliwkowski is a physician at Carewell Urgent Care in Marlborough. 10) Have a plan for COVID-19 exposures. Communicate with employees about what to do and who to notify if they are exposed to COVID-19, when they can return to work, and any documentation they need to provide. 9) Prioritize testing. One case of COVID-19 can become an outbreak. Make it easy for employees to get tested by providing paid time off or partnering with an urgent care pro- vider offering customizable testing programs. 8) Encourage employees to get vaccinated. When people return to the workplace this fall, expect to see more seasonal illnesses like the flu, the common cold, and strep throat. En- courage employees to get vaccinated against COVID-19 and influenza. 7) Offer mental health resources. Employ- ees are under a great amount of stress. Some may be experiencing anxiety and depression. Create a workplace wellness program and remind employees of resources available. 6) Consider employees may return with new addictions. Stress and isolation have led to a rise in drug and alcohol abuse. Remind employees of your policies. 5) Make sure employee physicals are up to date. If employees missed required physicals, now is the time to get them done. Surveys show up to 40% of people skipped medical care during the pandemic. 4) Remind workers of safe work practices. Returning workers may not be accustomed to lifting cases of paper or standing for long periods. Bone breaks, stress fractures, joint pain, and sore backs may be more common and could lead to workers' comp claims. 3) Check ventilation and water systems. Proper ventilation is important to limit the spread of COVID-19. Water systems should be checked for Legionella, mold, and lead, and copper contamination from corroded plumbing after prolonged shutdowns. 2) Train employees on proper hygiene pro- cedures. Share tips on proper hygiene and disinfecting shared spaces. Provide masks and promote social distancing. 1) Make plans for employee respiratory testing. Employees working in a position regulated by Occupational Safety and Health Administration Respirator Standard CFR 1910.134 must complete a respirator fit test at least once a year. K N O W H O W Why good people leave good companies P olitical topics these days can be a battlefield in conversations, on social media, and at work. How should managers cope with the environment created with polarized main political parties and controversial current events while keeping teams effectively collaborative, engaged, and productive? Bans on talking politics don't work. Managers should encourage open, honest discussion at all levels: individual, group, and organizational, say psychology experts Dawn Chow and Jeffrey Lees. "Studies have shown that trying to explain something complex can be a humbling and eye- opening experience. When people actually start talking about why they favor certain policies, it can help them realize that they don't have monopoly on the truth, making them more open to, and understanding of, different perspectives," they say, at HBR.org. Leadership should model how to express different views without alienating coworkers who may disagree. Be clear and don't conflict with other policies, advises Insperity.com. It's OK to ban employees from sending emails of a political nature on company computers to co-workers and clients or ask them not to wear campaign clothing to work. But if those rules overlap with other policies on diversity and inclusion, harassment and bullying, workplace conflict resolution, or other standards, things get sticky. Encourage employees to value productivity over political differences. Just as we bring different levels of expertise, nationalities, races, sexual genders, and preferences to work, so do we bring different political opinions, says Sarah Johnson at Forbes.com. "Everyone is entitled to their opinion, and all opinions are respected," she writes. "Our opinions exist outside of our ability to work effectively and contribute to team goals." 1 0 T H I NG S I know about... ... Returning employees to the office BY SUSAN SHALHOUB Special to the Worcester Business Journal 101: P O L I T I C S A T W O R K BY DELCIE D. BEAN IV Special to the Worcester Business Journal A s the CEO of a tech company for 15 years, I have seen employees come and go for many reasons. In a world where small employers are competing for talent globally, the challenges can seem insurmountable. In the previous four months, we have seen more turnover than in the previous two years combined. Why are good people, some who have been with us for 10+ years, deciding to leave? Not only has my company not cut back on the significant investments we make into our culture and staff, but during the worst of the pandemic, we doubled down, making sure our staff were taken care of. If it isn't us, it must be them, right? at's not it. While any business is going to turn over a certain percentage of employees for performance or compatibility issues, that's not what's happening. So what is? Reduced workforce – Nationally, the labor force has been reduced by 3.5 million people, a situation largely created by the pandemic, but exacerbated by the massive number of Baby Boomers exiting the workforce. Strong economy – While this is terrific, it creates more demand for talent. Increased competition – Many W W W Delcie D. Bean IV is CEO of Hadley firm Paragus Strategic IT, which expanded to the Worcester market in June with the acquisition of Comportz Technologies.

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