DON’T FORGET: OSHA 300A Posting Period (Feb 1-Apr 30)

As mentioned in our January newsletter, California employers are required to post their 2022 annual summary of work-related injuries and illnesses (Form 300A), including those related to COVID-19, in a visible and easily accessible area at every worksite from February 1 through April 30.

Additionally, employers in California that have establishments meeting one of the requirements below are required annually to electronically submit Form 300A injury and illness data by March 2, 2023:

If you have questions in regards to OSHA 300A requirements, please contact your HR Consultant directly. 


2023 Labor Law Posters  

If you haven’t ordered your 2023 labor law poster, it’s not too late! Contact jacqueline@hrtogo.com if you need to place an order. 

 

California CRD Updates Pay Data Reporting FAQs

The California Civil Rights Department (CRD) recently updated their pay data reporting FAQs to address this year’s changes to California’s pay data reporting requirements for employers with 100 or more employees.

Back in September 2022, Governor Newsom signed SB 1162 that, among other things, revised and expanded the state’s pay data reporting requirements. The most notable changes include:

  • A new deadline for pay data reports;
  • Separate reports for employees hired through labor contractors;
  • Inclusion of median and mean hourly rate information; and
  • Increased penalties for noncompliance.

Previously, pay data reports were due at the end of March, but going forward, reports will be due the second Wednesday of May annually. This year, reports are due May 10, 2023.

New this year — reporting employers must file a separate “Labor Contractor Employee Report” that covers workers hired through labor contractors in the prior calendar year. CRD’s new FAQs provide helpful guidance on this topic, including information about the labor contractor snapshot period, how to count labor contractor employees for reporting purposes and how to organize the report. Parts II, IV, and V of the FAQs address these details.

Under the SB 1162 amendments, employers are also required to include the median and mean hourly rate for each job category and each combination of race, ethnicity and sex included in the pay data reports. The new FAQs provide an explanation of how employers should make the calculations. For information on these calculations, see Part V of the FAQs.

Penalties for noncompliance have been increased this year. Previously, the CRD could file a civil action against an employer that didn’t submit their pay data report and ask for an injunction requiring the employer to submit the report. SB 1162, however, adds civil penalties to the law, permitting a court to impose a penalty of up to $100 per employee for noncompliance, or up to $200 per employee for subsequent failure to file the required report.

The updated FAQs also state that the CRD intends to provide new versions of pay data resources (e.g., user guide, templates, etc.), which will be available February 1, 2023. Employers should review the FAQs and additional resources on the CRD’s pay data reporting website as they prepare their pay data reports.

James W. Ward, HR Watchdog


The Importance of Managerial Humility

Humility, the great antithesis to ego, might be considered an attribute that subtracts from the elan of leadership. But more and more research is showing the complexity of this trait and how those who espouse it are, in fact, some of the best leaders.

A 2021 study suggested that humility can be a positive trait for leaders, with implications for organizational strategy and performance. The study found that humble executives build integrative teams, promote pay equity among their teams, and establish profitable companies.

Jonathan Finkelstein, CEO and founder of New York City-based Credly, a business of Pearson, says “servant leadership is on the rise, for good reason. Those who lead with humility are great listeners, are committed to the growth and success of others, and are empathetic—not only to their teams but to the needs of their customers.”

What does humility look like in a workplace setting? First, it involves a willingness to know oneself. Humble individuals are aware of human limitations and accept that they have both strengths and weaknesses. Some terms that researchers have used to describe this orientation are “a transcendent self-concept and low self-focus and a lack of superiority or entitlement.” Exhibiting humility as a leader often involves being vulnerable in front of others. For some, this comes naturally; others have to work at it.

The second aspect of humility is keeping an open mind and continuously learning and improving. Humble leaders are open to new information, and they are willing to take contradictory advice or even criticism.

“Doing your job as a leader at any level within an organization means having the humility to surround yourself with people smarter and more capable than yourself, and then listening to what they need and removing obstacles in their way,” Finkelstein says. “It also means continuing to invest in their growth and development so they can serve the organization even better in the future.”

Asking for help is a sign of a secure leader—one who engages everyone to reach goals. Jim Whitehurst, CEO of Raleigh, N.C.-based open-source software maker Red Hat, says, “I found that being very open about the things I did not know actually had the opposite effect than I would have thought. It helped me build credibility.”

Asking for help is effective because it taps into the natural human impulse to cooperate with others.

“As a leader, others look to me for answers,” Finkelstein says. “By acknowledging that I don’t always have them, and that the best answers often come from the members of the team, I try to create a culture that empowers others to contribute their views without fear of personal judgment.”

Toni Tileva, Ph.D., SHRM