Recently, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) updated two of its required employee postings.  For the Fair Labor Standards Act poster (commonly called “minimum wage poster”), significant changes include the following:  The poster includes new language from the federal health care law passed in 2009 that advises non-exempt nursing mothers of their right to be provided with a reasonable break time to express breast milk. It states that employers must provide a place that is not a bathroom, shielded from view, and free from intrusion by co-workers as well.  Officials revised the poster to include mention of additional penalties for violations of the FLSA. Lastly, there is mention that some employers are classifying workers incorrectly as independent contractors thus depriving actual non-exempt workers from their entitlement to minimum wage and overtime pay protection. Federal and state agencies, including the DOL, have been focused on this area as a source of missed tax revenue. The second required employee posting, the Employee Polygraph Protection Act poster, contains very few changes. The most important is the deletion of a reference to $10,000 in the enforcement section of the poster. The bottom right side of the new poster notes “rev 07/16”. Employers must post these revised posters immediately in areas where employees and applicants can view them.   Download the new posters at https://www.dol.gov/whd/regs/compliance/posters/eppa.htm or https://www.dol.gov/whd/regs/compliance/posters/flsa.htm PIA members can learn more and download the federal and state posters at www.printing.org/page/3767....

Do you consider your business a career employer? When you hire skilled workers, do they stay for long periods of time? Do they talk up your business to prospective clients and other potential employees? The 2016 Best Workplace in the Americas recognizes companies that fit all of those benchmarks. It’s the only graphic communications industry competition of its kind to recognize outstanding workplaces and the companies that develop them. Last year, the full-service integrated communications firm MOSAIC was chosen as a 2015 Best Workplace in the Americas recipient in the medium-sized company category. Sarah Wilson, HR manager of the organization, spoke with us about HR practices in her company, what it means to be a Best Workplace in the Americas winner, and why recognizing employees is so important in the graphic communications industry. PIA: The Best Workplace in the Americas competition judges companies on eight key human relations areas: management practices, work environment, training and development opportunities, financial security, work-life balance, recognition and rewards, health and wellness programs, and workplace health and safety. Which one of these areas do you feel that MOSAIC excels at the most and why? SW: In particular, work environment is the area in which MOSAIC excels. The Best Workplace in the Americas application asks for data on voluntary turnover, involuntary turnover, and layoffs, and we compare that information year-over-year both internally and with industry trends. However, work environment doesn’t always easily compare to a numeric ratio. It compares what companies are doing to ensure the work environment is conducive to the production of a superior product and a place where employees are stimulated to achieve.  To make the work environment and culture more satisfying, MOSAIC holds events throughout the year that are not only employee focused but also concentrate on the community. Some of our employees’ favorite events include: the All-You-Can-Eat Crab Feast, our Holiday Party (where Santa always makes an appearance), and the Spring BBQ where our sales representatives prepare food for an afternoon party to say thanks to everyone in the plant for their efforts. Community facing activities include the following: Toys for Tots, Stop Hunger Now (volunteers package over 20,000 meals during this event), and holding a company-wide “Crock Pot Cook Off” (where the donations are given to a charity of the winner’s choice). Because of all of these great events and more, MOSAIC is consistently better—on average—than the industry in terms of work environment.  PIA: A Best Workplace in the Americas win can do wonders in promoting your business to prospective employees and clients. How do you publicize the Best Workplace in the Americas win at MOSAIC? SW: MOSAIC takes great pride in our string of Best Workplace in the...

Do you consider your business a career employer? When you hire skilled workers, do they stay for long periods of time? Do they talk up your business to prospective clients and other potential employees? The 2016 Best Workplace in the Americas recognizes companies that fit all of those benchmarks. It’s the only graphic communications industry competition of its kind to recognize outstanding workplaces and the companies that develop them. Last year, the full-service integrated communications firm MOSAIC was chosen as a 2015 Best Workplace in the Americas recipient in the medium-sized company category. Sarah Wilson, HR manager of the organization, spoke with us about HR practices in her company, what it means to be a Best Workplace in the Americas winner, and why recognizing employees is so important in the graphic communications industry. PIA: The Best Workplace in the Americas competition judges companies on eight key human relations areas: management practices, work environment, training and development opportunities, financial security, work-life balance, recognition and rewards, health and wellness programs, and workplace health and safety. Which one of these areas do you feel that MOSAIC excels at the most and why? SW: In particular, work environment is the area in which MOSAIC excels. The Best Workplace in the Americas application asks for data on voluntary turnover, involuntary turnover, and layoffs, and we compare that information year-over-year both internally and with industry trends. However, work environment doesn’t always easily compare to a numeric ratio. It compares what companies are doing to ensure the work environment is conducive to the production of a superior product and a place where employees are stimulated to achieve.  To make the work environment and culture more satisfying, MOSAIC holds events throughout the year that are not only employee focused but also concentrate on the community. Some of our employees’ favorite events include: the All-You-Can-Eat Crab Feast, our Holiday Party (where Santa always makes an appearance), and the Spring BBQ where our sales representatives prepare food for an afternoon party to say thanks to everyone in the plant for their efforts. Community facing activities include the following: Toys for Tots, Stop Hunger Now (volunteers package over 20,000 meals during this event), and holding a company-wide “Crock Pot Cook Off” (where the donations are given to a charity of the winner’s choice). Because of all of these great events and more, MOSAIC is consistently better—on average—than the industry in terms of work environment.  PIA: A Best Workplace in the Americas win can do wonders in promoting your business to prospective employees and clients. How do you publicize the Best Workplace in the Americas win at MOSAIC? SW: MOSAIC takes great pride in our string of Best Workplace in the...

Key performance metrics (KPMs) evaluate the success of a business, but can differ between companies based on various factors including the size of the business and geographic location. Below, you can see the sales-per-employee KPM in the graphic communication industry over the last ten years for profit leaders and profit challengers. Profit leaders are printers in the top 25 percent of profitability while profit challengers are those in the bottom 75 percent of profitability. In this timeframe, the average profit leader in our industry saw around $15,000 more in sales per employee than the average profit challenger. How can you align your company to have sales-per-employee numbers that line up more closely with profit leading printers? First, you need to know where you stand. The new Printing Industries of America Dynamic Ratios will provide easy-to-understand graphics that show your current position in the market and where your company can grow. By completing the Dynamic Ratios survey, you will receive one free report of the Dynamic Ratios findings as well as free access to the online tool. For more information on how to participate, visit...

Key performance metrics (KPMs) evaluate the success of a business, but can differ between companies based on various factors including the size of the business and geographic location. Below, you can see the sales-per-employee KPM in the graphic communication industry over the last ten years for profit leaders and profit challengers. Profit leaders are printers in the top 25 percent of profitability while profit challengers are those in the bottom 75 percent of profitability. In this timeframe, the average profit leader in our industry saw around $15,000 more in sales per employee than the average profit challenger. How can you align your company to have sales-per-employee numbers that line up more closely with profit leading printers? First, you need to know where you stand. The new Printing Industries of America Dynamic Ratios will provide easy-to-understand graphics that show your current position in the market and where your company can grow. By completing the Dynamic Ratios survey, you will receive one free report of the Dynamic Ratios findings as well as free access to the online tool. For more information on how to participate, visit...