14 minute read
transfOrmIng teams
from BPD July 2022
Summer in the workplace
Warm weather! Vacation! Baseball! Cookouts! Pools and beaches! Camping!
While summer evokes different thoughts for everyone, it stands out as a unique and anticipated time of year. Summer also means different things from workplace to workplace. Some companies allow a relaxed pace during the summer months while others are full-steam-ahead since it’s their peak season.
Whatever the summer looks like to you and your employees, there are ways to celebrate the season while keeping employees focused and productive.
Weather: Summer brings warmer—sometimes extremely hot—temperatures which create opportunities, some requirements, and may require some planning: • Implement a relaxed dress code – Consider allowing employees to wear more casual and lighter-weight attire as their job duties permit. While T-shirts, athletic shorts, and flip-flops may never be appropriate, allowing Polo-style shirts, capris, dress shorts, and dress sneakers or sandals may make employees more comfortable throughout the day. For employees who work outside, lightening their attire may be required to accommodate the heat while maintaining safety standards. • Plan for extreme weather – Unfortunately, summer also brings extreme weather such as hurricanes, tornadoes, and wildfires. Companies need to plan for all situations, continually update the plan, and, equally important, communicate this plan to their employees. While federal and state regulations may impact some actions, most should be determined by the company before they are needed.
Consider: Under what circumstances will the worksite be closed? Who decides? Will employees be paid and, if so, for how long? How will employees be notified? How will operations continue? What network and other backup plans are in place? How can employees notify the company if they need help?
• Comply with heat standards – The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health has issued a recommended standard for certain occupations with a high risk of heat stress and illness. While OSHA has several recommendations and is in the process of implementing a federal standard for certain work conditions, several states have their own laws protecting employee safety in indoor and outdoor work environments.
Vacations: School breaks and family vacations may mean employees will be absent and/or distracted more than other times of year. Strategies such as planning ahead and offering flexibility may help to keep employees more engaged while meeting performance expectations. • Allow a temporary reduced schedule – If possible, allow employees to reduce their work schedule, perhaps shortening their workday or workweek so they can spend more time with their families or start a weekend trip a little early. Require employees to give advanced notice of their time off or perhaps make it a set schedule until Labor Day. Communicate that employees must continue to meet operational and client demands, even if schedules may periodically need to be adjusted to do so. • Offer temporary flexible work arrangements – Similarly, allow employees to work from home if their duties and performance permits. This could include the occasional day or be a regularly-scheduled arrangement. Employees can be closer to their homes and families and, by eliminating commute times, can work the same amount of time. • Encourage employees to use available paid time off/ vacation – Some employees may have been holding on to paid time off until they could travel freely or in case they need it to quarantine for COVID-19. Others may (unsuccessfully) try to balance family time with work time. Remind employees that you offer paid time off so they can get away from work and recharge. If you have
Q. Do I have to pay non-exempt employees for a holiday if we are closed? Or a special rate If they work?
A. Probably not. There is no federal law to pay non-exempt employees for holidays if they do not work or to pay a premium rate if they do work. Massachusetts and Rhode Island are the only states to have holiday pay laws. However, you must follow your established company policy or, in the absence of one, your past precedent.
Many companies have a policy to pay employees their regular wages if the company is closed for a holiday.
It is also common to pay employees above their regular wages if they work on a holiday, which has the added benefit of helping to findemployees willing to staff operations on a holiday. This “extra” could be time-and-a-half their regular hourly wage or their regular wages for time worked plus the regular holiday pay.
While the above applies to non-exempt employees, salaried, exempt employees will probably need to be paid for a holiday on which the company is closed due to Federal Labor Standards Act (FLSA) rules for when an exempt employee’s salary can and cannot be reduced. However, if a salaried, exempt employee needs to work, no extra pay is required, although some companies allow them to take another paid day off in the same pay period.
One other point: Often, companies can choose which holidays they observe. While some companies only observe the most common, other companies offer benefitsfor additional holidays such as the day before or after, depending on how it falls on the calendar. Others may observe other important religious holidays besides or in addition to the more common Christian holidays of Easter and Christmas.
Regardless of what your practice, it is critical to communicate to all employees what holidays you observe, the ones you will close, and the ones where you will be open and expect employees to work. You also need to communicate if they will receive pay for those holidays and, if some will be required to work, how scheduling will be decided for fairness.
allowed employees to carry over time due to COVID, consider reversing your policy and, as allowed under state law, require employees to take some time off or lose it.
Celebrations: Summer offers several opportunities to relax with co-workers, whether celebrating a holiday or just a Friday. • Host an employee event – Give employees the chance to interact with each other in a relaxed atmosphere. Celebrate the 4th of July or Labor Day. While previous years have obligated limited people and everyone bringing their own meal, you can now host a larger event with a potluck, catered food, or a food truck (although precautions such as single servers and distancing may still be necessary depending on factors). Or plan an employee outing to go to lunch or see the latest blockbuster movie.
Making the effort to give them a small break will help build team cohesiveness while rewarding them for their hard work and dedication. • Plan a family event – Since for many summer means more family time, consider an event that includes friends and family. This could be a day at the zoo, a sporting event, or a picnic with food, games and prizes. Time it with a holiday, slow period, or back-to-school. Have several employees help with the planning to avoid burdening one person while also increasing the chances of meeting employees’ expectations. • Coordinate community service – Give employees paid time off to volunteer for a local non-profit. They can serve meals, mentor high-risk kids, or help build a house or rejuvenate a neighborhood park. Or sponsor a team to do a fundraiser walk, giving them shirts to advertise the group (and the company). • Extend discounts to employees – If employees could benefit from your products or services, consider offering them complimentary or at a discount. If not, perhaps find a way to pass along vendor discounts; for example, allow employees to order $25 worth of back-to-school supplies through your company, either for their needs or to donate.
Real life: Summer does not negate obligations or realties of current times: • Soften impacts of inflation and rising costs – Employees may need to make choices between wants and needs or luxuries and bills. Consider some little ways to show your employees you understand. Offer benefits to ease the crunch everyone is feeling such as gift cards for gas, groceries, movies or restaurants. Or perhaps allow some limited overtime to permit non-exempt employees to earn more money while increasing their productivity for the company. Or temporarily modify your policies to allow certain employees to cash out some of their paid time off in lieu of taking the time. • Comply with new regulations – While new laws usually take effect around January 1, several take effect during the summer. These summer laws, such as those impacting paid leave, marijuana legalization, employee privacy, workplace speech, and pay rules, will go into effect in different states across the country. Take time to update your policies and, when needed, post updated notices and posters. • COVID-19 – Sorry to say this but COVID-19 is still around. While hospitalizations and deaths are down, vaccination rates are up, treatments are more effective, and quarantine and isolation times are shorter, we still need to be aware of the impacts of a COVID infection since rates are expected to increase again with summer and holiday travel. Even in the best circumstances, one employee getting COVID impacts productivity and could expose a group of people to it, getting a whole department or workplace sick or needing to quarantine. Stay vigilant about PPE, social distancing, ventilation, etc. to reduce the potential rippling effects.
If you and your employees are going to take advantage of the summer months, try to take action that your employees will appreciate and value. Also, before you change a policy or give a benefit, ask your HR consultant, accountant or employment attorney to help you review the pros and cons while helping you mitigate the risks that might result from even an innocent act.
Paige McAllister, SPHR Affinity HR Group contact@affinityhrgroup.com
The Building Center, Inc. has acquired a 130,000-sq. ft. facility on 72 acres in Georgetown County, S.C., to serve as a truss plant and LBM distribution facility for customers in North and South Carolina.
Serviced by CSX Rail, the new site will become the chain’s seventh overall location and third to manufacture roof and floor trusses.
“We are extremely excited to add this battleship of a facility to our enterprise,” said president Skip Norris. “Our mission is to be our customer’s most-valued building partner. That means we have the products he or she needs on hand, trucks to deliver, and manufacturing support throughout every inch of the Carolinas.”
Boise Cascade Buying Coastal Plywood
Boise Cascade Co., Boise, Id., has reached an agreement to acquire Coastal Plywood Co. from Coastal Forest Resources Co. for $512 million.
The deal includes manufacturing locations in Havana, Fl., and Chapman, Al., which employ approximately 750 people.
“This acquisition incrementally expands our veneer capacity in support of our customers,” said Nate Jorgensen, CEO, Boise Cascade. “Near term, it provides us the ability to optimize our existing engineered wood products asset base. Longer term, we are excited to fully integrate this strategic venture and we intend to invest $50 million into our Southeast operations over a three-year period to further our EWP production capacity.”
The sale, expected to close in the third quarter, does not include Coastal’s parent company or timberlands assets.
McCoy’s Building Supply opened a new store May 23 in Spicewood, Tx. With 15,000 sq. ft. of inside retail space and a paved, drive-thru yard, it’s led by manager Drew Van Winkle and assistant managers Will Winkelmann and Yulisa Martin.
Wallace Building Supply, Clarksville, Tn., has been acquired by Southeast Building Supply Interests, a division of Building Industry Partners. Ronnie Wallace will continue as president, with Mark Wallace promoted to director of sales.
Ace Hardware in August will permanently close its 10-year-old store in the Woodley Park neighborhood of Washington, D.C.
The Helpful Hardware Co., Cumming, Ga., has acquired Ace Hardware, Cordova, Tn., as its 13th location.
On May 6-8, Helpful Hardware Co. held a grand opening at its new store in Indian Trail, N.C.
Holland Ace Hardware, Holland, Mi., has been acquired and renamed Visser Ace Hardware by Nick Visser, ex-Zeeland Ace Hardware.
Ward Lumber, Jay, N.Y., was presented a certificateby Senator Dan Stec honoring the 130-year-old fir for its addition to the New York State Historic Business Preservation Registry.
Anniversaries: Liese Lumber Co., Belleville, Il., 150th ... Morrison Brothers, Concord, N.C., 100th.
ROSEBURG held a ground-breaking ceremony May 24 at the site of its new Roanoke Valley Lumber sawmill in Weldon, N.C., with an address by plant manager Adam Reed (far right).
Roseburg Breaks Ground on NC Mill
Oregon-based Roseburg Forest Products has broken ground at the 200-acre site of its new Roanoke Valley Lumber sawmill in Weldon, N.C.
The new 375,000-sq. ft., high-capacity dimensional lumber mill is expected to create more than 135 jobs in the first two years.
“Roseburg has been the largest private timberland owner in the Roanoke Valley area since 2017, with nearly 200,000 acres of timberland in North Carolina and Virginia,” said Adam Reed, Roanoke Valley Lumber plant manager. “This new sawmill advances Roseburg’s strategy of vertical integration—owning the trees and the facilities to process them—from the West Coast to the Southeast. It reflects our long-term commitment to the Roanoke area.”
PotlatchDeltic Acquiring CatchMark, Expanding Arkansas Sawmill
PotlatchDeltic Corp. announced big expansion plans— both to acquire fellow REIT CatchMark Timber Trust and to enlarge and upgrade its Waldo, Ar., sawmill.
PotlatchDeltic and CatchMark will combine in an allstock transaction. Under the deal, CatchMark stockholders will receive 0.23 common shares of PotlatchDeltic stock for each common share of CatchMark. Current PotlatchDeltic stockholders will own about 86% of the combined company, CatchMark stockholders about 14%.
When the deal closes in the second half of 2022, PotlatchDeltic will own 2.2 million acres of diversified timberlands including 626,000 acres in Idaho and over 1.5 million acres in the South. PotlatchDeltic also remains the timber REIT with the most leverage to lumber prices, including 1.1 billion bd. ft. of lumber capacity.
The board of the combined company will consist of nine directors from PotlatchDeltic and one from CatchMark. The corporate headquarters will remain in Spokane, Wa. A regional office will be maintained in Atlanta, Ga.
In addition, PotlatchDeltic will invest $131 million to expand and modernize its Waldo mill, hiking annual capacity from 190 million bd. ft. of dimensional lumber to 275 million.
Plans include upgrades to the log yard and planer, a new saw line, and a new continuous dry kiln. The existing mill will continue to operate during the project, with completion expected by the end of 2024.
Barrette Outdoor Living, Middleburg Heights, Oh., has agreed to be acquired by CRH, parent of Oldcastle APG and MoistureShield.
Barrette also recently released its annual Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Report.
Gulfeagle Supply purchased Brightview Distribution, Farmingdale, N.Y., from founder Duane Steinroeder, who will continue to run the branch under the Gulfeagle name.
Beacon has acquired roofing distributor Complete Building Supply, Willowbrook, Il.
L&W Supply has opened in Plymouth, Mn.—its third branch in the Minneapolis market (Jarrod Spoonemore, mgr.).
Worthington Industries, Columbus, Oh., has acquired drywall tool provider Level5 Tools, Kansas City, Ks.
Milwaukee Tool started construction on a power tool and accessory plant in Granada, Ms., planned to open in mid-2023.
Altenloh, Brinck & Co., manufacturer of Spax fasteners, unveiled a state-of-the-art, 12,000-sq. ft. training center at its headquarters in Bryan, Oh.
Versatex Building Products has signed three
new distributors to offer its full line of PVC trim products— Cameron Ashley Building Products, Cleveland, Oh., serving northeastern Ohio; BlueLinx, Minneapolis and Duluth, Mn., for Minnesota and western Wisconsin; and Carolina Atlantic, Jackson, Ms., and Pear River, La.
Coastal Forest Products, Bedford, N.H., now
distributes Palram Americas’ Duraclad multiwall interlocking PVC panels throughout the Northeast.
Funch Lumber Co., Cincinnati, Oh., is now distributing Westlake Royal Building Products’ Zuri Premium
Decking in Indiana, Ohio and Kentucky.
Weekes Forest Products, St. Paul, Mn., will distribute Tropical Forest Products’ full line of Black Label hardwoods through its seven distribution centers in the upper Midwest and Southeast.
Wolf Home Products, York, Pa., now offers aluminum and cable railings, ADA handrails, caps and stair lighting from Key-Link Fencing & Railing to dealers in the Northwest. Sustainable Forestry Initiative’s 2022 Chain of
Custody Standard has met the rigorous third-party assessment of the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification.
LP Building Solutions, Nashville, Tn., was honored as the Forest Conservationist of the Year at the Tennessee Wildlife Federation’s 57th annual Conservation Achievement Awards.
American Wood Protection Association’s 2022
Book of Standards has been released as a 686-page softcover book, as well as part of a subscription-based, online AWPA Standards Library.
THE POSSIBILITIES KEEP GROWING: REDWOOD
