DCWP Releases Annual Report on the State of Workers’ Rights

Workers’ Rights DCWP Releases Annual Report on the State of Workers’ Rights in NYC

NEW YORK: New York Department of Consumer and Worker Protection (DCWP) Commissioner Vilda Vera Mayuga on Friday, Sept 23 announced the release of its annual “The State of Workers’ Rights in New York City” report. The report outlines DCWP’s work during 2021 to protect New Yorkers who performed essential services throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, raise labor standards through new policies, enforce worker protection laws, and educate businesses and workers alike. “As New York City continues to prioritize an equitable recovery, it’s important to reflect on the accomplishments and challenges of the past year,” said DCWP Commissioner Vilda Vera Mayuga. “Throughout 2021, DCWP went above and beyond to protect workers during the COVID-19 pandemic and raise labor standards for workers across different industries, including food delivery, domestic and fast food workers. I look forward to continuing our ongoing commitment to creating a strong and vibrant city for workers, consumers and businesses.” Key takeaways from the report include: •DCWP’s ongoing response to COVID-19. In year two of the pandemic, DCWP continued to enforce one of the most important public health policies to fight the spread of COVID-19: paid sick leave, as well as reopening policies. oDCWP helped workers with return-to-work questions and complaints via the Worker Protection Hotline, connected workers with information and referrals on critical state-level laws such as emergency sick leave, wage and hour rights, and unemployment insurance benefits. oDCWP partnered with NYC Test & Treat Corps and NYC Health Department to share worker rights resources at testing locations and vaccination sites, targeting education and outreach in 16 communities with high COVID-19 death rates and a high incidence of sick leave complaints, and developed COVID-19 and Paid Sick Leave, a plain language overview of federal, state, and City laws translated into 13 languages. oDCWP launched a new public awareness campaign to raise awareness of NYC’s Paid Safe and Sick Leave Law and new rights that took effect in 2021, among them an increase in the minimum amount of leave to 56 hours for many employees and equal protections for domestic workers. oDCWP continued to participate in a multiagency effort within City government to enforce worker safety and vaccination requirements, prioritizing education and compliance. DCWP participated in approximately 11,000 inspections for health and safety compliance in 2021. •New polices to strengthen workers’ rights. The need to create and expand upon strong labor protections has only increased during the pandemic, and DCWP played a crucial role in multiple groundbreaking local labor laws. oThe City passed legislation to regulate the online third-party food delivery service industry, giving workers who do restaurant deliveries for an app new and important protections. oDCWP implemented “Just Cause” legislation under the Fair Workweek Law, which guarantees fast food workers protection from being fired or having their hours reduced without just cause or a bona fide economic reason. oDCWP worked with other stakeholders to amend NYC’s Paid Safe and Sick Leave Law to include leave time for workers taking a child to a vaccination appointment.

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Family: The True Modern Relationship Understanding AFib: Living With and Treating a Common Condition

Adiagnosis of atrial fibrillation (AFib) may be scary, but it doesn’t have to hold you back from enjoying life. Learning more about the condition and treatment options can significantly affect your prognosis and quality of living. AFib is the most common type of cardiac arrhythmia or abnormal heart rhythm. It occurs when the upper chambers of the heart, called the atria, beat rapidly or in an uncontrolled manner. AFib can cause a wide variety of symptoms, including heart palpitations, fatigue, shortness of breath, difficulty exercising, anxiety, chest pain and dizziness. AFib impacts nearly 40 million people worldwide, according to research published in the “International Journal of Stroke,” including 6 million people in the United States alone. Despite its prevalence, many people are unfamiliar with the symptoms, available treatment options and importance of early treatment to avoid disease progression or other life-threatening complications such as a stroke. More than a quarter of adults living with AFib have fears and anxiety about the progressive nature of the disease, according to a survey conducted by Biosense Webster, Inc., part of Johnson & Johnson MedTech. However, a quarter of patients did not get treatment immediately after diagnosis and 44% of patients have ended up in the emergency room due to their condition.

Speak to Your Doctor Despite half of adults 55 and older believing they may be at risk for AFib, only one-fifth (18%) said their doctors have ever discussed AFib with them and even less (10%) have proactively spoken to their doctors about it. Recognizing symptoms and talking to your doctor as soon as possible can help prevent the progression of AFib.

Make Lifestyle Changes About 1 in 4 adults over the age of 40 are at risk of developing AFib. The causes are wideranging and include non-modifiable and lifestyle factors. Some non-modifiable risk factors include age, family history and a heart disease diagnosis. Making lifestyle changes to control factors such as obesity, smoking and sleep apnea may help lower your risk. Limiting alcohol and caffeine consumption and controlling your stress can also reduce your risk and may help manage AFib episodes.

Consider Treatment Options For most AFib patients, treatment begins with medication. Medications can be used for controlling your heart rate, rhythm and blood thickness, but about half of patients don’t respond to or can’t tolerate medications. Catheter ablation is a procedure to restore the heart’s incorrect electrical signals that cause an abnormal heart rhythm. It is recommended by the American College of Cardiology, the Heart Rhythm Society and the American Heart Association for patients when medication proves to be unsuccessful. (FamilyFeatures)p Workers’ Rights in NYC/ continued from page 4 •Enforcement of NYC’s Worker Protection Laws. In 2021, DCWP secured $19.9 million in cumulative worker protection restitution and penalties. oFair Workweek Law: DCWP secured $622,722—an increase of 63 percent compared to 2020—for fast food workers whose employers violated the law’s scheduling protections. oPaid Safe and Sick Leave Law: DCWP secured nearly $3.2 million in restitution for over 7,800 workers due to multiple settlements in a largescale enforcement initiative in the home care industry. oFreelance Isn’t Free Act: In December, DCWP worked together with the NYC Law Department on a first-of-its-kind lawsuit against L’Officiel USA, the American subsidiary of a French-owned global media company that operates several print and digital magazines, and which was violating its payment commitments to freelancers producing content for the magazine.p

“Hugging my grandaughter is what I missed most during COVID.”

Get vaccinated and stay up to date with your booster shots.

COVID was tough on older New Yorkers. But you can now get back to doing the things you love by protecting yourself.

Quiet Quitting/ continued from page 1 global workplace” report, only 21% of people are engaged at work. Engagement is crucial for retention and productivity more generally. Research by management expert Emma Soane reveals that people’s engagement with work stems from three factors: how meaningful they find it, their perceptions of managers, and opportunities to have twoway conversations with said managers. So, if you’re feeling burned out and disengaged, what’s the best way to communicate with your manager about it?

Setting boundaries and asking questions Simply quiet quitting without warning is a risky strategy. If you have a reputation for going the extra mile, it’s a bad idea to abruptly switch off that part of your workplace persona. Transparency is important, and good managers will be supportive when workers raise concerns about burnout and lack of engagement. A conversation with your boss could be the start of reform in your workplace that leads to a better environment for everyone, by helping workers set boundaries that managers respect. Be clear about your reasons for quiet quitting, and where your employer might be able to play a role in supporting your boundaries. Ellen Ernst Kossek, an expert in work-life balance, identified three fundamental styles of boundary management. Employees seeking healthier boundaries tend to either separate work from the rest of their life entirely, integrate work into their life, or operate in cycles that combine both approaches. All are legitimate. Decide which approach works best for your specific circumstances before having the conversation. And enter the dialogue with solutions in mind, not just complaints. Even if you have a reasonably emotionally intelligent line manager, it is important to ask the right questions of your boss to get more involved and feel more valued. No point beating around the bush. Find a time when your boss is not stressed and is likely to be more open to dialogue, and let them know that you’re not very happy, and why. People who are quiet quitting may feel undervalued, overworked, exploited and want a better balance in their lives. Here are some questions you could ask to get the conversation flowing: •What do you really think of the quality of my work? •What do you think about the hours I am working? •How do you feel about my relationship with other members of the team? •Do you think you and I have a good working relationship? Based on their response, you have the opportunity to let the boss know just how you feel. There is always a risk in doing this, depending on their openness, but it’s better to speak up than to stay unhappy and operating at half throttle.

Better engagement at work Organisations depend on having an engaged workforce. Engagement is a fragile and precious resource. It can decay for a variety of reasons, including avoidable and trivial frustrations. In a 2022 survey of IT workers, a whopping 84% of study participants reported being unhappy because of the software they were using. It’s easy to see how low-level departmental gripes can deplete morale and engagement over time, leading to the sort of burnout that causes people to quit, quietly or otherwise. Dominic Ashley-Timms, CEO of management performance consultancy Notion, is coauthoring a book on helping managers improve engagement – ultimately minimising the negative effect of quiet quitting. He believes the key to improving engagement is for managers to ask better quality (and better timed) questions of their employees. If managers understand themselves in terms of the effect they have on their staff, they will better understand how to keep their employees engaged. This is consistent with the concerns of the National Forum for Health and Wellbeing at Work (a body of over 40 global employers), which has been advocating that managers need to improve their social and interpersonal skills so that employees feel more valued. Such engagement will lead to higher levels of productivity at work and less inclination towards quiet quitting.p Cary Cooper is Professor of Organzational Psychology and Health, University of Manchester

What Are the True Costs of Selling a Home?

Are you thinking about selling your house? Before you decide to list your home up for sale, it is helpful to get a clear picture of how much it's going to cost. Whether you are sprucing things up with a fresh coat of paint, replacing the roof membrane or just covering your taxes, there will be a few bills to pay. Let's take a quick look at some of the true costs that you'll incur when selling your home.

Is Your Home Ready to Sell? The first question you will need to answer is whether your home is ready to sell. Unless your house is relatively new, it will likely need repairs and maintenance. Depending on the age and condition of your home, you may also decide to invest in a full home inspection. Having a professional inspector look things over is a good investment – especially if they find problem areas that require immediate attention.

Invest In a Good Real Estate Agent (And Their Commission) To get the best price for your home, you will need to be represented by a great real estate agent. Of course, they are not going to work for free. Once the home sells, the agent is compensated with a percentage of the sale price, which is known as a commission. In some cases, the home seller also pays the commission for the buyer's real estate agent as well.

Factor In Costs During the Sales Process The selling process will also have its costs. From lawyers' fees to excise taxes, there is no shortage of small costs that can start to add up. You may decide to invest a bit in your open houses to make them more welcoming. Or you might need to close out your mortgage. Whatever the case, be sure to leave some space in your budget for these costs.

Moving Out Will Cost You Too Finally, don't forget to factor in the cost of moving to your new home. Many families fail to budget for moving expenses, which can be significant if you are moving out of a large home with a lot of furniture. As you can see, selling a home is a major financial transaction and one that should be led by an experienced professional. When you are ready to begin the process of selling your home, give us a call. Our team of real estate professionals can advise you of local market conditions and ensure that you receive top dollar when you sell. If you have more in-depth questions, or want advice on selling your home, talk to your trusted real estate agent at Equity Smart Realty Inc. We would be happy to offer guidance. Call 888-670-6791.p

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