Request a call Login

  • Washington has officially announced that under government ruling, starting on January 4th, all companies with 100 or more employees will need to be vaccinated or produce a verified negative COVID test weekly.  If one should not fully comply, there will be a nearly $14,000 fine per violation – up to $136,532 for a willful violation of rules. Unvaccinated employees must also wear masks. This new ruling will affect more than 84 million workers at medium and large companies.  

    Stricter rules will apply to 17 million people who work in nursing homes, hospitals, and other facilities that receive Medicare and Medicaid. They all must be vaccinated and will have no option to be tested.  

    Along with vaccine mandates and testing, OSHA requires that businesses provide paid time off for employees to get vaccines and sick leave to those who have gotten sick from the virus, which will go into effect on December 5th.  

    OSHA also states that because vaccines are free of cost, the companies do not need to pay for the tests for employees who do not wish to receive the vaccine.  

    Administration officials say efforts to get people vaccinated are paying off with about 70% of the nation’s adults now fully vaccinated. Although some companies fear that vaccine-hesitant people might quit which leaves an already-struggling small workforce even thinner.  

    This situation remains fluid and it is expected more changes and announcements are forthcoming. 

    Partnering with GMS can help business owners navigate legislative updates during these unprecedented times. To learn more about our services, contact us today. 

  • There are a lot of factors that go into determining what your business’s workers’ compensation rates will be. But the simple truth is this: the more claims your employees file, the higher your rate will be.

    Fortunately, there are two strategies you can follow that will limit the amount of time and money you spend dealing with workers’ compensation claims.

     Protect yourself from worker’s compensation issues with Group Management Services.

    Loss Prevention Strategies

    They say that prevention is the best medicine. That holds true for workers’ compensation management, too!  Here’s a quick list of actions that you can take to reduce the risk of workplace injuries, and, therefore, claims:

    Provide safety training programs

    • Create employee safety manuals
    • Clearly establish workplace safety guidelines
    • Undergo regular workplace inspections
    • Implement drug-free and drug–testing programs
    • Implement  injury reporting procedures

    Cost Containment Strategies

    In the State of Ohio, if a company has a better safety record than the average company of  their industry,  the company may qualify for what’s called a group rating program.

    In essence, all this does is gives a group of companies with good safety records the opportunity to qualify for workers’ compensation rate discounts. In some cases, companies can qualify for discounts of 50% with the group rating program.

    If you’re not taking advantage of these strategies, the time to start is now. And if you’re not sure where to begin, give us a call at 330-659-0100 today.