Hospitality Newsletter

Featuring Dine Market

and Pro Insurance Agency

HR Compliance Edition

July 2018

DINE MARKET: If only every purchasing decision you made was this simple! One of the biggest challenges that the foodservice industry faces is figuring out how to manage all of their food suppliers, products and pricing in less time. Dine Market offers a service that is revolutionizing the industry by simplifying the whole procurement process for restaurants, caterers, hotels, coffee shops, bars, franchises and many others in the industry in an effort to save time and money on their purchasing. With just a few clicks, users will have direct access to local suppliers, thousands of products and pricing to compare. All minimums, cut off times, credit terms, invoices and orders to be fulfilled will come directly from the suppliers.

Dara Wechsler, Dine Market Co-Founder shared that the chef’s biggest challenge is to overcome the simple process of starting a working relationship with suppliers which is still one of a kind in the industry. Buying doesn’t have to be a stressful experience any longer. Dine Market is free and can be accessed from anywhere at any time from a PC or phone. Dara said that her focus was to create a very easy to use platform where restaurants can communicate directly with their suppliers and reduce the time it takes to place their orders. “It has to be a very easy to use so chefs can minimize the time it takes them to shop for products and prices, place their orders, and go back to their many other tasks”.

Currently servicing the NYC area. A wholesale buyer can register from the Dine Market website and instantly see suppliers’ catalog, prices, place an order, and start a business relationship. This creates a huge opportunity for suppliers that are looking to grow their customers base in the area.

Start now and save up to 15% or more on your food costs!

Save time. Cut food costs. Receive all your orders directly from suppliers.

Learn more by watching the video below:

PRO INSURANCE AGENCY:

Employment practices liability insurance, known in the trade as EPL insurance or EPLI, provides coverage to employers against claims made by employees alleging discrimination (based on sex, race, age or disability, for example), wrongful termination, harassment and other employment-related issues. While this is not a requirement, it may be beneficial for your business to have. Gelarah Alaimo, of Pro Insurance Agency, Inc., has provided the attached information packet on EPLI and examples of sexual harassment claims. If you have any questions or would like a quote she can be contacted by phone at 631-361-5005  Ext. *2020 or by email at galaimo@hpproins.com.

NEW SEXUAL HARASSMENT TRAINING REQUIREMENTS:

• Beginning on October 9, 2018, all New York employers must implement annual sexual-harassment training for all employees. They can use a model program, which will be created by state agencies, or they can implement their own sexual-harassment training programs that meet or exceed state standards. The training must provide:
  • An explanation of sexual harassment and specific examples of inappropriate conduct.
  • Detailed information concerning federal, state and local laws and the remedies available to victims of harassment.
  • An explanation of employees’ external rights of redress and the available administrative and judicial forums for bringing complaints.
• All New York employers must adopt a written sexual-harassment prevention policy and distribute it to employees. As with the training, state agencies will provide a model policy that employers may elect to use. The policy must include:
  • A statement prohibiting sexual harassment and providing examples of what constitutes sexual harassment.
  • Information about federal and state sexual-harassment laws and the remedies that are available to victims—and a statement that there may be additional local laws on the matter.
  • A standard complaint form (sample form attached).
  • Procedures for a timely and confidential investigation of complaints that ensures due process for all parties.
  • An explanation of employees’ external rights of redress and the available administrative and judicial forums for bringing complaints.
  • A statement that sexual harassment is a form of employee misconduct and that sanctions will be enforced against those who engage in sexual harassment and against supervisors who knowingly allow such behavior to continue.
  • A statement that it is unlawful to retaliate against employees who report sexual harassment or who testify or assist in related proceedings.
• Beginning on April 1, 2019, NYC employers with 15 or more workers in the city to conduct annual, interactive sexual-harassment training for all employees—including interns.
  • The training must include information about the importance of bystander intervention to curb workplace harassment.
  • Managers and supervisors will need to be provided with additional training that must cover the specific responsibilities that supervisory and managerial employees have when it comes to preventing sexual harassment and retaliation, and measures they may take to appropriately address sexual-harassment complaints.
  • Additionally, employers must keep training records for at least three years, as well as signed acknowledgement forms from the employees who attended.
  • New hires must be trained within 90 days.
  • Employers will be required to post mandatory, city-designed sexual harassment posters beginning on September 6, 2018
  • The full text of the NYC sexual harassment training ordinance for private sector employers is available here. The legislation expanding coverage under the NYC Human Rights Law to all employers, regardless of size, is available here.
    Source: https://www.shrm.org/resourcesandtools/legal-and-compliance/state-and-local-updates/pages/new-york-sexual-harassment-training.aspx
    Source: https://www.constangy.com/newsroom-newsletters-791

MENTAL HEALTH / SUICIDE PREVENTION RESOURCES: The hospitality community was shaken by the news of Anthony Bourdain’s passing. He put deserving restaurants all over the world on the map through “Parts Unknown.” Given recent tragic events, restaurants and other hospitality employers are encouraged to inform their employees of the resources available to them if they or their colleagues or family members are experiencing mental health issues and/or having thoughts of suicide or self-harm. Initially, employers should advise their employees to review the benefits and resources available to them through their employer-sponsored health insurance plans. Many plans offer employee assistance programs that address mental health and substance misuse issues, including suicide prevention and crisis counseling. Employers also should inform their employees of the following resources:

• NYC Well – a service offered by the City of New York that provides free and confidential mental health support, including suicide prevention and counseling regarding stress, depression, anxiety, or drug and alcohol misuse issues. Employees can seek assistance by calling (1-888-NYC-WELL), texting (text “WELL” to 65173), or chatting online (https://nycwell.cityofnewyork.us/en/get-help-now/chat-with-a-counselor-now/) at any time of the day and in virtually any language. Further information about NYC Well is available at https://nycwell.cityofnewyork.us/en/.
• National Suicide Prevention Lifeline – a national network of local crisis centers that provides free and confidential emotional support to people in suicidal crisis or emotional distress as well as prevention and crisis resources. Services are available 24/7 by calling 1-800-273-8255 or chatting online at https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/chat/. Further information about the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is available at https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/.
• SAMHSA Disaster Distress Helpline – a national hotline dedicated to providing immediate and confidential crisis counseling for people who are experiencing emotional distress related to any natural or human-caused disaster. Services are available 24/7 by calling 1-800-985-5990 or texting “TalkWithUs” to 66746. Further information about the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration and its Disaster Distress Helpline is available at https://www.samhsa.gov/find-help/disaster-distress-helpline.
  SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT: Our Administrator, Nicole Craveiro, successfully passed the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) Certified Professional certification exam (SHRM-CP®). This certification signifies that Nicole possesses the behavioral competencies and technical knowledge needed for effective job performance, as described in the SHRM Body of Competency & Knowledge™ (SHRM BoCK™). The BoCK was created via the active input and engagement of the global HR community and validated by more than 30,000 HR professionals worldwide.More specifically, this rigorous examination assessed Nicole’s HR expertise in four HR knowledge domains: people; organization; workplace; and strategy. Additionally, situational judgment questions tested comprehension of eight behavioral competencies: leadership and navigation; business acumen; ethical practice; relationship management; consultation; critical evaluation; global and cultural effectiveness; and communication. This credential affirms that Nicole has not only mastered technical HR knowledge, but also the ability to effectively apply that knowledge in the workplace.As our valued clients, we want to assist you with keeping your business up-to-date and in compliance with the latest employment regulations. Please feel free to utilize Nicole as a resource, she can be reached at nicole@scottomelchiorre.com with any related questions.