The Structural Pest Control Board is currently in the process of updating its examinations for all licensing types and branches. If you are interested in participating in this process please find below a listing of the upcoming examination development workshop dates. Should you find a particular workshop, or workshops, that you are interested in attending you may either fill out the Workshop Interest Form and email us at pestboard@dca.ca.gov,fax it to us at (916) 263-2469, mail it to us at 2005 Evergreen Street, Suite 1500, Sacramento, CA 95815, or you contact Dave Skelton in the Administration Unit at (916) 561-8700. Once again, thank you very much for your help, we couldn’t do this without you!”

OPES is on the Occupational Analysis (OA) for the Applicators examination. We are looking for some Applicators (possibly 2-3 of your RA’s) who would be willing to do a telephone interview with OPES. The telephone interview will last roughly about an hour and can be scheduled at their convenience during state working hours. They will be asked questions about what an Applicator does on job daily. If you can spare a couple RA’s for this process it would be greatly appreciated! All SPCB will need is their name, license number, email, and a telephone number.

For more information, please visit the SPCB website here.

Here are our top business tips for the coming months:

1. Stay Positive.  Our number one tip.  While this has likely been a huge challenge the past few months, it's likely the most important item moving forward.  When your customers are coming out of isolation, your team should exude confidence and positivity.  Things may not be business as usual for some time after, but if you do your best to meet customers' needs with a calm attitude and a smile, they will be more inclined to rely on you time and time again.

2. Communicate with your clients and prospects.  Let them know when you’re back to full capacity. Be sure to post clear and concise messaging in the different places people can find you. That includes sharing this messaging with audiences on all platforms, such as your Website, Google My Business page, Facebook and more.

3. Focus on Safety.  Homeowners want to know about the precautions you are taking for their safety and your staff’s safety as well.  It will be a long time before things are completely back to normal, especially when it comes to customers being concerned about their health and wellbeing. Give them the proper reassurances that you are expanding your approach to safety.

4. Maintain your Marketing.  Historically, businesses that "stay the course" during down times tend to outperform businesses that make sweeping cuts during recessions.  A Harvard Business Review study of 4,700 companies confirmed this theory.  If you haven’t ramped your marketing back up yet, it is time to do so. You may have to trade in short-term profits for long-term gains.

5. Focus on Reviews.  People will be looking you up online more now than ever before.  You cannot ignore your review strategy, as those are the first things new customers will see online.  Note that some Google reviews may be delayed right now, but you should still push to get them.  They'll get published as Google My Business returns to normal.

Eventually, this chaotic time will fully fade back into normalcy.  Once the economy starts to bounce back, you don't want to be scrambling to reach whatever milestones you can for 2020.  By making the right decisions now, you won't require the same ramp-up period as some of your competitors.

Alain Parcan, Director of Marketing for Market Hardware, Inc., contributed this article. Alain brings nearly 10 years of experience in educating businesses so they can market themselves more effectively. Market Hardware helps small businesses compete on the web and offers special discounts for PCOC members. You can reach Alain’s team at 888-381-6925.

As telecommuting increases your obligation to compensate employees for work-related injuries does not decrease.

An increasing number of employees are teleworkers these days.

In a recent survey, an overwhelming majority (86 percent) of teleworkers reported being more productive, with lower stress levels and a better balance between work and home life. Employers that allow telecommuting enjoy increased employee loyalty and lower costs.

Why You Still Need Workers’ Comp
Despite the benefits, telecommuting does have some drawbacks. Although the risk of injury in a home office may be far lower than in factories, mines and mills, teleworkers are as likely as other office workers to suffer from back injuries and repetitive strain problems. They also face other office hazards, such as trip-and-fall accidents, along with risk of injury from fire if they lack an adequate electrical system, or if they don’t have a smoke detector or fire extinguisher nearby.

Your obligation to compensate employees for work-related injuries and illnesses applies no matter where they work. Those who permanently work abroad might have coverage under other laws. In Texas, employers don’t need to carry workers’ comp insurance, but state law limits the liability of an employer who carries it or who self-insures. Nonsubscribers lose several key legal defenses and can face high damage awards if an injured employee can prove in court that the employer was negligent in any way.

Employers cannot simply declare someone an independent contractor to get out of paying workers’ comp or employment taxes. The Internal Revenue Service and state tax authorities have very strict rules for what constitutes an independent contractor. For details, click here. 

Identifying the Risk
Requiring inspections of teleworkers’ home offices seems intrusive, and may actually increase an employer’s liability if an injury later occurs. However, you can require employees to self-certify the safety of their workspaces. The U.S. Office of Personnel Management offers a sample self-certification safety checklist for home-based teleworkers, to be completed by the teleworker. 

Many teleworkers also face a risk of repetitive stress injuries (RSIs) due to heavy computer use. Although you have no legal obligation to provide ergonomic training or equipment, it’s a good idea. RSIs can be painful and disabling, causing lost time and productivity. Providing properly fitted equipment and training can protect your valued employees at relatively low cost.

Work-Related or Not?
In a review of the literature conducted for the Virginia Department of Transportation, researcher Ken Winter concluded, “The most common legal liability [associated with telecommuting] seems to stem from workers’ compensation concerns and the fact that it is often unclear precisely when teleworkers are working, when are they preparing to work, and when they have temporarily stopped working.” When a teleworker has an injury at home, how do you determine whether it was work-related or not?

Requiring set hours may be a solution. Injuries that occur in this time period are assumed to be work-related, others are not. However, flexibility is one of the chief benefits of telecommuting. If you don’t want to set up rigid schedules for teleworkers, you can separate a teleworker’s work time from personal time by using some kind of log-in system. Teleworkers can call in to the office when beginning and ending their day, log in to the company’s network, use a logging device on their own computer or manually record their working hours.

It’s also important that employees who work from home have a designated work space and a defined scope of activities. Details like these will help confine potential workers comp injuries to certain functions, places and times.

If a work injury does occur at home, make sure teleworkers know what to do and stress the importance of prompt reporting.

We can help you minimize the risks posed by telecommuting employees. For more information, please contact the Insurance professionals of  EPIC’s PCOC Insurance Program. Call us at: 877.860.7378, or visit us at www.pcocinsuurance.com.

Frequently Asked For Websites

Department of Fish & Game
https://www.wildlife.ca.gov/

Department of Food & Agriculture
www.cdfa.ca.gov

California Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR)
www.cdpr.ca.gov

DPR on Facebook
www.facebook.com/capesticideregulation

DPR on YouTube (see "playlists" for videos pertaining to new surface water regulations)
www.youtube.com/user/californiapesticides

DPR on Twitter
twitter.com/ca_pesticides

DPR LinkedIn
www.linkedin.com/company/california-department-of-pesticide-regulation

Healthy Schools Act
http://apps.cdpr.ca.gov/schoolipm/

Structural Pest Control Board
www.pestboard.ca.gov

Find Your Legislator
www.leginfo.ca.gov/yourleg.html

NPMA's QualityPro Accrediation Application
www.npmaqualitypro.org/apply

In uncertain times like these, many business owners will struggle to prioritize the best ways to ramp up their operations following the recent crisis.  Chances are, some contractors will take things as slow as possible - and who could blame them? 

However, that approach to your Web Marketing will create more challenges down the road for your business. 

Remember: it’s a marathon, not a sprint.  And while it may be hard to believe right now, we will back to normal soon, and you will need to be as successful as possible in the last 6 months of the year.  Every business owner should ask themselves, “What can I do to help my business prepare for the next 6-12 months?”