The CFA Voice™ is the e-newsletter for Coalition of Franchisee Associations™ and is strictly for informational purposes. CFA™ does not endorse or support any of the views expressed in this digest.

Some stories highlighted in the CFA Voice™ are contributed by CFA members. If you would like to share with fellow members the achievements, milestones, anniversaries, special events or more within your organization, please send your content to Jared Johnsen at jaredj@thecfainc.com.

LETTER FROM THE CHAIRMAN

Franchisees will receive an early bird discount by registering before Feb. 18.

To register, please click here.

I hope to see you in Washington, D.C.!

Sincerely,

John Motta

CFA Chairman

POLITICAL & GOVERNMENT NEWS

It’s Valentine’s Day – And Love and Noncompetes Are in the Air!

Proving that romance is not dead in Sacramento, the new law imposes a strict notice requirement on employers with a Valentine’s Day deadline. By Feb. 14, employers must notify current employees and former employees (who were employed after Jan. 1, 2022) in writing that any unenforceable noncompete clause or agreement they may have signed is void.

Read more: National Law Review

Retail Industry Hit by New Labor Relations Rules

In situations where there's a parent company that sets standards — e.g., related to working conditions or parameters around the quality of work — left to be enforced by a franchisee or similar entity, both businesses could ultimately be responsible for employees under the revised joint employer status. In other words, even if the parent company doesn’t have direct interaction or control with the employee, it can still qualify as a joint employer.

Read more: My Total Retail

EEOC Is Cracking Down on Transgender Harassment

The United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission is cracking down on the discriminatory treatment of transgender employees. Unfortunately, transgender employees experience high rates of employment discrimination, prompting the EEOC to take action. A recent study found that 48.8% of transgender employees experienced discrimination based on their LGBTQ+ status.

Read more: National Law Review

US Department of Labor Announces Final Rule on Classifying Workers as Employees or Independent Contractors Under the Fair Labor Standards Act

The U.S. Department of Labor announced a final rule to help employers and workers better understand when a worker qualifies as an employee and when they may be considered an independent contractor under the Fair Labor Standards Act. The rule provides guidance on proper classification and seeks to combat employee misclassification, a serious problem that impacts workers’ rights to minimum wage and overtime pay, facilitates wage theft, allows some employers to undercut their law-abiding competition and hurts the economy at large.

Read more: U.S. Department of Labor

BUSINESS SMARTS

IQ and EQ in Leadership: Born Talent or Developed Skill?

It’s clear that a good IQ is needed, but alone, it’s not a guarantee of success, and this is where emotional intelligence comes in and is a differentiating factor. It’s those leaders with higher emotional intelligence (EQF) who make better leaders and are most successful.

Read more: Gordon Tredgold

Boost the Performance of Your Hourly Workers

Meet your employees' "soft needs." Most businesses focus on "hard needs," the tangible things people want from a job, such as money and benefits. They're what employees get. "Soft needs" refer to their emotional desires — what employees feel. These include respect, praise, personal growth, safety (including emotional safety) and a sense of belonging. A franchisee can spend only so much on labor, but they can compensate by creating a great work environment that appeals to workers on an emotional level.

Read more: Franchising.com

CFA Mission Statement:

"To leverage the collective strengths of franchisee associations for the benefit of the franchisee community."