Opinion: There’s a better way to change workplace policies

Eric Gjede is assistant counsel at the Connecticut Business & Industry Association

Every year, various groups show up at the state Capitol with ideas to change the rules in Connecticut workplaces. In a bygone age when local businesses were only competing against each other, many of these changes had an even-handed effect.

However, today’s Connecticut businesses are competing in a global marketplace, and these one-size-fits-all state mandates, such as paid family medical leave, don’t apply to their competitors in other states or internationally. Operating a business in Connecticut can be costly, and when other states don’t follow us down the path, the playing field can tilt against Nutmeg State companies and the people who work for them.

The one-size-fits-all proposals being considered at the state Capitol aren’t nearly as effective as how employees and employers are already working out creative, innovative ways to accommodate the needs of both. Not all businesses are the same and what works for the manufacturer in town does not work for the daycare down the street. The end result of these proposals is that running a business in Connecticut, ranked by many standards as a costly place to do business, becomes even more expensive.

See the complete story at CT News Junkie