Labor head wants Maine to thrive
PRESQUE ISLE, Maine — As a former bank executive and publisher, Jean Paquette sees her job as bringing workers, business owners and managers the information to thrive in a changing and regulated economy.
“I’m a risk taker by nature,” said Paquette, the commissioner of the Maine Department of Labor, during a breakfast conversation sponsored by the Central Aroostook Chamber of Commerce on Thursday in Presque Isle.
Leading what some see as a traditionally pro-worker Department of Labor in the administration of a pro-business governor, Paquette said she and others have been working on making the government agency function better overall — especially in saving time for companies complying with various regulations.
“When I went into the department there was a lot of resources for job seekers,” said Paquette. “But, as a business owner, I didn’t find that there was a lot of resources for employers.”
Paquette recounted her experience getting a surprise visit from a Department of Labor auditor named Lenny, back when she was publisher of the Employment Times and HR Times during the 2000s.
“He came in one day at 4 p.m. — our deadline was 5 [p.m.] — and said, ‘I’m going to audit your payroll.’ I had 15 employees. I thought, this is just absurd,” Paquette said. “I pulled Lenny in and I talked to him, I didn’t have anything to hide, and I decided this isn’t right.”
Paquette convinced Lenny to do a “lunch and learn” event in Lewiston, giving a presentation to business owners and managers about meeting compliance and disclosure obligations.
When Paquette took the commissioner’s job, in 2012, she heard from business owners who had questions about different rules and programs, but always “would get a black hole.” To that end, and with an interest in publishing, Paquette spearheaded the creation of a program and service guide.
While unemployment benefits still remain an area of contention between employers and employees, Paquette said the department has been successful with several partnership programs, such as Safety Works.
Governments, such as the tri-town municipality of Mapleton, Chapman and Castle Hill, and private companies can qualify for the SHAPE and SHARP designations under the Safety Works program. The program offers a consultation and chance to demonstrate compliance with federal and state health and safety rules to avoid audits for two years.
“It has really saved businesses money,” Paquette said. “It can be a recruitment tool to tell employees that you care about them, because safety isn’t just something you want to pay attention to when there’s an accident. You want to be proactive. There’s nothing worse than an accident that could have been avoided in a safety working environment.”
New rules taking effect
Paquette also referred to two new worker protection measures that became law on Oct. 15.
LD 921, PL 2015 Ch. 343 allows the victims of domestic violence, sexual assault or stalking to take reasonable leave from work and still qualify for benefits.
“If you voluntarily leave, you may not be disqualified from receiving benefits if your leaving was necessary to protect yourself from domestic abuse and you made all reasonable efforts to keep your job,” she said.
Another provision of the same new law expressly restricts employers from requiring workers or applicants to provide access to social media accounts.
“No one’s going to stop an employer from going on Facebook and putting in a name to see if something pops up, because that’s in the public domain,” Paquette said. “You really have to be careful not to force them into giving you any information that is not in the public domain.”
