How Social Distancing Is Impacting Workplace Culture

As the coronavirus pandemic continues to evolve, one guideline that is likely to last beyond this year is social distancing. Employers have a responsibility to keep employees healthy and safe, and that duty is informing their return-to-work strategies. For instance, some organizations are keeping employees at home to work remotely for the foreseeable future. Other organizations are reconfiguring office layouts to lower capacity and considering safety measures like temperature checks and staggered shifts.

HR Brief Newsletter- August 2020

Preparing for a Second Wave of COVID-19

The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic is still going on, despite businesses reopening. Moreover, public health officials and experts are warning of a potential second wave of COVID-19 cases.

Of course, no one knows if or when a second wave of infection will strike—or whether it will be as bad as or worse than the first wave. As such, businesses across the country should start planning today to properly prepare for a second wave of COVID-19 cases.

Here are three ways organizations can prepare:

1. Review Federal, State and Local Guidance

Businesses in one region may be able to remain open, while businesses in other regions may need to close or adjust for a second time. As such, it’s critical to understand and continually review all relevant state and local orders to determine if your business needs to take action in the face of a second wave of COVID-19 cases.

2. Review Your Organizational Risks

Even if there aren’t federal, state or local recommendations to close your business, that doesn’t mean your organization is safe from the coronavirus.  Similar to conducting a risk assessment for planning to reopen following the first wave of COVID-19 cases, your organization should conduct a risk assessment in preparation for a reemergence of COVID-19 cases.

3. Maintain Workplace Safety and Communicate With Employees

There is a variety of guidance from official sources, like OSHA, to help employers maintain health and safety, and keep employees informed.

Speak with Better Business Planning, Inc. for more workplace guidance.

Determining Whether a COVID-19 Case Is Work-related

Even as businesses reopen and employees return to their new normal, the risk of becoming exposed to and ill with COVID-19 is still present. When an employee reports they have COVID-19, employers are faced with the difficult task of determining whether the employee’s illness is work-related.

As is the case with all inherently legal issues, employers are strongly recommended to seek the guidance of legal counsel when faced with these sorts of situations.

OSHA Guidance on Work-relatedness

An injury or illness is work-related if an event or exposure in the work environment either caused or contributed to the resulting condition or significantly aggravated a preexisting injury or illness. Work-relatedness is presumed for events or exposures in the work environment.

Unfortunately, because the coronavirus is so widespread, determining whether an employee’s illness is work-related can be difficult and should be evaluated on a case-by-case basis.

Employers should ask probing questions to reveal the potential exposure of COVID-19 in their workplaces. Employers should consult with legal counsel if they are concerned about what kinds of questions they may ask.

After conducting a review, employers will need to record the incident and report it to OSHA.

Speak with us for more information related to this process.

 

Deciding Who Should Continue to Work from Home During the COVID-19 Pandemic

As businesses across the country continue reopening and the threat of a second wave of COVID-19 cases looms, employers are facing difficult decisions regarding work-from-home arrangements. 

DOL Releases More Q&As on Workplace Laws and Coronavirus

On July 20, 2020, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) announced the agency’s publication of additional guidance on applying federal employment laws in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. The guidance is in the form of questions and answers added to sets of Q&As the agency issued earlier in the year about the operation of the federal Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) and the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) in workplace situations involving COVID-19.

10 Pandemic-Related Challenges Likely to Plague Employers in the Future

While employees and employers alike have been eager (for months now) to get back to work as it used to be, the reality is that the workplace has changed — and possibly for the long term. Speculation abounds that this “new normal” will persist until there is a widely available and effective vaccine. This leaves employers in limbo — juggling the new day-to-day legal concerns and practical difficulties, such as enforcing proper social distancing and addressing refusals to return to work, while trying to maintain productivity and profitability to keep businesses afloat.

Application Deadline for Small Business Loans Extended

Congress has passed legislation to extend the application deadline for a Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan through Aug. 8, 2020. Prior to the extension, the deadline to apply for these funds was June 30, 2020. The extension enables eligible small businesses to apply for funding for five more weeks. The legislation has been sent to President Trump, who is expected to sign the measure into law.

Hospitals Lose Bid to Keep Secret the Rates they Negotiate with Insurers

(CNN) -- A coalition of hospital groups lost their attempt to block the Trump administration from requiring hospitals to disclose the prices they privately negotiate with insurers.