Returning to Work Post-Quarantine: Employment Issues and Compliance

Description

As the global economy begins the slow process of reengagement, employers have specific concerns they will need to consider and be prepared to address. Employers must be familiar with all applicable social distancing requirements as they relate to their industries and how the physical workplace may need to be reshaped to accommodate those restrictions. Our panel of employment law practitioners will address whether an employer can and should provide protective gear.

Additionally, employers must determine the wellness of their returning staff, including being prepared to address medical concerns while simultaneously complying with existing privacy and employment law restrictions. Businesses should be equipped with a plan to handle employees who object to in-office settings or are unable to return to the office due to lack of childcare and compliance with the Families First Coronavirus Response Act or other issues. Management must determine what procedures to establish if a local or state shelter in place order is reestablished or an employee tests positive for COVID-19 after the business has reopened.

In the haste of addressing this pandemic, employers may have failed to consider several wage/hour and payroll matters. Employers should consider how to potentially recapture their employees' shares of benefit contributions previously made by an employer during a furlough. Employers must comply with state and federal notice requirements on any wage or pay changes as well as clarify to their staff what current performance expectations and evaluations will be and how requests for ADA accommodations will be handled.

Listen as our expert panel addresses these evolving issues and provides practical advice on how to strategically handle a business reopening while mitigating risks for future employment claims.