BLOGS

Confused? You are not alone. News articles vary between saying the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) expired and discussing how it was extended.  What does all of this mean?  Here’s what employers need to know:What is the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA)?The FFCRA contains a number of new laws and small amendments to existing law, but for the purposes of this article we are focusing on three sections: Emergency Paid Sick Leave, Expanded FMLA (Family Medical Leave Act) and Tax Credits for Paid Sick and Pa...

The year 2020 began with over 250 new state laws – while many considered the legalization of recreational marijuana would be the largest impact on employers, it was The Workplace Transparency Act – which resulted in employers needing to significantly overhaul their employee handbooks, employment agreements and offer letters, confidentiality agreements, severance agreements and many other documents – that initially caused the biggest impact.And then came COVID-19 and everything changed.  Suddenly all the focus was on the Families Fir...

2020… well that was something wasn’t it?  It is amazing how much the world has changed over the past few months.  The COVID-19 pandemic has forced businesses across the globe into a balancing act – protecting the health and safety of their employees while simultaneously struggling to keep their own operations a float.  Family life has changed with entire households battling for Wi-Fi bandwidth and office space inside the home.  Suddenly “pivoting” is a dirty word and “zoom fatigue” is the latest challenge.  It has been an all...

COVID-19 Vaccines are Here!   Part II of the seriesShould employers make them mandatory for employees?The 43,000 vaccines the state took in at the Illinois Strategic National Stockpile on December 14, 2020 were distributed to 10 regional hospital centers across the state and directly to DuPage County, and from there to 45 counties and local health departments, and ultimately to 77 hospitals statewide, Pritzker said.  In Illinois, Phase 1 of the vaccination roll out is focused on healthcare workers and first responders, but Phase 2 e...

With the availability of vaccinations for the general public quickly approaching, many employer are considering whether they should require employees get the vaccine.   Like seemingly everything related to COVID-19, the answer to this question is more difficult than it seems.To address some of these questions, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has release new guidance on the topic.  We’ve summarized this guidance in 2 articles. This article (Part I) is focused on the EEOC guidance related to the Americans with Disabili...