In response to the surge of delta variant cases across the country, federal workplace safety officials just issued updated guidance to help employers and workers identify current COVID-19 risks for unvaccinated or otherwise...more
8/16/2021
/ Anti-Retaliation Provisions ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employee Training ,
Employment Policies ,
Health and Safety ,
High Risk Covid Employees ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Masks ,
New Guidance ,
OSHA ,
Personal Protective Equipment ,
Policies and Procedures ,
Sick Employees ,
Social Distancing ,
Vaccinations ,
Workplace Hazards ,
Workplace Illness and Injury Reporting ,
Workplace Safety
As more businesses are requiring proof of vaccination for their employees and customers, a question that often arises is whether it is lawful to ask an applicant about their vaccine status. While we are generally hesitant...more
Although the COVID-19 vaccines are expected to receive full FDA approval – perhaps as soon as later this month – an increasing number of businesses are not waiting for full authorization and are pressing forward to require...more
After announcing last week that healthcare workers (and state employees) will soon be required to either provide proof of vaccination or submit to weekly or bi-weekly COVID-19 testing, California issued an additional order...more
8/9/2021
/ Ambulatory Surgery Centers ,
CDPH ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employer Mandates ,
Exempt-Employees ,
Health and Safety ,
Health Care Providers ,
Health Clinics ,
Healthcare Facilities ,
Healthcare Workers ,
Hospice ,
Hospitals ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Masks ,
Physicians ,
Recordkeeping Requirements ,
Skilled Nursing Facility ,
Vaccinations ,
Virus Testing ,
Workplace Safety
With the Delta-variant-fueled surge of COVID-19 cases leading to new CDC masking guidance, statewide mandates, and the specter of further restrictions, employers have a renewed interest in seeing the vaccination rate of their...more
Less than a day after the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued new masking guidance for fully vaccinated individuals in substantial or high transmission areas, the California Department of Public Health...more
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced yesterday that the agency now recommends that people in areas with “substantial” and “high” COVID-19 transmission should wear masks indoors, regardless of...more
7/28/2021
/ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employment Policies ,
Health and Safety ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Masks ,
New Guidance ,
OSHA ,
Personal Protective Equipment ,
Vaccinations ,
Workplace Safety
Not vaccinated yet? Do you work for a healthcare provider in California or the State of California? Then be prepared to get tested for COVID-19 on a weekly basis for the foreseeable future. In an effort to increase the number...more
7/28/2021
/ Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Health and Safety ,
Health Care Providers ,
Healthcare Facilities ,
Healthcare Workers ,
Hospitals ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Personal Protective Equipment ,
Physicians ,
Vaccinations ,
Virus Testing ,
Workplace Safety
Questions about employee bonuses, payments made to owner employees and the Small Business Administration’s (SBA) authority to audit Paycheck Protection Program loans (PPP) were answered just before the long Memorial Day...more
5/29/2020
/ Bonuses ,
Borrowers ,
CARES Act ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Hazard Pay ,
Interim Final Rules (IFR) ,
Lenders ,
Loan Forgiveness ,
Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) ,
SBA ,
SBA Lending Programs ,
Small Business ,
Small Business Loans
The Small Business Administration finally released its much anticipated forgiveness application for borrowers who received a Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan. It has been nearly two months since the program was signed...more
One long week after the U.S. Treasury announced that it was extending the Paycheck Protection Program Loan “safe harbor” deadline to May 14, the U.S. Treasury announced this morning that borrowers whose loan amount (combined...more
5/14/2020
/ Audits ,
Borrowers ,
CARES Act ,
Certification Requirements ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Federal Loans ,
Good Faith ,
Loan Repayment Issues ,
Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) ,
Safe Harbors ,
SBA ,
SBA Lending Programs ,
Time Extensions ,
U.S. Treasury
Following rapid depletion of funds available to small businesses under the CARES Act and subsequent Congressional action to refill the well, the Treasury Department today vowed to conduct “full audits” of companies receiving...more
The Treasury Department just issued a warning to “all borrowers” scooping up funds from the pool of billions of dollars of potentially forgivable loan money from the Small Business Administration’s Paycheck Protection Program...more
Less than a week after the Small Business Administration (SBA) announced that the $350 billion in small business loan funds had been exhausted, the Senate passed a $484 billion spending bill yesterday which adds an additional...more
Just a little more than six weeks ago, both political and business leaders in our country were looking for options to help employers and employees deal with the dramatic impact the COVID-19 pandemic was having and would have...more
The Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act provides much-needed economic relief to businesses impacted by the COVID-19 crisis. However, this much-needed relief comes with great confusion, particularly for...more
The Department of Labor (DOL) continues to update its guidance document on implementation of the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA), and the latest update caught many employers by surprise. The updated document...more
Businesses struggling with the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic crisis received good news late last night when the Senate passed an unprecedented piece of legislation aimed at providing a massive stimulus to...more
3/31/2020
/ CARES Act ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employee Retention ,
Federal Labor Laws ,
Paid Leave ,
Payroll Taxes ,
Small Business ,
Small Business Loans ,
Tax Credits ,
Unemployment Benefits ,
Unemployment Insurance ,
Wage and Hour
The Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division just released today the required notification poster for the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) that will soon need to be posted in many workplaces – and...more
Kansas City local government authorities – the City of Kansas City, Clay, Cass and Platte Counties in Missouri, and Johnson, Wyandotte, Douglas and Leavenworth Counties in Kansas – have issued executive orders requiring all...more
The U.S. Department of Labor released a preliminary “Questions and Answers” page today, attempting to answer some preliminary compliance questions related to the new Families First Coronavirus Response Act, which will bring...more
The Senate passed the Families First Coronavirus Response Act today, an economic stimulus plan aimed at addressing the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak on Americans and introducing paid sick leave and an expanded family and...more
3/18/2020
/ Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employee Benefits ,
Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) ,
Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) ,
Health and Safety ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Medical Testing ,
New Legislation ,
Paid Leave ,
Paid Sick Leave Act ,
Paid Time Off (PTO) ,
Public Health ,
Sick Leave ,
Tax Credits ,
Trump Administration ,
Unemployment Insurance ,
Wage and Hour ,
Workplace Safety
In an effort to boost the government’s response to the COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Families First Coronavirus Response Act Saturday, March 14th, an economic stimulus plan aimed...more
3/16/2020
/ Caregivers ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Emergency Management Plans ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employment Policies ,
Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) ,
Federal Labor Laws ,
Health and Safety ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Medical Testing ,
Paid Leave ,
Pending Legislation ,
Public Health ,
Sick Leave ,
Tax Credits ,
Trump Administration ,
Unemployment Insurance ,
Unpaid Leave ,
Wage and Hour ,
Workplace Safety
Fisher Phillips has assembled a cross-disciplinary taskforce of attorneys across the country to address the many employment-related issues facing employers in the wake of the COVID-19 coronavirus – especially now that the...more
3/3/2020
/ Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) ,
Best Practices ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Discrimination ,
Employment Policies ,
Foreign Workers ,
Global Workforce ,
Health and Safety ,
Health Care Providers ,
Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) ,
Healthcare Workers ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Labor Relations ,
Policies and Procedures ,
Public Health ,
Risk Management ,
Sick Leave ,
Traveling Employee ,
Wage and Hour ,
WARN Act ,
Workplace Safety
The Department of Labor just published its increases to the maximum civil penalties that can be assessed against employers by federal agencies, and it includes some moderate increases in the area of workplace safety....more