Rojgar Job News

You can’t escape the panic spreading through mass and social media regarding the 2020 Wuhan Novel Coronavirus, a virus that has resulted in fatalities in China and infected thousands worldwide. Symptoms mimic that of influenza (fever, cough), but can include difficulty breathing, pneumonia, kidney failure, and death in severe cases. Despite the panic, there are only a handful of confirmed cases in the U.S., but this has done little to quell paranoia. With fear of the bug’s spread, many employers are bracing themselves the possibility of employee absences, either due to illness or fear of contagion in congested workplaces. Employers and human resources professionals can immunize themselves against some risk by implementing steps in advance. Familiarize yourself with state and local paid sick leave laws. Many U.S. states and municipalities now require that employers provide paid time off to employees to address their own illnesses or that of their family members. If you have...

The Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) has been in effect for nearly six weeks and, as practical challenges with interpreting and implementing the Act surface, the Department of Labor (DOL) continues to update its informal guidance in piecemeal fashion. On May 12, 2020, the DOL added five additional questions and answers to its FFCRA FAQs page: If the DOL brings an enforcement action against an employer on an employee’s behalf for failing to provide FFCRA leave, the employee may recover the entire amount due under the FFCRA, which is the greater of the employee’s regular hourly rate or the applicable minimum wage, subject to statutory caps (a maximum of $511/day for certain qualifying reasons, or two-thirds the employee’s regular rate, up to $200/day for other qualifying reasons). Despite confusing statutory language, the employee is not limited to recovery of only the applicable minimum wage if their regular rate of pay is higher. If a domestic worker, s...