As the number of Covid-19 infections rise, the federal, state, and local governments are taking more drastic actions to protect and support the public during this time. The following updates summarize major changes that affect employers in the DMV:
Another week has passed during the Covid-19 pandemic, and we have seen the DMV governors close all non-essential businesses, schools closing for another month or even the rest of the school year, the legislatures are working to provide relief to employers and employees. The number of positive cases rise even as we wait with baited breath to see whether all the collective effort is “flattening the curve”.
On March 18, 2020, President Trump signed into law the Families First Coronavirus Response Act. The important part for employers is it enacts temporary measures requiring employers with fewer than 500 employees to provide paid sick leave and family leave for those directly affected by COVID-19.
Due to our current global pandemic, employers are faced with very difficult decisions as the government further restricts movement and closes businesses in an effort to contain the community spread of Covid-19. One of these questions is – should I shut my doors and temporarily lay off my employees?
From day to day, hour to hour, as our government responds to the COVID-19 pandemic, our laws change. Some are relaxed, others are altered, and new ones are added.
By now you have been hearing a lot about the Coronavirus (Covid- 19), which has spread to the United States from other parts of the world. While the Center for Disease Control and Prevention has stated that this is not yet a pandemic, it is important that you plan now on how to protect yourself, your employees, and your business from the impact of this virus. You should not panic, but you should be prepared for a potential emergency of unknown scope and length.
On July 1, 2019, the Universal Paid Leave Amendment Act of 2016 went into effect and applies to all employers, who have employees that work at least fifty percent (50%) of their time in the District of Columbia or work substantially in the District of Columbia and do not work more than 50% of their time in another jurisdiction (“Covered Employees”). This law will grant Paid Family Leave to Covered Employees. It is important to take steps to comply now with this new law. There are two important dates to remember as this law is being implemented in stages.
Lately, the news has been filled with stories about women forced to settle sexual harassment claims through severance agreements. Many of those agreements are perceived as oppressive because they suppress the victim’s rights to tell her story and fail to inform other actual or potential victims that a company has retained a bad actor after repeated complaints were quietly settled.