Re-opening your business is the hot topic as local and state governments relax COVID-19 shelter in place orders. Regardless of industry, most small businesses need to address core labor issues and evaluate what additional industry-specific concerns should be addressed. Both valid and specious employment claims are already on the rise due to a combination of new laws, economic pressures, and a tight job market.
While much of the recent Maryland Legislative session was consumed with the coronavirus crisis, several pro-employee bills were passed. These bills address race discrimination, sex discrimination, pay equity, and wage transparency. All will become effective October 1, 2020 without the signature of Governor Hogan, who declined to hold any bill signing ceremonies this month. The following summarizes the relevant laws, as well as, provides recommendations for Maryland employers.
Beginning on February 29, 2020, all Maryland employers with fifteen or more employees must comply with the new ban the box law unless they fall within an exemption.
Now that Maryland is beginning to relax its shelter in place order and other local jurisdictions will likely follow suit, business owners need to begin planning for re-opening so that it can be done in a safe and effective way. Over the next few weeks, we will be publishing a series of articles that are designed to help you target the relevant issues as you contemplate re-opening, managing labor risks, and possibly shutting down again.
If you’re like me, you’ve seen every episode of the documentary Tiger King on Netflix. As an animal lover and estate planning attorney, the show covered a lot of issues that interest me.
Emergency legislation has made unemployment benefits an important financial lever for small businesses faced with closing the margin between expenses and revenues. Labor costs often make up more than half of gross sales for service businesses, so payroll is one of the first places many owners are looking to be able to manage through the COVID-19 crisis. In previous articles, we discussed how to furlough employees, how to seek payroll loans and tax credits under the CARES Act, and specific business relief programs in the DC-Maryland-Virginia region for working capital and layoff aversion.
An information page for the Montgomery County Public Health Emergency Grant Program (PHEG) went live this week. Local businesses, including for-profit and not-for-profit organizations, may be eligible for grants of up to $75,000 from a $20 million fund. $5 million is reserved for restaurants and retail establishments. The catch is that local businesses must show evidence that they have already applied for any applicable State and Federal programs before qualifying for County assistance. We covered some of those programs in a previous article on Financial Assistance to Small Business. Additional programs can be found on the county website.
We are now living in a profoundly new world where many workplaces are being transitioned to teleworking with limited planning or time to test systems. This rapid shift brings challenges that must be addressed and resolved from both a legal and operations standpoint.
Last week, the federal government enacted the CARES Act. It provides economic relief to Americans both as individuals and businesses. While the Act contains a variety of tax, loans and other measures, the following programs are of particular interest to employers and small businesses: