The COVID-19 Coronavirus outbreak and global pandemic has presented all of us with challenges that were unthinkable just a few months ago. For many, the workplace as we know it has changed and we’re scrambling to access information on the latest local, state and federal legislation and regulations to address this health crisis and protect our employees and businesses.

HR Advisors Group has been monitoring the information available, as well as holding virtual roundtables giving small groups of HR professionals in the A/E industry an opportunity to share information. This page shares the information we have found or has been discussed during our virtual sessions.

Our goal is to provide resources, information and best practices for you and your organization.  Particularly during these trying times, we recommend that you consult with your legal counsel for any specific questions as to how some of this information may apply to your organization.  Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions or need additional information.

We at HR Advisors Group know that these are tough times for everyone and we are navigating through this crisis both personally and professionally. Our thoughts are with everyone to stay well and take care of yourself, your family and staff.

-Barbara and the HR Advisors Group Team

COVID-19 Resources

For comprehensive and up-to-date resources, check out the COVID-19 resource page(s) on these organizations’ websites.

Legislation and Protocols

Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA)

  • The Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) requires certain employers to provide their employees with paid sick leave or expanded family and medical leave for specified reasons related to COVID-19.
  • Emergency Paid Sick Leave Act (EPSLA) requires certain employers to provide up to 80 hours of paid sick leave to employees who need to take leave from work for certain specified reasons.
  • Emergency Family and Medical Leave Expansion Act (EFMLEA) requires certain employers to provide up to 10 weeks of paid and 2 weeks of unpaid emergency family and medical leave to eligible employees if the employee is caring for his or her son or daughter whose school or place of care is closed or whose child care provider is unavailable for reasons related to COVID-19.
  • In addition to SHRM, DOL, IFEBP and WorldatWork websites, employers should monitor their state and local government websites. SHRM members should also sign up for their local SHRM chapter newsletters for up-to-date information regarding individual localities and regions throughout the country.

Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act

Protocols for Sick Employees

  • The CDC is regularly updating guidance for employers to help when addressing sick employees.

Alternate Work Arrangements and Leave Options

Remote Work Practices

See Virtual/Remote engagement tips and best practices below for creative ways to manage employees in a new remote environment.

Flexible Hours and Reduced Schedules

Many employees will find working a full workday or work week challenging, whether it is because they are caring for children who are now home, technology limitations, or other unforeseen demands as a result of COVID-19.  Employers may need to consider offering employees creative solutions to help with their schedules.

  • Expanded FMLA may help eligible employees (see FFCRA above).
  • Many organizations are allowing employees to work flexible hours. Employees are given permission and the flexibility to work their designated hours during non-traditional business hours.  Employees may work early morning, evenings, or on the weekends in order to get their work completed.
  • Some employees may benefit from officially reduced work weeks. For exempt employees, this will mean making a formal change to their expected hours and a reduction in salary.  Employers need to adhere to FLSA regulations regarding exempt and non-exempt employees.

Communication Strategies

Communication “tips and best practices”

  • Create a crisis team of leaders to guide the organization
  • Conduct daily calls/meetings with the crisis team to update one another on new developments that impact the organization
  • Implement regular board meetings to proactively discuss potential cost cutting strategies
  • Set up a special COVID-19 info page on the intranet (i.e., SharePoint) and post daily updates
  • Send all-staff company-wide emails (preferably from a senior leader) regularly with updates (i.e., daily, every other day, etc.)
  • Direct local/regional leaders to communicate with their staff daily via email, virtual discussions, etc.
  • Have regular virtual town halls in which leaders address business/operational questions from employees including how an organization will manage things moving forward
  • Conduct an  “all-hands on deck” call with staff to give an overview of the current status and answer employee questions
  • Have all communication consistently come from one person (HR or other Corporate representative)  in order to capture everything in one message and not overload employees
  • Create an email address to which employees can send confidential emails to HR about potential exposures, etc.
  • Create “how to use” documents (with graphics/pictures) or webinars related to technical communication tools to help employees use these tools
  • Stay in touch with clients/customers/members (as appropriate) to provide updates on how your business is functioning and the safety precautions being taken during the COVID-19 crisis

Communication tools

  • Go To Meeting – note: limited to 25 attendees
  • MS Teams
  • Skype
  • WebEx
  • Zoom

Communication resources

  • DOL has created model notices that must be posted in the workplace and/or distributed by covered employers to current employees. These notices and additional resources on the FFCRA can be found on the DOL website. Topics include (but are not limited to) the following:
    • Workplace Safety
    • Wage, Hours and Leave
    • Unemployment Insurance Flexibilities
    • Support for Dislocated Workers and States
    • Job Corps Students
    • Injured Federal Workers
    • Federal Contractors
    • Top News
    • General Resources
    • Other
  • SHRM provides many examples and guidance on COVID19 polices, communication tools, benefits, etc.
  • Your trade or professional association(s) may provide information and resources specific to your industry
  • Harvard Business Review provides steps on communicating through the coronavirus crisis

Communication “memo samples” from SHRM

Virtual/Remote Employee Engagement                    and Productivity

Virtual/remote “engagement” tips and best practices

Internal Support for Your Employees, Your Culture

  • Encourage leaders to host video conference meetings daily, including hosting regular virtual meetings for field staff to stay connected since they cannot work from home
  • Set up affinity groups for shared interests, such as child care options, gardening, exercising, etc.
  • Continue skills development for staff (technical and non-technical)
  • Call employees just to “check in” and talk with those who have no roommates or family
  • Keep cultural values active and alive during time away from the office

Fun Activities

  • Use social committee to organize virtual games during lunch periods and virtual “workouts”
  • Conduct virutal contests and games, such as guess jellybeans in a jar, photos submitted for the best “at home” work space, telecommuting bingo, virtual scavenger hunt; use voting to determine winners and possibly provide rewards (i.e., $10, $25 or $50 gift card)
  • Invite the staff to wear sports gear or other themes on a particular day and encourage them to take photos and send them in
  • Develop musical playlists with songs offered by employees or work groups, i.e., “quarantunes”
  • Encourage employees to share photos of home office set ups or pictures of new coworkers (i.e., children or pets); create slide show of employees working at home
  • Have a virtual coffee club in the early morning or a virtual happy hour in the late afternoon on Friday

Virtual/remote “productivity” tips and best practices

  • Be flexible with employees’ work schedules; employees may be more productive working non-traditional hours due to their new circumstances
  • Maintain regular meetings and other activities that would normally be carried out in person; make sure everyone knows their work goals and expectations for the week
  • Proactively call each employee individually to check in and see if they are experiencing any challenges (technology or otherwise); connect employees to the right individual to get ahead
  • Reach out to all employees to offer option of voluntarily/temporarily reducing hours
  • Implement a daily survey, such as Survey Monkey, or use internal program, such as SharePoint, for employees to indicate where they are working that day, hours of availability, and how they can be reached
  • Encourage managers to check in daily so that employees feel supported and don’t feel isolated, as well as to ensure they are staying on task and provide details about their goals and productivity
  • Encourage employees to be transparent about their workload; request employees to put in daily timesheets; move work around if some employees are short on work due to projects being put on hold, etc.

Engagement and productivity tools

The Communications Tools listed above, plus

COVID19 – Business Survival Strategies

As businesses continue to be challenged with the people and financial impacts of this pandemic, it is important to strategize and identify different ways to keep the business running.  Below are a few tips to help you navigate your way through these challenges:

  • Establish business continuity plans; we are in unprecedented times and how this virus will impact our staff and our leaders is an unknown
  • Plan for every possible scenario, including the worse-case scenario, and develop a plan to ensure that work is getting done if someone on your leadership team needs to step out of their role on a temporary basis
  • Plan and revisit your financial strategy to address COVID-19 costs
  • Develop various scenarios to determine what’s next if your organization can keep your staff working remotely and address your customer/client’s needs
  • Work with your leadership team on a daily basis to identify a plan to position yourself to work proactively in these reactive times
  • Create proactive strategies for future planning so you are prepared when the health crisis is over

Reading and Resources

Benefits and Compensation

To navigate your way through the changes and challenges when it comes to your benefits and compensation, refer to the numerous resources that are out there, such as your insurance broker, carriers and plan descriptions, for specific issues and questions.

  • Unemployment Insurance
    • Expanded benefits throughout the U.S. (Federal and State requirements)
    • A recent USA Today article answered questions regarding unemployment benefits after being laid-off or furloughed because of COVID-19
  • Short-Term Disability Insurance
    • Will not cover quarantine or may not cover if become ill with the virus unless the employee is hospitalized
    • Some state disability plans are allowing coverage immediately without waiting period for those diagnosed
    • Reach out to your carrier to determine what  your plan covers
  • Health Insurance
    • Diagnostic testing and treatment for fully and self-insured plans must be waived
    • HDHP plans can offer free telehealth/remote care options without adversely impacting the plan designation
    • CARES Act also reversed the ACA measure to allow for reimbursement from FSA/HSA/AMSA plans for OTC (over-the-counter) medication/supplies without prescription
    • Don’t forget that the EPSLA and the EFMLEA both require employers to continue an employee’s group health plan coverage during the protected leave; applies to all employers with less than 500 employees regardless of how small the employer is.  The FMLA provision of 50 or more within a 75 mile radius does NOT apply.
  • 401k Plans
    • The CARES Act impacts your plan design, unless you opted out with your vendor by April 2nd
    • Allows for 100% or $100,000 withdrawal (and loans) without penalty and does not require proof outside of individual certification of COVID-19 related need
    • Allows for employee to pay back withdrawal over a three-year period
    • Income taxes are to be withheld at 10% unless participant elects a different percentage or none withheld; participant then has 3 years to repay the taxes on the withdrawal
    • Any loan repayments scheduled between March 27, 2020, to December 31, 2020, may be deferred for up to one year
    • Employers do not have to adopt the rules; plan amendments are not required until the last day of the first plan year beginning on or after January 1, 2022
    • A recent Benefits Law Advisor article provides an overview of key changes
  • Employee Assistance Program (EAP) services
    • Are critical during this time; humans are social creatures and being forced to social distance can lead to depression and other medical-related issues.
    • Make sure employees are aware of the EAP services provided at no cost and any telehealth options available through your medical insurance carriers as well

Resources

The COVID-19 Resources listed above, plus

  • Unemployment Insurance – refer to both State and Federal Regulations
  • Health Insurance and Short-term Disability Plans – refer to your Insurance Brokers and Insurance Carriers for specific plans
  • Employee Assistance Programs – refer to your EAP provider

Health and Wellness During COVID-19

Employee Health

  • Mental health:
    • American Psychiatric Association Center for Workplace Mental Health and World Health Organization (WHO) offer tips on how managers and HR professionals can support employees at this time
    • Encourage employees to take advantage of any employee assistance programs (EAP), self-care apps, or mental health hotline benefits that may be offered
    • Reach out to employees individually to make sure they have the resources they need and that they are in a positive mental state; connect them with any appropriate individuals or programs and follow up if necessary
    • Offer webinars on stress management, meditation, etc.
    • Encourage online training to help sharpen skills and focus on learning while distracting from the current situation
    • Stay connected via meeting tools (see Communication Tools above) for face-to-face connections to combat isolation
  • Physical health:
    • Communicate to employees any telemedicine benefits that exist
    • See SHRM’s recommendations for supporting employees with high risk concerns
    • See CDC’s recommendations for requiring test results and/or doctor’s notes from employees
    • Proactively communicate protocols for sick employees (see Protocols for Sick Employees)
    • Offer wellness challenges to keep employees motivated and healthy (step/mileage competitions, healthy eating, water consumption, etc.)

Work Environment Health:

  • Follow CDC’s recommendations for maintaining a healthy work environment
  • OSHA has released a detailed guide for preparing workplaces for COVID-19 infection prevention

Personal self-care

Recruitment and Selection

Protocols for hiring (from SHRM)

Protocols/options for job offers that have already been extended

  • Consider putting job offers on hold and/or delay new hire start dates
  • Maintain start date and begin onboarding process virtually, if possible
  • Rescind offers as a last resort; see SHRM guidance and seek legal counsel if considering rescinding offers
  • Communicate often with new hires whose job offer has been put on hold or start date pushed back
  • Those who have been extended job offers that have been rescinded, put on hold, or had their start date delayed due to COVID-19 reasons may be entitled to file an unemployment claim; check with your state unemployment insurance program for clarification

Protocols/options for summer interns

  • Move the internships to a virtual format; Business Insider reports how Google is doing this for their 2020 summer interns
  • Delay internship start dates
  • Reduce hours of internship if budget becomes a concern
  • Maintain start date and begin onboarding process virtually, if possible
  • Rescind offers or cancel internship programs entirely for summer 2020 as a last resort; see SHRM guidance and seek legal counsel if considering rescinding offers
  • Those who have been extended paid internship offers that have been rescinded, put on hold, or had their start date delayed due to COVID-19 reasons may be entitled to file an unemployment claim; check with your state unemployment insurance program for clarification

Returning to the Workplace

  • Review the CDC decision tree to help your leadership determine if you are prepared to have employees return to the workplace
  • Create or revise policies that define the new normal and help employees return to the workplace. In a recent article, SHRM focuses on employee relations and benefits issues.
  • Expect a gradual process with some hurdles, such as child care, lack of testing and employee health concerns. CNBC talks about how the biggest companies are preparing to bring workers back once restrictions are lifted.