Employee Benefits
September 2, 2020
California COVID-19 Workers’ Comp Claims Soar
Early in the pandemic, José Guzman said he asked his managers at the Farmer John meat packing plant in Vernon, just south of Los Angeles, for a mask and hand sanitizer. “They said they were not responsible. They could not give us masks because they had no masks,” said Guzman, a 61-year-old from San...
August 27, 2020
Jobless Claims Exceed 1M Again, Number Down From Previous Week
The number of Americans who filed for jobless claims exceeded 1 million last week, but it was down slightly compared to the previous week, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) reported on Thursday (Aug. 27). “There’s lots of pain out there,” Jared Kushner, senior White House advisor to his father-in-law, President Donald Trump, told CNBC. “But...
August 17, 2020
Unemployment Scams: How to Prepare and Respond
The presence of unemployment-related scams has grown in the wake of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Current unemployment scams include both fraudulent claims and unemployment-related phishing attempts. As many employers are currently dealing with the reality of a high amount of unemployment claims, organizations can take steps to prepare for fraudulent activity and to accurately...
August 14, 2020
How Technology is Transforming the Construction Industry
There’s little doubt that technology has changed the construction industry for the better. Aside from more efficient operations, tech innovation in construction has paved the way for growth and gaining a competitive edge. Schools like Capitol Technology University has taught would-be workers in the field how to maximize the use of technology to advance their careers...
August 5, 2020
Testing Strategy for Coronavirus (COVID-19) in High-Density Critical Infrastructure Workplaces after a COVID-19 Case Is Identified
Workers in critical infrastructure sectors may be permitted to work if asymptomatic after potential exposure to a confirmed case of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), provided that worker infection prevention recommendations and controls are implemented. Outbreaks of illness among workers in food-producing facilities and surrounding communities have raised unique questions that identified the need for testing for COVID-19 to...
August 4, 2020
How Social Distancing is Impacting Workplace Culture
HOW SOCIAL DISTANCING IS IMPACTING WORKPLACE CULTURE As the coronavirus pandemic continues to evolve, one guideline that is likely to last beyond this year is social distancing. Employers have a responsibility to keep employees healthy and safe, and that duty is informing their return-to-work strategies. For instance, some organizations are keeping employees at home...
July 21, 2020
DOL Releases More Q&As on Workplace Laws and Coronavirus
DOL RELEASES MORE Q&AS ON WORKPLACE LAWS AND CORONAVIRUS On July 20, 2020, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) announced the agency’s publication of additional guidance on applying federal employment laws in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. The guidance is in the form of questions and answers added to sets of Q&As the...
July 14, 2020
5 Ways COVID-19 Is Reshaping HR
5 WAYS COVID-19 IS RESHAPING HR The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has upended the entire world, it seems. With fluctuating infection rates and conflicting official guidance, organizations will need to adapt quickly if they want to succeed in the post-coronavirus landscape. HR teams stand at the forefront of these efforts. For years, HR departments have...
July 2, 2020
Workers’ Compensation Changes for COVID-19
WORKERS’ COMPENSATION CHANGES FOR COVID-19 Under most state workers’ compensation (WC) laws, COVID-19 may be a compensable, work-related condition only if an employee can show that: He or she contracted the coronavirus while performing services growing out of and incidental to his or her employment; and The disease arose out of that employment (work...
