Employment Law Blog

Phased Reopening Guidelines: How to Stay Safe and Compliant

Over the weekend, the Governor’s office revised certain portions of Kentucky’s Healthy-at-Work phased reopening minimum guidelines for all businesses,  outlining the affirmative duties of both employers and employees upon returning to work on-site. All businesses – even those that have remained open – will have to adhere to these fourteen requirements in order to remain open:  More >

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Tags: coronavirus, COVID-19, employment law, employment law for employers, Healthy At Work

Employee Temperature Checks and Confidentiality: Separating Fact from Fiction

The COVID-19 pandemic has sent employers scrambling for answers to questions regarding health, safety, and confidentiality in the workplace they may have never envisioned dealing with. Recently there have been questions concerning the regulatory requirements that an employer encounters when the employer performs temperature checks for employees to prevent the transmission of the COVID-19 virus among its employees and possible customers. More >

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Tags: ADA, CDC, coronavirus, COVID-19, EEOC, employment law, employment law for employers, Pandemic

Businesses: Submit Your Reopen Proposal!

Governor Beshear has created a phased approach to reopen Kentucky’s economy called “Healthy at Work.”  As soon as the Governor determines that Kentucky has met certain public health benchmarks, he will begin authorizing certain qualified businesses to reopen.  More >

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Tags: coronavirus, COVID-19, employment law, re-open business

What Employers Should Know About Bringing Employees Back into the Workplace, Part II

In our first set of guidance on reopening workplaces, we focused on basics of providing a safe working environment, compliance with ADA accommodations, and the next practical steps employers should begin to take. Since then, the EEOC has published updated guidance and an FAQ, and Gov. Beshear has provided guidance on the “Healthy at Work” initiative to begin a phased reopening of the Kentucky business community. Businesses and employers must pay close attention to these forms of guidance in getting back to the new normal. More >

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Tags: coronavirus, COVID-19, employment law, employment law for employers, re-open business

What Employers Should Know About Bringing Employees Back into the Workplace.

By now, all businesses in the Commonwealth of Kentucky have experienced at least five weeks of interrupted operations. Some businesses have faced a complete shutdown, others are operating on skeleton crews, and others are fully operational but working remotely. The one thing all businesses all have in common is a desire to get back to “business as usual” once the Governor lifts the Healthy at Home restrictions. However, bringing employees back into the workplace will not be an easy task, and will certainly not be “business as usual.” In addition to the continuing obligations under the Families First Coronavirus Response Act and the CARES Act, employers will need to be mindful of other key laws in order to navigate our new normal in returning to work on-premises. More >

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Tags: ADA, CARES Act, COVID-19, Families First Coronavirus Response Act, Healthy at Home, National Labor Relations Act, Safe Work Environment

WHAT SHOULD I BE DOING NOW?

Families First Coronavirus Response Act

The last couple of weeks have felt akin to drinking from a fire hose. The laws and regulations have been coming fast and furious. Sometimes, it is overwhelming. The Families First Coronavirus Response Act (“FFCRA”) issued on March 18, 2020. Since that time, the government has issued hundreds, if not thousands, of pages of fact sheets, regulations, posters and bulletins about the Act – some of it completely contradictory. In the most recent regulations, the government estimated the “total rule familiarization cost” to all affected employers will be $295,072,691. Wow! More >

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Tags: coronavirus, COVID-19, Emergency Family and Medical Leave Expansion Act (Division C), Emergency Paid Sick Leave Act, EPSLA, Families First Coronavirus Response Act

Temporary Leave, Layoff or Pay Cuts: How to Handle Your Workforce Now That Your Business is Closed

Many states have instituted a mandatory “Stay Home” Order closing all but essential life-sustaining business. If your doors are closed, you may be making some tough decisions, and we’re here to help. Some options are outlined below.  More >

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Tags: COVID-19, employment law, employment law for employers, Furlough, Layoff or Pay Cuts, Stay at Home Order, Temporary Leave

Coronavirus and Employers: Critical Compliance Information

As the novel coronavirus, or COVID-19, has reached global pandemic status, it is critical for employers to understand how to administer their workforce in the face of the new illness, especially in light of state and federal employment laws. Luckily for employers, there is fresh guidance from several agencies on how to put team health first while protecting businesses and complying with relevant workforce laws and regulations. We have distilled that information into key points set out below. More >

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Is Your Independent Contractor Really An Employee?

Employers may choose to classify workers as independent contractors rather than employees for several reasons. Some seek to avoid employment tax, workers compensation costs, and overtime wage rates. Some hope to steer clear of employment laws such as the Fair Labor Standards Act, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act, or the Age Discrimination in Employment Act. Others simply look to independent contractors because they provide a more flexible and less permanent workforce than traditional employees. More >

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Tags: classification, employee classification, gig economy, independent contractor, Independent Contractors

What You Don’t Know about Labor Law Can Hurt You – Do You Have These Three Illegal Handbook Provisions?

You set up your business entity to shield you from liability issues, you consult with an employment attorney to ensure compliance with the Americans with Disability Act and Title VII, and you’ve made sure that your health plan and retirement accounts comply with the mandates of the Affordable Care Act and ERISA. You think you’ve covered all your bases, so you next begin work crafting common-sense policies to ensure a smoothly-operating business. And that’s when you step in it. More >

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Tags: Employee Handbook, Employee speech, employment law, employment law for employers, Labor Law, National Labor Relations Act