In the four years since the COVID-19 pandemic made “telework” a household name, many employers have permitted employees to stay home or work a hybrid schedule. However, more and more employers are requiring employees to return to in-person work. As a result, we receive a lot of questions on the topic, some of which are highlighted below.
Articles Discussing Workplace Issues Related to the Coronavirus (COVID-19)
What Employers Should Know About the Latest CDC COVID-19 Guidance
It has been almost exactly four years since the COVID-19 pandemic changed the American working landscape. Many of us followed the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) through multiple changes and guidance, including from no mask, to mask, to no mask. On March 1, 2024, the CDC changed the
That’s A Wrap! CDC Reduces Recommended COVID-19 Isolation Period
On March 1, 2024, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced that it is updating its COVID-19 guidance and is no longer recommending that individuals who test positive for COVID-19 isolate for five days. The agency is recommending a new, “unified approach” to respiratory viruses, including not only COVID-19
COVID-19 Requirements Lift in 2024
Although many new employment laws went into effect on January 1, 2024, several COVID-19-related regulations and requirements expire this year.
Hospitality and Service Industries Should Be On Alert For Extended COVID-19 Re-Hire Rights
By: Hospitality and Service Industries Should Be On Alert For Extended COVID-19 Re-Hire Rights
Employees in certain covered hospitality and service sectors, who were laid-off for reasons related to the COVID-19 pandemic, were granted another year of extended re-hire rights through December 31, 2025 under Senate Bill 723.
In April
Federal Courts in Wisconsin and Kentucky Issue Decisions in Favor of Employers Facing COVID-19–Related Legal Issues
In September 2023, federal trial courts in Wisconsin and Kentucky issued decisions dismissing plaintiffs’ claims related to employers’ COVID-19 vaccination and testing requirements.
IRS Finalizes Rules to Collect Taxes on Erroneously Claimed Employee Retention Credits and Other COVID-19 Tax Credits
The U.S. Department of the Treasury and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) have finalized rules for the recapture of erroneously claimed Employee Retention Credits (ERC) and other tax credits provided to employers for COVID-19 paid sick and family leave, treating them as an underpayment of taxes that may be assessed
COVID-19 Flexibilities For Remote I-9 Document Review Ending; Employers Must Resume Physical Inspections of Employment Authorization and Identity Documents On August 1, 2023
Executive Summary: COVID-19 flexibilities for I-9 document inspection will sunset on July 31, 2023, and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is allowing an additional 30 days to complete physical inspection of documents for employees who previously completed the I-9 process remotely during the temporary flexibilities. Employers should plan ahead to ensure that all required physical inspection of identity and employment eligibility documents is completed by August 30, 2023.
COVID-19 Relief for High Deductible Health Plans Expires in 2024
Employers’ high deductible health plans (HDHPs) can continue to cover COVID-19 testing and treatment without violating the eligibility rules for health savings accounts (HSAs)—but only through 2024—under new Internal Revenue Service (IRS) guidance.
COVID Supplemental Paid Sick Leave (SPSL) Relief Program Opens for Eligible Entities
Some good news for small California employers and non-profits that paid Supplemental Paid Sick Leave (SPSL) in 2022. Small businesses may apply for grants up to $50,000 to reimburse them for sums paid for COVID-19 related paid sick leave. The Small Business and Nonprofit COVID-19 Supplemental Paid Sick Leave Relief Grant Program has limited availability that will be awarded on a first-come, first-serve basis. A tiered system based on the total amount that an employer paid in COVID paid sick leave in 2022 will determine eligibility.
CMS Withdraws COVID-19 Vaccine Mandate
In conjunction with the Biden administration’s declaration that the COVID-19 national public health emergency ended effective May 11, 2023, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced it would “soon end” its mandatory vaccination requirement and that additional guidance would be forthcoming.
CMS COVID-19 Vaccination, Testing Requirements to Formally End This Summer
The Biden-Harris Administration announced on May 1, 2023, that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) would soon be eliminating COVID-19 vaccination requirements for healthcare providers. On May 31, 2023, CMS issued the awaited Final Rule.
Online Studies Policy to Resume for Foreign Students as COVID-19 Flexibility Ends
With the end of the COVID-19 National Emergency in the United States, the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) has reinstated its preexisting policy regarding online classes.
Accordingly, for the 2023-24 academic year (starting fall 2023), students will have to comply with the SEVP’s pre-COVID-19 restrictions. Students will be able
The COVID-19 Emergency Declaration Has Ended—But Do the Accommodations Continue?
On May 11, 2023, the COVID-19 public health emergency ended, creating uncertainty as to employers’ continued obligation to accommodate employees due to pandemic-related reasons. The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has sought to address these questions through an update that it issued on May 15, 2023, to its COVID-19
The End of COVID-19 Government Regulations in Puerto Rico? Governor Declares the End of the State of Emergency
On May 11, 2023, Puerto Rico Governor Hon. Pedro Pierluisi issued Executive Order No. 2023-012 (“EO 2023-012” or “EO”), through which he declared the end of the state of emergency caused by COVID-19.1 Governor Pierluisi reiterated, however, that the Secretary of the Puerto Rico Department of Health (“PR DOH”) retains