Employment expert weighs in on what companies need to communicate to their staff
With work stoppages and shelter-in-place ordinances being instituted across the country, employers have several pressing human resources issues to consider. Rob Wilson, employment expert and President of Employco USA, comments on HR concerns that have arisen as a result of the unprecedented coronavirus pandemic.
Wilson says that employers need to cover many points with their employees, including the below:
- Changes to benefit enrollment. “Employers need to address possible pending changes to benefit enrollment programs,” says Wilson. “Let your employees know that if they would like to make a mid-year change to their benefit elections (e.g., change a dependent care flexible spending account) as a result of a qualifying event, they should contact you to request a copy of the benefit enrollment change form.”
- Paid Sick Leave and Family Medical Leave. “For companies with less than 500 employees, if you are unable to work or telework, you may be eligible for a certain level of pay continuation, if you meet certain requirements, such as if you are experiencing COVID-19 symptoms and seeking medical diagnosis, caring for an individual subject to a federal, state or local quarantine or isolation order or advised by a health care provider to self-quarantine due to COVID-19 concerns, caring for your child if the child’s school or place of care is closed or the child’s care provider is unavailable due to public health emergency, or experiencing any other substantially similar condition specified by the Secretary of Health and Human Services in consultation with the Secretary of the Treasury and the Secretary of Labor.”
- Unemployment benefits. “If an employee is subject to a lay-off, furlough or a reduction in hours, he/she may file for unemployment compensation,” explains Wilson. “Unemployment insurance is a state-operated insurance program designed to partially replace lost wages when you are out of work. Direct your employees to visit the state’s department of employment security or unemployment insurance website for more information or to apply for benefits.”
- Reassurance regarding COVID-19 treatments and preventative measures. “Most health insurance plans will be required to provide coverage for COVID-19 diagnostic testing and related services to employees and their covered dependents, without cost sharing (like deductibles, copayments and coinsurance) during the national emergency period,” says Wilson.
- Emotional support. “Let your employees know that you recognize this is a time of great stress and uncertainty. Offer a list of resources for mental health support or community programs that may help to ease the burden on your staff during this time.”
- Stay in contact with your team. “With so many companies moving to working remotely, employees are not experiencing the same interaction that they did when they were in person. We recommend keeping employees up to date with communication. Also, use video calls. There are many free services that companies can take advantage of for free department video calls, company calls, etc.”
For more on this topic, please contact Rob Wilson at rwilson@thewilsoncompanies.com.