Lawsuits surge as employees say employers aren’t doing enough to protect them from COVID-19. HR expert Rob Wilson explains the legal duties employers have when it comes to COVID-19 protections in the workplace.

New data shows that workplace lawsuits are on the rise as thousands of employees are filing COVID-19 related claims against their employer. From claims that allege their employer didn’t put proper COVID-19 precautions into practice in the workplace to claims that ill workers were not permitted appropriate leave, it’s clear that employers need to be better educated about their responsibilities for creating a COVID-19 compliant workplace.

Rob Wilson, employment trends expert and President of Employco USA, says that employees are suing companies for not providing PPE, for not implementing temperature checks, for not requiring customers to wear masks, and for not adhering to proper cleaning and sanitation protocol.

“This is brand-new territory for all of us, and, understandably, some employers are struggling to keep up with the many precautions needed to keep the workplace safe from COVID-19,” says Wilson. “It doesn’t help that precautions are always changing—for example, COVID-19 quarantine protocol has shifted in recent months, and we expect that regulations will only continue to become reconfigured as the vaccine rolls out.”

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HR expert discusses employers’ rights and responsibilities this holiday season

Many employees were asked to sign waivers promising their employers that they would not travel or attend mass gatherings this Thanksgiving season. As we head into another round of holidays, it is expected that even more employers will ask employees to refrain from traveling or gathering with their families. But do employers have this right, and to what extent can companies enforce these COVID-19 policies?

“Yes, employers have the right to ask employees not to travel, and to even formally discipline if they do so,” says Rob Wilson, President of Employco USA and human resources expert. “For example, we have seen cases in which a worker has posted examples of their risky behavior on social media, such as going to a bar and not wearing a mask, or having a large party with friends indoors. When this is brought to the employer’s attention, they have the right and even the responsibility to discuss this problematic issue with the employee and cut the worker’s hours or take them off the schedule until they are proven virus-free.”

This will be happening a lot as we get deeper in the holiday season, says Wilson, and employers should become well-versed on how to handle employees who boldly refuse to limit their social interactions.

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Human resources expert Rob Wilson weighs in on COVID-19 vaccines and the workplace 

Qantas Airlines made global news this week when their CEO said they would require international travelers to be vaccinated for COVID-19.

“It’s called a digital vaccination passport, and we are expecting many airlines will follow suit and require their passengers to submit proof of their immunization,” says Rob Wilson, President of Employco USA and human resources expert. “Of course, this means that not only will internationally-bound passengers on Qantas Airlines need to be immunized,  but so will their employees.”

This raises one of the most pressing and complicated human resources issues of our time, says Wilson. Can employers require their employees or prospective employees to be vaccinated if they want to retain or attain a position at their company?

“Well, the short answer is yes,” says Wilson. “There is a precedent that has been set which allows for healthcare employers to require their medical staff to be immunized, and the same is true for those who work in the armed forces or in certain federal or state jobs. But, until now, most employers outside of these branches have not issued company-wide requirements for immunizations.”

However, Wilson says, that’s about to change.

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