​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 agency issued earlier in the year about the operation of the federal Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) and the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) in workplace situations involving COVID-19. 

​The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has changed employees’ daily lives and routines, and even as businesses reopen, many employees are feeling the effects of the pandemic. As businesses reopen, employers must consider how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected employees, which in turn will affect their post-coronavirus return to work. 

The COVID-19 pandemic has tested the well-being of employees everywhere. In addition to the physical and mental stress the coronavirus has caused, many workers are experiencing a financial strain as well. As such, employers should continue to consider how their total rewards packages resonate with the current employment market.

As COVID-19 continues to spread throughout the United States, there has been a massive upheaval of the American workplace. Employers have found themselves drafting and implementing policies and procedures addressing a wide array of issues including remote work, layoffs, furloughs, pay cuts, workplace conditions and many more. Not surprisingly, the uncertainty wrought by COVID-19 has left employers at an increased risk of exposure to employment-related claims alleging wrongful termination, discrimination, retaliation and many others.
​

The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has had far-reaching effects on all aspects of business and society—including health savings accounts (HSAs). The federal government has enacted legislation designed to provide relief during the COVID-19 pandemic, and these laws have created changes to HSAs. 
​

Even the most optimistic person will concede that the world won’t be returning to exactly how it was before the coronavirus pandemic. This pandemic has impacted nearly every aspect of life in the United States and beyond: Jobs have been lost, stocks have plummeted and no one is sure when a new “normal” will arrive.
​

The recently enacted $2 trillion stimulus law aimed at providing financial assistance during the coronavirus outbreak also includes a key change on how health savings accounts and flexible spending accounts can be used. 
​

As the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic continues to have an unprecedented effect on daily life, many business owners are looking forward to the future and a return to normalcy. However, even when stay-at-home orders are lifted and nonessential businesses are allowed to resume operations, there’s a lot for organizations to consider before they reopen their doors. What’s more, many of these considerations are workplace-specific and could be more involved depending on the industry you operate in.

To protect their customers and employees alike, it’s important for organizations to do their due diligence before opening their business back up to the public following the COVID-19 pandemic.
​

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has issued guidance for discontinuing home isolation following a COVID-19 diagnosis. The CDC also issued guidance for what essential workers should do following exposure to COVID-19.

This guidance should be used for informational purposes and should not supersede the instructions given to employees by their health care provider. 

The $2 trillion Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act stimulus law to help American workers and businesses weather the outbreak has a number of provisions that employers and their workers need to know about, including:

• Extended unemployment benefits
• Requiring health plans to cover COVID-19-related costs
• Small Business Administration (SBA) disaster loans
• Loans for large corporations