COVID-19 and the Holidays
As I am writing this article, it is the eve of what will likely be one of the most unique Thanksgiving holidays that any of us have experienced in our lifetimes, thanks to COVID-19. The Centers for Disease Control (“CDC”) has already issued directives that persons should not travel during the upcoming holiday season, and […]
New Workplace Requirements For Covid-19 Protections
By: Lara M. Ruggerio, Esq.Editor: Ralph R. Smith, 3rd, Esq. On October 28, 2020, Governor Murphy signed Executive Order 192, requiring employers to take certain precautions and measures to prevent the further spread of COVID-19 and safeguard employees in the workplace. According to the Executive Order, the requirements outlined therein are intended to provide a […]
COVID-19 and New Disability Obligations
In this space, I have written a couple articles on the need for employers to be aware of accommodation obligations under federal and state disability laws for those employees who are high risk for either COVID-19 exposure or more serious health problems from COVID-19. I want to focus today on a different aspect of the […]
A Refresher on Handling Reasonable Accommodations
In this current age of COVID-19, employers are seeing more and more requests from employees seeking a workplace reasonable accommodation. Some of these requests emanate from the employee’s own health condition that increases risks for COVID-19 complications. On the other hand, some employees are seeking to avoid coming into work because close family members have […]
Vaccines and the Workplace
Anyone watching the news today has seen report after report about a possible vaccine for the coronavirus and the speedy progress being made towards its development. This vaccine is hoped by many to be the cure all to allow the world to go back to some semblance of the normalcy that existed before the commencement […]
Is the Government Travel Advisory an Enforceable Order?
As most of us know, the Governors of New Jersey, New York, and Connecticut have issued a “travel advisory” indicating that those who travel from certain states must quarantine for a period of 14-days after the last contact with those states. Is this “advisory” an enforceable order? Well, this topic is becoming one of the […]
EEOC Clarifies Allowable COVID 19 Testing For Employees
Over the last several months, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (“EEOC”) has continued to refine its past issued Guidances on what employers can do to safeguard employees from COVID-19 workplace exposure. One such measure that employers can utilize is mandating that all employees be tested for COVID-19. But previously the EEOC never said what type of testing […]
COVID-19 and The High Risk Employee
With businesses reopening thanks to modifications of state stay at home orders, employers are beginning to contemplate what their new work environments will look like when employees return. Over the past several months, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (‘EEOC”) has provided guidance to employers regarding the ways that a company can safeguard its workplace in […]
Strategies for Re-Opening Smart in the (Post) COVID World
You have been watching the news, waiting, or in some cases desperately waiting for the government to “re-open the economy.” There are steps you can and should take to prepare your company to open safe legally. Human Resources: The world of HR changed rapidly during the pandemic. The federal and state governments passed new laws […]
EEOC Updates Guidance On COVID-19 Workplace Prevention
Last month, I wrote an article outlining the steps that employers may take to guard against coronavirus in their workplace. Thanks to a recent Guidance issued by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (“EEOC”), employers were able to implement several steps, such as taking employee temperatures and insisting that employees stay home if sick, to prevent COVID 19 […]
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