As COVID-19 continues to change the lives of everyday Americans, there have been some new practices that are either strongly recommended or required and are quickly becoming the new normal. Below is a list of the most common ones and some of the legal implications to keep you out of trouble;
- Telecommuting
To the extent that you can, having employees work remotely is a great option. Personally, I never understood why billers ever come into the office. But keep in mind that every time you require your telecommuting employee to work, they have to be paid. So having someone work from home isn’t a free for all where you can ask them questions at all hours. Also, laws requiring break and lunch times are still in effect so you need to ensure that your employees are following them. I’m a big fan of software that tracks an employee’s use of a computer from home, there are tons of free ones out there. Make sure that you are the one that bought the laptop, that you have remote access to the laptop, and that your employee handbook states that there is no expectation of privacy.
- The Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA)
So the FFCRA is an expansion of the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA). Chances are that your practice has never had to deal with FMLA because your practice has fewer than 50 employees. The FFCRA got rid of that threshold and included every business of less than 500 employees. So, while based on the size of your practice, FFCRA would apply; if you are medical or dental office, it does not apply to you. Under the FFCRA those defined as “health care providers” are exempt from FFCRA leave requirements. That’s great news, it means that your office can largely run as it had before, in relation to leave laws anyway. If you want to see the definition yourself, here’s the Department of Labor Q&A on the topic.
It’s hard to navigate CA employment law in general and the sheer volume and variety of regulations and advice is overwhelming. If you want help navigating through this, email me HERE and I’ll walk you through it.
Best of luck and stay safe out there!
