Reality Reset: Employer Operations In a Pandemic and Beyond | 2021 Webinar Series No images? Click here Reality Reset: Employer Operations The COVID-19 pandemic has presented a variety of new challenges for Community Action Agencies (CAAs) in their role as employers. Many CAAs were forced to temporarily adjust or shut down some of their operations in response to state orders, and some have transitioned to a remote or hybrid workforce as a result. As the reopening process continues, employers will face new questions about who, how, and when to bring employees back into the workplace. This five-part webinar series, presented by experts in the legal and finance fields, tackles key HR and tax issues that CAAs are facing. A Shot in the Arm or a Shot in the Foot? As numerous COVID-19 vaccines become available and accessible to the workforce, CAAs across the country are considering whether they have the right to require that their employees be vaccinated and whether other options are available to encourage voluntary vaccinations. Understanding the legal questions associated with implementing an employee vaccination policy is key to ensuring that such a policy effectively protects your employees and your community. In this webinar, we will discuss some of the legal issues associated with employee vaccination policies, including protections afforded certain industries for vaccination program planners, plus addressing how to evaluate reasonable accommodations, direct threat analysis, and liability for adverse events stemming from vaccinations. Date: Thursday, February 18, 2021 Tax and Accounting Compliance from a (Social) Distance Tax laws and accounting rules can be difficult to understand and navigate, even outside of a global pandemic. As CAAs continue to adopt remote work arrangements, the tax implications of moving employees out of the physical workplace and across state borders may not be immediately apparent. In this session, we will discuss a variety of issues pertaining to how state and federal tax laws may apply to a CAA that has implemented a remote work arrangement. We will also address the rules that finance departments may run into as they oversee the transition to a remote or hybrid workplace. Date: Thursday, February 25, 2021 Home Sweet Office: Federal wage and hour, workers' compensation, and safety laws are integral to maintaining safety and wellbeing in the workplace. However, given the unorthodox nature of many remote work arrangements, it can be hard to know exactly how these laws should be applied to a remote workforce. Payment of exempt employees, tracking non-exempt time, and other familiar tasks in traditional workplaces can seem alien and difficult to navigate in the context of remote or hybrid work arrangements. Furthermore, ensuring employee safety often involves making tough decisions that could result in layoffs or furloughs that trigger employer responsibilities under federal and state notice laws like the WARN Act. In this session, we will address wage and hour laws, workers' compensation, OSHA, and other employment law issues and discuss how they apply to remote working. Date: Thursday, March 4, 2021 Working Remotely or Remotely Working? As many CAAs implement hybrid work arrangement, with some employees working remotely and others on-site, they have encountered new challenges related to successfully motivating, evaluating, and disciplining their employees. In this session, we will explore the impact of partially remote workforces on an employer's ability to manage employee expectations and performance, and will discuss how performance evaluations, disciplinary measures, accommodation requests, leave policies, and other constructive employer-employee communication practices have evolved to adapt to the ways in which CAAs are operating. Date: Thursday, March 11, 2021 Making Remote Work Work: Policies and Pitfalls A successful remote work arrangement requires that employees and their employer both understand their roles and obligations. Therefore, a clear, thorough, and easy-to-understand remote work policy is a key component of a successful remote work arrangement. As important as such a policy may be, it can be difficult to know what to include – and what not to include – to ensure it sets realistic expectations so it can be easily followed and implemented. In this webinar, we will review CAPLAW's new sample remote work policy and discuss ways in which CAAs and employees may take advantage of the flexibilities inherent to certain recommended policy provisions. Date: Thursday, March 18, 2021 These trainings are part of the Community Services Block Grant (CSBG) Legal Training and Technical Assistance (T/TA) Center. They were created by Community Action Program Legal Services, Inc. (CAPLAW) in the performance of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, Office of Community Services Cooperative Agreement – Grant Award Number 90ET0467-03-02. Any opinion, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in these materials are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families. The contents of this publication are intended to convey general information only and do not constitute legal advice. Any communication through this publication or through CAPLAW’s website does not constitute or create an attorney-client relationship. If you need legal advice, please contact CAPLAW or another attorney directly. |