HR Q&A

WHAT KEY POINTS SHOULD EMPLOYERS KNOW ABOUT THE FAMILIES FIRST CORONAVIRUS RESPONSE ACT (FFCRA)?

As part of the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) signed into law by President Trump on March 18, 2020, two laws were enacted that provide workers with paid leave for reasons related to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.- • The “Emergency Family and Medical Leave

Expansion Act” allows 12 weeks of partially compensated FMLA leave to care for a child whose school or child care facility has been closed due to COVID-19. • The “Emergency Paid Sick Leave Act” requires employers to provide 80 hours of paid sick time to employees in specified circumstances related to COVID-19 exposure and prevention. The legislation requires covered employers to post a notice of the FFCRA requirements in a conspicuous place on its premises. The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) has provided separate versions of this notice for federal and nonfederal employees. Employers should familiarize themselves with the new leave requirements to ensure compliance. The DOL issued the following frequently asked questions (FAQs) regarding this notice requirement. See www.dol.gov for more information or contact the Manufacturer & Business Association’s HR Hotline at 814/833-3200, 800/815-2660 or email hrservices@mbausa.org.

Tips for Engaging Telecommuting Employees

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has caused unprecedented changes for many industries. As social distancing is encouraged, gatherings with more than 10 people were banned and stay-at-home or shelter-in-place orders for all nonessential employees were issued, many employers have asked their employees to work from home. For some employees, working from home is business as usual. For others, this may be the first time they’ve telecommuted. This working arrangement may seem exciting at first, but it can lose its luster over time, resulting in disengaged employees. And, when employees aren’t engaged, their productivity and motivation can suffer. It’s up to managers to keep their telecommuting employees engaged. Listed below are five ways you can keep employees engaged while they work from home during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond.

Prioritize Communication

Remote employees can often feel like they’re left out of the loop. As such, it’s important for managers to communicate on a daily basis. Consider scheduling a daily check-in to see how employees are doing during this new working arrangement and if you can do anything to help them. Be sure to communicate any important company news as it presents itself, too.

Set Expectations

Be sure to communicate your expectations of your employees while they work from home. Employees who are aware of what your expectations are will be more motivated to meet those expectations. If you want employees to be online for specific hours of the day, communicate that. If you want a daily report of what they are working on, be sure to ask. For more information, contact the Association’s HR & Legal Services team at 814/833-3200, 800/815-2660 or hrservices@mbausa.org.

Rose Bruno, PHR, SHRM-CP, is an HR consultant at the Manufacturer & Business Association. Contact her at rbruno@mbausa.org.