COVID Related Workplace Lawsuits “Is your workplace providing you with proper PPE?” “Has someone you love been infected or died from COVID after workplace exposure?” “Has your employer compensated you for work from home expenses while forcing you to work remote?” As if COVID hadn’t impacted small businesses enough to begin with, employers are now the target of lawsuit ads all over the internet. Remote workers are being bombarded with, “you may be entitled to legal compensation” marketing everywhere they click, and congress has yet to pass any liability protection against COVID related lawsuits. The majority of small business owners are good people just trying to keep up with the never ending employment law updates. They don’t intentionally violate labor laws, they reward dedicated employees, and they do the best they can given the current circumstances. COVID has caused a lot of positions to transition to remote working, and that means less contact between managers and their employees. People tend to forget what is not right in front of them, so burnout overrides their ability to remember they are working for honest and ethical people who are making do with something completely out of their control. In addition to the lack of face-toface interaction, employees are bombarded with information about their “rights”, and
although everyone should be educated on their legal entitlements, the companies pushing these advertisements out do not have the employees’ best intention in mind. There is a huge difference between an employer intentionally taking advantage of their employees and an employer not being aware of the legal complexities COVID has caused in the business industry. Chico is uniquely full of incredible small business owners, and HRiQ is lucky to be able to say that nearly all of them make the necessary changes when given the information. We understand how difficult it is to stay up-todate with workers compensation laws, wage and hour issues, fluctuating employee head counts, and discrimination protections, on top of just trying to keep your business afloat. Unfortunately, COVID related lawsuits are not as forgiving, and it is critical that small business owners do as much as they can to protect themselves from liability. The law doesn’t differentiate between negligent employers and employers who understandably cannot keep up-to-date with capricious employment practices the pandemic has caused. Know what you know, what you don’t know, and who knows what you don’t know.
Shelby Chase is an HR professional. Her company, HRiQ has been helping companies in Butte County and beyond remain compliant with changing laws for years. If you could use help with HR or updating your company operations, reach out to her by calling (530) 680-4747 or emailing shelby@upyourhriq.com
21
