Welcome to HR Partners' COVID page. To receive our company newsletter, the HR Advisor, please click here.
Reopening and returning employees to the workplace during and after the COVID-19 pandemic can be a stressful as well as a rewarding time. Returning to the workplace will not be as simple as announcing the reopening or requesting employees to return. Workplaces and processes will need to be altered. Employers and organizations also need to be ready to respect and evolve to fit the needs of these returning team members.
Click here to access a Small Business Guide to Re-Opening After COVID-19.
Summer is coming up, and people want to travel (this includes your employees). Below is the link from the CDC on the current guidelines for travel:
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/travelers/index.html
If you would like to implement the Health and Travel Declaration Form with your staff, it is legally compliant. The form can be accessed here.
If you have any questions or concerns, please contact us at 233-7860.
If your business is in the State of Kansas, this pertains to your organization…
If you furloughed your employees, and it is time for them to come back to work, the paperwork that needs to be completed is attached (to inform the Department of Labor – concerning their unemployment benefits):
New Hire – if they come back to work, fill this one out and fax it in;
Job Refusal Form – if they choose to not come back to work, fill this one out and fax it in.
Questions? Concerns? Call us. 785-233-7860.
The Paycheck Protection Program (“PPP”), implemented as part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (“CARES”) Act, is designed to provide cash-flow assistance through 100% federally guaranteed loans to employers who maintain their payrolls during the COVID-19 pandemic. If employers maintain their payrolls, the loans will be forgiven. For a summary of the Program, please click here.
NEW DEVELOPMENTS. PLEASE READ…
The Department of Labor (“DOL”) updated and expanded their “Families First Coronavirus Response Act: Questions and Answers” guidance over the weekend (see attached). The guidance now includes more detailed information on the Small Business Exemption for employers with fewer than fifty (50) employees. See questions 58-59. The DOL first identifies (3) three circumstances which would satisfy the requirement that compliance with the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (“FFCRA”) will jeopardize the viability of the small business as determined by an authorized officer of the business:
The legal team (thank you, Allison) has some new updates to share with you. See below:
The DOL has released new guidance in the form of Frequently Asked Questions regarding the FFCRA. This guidance answers the three (3) main questions we have received from clients:
The Department of Labor’s guidance now includes more detailed information on the Small Business Exemption for employers with fewer than fifty (50) employees. The DOL first identifies (3) three circumstances which would satisfy the requirement that compliance with the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (“FFCRA”) will jeopardize the viability of the small business as determined by an authorized officer of the business:
If you have questions regarding the FFCRA, you can click here for answers to some of the most commonly asked questions. Additionally, you may click here to download the FFCRA Request for Emergency Paid Sick Leave and/or Expanded FMLA Form.
On March 18, 2020, Congress enacted the Families First Coronavirus Response Act. Three (3) components of the Act will directly affect employers and warrant immediate discussio: Division C - The Emergency Family and Medical Leave Expansion Act; Division E - The Emergency Paid Sick Leave Act; and Division G - Tax Credits for Paid Sick and Paid Family And Medical LEave Act. It is important to note that although this Act was signed in to law on March 18, 2020, it will not take effect until fifteen (15) days aft er the enactment date. For more information, please click here.
On December 20, 2020, Congress reached an agreement on a second stimulus package that will provide immediate aid to both individuals and businesses. This bill now must be signed by the President in order to become law. The bill will impact both the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (“FFCRA”) and loans established under the Paycheck Protection Program (“PPP”).
FFCRA. Under the bill, the FFCRA is still set to expire on December 31, 2020. However, employers may voluntarily elect to continue to provide FFCRA leave (both paid sick and paid family leave) and receive tax credits until March 31, 2021. The leave under the FFCRA does not renew. This means that any employee who has exhausted their paid leave under the FFCRA will no longer be eligible for FFCRA leave.
PPP. The second stimulus package also impacts the PPP by allocating 284 billion dollars for a second round of PPP loans, as well as clarifying PPP forgivable expenses and tax deductions for PPP expenses for both the original and second round of PPP loans. Most notably, the second stimulus package will provide the following:
Janelle Brazington
Director of Operations & Finance
Kansas Action for Children
"The HR Partners team has great follow-through and provides personal service, both highly valuable in this line of work. I can depend on them to deliver results and provide innovative solutions to complex problems."