Your Employees’ Back-to-School Blues: Accommodating Parents in the Workplace whose Children are Learning Remotely During COVID-19

The 2020 school year is here.  Instead of new binder covers and backpacks, parents are now back-to-school shopping for ergonomic desks and web-cams.  It’s the “new normal,” and parents and employers are grappling with how to handle the reality that many parents may want or need to work from home this fall due to COVID-19,Read More

The DOL Keeps it Coming!

New Guidance for Employers under the FFCRA, the FLSA and the FMLA      On Monday, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) posted another guidance blitz, this time posting questions and answers on three different websites for the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA), the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) and the Family Medical LeaveRead More

A Few Thoughts on Face Coverings in the Workplace

Jordan Payne Hay recently provided some guidance to the Maine Grocers and Food Producers Association (MGFPA) in an effort to respond to the flurry of inquires MGFPA has received on face-coverings.  (https://www.mgfpa.org/2325-2/) The law in this area is rapidly evolving, and the Governor’s newest Executive Order makes that clear . You can read the Executive Order Read More

Update: COVID-19 Workplace Reporting & New OSHA Guidance

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recently issued new guidance changing its earlier position from April 10, 2020. Now, all employers (not just employers in the health care industry, emergency-response organizations and correctional institutions) must make a report to OSHA if an employee contracts COVID-19 at work.   According to the new guidance, you mustRead More

EEOC Tackles Questions About High Risk Employees in the Workplace

After issuing some guidance and then removing it due to “misinterpretation,” the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has finally settled on answers to three important issues about accommodating certain “high risk” employees.  The EEOC’s revised guidance is meant to clarify that an employee can’t be banned from coming back to work solely because they areRead More

Getting Back to Business: What If My Employee Doesn’t Want to Come to Work?

Governor Mills’ recent announcement lifting some stay-at-home restrictions has prompted businesses to reopen their doors to both customers and employees.  Of course, with workplaces reopening comes a whole slew of new challenges for employers.  You didn’t think it would get easier, did you?  In the coming weeks, Skelton Taintor & Abbott will be hosting aRead More

Newest Answers to ‘FAQs’ from the EEOC on Reasonable Accommodations and Undue Burden During the COVID-19 Pandemic

On April 17, 2020, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) updated its Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) with regard to requests for reasonable accommodations, including temporary accommodations, the interactive process, and how an employer can establish an undue hardship defense in the age of COVID-19.  The new FAQs also begin to address what, if anything, employersRead More

Working in the Age of COVID-19: Documenting & Reporting

 As we begin to settle-in to the realization that social distancing, telecommuting, and face-masks are now part of our collective ‘new normal,’ it’s important to fully understand how your company is handling or plans to handle important employee records and documentation during this period of uncertainty.  Here are some questions to start tackling: What ShouldRead More