Up to the Minute Update: New Federal Department of Labor Regulations on the Families First Coronavirus Response Act Take Effect on September

For those of you who attended Skelton Taintor & Abbott’s discussion about accommodating parents in the workplace with the Lewiston/Auburn Chamber of Commerce last week, it may come as no surprise that the federal Department of Labor (DOL) has just issued new regulations that respond directly to a recent New York ruling invalidating several portionsRead More

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

No Mask, No Service. What you need to know about the laws on face coverings in public places

You’ve seen the signs.  Maybe you’ve even posted them if your company is open to the public.  “No Mask, No Service” postings are showing up more frequently throughout Maine and around the country.  So, what are your rights as a business to post such a notice? In Maine, the Executive Order is controlling and hasRead More

CDC Issues New Guidance on Workplace Testing

To test or not to test?  The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has recently issued new guidance for employers to consider when engaging in COVID-19 viral testing under several common scenarios.  The new guidance (available HERE) emphasizes that employer should be strategic and have plan in place for testing.  Here’s what theRead 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