Vigilant Blog
News, trends and analysis in employment law, HR, safety & workers' comp
Nov
05
2020
Q&A: Completing Form I-9 when different people inspect documents
Question: We hired an employee a few months ago who has been working remotely during the pandemic. Our HR manager remotely inspected the Form I-9 verification documents at the time of hire. The employee will now be reporting to a physical location and the onsite manager will be inspecting the…
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Nov
05
2020
OREGON: Face covering requirements updated for all workplaces
Governor Kate Brown and the Oregon Health Authority (OHA) recently revised the statewide face covering guidance, which impacts all employers in the state. The new guidance mandates that face coverings be worn in all “public and private workplaces,” including any indoor or outdoor place where people work. As we previously reported, private…
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Nov
04
2020
WEBINAR: The Aftermath of 2020 - Mental Illness at Work, 12/3/20
2020 was historic in ways no one expected. As the year ends and COVID-19 fatigue sets in (along with a healthy dose of economic uncertainty, political fights, and social unrest), mental health is becoming one of the biggest challenges facing employees and their employers. Unlike physical injuries, mental illness can…
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Oct
15
2020
WASHINGTON: More rule changes for Paid Family and Medical Leave
The Washington Employment Security Department (ESD) continues to tinker with the state’s Paid Family and Medical Leave (PFML) rules, finalizing more changes on October 2, 2020. These latest rules mainly relate to legislative changes passed this year in SHB 2614 and minor tweaks to a handful of definitions. The revised rules are…
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Oct
01
2020
Form I-9 remote inspection extended until November 19, 2020
The Department of Homeland Security has again extended its temporary relaxation of the standards for physically inspecting a new worker's employment eligibility documents when completing the Form I-9. This is the fifth extension of the relaxed standard, which will now expire on November 19, 2020. As we originally reported, Homeland Security relaxed the requirement for employers operating…
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Oct
01
2020
CALIFORNIA: New COVID-19 exposure notice and reporting obligations
Governor Gavin Newsom has signed AB 685, which will require employers to provide employees with specific notice after becoming aware of a potential COVID-19 exposure in the workplace. The new law also gives the Division of Occupational Safety and Health (CalOSHA) the authority to shut down a facility if it’s deemed to…
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Oct
01
2020
CALIFORNIA: Workers’ comp presumed for COVID-19 illness
California employees who test positive for COVID-19 (coronavirus) will have an easier time getting workers’ compensation benefits thanks to Senate Bill 1159, signed by Governor Gavin Newsom on September 17, 2020. As we previously reported, Governor Newsom issued an executive order in May creating this same presumption, but that order expired in…
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Oct
01
2020
CALIFORNIA: New required COVID-19 paid sick leave posters released
As we previously reported, a recent California law expanded COVID-19 supplemental paid sick leave (SPSL) to all California employees, which has resulted in a new required posting for covered employers, as well as an updated SPSL poster for food sector workers. Pursuant to an executive order that Governor Newsom signed in…
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Oct
01
2020
CALIFORNIA: San Francisco enacts additional COVID-19 job protections
Effective September 11, 2020, employers in San Francisco face steep penalties if they take adverse action against workers who are absent or request time off because they test positive for COVID-19, or because they isolate or quarantine due to COVID-19 symptoms or exposure. The new ordinance offers job protections for…
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Oct
01
2020
CALIFORNIA: Sacramento County implements paid sick leave law
Effective October 1, 2020, covered employers in unincorporated Sacramento County must provide paid sick leave to eligible workers for qualifying, COVID-19-related reasons, and all employers in unincorporated Sacramento County must implement specific COVID-19-related safety protocols and practices in their facilities. Under the Sacramento County Worker Protection, Health and Safety Act…
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