Vigilant Blog
News, trends and analysis in employment law, HR, safety & workers' comp
Nov
04
2021
Cal/OSHA updates FAQs on quarantine for unvaccinated workers
Cal/OSHA recently updated the FAQs for its COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS) to allow a shortened quarantine period for unvaccinated workers who are exposed to the virus. The ETS, which took effect on June 17, 2021, requires most unvaccinated workers who are exposed to COVID-19 (coronavirus) to quarantine for at…
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Nov
04
2021
CALIFORNIA: Health care vaccine mandate expands to more workers
On September 28, 2021, California’s Department of Public Health (CDPH) issued an order expanding mandatory COVID-19 (coronavirus) vaccines in the health care industry to include workers in adult and senior care facilities and in-home direct care settings. The order, Adult Care Facilities and Direct Care Worker Vaccine Requirement, says these workers must…
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Oct
28
2021
12/2 WEBINAR RECORDING: Where are my employees?! How to fix five modern attendance dilemmas.
Even before COVID-19 completely changed traditional work practices, reliable employee attendance was a challenge. Jobs—whether remote or not—require time spent on task. However, Millennial and Gen Z employees want to work when they want and where they want. And new state and federal laws give employees more time off of work for…
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Oct
21
2021
WASHINGTON: Seattle and SeaTac increase minimum wages in 2022
The minimum wage in both Seattle and SeaTac will exceed $17.00 an hour as of January 1, 2022. The City of Seattle is increasing its minimum wage requirement to $17.27 per hour for most employers. Seattle’s minimum wage rates apply to all non-exempt employees for all hours they work within the city…
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Oct
21
2021
Still waiting on federal OSHA COVID-19 ETS
According to news reports, federal OSHA submitted its draft COVID-19 (coronavirus) emergency temporary standard (ETS) to the Office of Management and Budget on October 12, 2021. As we previously reported, President Biden ordered OSHA to draft the ETS, requiring employers with 100 or more employees to ensure workers are vaccinated…
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Oct
21
2021
Q&A: HIPAA doesn’t apply to employee information
Question: We implemented a mandatory COVID-19 (coronavirus) vaccine policy for all employees. Some employees are refusing to produce proof of vaccination status because they believe they have the right to refuse under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). We’re a private employer operating a manufacturing facility. Does HIPAA apply to…
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Oct
21
2021
OFCCP rushes to extract settlements at close of FY 2021
The Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) raced to secure financial settlements from federal contractors at the close of the agency’s 2021 fiscal year, which ended on September 30, 2021. After conducting routine affirmative action audits of selected companies, the OFCCP alleged discriminatory practices in compensation and hiring. Each of the…
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Oct
07
2021
WASHINGTON: 5th update to COVID-19 temporary worker housing rules
On September 24, 2021, Washington’s Departments of Labor & Industries (L&I) and Health made very minor updates to the existing COVID-19 (coronavirus) safety rules for temporary worker housing (TWH) in the agriculture industry to align with Governor Inslee’s current “Washington Ready” Proclamation (20-25.17). As a reminder, as of the end of June the agriculture industry no longer has its own COVID-19 safety compliance…
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Oct
07
2021
WASHINGTON: Minimum wage and exempt salary increase in 2022
The state of Washington has announced increases in the minimum wage rate and the exempt salary thresholds for employees, effective January 1, 2022. These increases impact several state wage requirements that you’ll want to be aware of if you have employees in Washington. The cities of Seattle and SeaTac have higher…
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Oct
07
2021
Voluntary FFCRA and associated tax credits end
As of September 30, 2021, tax credits are no longer available for employers who have been voluntarily complying with the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) since the beginning of the year. In March 2020, former President Trump signed the FFCRA, which required employers with fewer than 500 employees to…
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