COVID-19Employee BenefitsHarassment & DiscriminationLeave LawsWage and Hour  

ALERT: New federal law provides paid leave for COVID-19 absences

Alert: New federal law provides paid leave for COVID-19 absences President Trump has signed the Families First Coronavirus Response Act, an economic stimulus package that offers employees certain emergency protections for absences related to the coronavirus (COVID-19). This new law will have a major impact on employers throughout 2020, as it…

COVID-19DisabilityLeave LawsSafety and Health  

Alert: Coronavirus pandemic raises numerous workplace questions

The United States has been hard hit by coronavirus in the past week and Vigilant has received a variety of questions from members about this evolving situation. We previously reported on how to handle situations with employees who seek to return to the workplace after traveling to areas affected by…

COVID-19Leave LawsSafety and Health  

Alert: Coronavirus questions increase along with potential impact on workplace

As the United States has seen a few outbreaks of coronavirus (COVID-19) along the West Coast in the past week, Vigilant has received a variety of questions from members about this evolving situation. We previously reported on how to handle situations with employees who seek to return to the workplace…

Q&A: Do we have to cut ties with a valuable employee who harassed someone?

Question: We have a manager who is great at keeping production on pace and running efficiently, but he has a hard time getting along with other people. He recently said some really inappropriate things to one of his employees. Normally we would terminate for this behavior, but he is our…

DisabilityEmployee BenefitsEmployee Classifications  

Best practice idea: Follow up after making disability accommodation

One of our Vigilant members has implemented a best practice that we think is worth sharing: annual check-ins with employees who are receiving workplace accommodations under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Annual Check-In: What’s Involved The company sends the employee a letter each year, reviewing what accommodations have been made and asking: (1)…

Q&A: Pay equity analysis not a quick fix

Question: We’re concerned about new state laws on equal pay, and we don’t know where to start with a pay equity analysis. How do we get a handle on our potential exposure?

Q&AHarassment & Discrimination  

Q&A: Informal harassment complaints should be taken seriously

Question: Our harassment policy specifies how employees should report issues to the company. If no one formally reports inappropriate behavior, do we need to do anything about it? Also, can we discipline an employee for not following our reporting procedures?

Drug and Alcohol  

Q&A: Address employee’s failure to follow drug testing procedures

Question: When an employee is selected for a random drug test, we instruct them to report directly to the testing facility, which is only about five minutes away. One employee recently took two hours to get there. He passed the drug test, so can we do anything about his delay in getting to the testing facility?

Q&AWage and Hour  

Q&A: Be careful when considering a settlement for back wages

Question: We recently conducted a self-audit and discovered that we underpaid one employee for wages earned. If we pay her the past wages owed and ask her to sign something releasing us from liability, are we covered?

OREGON Q&A: What happens when Veterans Day falls on a Saturday?

Question: Under Oregon law, we know that veterans have the right to take Veterans Day off if they request it. This year Veterans Day (November 11) falls on a Saturday and we don’t normally work on weekends. Do we have to allow a veteran employee to take a different day off in observation of Veterans Day?