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Shortly before the end of 2020, Congress extended the tax credit that accompanied use of FFCRA to employers who wanted to voluntarily provide FFCRA paid leave after December 31st, 2020 through March 31, 2021. The American Rescue Plan, signed into law on March 11, 2021, extends the tax credit for voluntarily providing FFCRA leave through September 30, 2021 and makes related changes. These provisions of the relief bill include the following: Extends the tax credits available for employers who voluntarily provide FFCRA leave from March 31, 2021 to September 30, 2021. As a result, an employer could voluntarily provide an additional 10 days of FFCRA paid sick leave beginning April 1, 2021 through September 30, 2021, and would be eligible for a tax credit for doing so.

The four-day work week (or “compressed work week”), has already been in use by various companies and industries in different countries for years, and has met with varying levels of success. Andrew Barnes took his New Zealand-based company Perpetual Guardian to a four-day week and it was so successful ended up co-authoring a book about it, as well as founding a nonprofit organization dedicated to raising global awareness of the work-ability of the four-day week. A business need not shut down completely on a four-day week; a rotating schedule of days off could allow employees to still cover client and work demands and get the extra personal time that could help avoid burnout and reduce daily stress. State law compliance: states that require daily overtime, such as California, may have additional formal administrative steps to follow to ensure that a switch to an alternative workweek (one other than a traditional 40 hour/five day week), is done properly and does not run companies afoul of wage and hour laws.

In the wake of COVID-19, will there will be an increase of audits by the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) to ensure decisions and actions made by employers adjusting to COVID were lawful? Only time will tell, but INFINITI HR and our partners at Inspiring HR wants you to be prepared. See our quick reference sheet below on how to respond if the DOL comes knocking at your door. Click the link to view the recent blog: Labor Law Updates for February 2021 or check back for more on human resources, payroll, insurance, and benefits.

Some of the notable upcoming state changes in this issue are as follows: Effective in January 2021, the state of CA requires all employers of who employ minors to have Mandated Reporters in their workplace to report suspected cases of child abuse and neglect. On Dec. 30, 2020, the governor signed Senate Bill 1258 (SB 1258) into law, modifying COVID-19 worker quarantine requirements, most likely in response to updated CDC guidelines. The new law adds an exception for certain employees (i.e., health care workers, first responders, etc.) who would otherwise be subject to quarantine, who have not yet tested positive for COVID-19, and who are not experiencing symptoms, to be allowed to participate in onsite operations when necessary if their failure to do so would cause serious harm or danger to public health or safety. Employers complying with SB 1258, CDC & OSHA guidelines, executive orders, and all other relevant state and federal regulations as an affirmative defense for liability in returning employees to work.