The information provided are just suggestions not regulations and only valid at the time of writing. Please stay in tune with your local and state authorities.
Below are some sample policies you may want to implement for a limited-time or as a regular practice. Language can be changed as needed or contact Affinity HR Group (contact@affinityHRGroup.com) to help you develop a custom policy or procedure for your workplace.
Temporary work from home
In response to a declared state of emergency, a mandated quarantine, and/or the closing of a child’s school or day care, [COMPANY NAME] will implement this temporary work-from-home policy for regular employees who can perform some or all of their job duties away from the worksite. Employees needing or wanting to work from home should contact [TITLE OF MANAGEMENT] for approval prior to working from home.
Employees are responsible for having enough work at home to be productive for their expected number of hours and should be available to management, co-workers, and/or clients during regular work hours when possible. Employees must have the proper connections such as phone and internet which will not be provided at any cost to the Company. Non-exempt employees must track all hour worked and no off-the-clock work will be allowed.
There will be no expectation for the continuation of the work-from-home arrangement upon conclusion of the emergency situation.
Sending sick employee home
As a reminder, to meet our obligation for providing a healthy and safe workplace for all employees, the Company has the right to send employees who are exhibiting symptoms of illness home. Employees who are sent home may or may not receive pay and will be allowed to use available paid time off for missed time. Before returning to work, employees [will be / may be] required to provide a release to work from a health care provider.
Leave of absence
In response to recent events, [COMPANY NAME] will offer all employees (except temporary employees) who have completed at least six (6) months of continuous service an unpaid leave of absence for up to four (4) weeks. Employees [will be / will not be] required to use available [vacation, sick, personal / PTO].
During the leave, [COMPANY NAME] will hold the employee’s job and will continue to provide any active health insurance benefits. The employee will be responsible for paying their portion of the premium payment to the Company. No paid time off, including vacation, will accumulate during this time. Employees on an approved unpaid leave may not perform work for the Company, may not perform work for another Company (with or without pay), and/or conduct a search for another job.
A doctor’s note or communication from a health official detailing the circumstances and duration of leave may be required for approval.
If the leave of absence lasts longer than four (4) weeks, [COMPANY NAME] will no longer hold the employee’s position unless a prior agreement has been made. Also, health and life insurance coverage will no longer be continued, and the employee will be eligible to continue them under COBRA.
If the employee’s leave is due to their illness, a doctor’s return-to-work note will be required before the employee may return to work.
Emergency time
To assist employees during the current state of emergency, [COMPANY NAME] is offering regular employees (not temporary) [NUMBER] days of [additional] emergency time off to help replace income lost. Emergency time pay will be based on the number of hours the employee is regularly scheduled to work.
This emergency time will be available to any employee who is impacted by COVID-19 through illness, quarantine, or lack of childcare. Employees needing this time off should request the time off as soon as need is known and may be required to provide documentation (i.e., doctor’s note or notice from health official or school).
Employees needing additional time off [can/must] use their available paid time off or take the time unpaid.
Emergency time must be used in whole-day increments and is not considered time worked for the purposes of overtime calculation.
Emergency time [will /will not] be paid in lieu of taking the actual time off. Unused emergency time will not carry over beyond the state of emergency and will not be paid out upon termination.
Housekeeping
In an effort to maintain a healthy workplace for all employees, [COMPANY NAME] is implementing strict housekeeping requirements. Employees must regularly:
- wash their hands in accordance to CDC handwashing guidelines;
- use hand sanitizer (Company-provided);
- wipe down touched surface areas with disinfectant cloths (Company-provided);
- minimize close contact such as handshakes; and
- minimize meetings in confined or closed-door spaces or with large groups.
Employees failing to meet and keep these standards will face disciplinary action.
If you have any questions about establishing policies, handling employee absences or creating a long-term plan, please reach out to Affinity HR Group (contact@affinityhrgroup.com), or call us at 877-660-6400 to help you strategize a plan based on the options and requirements of your particular circumstance.
Affinity HR Group is a national HR consulting firm. To learn more about Affinity’s services, visit www.AffinityHRGroup.com, or call them at 877-660-6400
Affinity HR Group Inc. and its consultants are not attorneys and cannot provide legal advice. Use of this document may or may not conform to legal standards. Please contact your legal counsel with any concerns related to this document or any advice/support provided by Affinity HR Group Inc.