Resources

Where do I post the Families First Coronavirus Response Act Notice? 

The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES) has now been signed into law on March 27, 2020. It is a mammoth bill of over 880 pages, and contains many employee benefit-related items. This post deals with two health and welfare items: over-the-counter drugs and telemedicine.

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected every one of us, and we are each processing it differently.  Never before in my lifetime have I experienced a shelter-in-place order.  This is a big adjustment for all of us, and Forbes recently posted an article with some mental health practices that are helpful during this pandemic.

In an IRS News Release (IR 2020-57) issued on March 20, 2020, the IRS and DOL announced that they will provide guidance sometime during the next week that employers with fewer than 500 employees may retain payroll taxes withheld from employees’ paychecks for the tax credits that are provided in the Families First Coronavirus Response Act.

Read more for a list of benefits that you may be legally required to provide, simply because the government says to.

Last week the Michigan Appeals Court issued a published opinion ruling that an employee injured while travelling from home to work did have a valid workers' compensation claim.

As of March 11, it is reported that the global death toll from the virus is now around 4,300. COVID-19 has infected over 119,500 people across the world and spread to more than 80 countries and territories so far.  There have been 30 reported deaths in the United States with over 1,000 reported cases.  Two cases are now being reported in Michigan (Wayne County – domestic travel identified and currently in isolation; Oakland County – international travel identified and under review by county officials). 
 

A strengths-based culture helps organizations attract top talent, bring out the best performance in every employee, and strengthens the organization’s ability to grow.  It can strongly differentiate one company from another.

According to new survey from Business Group on Health, a majority of large employers here in the U.S. are working to expand their paid leave benefits.  The 2020 Employers’ Leave Strategy and Transformation Survey found that most employers are adding or considering new types of paid leaves or increasing the number of days available for leave. 

Facial recognition software is becoming less niche and more prevalent in everyday life. Facial recognition is a biometric technology that uses distinguishable facial features to identify a person.  The issue is whether our rights to privacy are outweighed by images found on the internet.