From an employer's perspective, a crisis such as the COVID-19 pandemic raises many issues and highlights the importance of nurturing every company's most valuable asset: its people. Here we provide a high-level overview of our developing thoughts to help our clients navigate the current environment which, in many ways, feels like uncharted territory. The considerations outlined in our piece are intended to provide a framework for how to manage current issues without losing sight of long-term goals.

• Providing a Safe Work Environment
• Workers with Symptoms
• Traveling Employees without Symptoms
• Recommendations for Implementing Guidelines
• Reviewing and Updating Policies and Agreements
• Handling Common Wage and Hour Issues
• Assessing Unemployment Insurance and Workers’ Compensation Coverage
• Considering the Implications of the ADA
• Understanding the Policies and Procedures that Are Acceptable under the EEOC’s Pandemic Preparedness in the Workplace and the ADA Guidance
• Understanding FMLA Leave – Unpaid But Job Protected
• Adopting a Leave Donation Program
• Understanding Implications of Layoffs or Plant Closings and the WARN Act
• Tailoring a Remote Work or Telecommuting Policy to an Employer’s Needs
• Understanding COVID-19 and its Impact on Employer Health Plans
• Considering Impact of Pandemic on Executive Compensation Arrangements

To view the full article outlining guidance for each consideration, please click here.

If you have any questions regarding the above issues, please contact Jennifer Trulock, Mark Bodron, or Robin Melman, members of Baker Botts’ Labor and Employment and Employee Benefits teams.

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