The COVID-19 outbreak has been especially disruptive to businesses and their people. As business leaders, in moments of uncertainty or change, employees look to you for stability, reassurance, and a clear path to the light at the end of the tunnel. But how can you be the leader they need when you may not even have all the answers yourself?
BEST is prepared to help your business with a variety of assistance and resources including:
We understand that there is no playbook for addressing the myriad of challenges businesses are facing at this time. As human resource leaders, we want to extend our expertise to you and offer support wherever we can. We have certified SHRM personnel and a variety of resources available to answer any HR questions or concerns as companies are making strategic decisions.
The following are some useful tools, resources, and information. In times like these, it is essential to focus on the most critical asset we have in our business: our people.
On December 28, 2020, the President signed into law the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021 which included COVID-19 Relief. Among the many items covered for COVID-19 relief is an extension of the paid leave first created by the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA). Though the FFCRA expired at 11:59 PM on December 31, 2020, the paid leaves and the tax credits for businesses have been continued. The two important changes are the removal of the mandate that businesses with 500 or fewer employees provide this leave (providing it is now optional) and that the leave can be offered only through March 31, 2021.
The forms for policies businesses will want to have at the ready have been updated to reflect the optional nature of these paid leaves and the expiration at the end of March. They are free for download and may be adapted to fit your business and company culture. All other information contained in the below article, originally posted on April 6, 2020, remains accurate as of today. We will continue to update as new information becomes available.
ARTICLE in “Greenhouse Management” Magazine By Michael Maggiotto, Jr. and Matthew Pope
Post-Pandemic Checklist: A Human Resource Guide to Normalization of Business Operations – Whether your company has ten (10) employees or ten thousand (10,000), each will be sued the same way when employment laws are violated. Special consideration given due to the pandemic will not save your organization from being one of those. As we look at re-opening businesses…
We have put together a special Post-Pandemic Checklist — A Human Resource Guide to Normalization of Business Operations (PDF) for your review and use.
By Todd Downing and Ben Molenda
Click here for the article. Despite the immense challenges thrust upon all businesses during the pandemic, the Green Industry has experienced positive, and some would say unprecedented growth. The stresses you have responded to in running your business with an…
Featuring Todd Downing & Michael Maggiotto, Jr.
Click here for the article. Experts weigh in on how employers should navigate the current ‘new normal’ and future crises, alike. During the last six months, the word “coronavirus” has become…
Click here for the study. For many of us, there have been times when WFH has felt a lot like WTH. So what do we know about employee productivity during lockdowns? Researchers at Harvard and NYU collected data across three continents to find out in a major study entitled: “Collaborating During Coronavirus: The Impact of Covid-19 on the Nature Of Work.” The main takeaways:
Article By Todd Downing
Click here for the article. As company leaders, our task is to manage the efficient restart of our companies. Regardless of the industry sector or how positively or negatively positioned a company has been through the COVID-19 crisis…
Article By Jennifer Broersma-Neujahr
Click here for the article. I recently posted this same exercise on my LinkedIn page and received some excellent and thought-provoking responses, like this comment from Todd Downing, a Managing Partner at Best Human Capital & Advisory Group…
Article By Todd Downing
Click here for the article. Regardless of how positively or negatively positioned your company has been through the COVID-19 crisis, we face a new business normal to varying degrees. As company leaders, our task is to manage the efficient restart or growth of our companies and our employees to come back…
By Michael Maggiotto, Jr. PHR, SHRM-SCP
An employer can use these forms with employees for self-certification before they return to the workplace either as a safety measure prior to starting a shift, or if they have been ill with COVID-19 or have had close contact with an individual diagnosed or showing symptoms of COVID-19. These forms add another layer of protection, helping businesses demonstrate they are taking all reasonable precautions to keep their worksites safe and could go a long way to reducing anxiety by employees and the chance of potential lawsuits.
Templates for Your Use: The following editable Word DOCX files may be used by your organization with your people.
COVID-19 Self-Certification Prior to Shift (.docx file)
The file contains employer Instructions, guidelines, and a form that may be customized and used by the company for self-certifying employees prior to the start of their shift.
Self-Certification to Return to Work after COVID-19 Exposure & Symptoms (.docx file)
Contains employer Instructions, guidelines, and a form that may be customized and used by the company for self-certifying employees prior to their return— if they have had symptoms of COVID-19, they have had close contact with an individual diagnosed or showing symptoms of COVID-19, or have been directed to self-isolate or quarantine by your health care provider or a public health official.
If you would like to personalize these templates to reflect specific aspects of your culture or require more HR expertise pertaining to normalizing your operations, please contact BEST today.
UPDATED: May 26, 2020
Our partner, Emplify, a leading employee engagement firm, has just updated their free tool for managers. They developed this tool to gauge the well-being, remote readiness, and specific needs of their teams during this global health crisis and now have added a WFH component. For the first time employee burnout isn’t being caused by work. The unique challenges of working from home are affecting your team’s mental well-being and overall productivity.
This tool is designed to help leaders get the feedback they need to navigate work from home situations. In just two steps this assessment can help you:
We all know how hard it is for managers to move quickly and support their teams in times like these. That’s why Emplify created this tool. It is self-service and should take you or your management team less than 10 minutes to set up, and they will have feedback within three days. Feel free to take a look at emplify.com/wellbeing.
ARTICLE in “Green Profit” Magazine By Michael Maggiotto, Jr. and Matthew Pope
Post-Pandemic Checklist: A Human Resource Guide to Normalization of Business Operations – Whether your company has ten (10) employees or ten thousand (10,000), each will be sued the same way when employment laws are violated. Special consideration given due to the pandemic will not save your organization from being one of those. As we look at re-opening businesses…
UPDATED: MAY 4, 2020. To assist your business in planning for your return, we have put together a special Post-Pandemic Checklist — A Human Resource Guide to Normalization of Business Operations (PDF) for your review and use.
Article By Tom McInerney, M4 Advisors
Click here for an interesting and timely article on cash flow forecasting. Tom McInerney strongly recommends to his clients that they invest the time and resources towards developing a basic but often overlooked management tool: a 13-week cash flow forecast model (the cash flow forecast). He takes a closer look at the key components of a cash flow forecast as well as a few of its key benefits, namely in empowering organizations to make thoughtful, informed decisions that are data-driven in nature.
How can we help? Click here for more information on Tom McInerney and M4 Advisors.
Article By Todd Downing & Michael Maggiotto, Jr. PHR, SHRM-SCP
Click here for the article. Everyone has good days and bad days, no matter where they work. The biggest differences between good and bad days are proper planning and preparation. For a business, there is no worse day than when a disaster happens…
By: HR Morning
Our Friends at HR Morning have put together an excellent “cheat sheet” and handy at-a-glance guide on new FMLA regulations. There are so many twists and turns in the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) rulebook that it helps to keep a good, reliable cheat sheet nearby – like this one. On the following pages are some of the more common FMLA questions you’ll run into – and the answers.
By: JD Supra, LLC.
The FFCRA provides tax credits under the Emergency Paid Sick Leave Act (EPSLA), and the Emergency Family and Medical Leave Expansion Act (FMLA Expansion). However, there is a lot of information to dig through to find the tax credits for which you would qualify. JD Supra LLC. provides an excellent visual aide to receiving tax credits for paid leave required under the FFCRA.
Click here or the PDF symbol to download the PDF from their web site.
Click above to download a poster (PDF) to print and post.
Employee Expanded Family and Medical Leave Rights
Congress passed the Families First Coronavirus Response Act 2020 (FFCRA) on March 18, 2020, to help employees and their families with paid leave during the COVID-19 outbreak. This new compliance impacts businesses with 500 or fewer employees and goes into effect on April 1, 2020. Employers will be required to develop a policy that aligns with this new requirement to pay part-time and full-time employees who have been employed at least 30 days for specific COVID-19 related events.
If your business does not have a professional team or is stretched too thin without time to complete this required policy update for your employee handbooks, please contact BEST Human Capital & Advisory Group. We would be happy to craft the perfect compliant policy that aligns with your unique company and culture.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE U.S. DEPT. OF LABOR FFCRA INFORMATION.
By: JD Supra, LLC.
The FFCRA provides tax credits under the Emergency Paid Sick Leave Act (EPSLA), and the Emergency Family and Medical Leave Expansion Act (FMLA Expansion). However, there is a lot of information to dig through to find the tax credits for which you would qualify. JD Supra LLC. provides an excellent visual aide to receiving tax credits for paid leave required under the FFCRA.
Click here or the PDF symbol to download the PDF from their web site.
By Michael Maggiotto, Jr.
Click here for the CropTalk Podcast. On this episode of the CropTalk series, #KyleTalksAgTech, Kyle Barnett speaks with Michael Maggiotto of BEST Human Capital & Advisory Group about how business can best handle the COVID-19 pandemic with HR strategies and solutions everyone can use to get through this uncertain period.
Click above to download (PDF).
Small Business Guide & Checklist
According to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, starting April 3, small businesses and sole proprietorships can apply for loans through existing SBA lenders. Starting April 10, independent contractors and self-employed individuals can apply for loans through existing SBA lenders. Other regulated lenders will be available to make these loans as soon as they are approved and enrolled in the program.
Click here for the following on the U.S. Chamber of Commerce web site:
Leaders: in moments of uncertainty or change, employees look to you for stability, reassurance, and a clear path to the light at the end of the tunnel. But how can you be the leader they need when you may not have all the answers yourself?
Join panelists Adam Weber, Chief People Officer at Emplify, Steve Baker, Vice President at Great Game of Business, and Andrew Appel, President & CEO of Gregory & Appel as they share their experiences and answer your questions on leading through times of change.
Excellent report from our friends at FTI Consulting on how the supply chain is being disrupted by the Coronavirus. Originally released on March 9, 2020.
Businesses are not immune to times of crisis, especially considering the recent global COVID-19 outbreak. At some point, a company will suffer financial, operational, or other types of distress. Many factors can contribute to or create an emergency, and they are not limited to a weak economy or internal problems.
If your business has entered a period of distress, BEST will partner with you to identify the right restructuring professional to solve your business’s unique challenge.
The Case for Human Resources in Strategic Planning Ask most business leaders and professionals, and they will describe human resources in transactional terms. “They are the department that hires people, fires people, manages our benefit plans, and tells us how much we can pay people.” A lot to unpack there for sure, but that perception […]
Let’s face it, leading in the year 2020 was a lot like a squirrel trying to cross a street in heavy traffic. To make it even more challenging, many of us are now leading in our sweatpants (or even no pants for some of us) by working remotely. The good news is we can still […]
How Small to Medium-Sized Businesses Can Get the Most Out of the HR Function “For the world is changing: I feel it in the water, I feel it in the earth, and I smell it in the air.” These words were spoken in the movie and written in the book “Lord of the Rings,” and very […]
US small-business recovery after the COVID-19 crisis
July 7, 2020
By: McKinsey & Company
Improving operations and adapting business models can help small businesses in many industries recover. Finding the cash to do so may be a stretch.
Paycheck Protection Program Flexibility Act Signed Into Law, Plus Additional Guidance Issued
June 8, 2020
By: Barnes & Thornburg
Congress approved the Paycheck Protection Program Flexibility Act to extend the covered period in which to use PPP loans and be eligible for forgiveness from eight weeks to 24 weeks.
When Is Fear a Protected Reason for Not Coming to Work?
May 26, 2020
By: SHRM
FEAR— a big concern for employers, employees, vendors, suppliers, and the community in which businesses operate. This article cites key elements of some of the most important employment laws that are impacting business decisions and fears during a pandemic including OSHA, NLRA, and ADA for starters.
SBA Releases Loan Forgiveness Application And Instructions, Plus Rule For Foreign Affiliates
May 18, 2020
By: Barnes & Thornburg
The new SBA Loan Forgiveness Application and Instructions provide clarity on certain aspects of PPP loan forgiveness determination and the process.
COVID-19 Return to the Workplace Guide (PDF)
April 9, 2020
By: Gallagher
A thorough and comprehensive return to the workplace guide by Gallagher (Insurance, Risk Management, and Consulting).
Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act – Business Relief Provisions (PDF)
April 9, 2020
By: Barnes & Thornburg
A thorough review of the CARES Act from a leading HR and labor law firm. NOTE: There is more relief available to business than just the PPP.
Employee Compensation During a Crisis: Cost-Saving and Loyalty-Building Ideas
March 31, 2020
By: Cassandra Faurotte
Total Reward Solutions
OSHA BASICS: With all the activity happening, employers may forget an essential OSHA exercise: reporting workspace injuries and illnesses. Here is a link to an article that is a good reminder for businesses that the flurry of a global pandemic does not absolve a company of basic compliance, and by doing the right things, employers will be helping to combat this pandemic in the long run.
OSHA GUIDANCE: As part of our BEST Human Resource Advisory support to clients, click here for OSHA’s new “Guidance on Preparing Workplaces for COVID-19 2020.” Many businesses may not be as prepared or know what to do to ensure their workplace and employees are safe. The guidance is not a new set of rules, regulations, or requirements from OSHA but rather a set of best practices to help ensure businesses provide employees, visitors, and customers a safe and healthful working environment.
Click here for up to date prevention and protection guidance from the CDC.
As we proceed through these extraordinary times, BEST is fortunate to have a deep network of professionals who specialize in business restructuring, cash flow strategies, and other elements of business health. Should financial or operational circumstances stress you or your company, please contact us for a conversation around restructuring, turnaround, cash flow, and human resources. We are happy to provide proper networking to these organizations or individuals as we navigate this unusual business climate.
In the meantime – Be safe, be healthy, and be informed.
