Do You Have a COVID RECOVERY PLAN in Place?

Small business owners must now adapt to even more regulations due to COVID-19. No one knows how long COVID-19 will be around, so extra health precautions in the workplace are still required. As employees return and hiring begins, employers should have a form for them to review and sign to explain how to comply with local, state and CDC guidelines.

What Should Be Included on a COVID-19 Recovery Plan Form?

Care should be taken in preparing your plan form. The potential for legal liability is always there. At the very minimum, use the common CDC guidelines and apply them to the workplace setting.

The following are minimum suggestions given to employers, when creating a recovery plan form:

  1. “If you feel sick, inform us and do not report for work. If you have sick time acquired you may use it.”

    There is no federal requirement for employers to provide sick leave to employees. (Make sure to check your state and city for local sick leave requirements.) However, many choose to do so whether in the form of sick leave specifically, or sick leave classified under generic PTO. Nonetheless, if a business does provide this, inform employees to use their accrued sick leave to recover. The employee should have a doctor’s report (in writing) before returning to work.

  2. “If you receive a positive result, you must self-quarantine for two weeks (10 business days). You may be entitled to up to 80 hours pay.”

    The Families First Coronavirus Response Act requires certain employers (private employers of under 500 employees) to provide sick leave related to COVID-19. This specifically applies to self-quarantine if tested positive. Remind your employees this medical leave is separate from their accrued PTO. If this is not provided, an employee has permission to contact the Wage & Hour Division to bring an enforcement action on their behalf.

  3. “If you refuse to take a test when asked, you may not be entitled to paid leave.”

    According to the EEOC, you have the right to prohibit your employee’s presence in the workplace if he or she refuses health screenings or answering questions about potential COVID-19 symptoms. If they do refuse and so happen to have COVID-19, they may not be compensated the same way as an employee who does comply.

If you don’t have a form or system in place to comply with COVID-19 workplace regulations, EmployerNomics may be able to help.

generic-covid19-employee-form
One of our clients went ahead on their own and made a form to comply with Florida’s Limited Phase One.
It wasn’t a bad attempt, but can you see the errors and omissions in this form? Use the contact form at the bottom of this post to let us know.

If you need assistance with –

  • HR Compliance
  • OSHA, Safety and Risk Management
  • Proper Payroll Tax Filings
  • Workers’ Compensation Insurance
  • Benefits Administration

EmployerNomics works directly with employers to take the stress (and liability) out of having employees. If you have questions, please use the contact form below.

Although lawyers and HR professionals were consulted in assembling this information, it is not meant to be legal or professional HR advice.

EmployerNomics is not a law firm and strongly suggests you consult an attorney before implementing any policy changes. We provide these articles for informational purposes only, and are no substitute for legal advice. If you do not have an attorney you may contact us to ask for a referral to one of our strategic partner firms.
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