Human Resources and Employment Law

• Stay Home, Stay Safe 3.0: What you Need to Know

  April 24, 2020

  Governor Gretchen Whitmer issued her third “Stay Home, Stay Safe” Executive Order 2020-59, extending it until May 15th. Executive Order 2020-21 (first “Stay Home, Stay Safe” order) required businesses to suspend operations if workers had to leave their homes in order to do their jobs, and required individuals to stay at home other than to […]

• DOL Issues Temporary Rule to Provide Further Guidance on Families First Coronavirus Response Act

  April 3, 2020

  The DOL has issued a temporary rule providing further guidance on the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (“FFCRA”). While the temporary rule is not yet final and its terms may change, it expands and clarifies prior guidance regarding implementation of and compliance with FFCRA. Must an employer compensate an employee teleworking for all time between […]

• DOL Issues Additional Guidance on Families First Coronavirus Response Act

  March 30, 2020

  The DOL issued its first guidance on the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (“FFCRA”) last week that provided helpful information about paid sick leave and the expanded FMLA leave. Since then, the DOL has added significantly more information to its guidance, which clarifies several very important issues regarding the implementation of the FFCRA. Below we […]

• CARES: Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act

  March 30, 2020

  In response to the economic impact of COVID-19 on American businesses, Congress passed the “Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act” (“CARES Act”). This $2 Trillion stimulus package is designed to offset the significant disruption businesses are facing as the country battles COVID-19. The following is a brief guide to the Small Business Administration components […]

• Families First Coronavirus Response Act: Q&A

  March 26, 2020

  What is the effective date of the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (“FFCRA”)? The DOL has indicated the effective date for FFCRA is April 1, 2020, and the paid leave provisions only apply to leave taken between April 1, 2020 and December 31, 2020. According to what we’ve seen from the Department of Treasury, leave […]

• IRS RESPONSE TO COVID-19

  March 25, 2020

  IRS Notice 2020-18, which supersedes a more restrictive Notice 2020-17, provides taxpayers with relief concerning income tax filings and payments otherwise due on April 15, 2020.  For taxpayers with a due date for filing Federal income tax returns and making Federal income tax payments on April 15, 2020, the due date is automatically postponed until […]

• Employers: Navigate the Families First Coronavirus Response Act

  March 24, 2020

  Congress passed the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (the “Act”) to help employers and workers to address the challenges of the COVID-19 Outbreak. Because circumstances have changed so quickly with the introduction of government-ordered shelter-in-place directives to workers and employers, it is not clear how well all of its parts function together.  We will focus […]

• Understanding Governor Whitmer’s Executive Order for Michigan

  March 23, 2020

  Today, Governor Whitmer issued Executive Order 2020-21, which takes effect tomorrow, March 24, 2020, at 12:01 a.m. The Executive Order, which is to be “construed broadly to prohibit in-person work that is not necessary to sustain or protect life,” mandates the following: All businesses must suspend operations if they require workers to leave their homes […]

• Workplace Issues Prompted By The COVID-19 Pandemic

  March 12, 2020

  The current coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak has prompted extraordinary public and governmental response, and with it, many practical questions for employers.  We are not medical doctors, and there is an abundance of advice available on-line about common-sense measures employers and employees can and should take to reduce the chance of exposure.  We also know that the […]

• The New Salary Requirements: Understand the Options and Liability

  October 21, 2019

  Tips for Employees to Avoid Disaster As we reported in September, the Department of Labor has issued final rules increasing the minimum annual salary level paid to over-time exempt administrative, executive and professional employees from $23,660 to $35,568. In terms of weekly pay, the increase is from $455 per week to $684 per week. This […]