2021 COVID Updates and Resources for Employers
It’s 2021 and the pandemic is still raging. And, though the vaccination effort is now under way, it’s likely going to be several months before our level of “herd immunity” allows us to resume life more or less the way it was before the early spring of 2020.
We’ve compiled a list of our most helpful and highly trafficked coronavirus resource pages for employers here to make it easier for you to find the information you’re looking for.
New California Requirements for COVID Paid Sick Leave
California employers with more than 25 employees now need to give all employees a new bank of 2 weeks of California COVID paid sick leave (“CA COVID PSL”), even if employees previously used paid COVID leave in 2020. This is a complicated law that puts a lot of requirements on employers, so we’ve broken it down for you.
FFCRA Updates in the American Rescue Plan
The new stimulus package, signed by President Biden on March 11, 2021, includes changes to the COVID paid leave benefits originally passed in 2020 under the Families First Coronavirus Relief Act (FFCRA). Importantly, FFCRA pay continues to be voluntary, though legislative efforts are still being made to make it mandatory again.
Read the full update on the FFCRA here.
Covid Vaccines and Your Office
The EEOC has offered official guidance on the coronavirus vaccine for employers. In brief, you are able to administer vaccines at the workplace, ask for proof of vaccination, and even mandate vaccines. However, there is substantial risk in mandating vaccinations, and it is unlikely you could let someone go who is unable to be vaccinated.
Read our full post on requiring vaccination for more information.
Handling Common Covid Concerns at Your Office
You’ll find answers to the most common questions about Covid testing, employee exposure, employee travel, and what to do when an employee tests positive for Covid-19 on this page.
Visit the Common Covid Concerns page.
Additional Covid Resources for Employers
This page features our early, more general guidance on how to deal with temporary office closures due to the coronavirus and how to reopen your practice. You’ll also find links to important resources in your state on this page, as well as links to other important sources of information such as the CDC and OSHA, as well as professional organizations like the ADA, AMA, and SBA.
Visit the Covid Resources Page.
Free Forms and Software: HR Vault
We preloaded our free HR Vault software with forms and documents you can use to communicate important coronavirus-related policies and office events with your team. Sign up now to access the exclusive library of Covid forms and to get all of the benefits associated with our powerful team management software platform, HR Vault.
Unlock HR Vault for your business now.
HR Base Camp
Have a question you can’t find answered in our free resources? Join the professional discussion with 9000 other business owners and managers plus CEDR’s HR experts in our private Facebook Group, HR Base Camp.
Sign Up to Receive Updates
We continue to update our coronavirus-related guidance for employers as new information becomes available.
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Post updated March 19, 2021; originally published January 4, 2021.
