Here are some Frequently asked questions regarding HR Management for COVID-19 in your workplace. These are links to our library of resources including form and letter templates, check lists, and printable guides for your office.
If you do not have access, please reach out to your payroll specialist for login information.
Below are the most frequently asked questions we've received related to COVID-19. We will be updating this FAQ in the coming days, weeks, and months.
Questions about FFRCA
- What is the new federal COVID-19 law, and what does it do?
- Do we need to provide the required sick leave under the FFCRA in addition to the sick leave we already offer, or can we lump it all together?
- What are our EPSL and EFMLA obligations to different employee situations, such as remote employees?
- Is the FFCRA retroactive or applicable before its effective date?
- Does the FFCRA apply to me if I have more than 500 employees? How do I count them?
- How do EFMLA and EPSL relate to each other, especially in regard to caring for children?
- How does the FFCRA define emergency workers or healthcare providers?
- How does the FFCRA apply to state law obligations, like unemployment or state-mandated paid sick leave?
- Do we still have to provide EPSL or EFMLA if we shut down, or if we furlough or lay off employees?
- If I am a nonprofit or a public employer, do FFCRA tax credits and reimbursement apply to me?
Questions about Employee Safety
- Can we tell employees who travel to stay home and quarantine, even if they don’t have symptoms?
- Can we send employees home if they are symptomatic?
- What if my employee discloses that their family member or roommate has COVID-19?
- Given COVID-19, if an employee is out of the office due to sickness, can we ask them about their symptoms?
- We are an essential business where there's a shelter-in place-rule and an employee is refusing to work as they say it's not safe. Can I discipline them?
- What should we do if an employee says their symptoms are not related to COVID-19?
- Is it safe for my employees to keep working? How do I decide whether to keep employees working or not?
- Can I send an employee home if they are sick or pregnant, regardless of whether it’s COVID-19-related, just to be safe?
- What should we do if a potentially exposed employee came into the office? Do we inform affected employees and/or send everyone home?
- How do we handle taking employee’s temperatures?
Questions about Employees Working from Home
- Can we require or allow certain groups of employees, but not others, to work from home?
- How do I make a telecommuting policy?
Questions about Layoffs and Furloughs
- What’s the difference between a furlough and a layoff?
- Our business is suffering due to COVID-19. We can’t afford to pay people and might have to close. What do we do?
- Do we still offer the same benefits during a furlough due to COVID-19 as we did before? What about a layoff or closure?
Questions about Pay
- If we choose to close temporarily, do we need to pay employees?
- Can we reduce pay because of economic slowdown due to COVID-19?
- Do we have to pay an employee we sent home due to COVID-19?
- How do we make sure we pay employees appropriately when they work from home?
Questions about Leaves of Absence
- How are we supposed to pay for the sick leave and FMLA leave mandated by the Families First Coronavirus Response Act?
- Can we require employees to get medical notes for sick or medical leaves related to COVID-19?
Questions about Unemployment
