ST. LOUIS — Businesses are closing and reducing hours at a pace that is making heads spin and stomachs turn. What do employers and employees need to know while navigating these turbulent times in the workplace? We asked Todd Hamby, a labor and employment lawyer at Carmody MacDonald, to steer us in the right direction.
Here, he said, are four things Missouri employers and employees should know during the COVID-19 crisis:
1. Employers should disseminate to their workforce and make available online the employer’s written policies and procedures regarding the COVID-19 virus. The policy should:
- articulate the employer's desire to maintain a safe workplace;
- inform employees of the best practices issued by the Centers for Disease Control to help prevent the spread of the virus;
- clearly inform employees of the employer’s work-from-home policy;
- advise the circumstances under which an employee should stay home;
- advise what to do if an employee believes they or a co-worker has been exposed to the virus; and
- advise that the employer will continue to monitor the situation and may provide further direction.
2. Generally, employers are not required to pay non-exempt employees for work that was not performed and are not required to pay exempt employees who miss a full week without performing work. However, employers should continue to follow their past practices and policies governing time off of work. Additionally, several of my clients are voluntarily providing benefits for a limited period of time to help ease the financial burden on employees.
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