I. Posting & Policies
- Post the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) poster in a visible place. Where employees will remain working from home, send by email or post to Company website.
- Review and revise hiring practices and policies:
- Have staffing needs changed?
- Do you need to change benefits or pay to become more competitive?
- Use remote interviewing techniques as much as possible.
- Update onboarding practices
- If you are recalling only some workers that were laid-off or furloughed, ensure your practice for determining who to recall do not discriminate against any group of employees.
- Review and revise leave policies:
- Know how the FFCRA affects your previous policies and practices.
- Consider implementing PTO/vacation rollovers, grace periods, and revise guidelines for usage if vacation is forfeited if not used by year end.
- Consider implementing or revising bereavement leave policies.
- Ensure that all employees have access to and an understanding of all leave policies that may apply to them.
- Review and revise work from home and child-care policies.
- Update work travel policies in light of any new orders in your state and any new practices being implemented in the workplace to keep employees/customers safe.
- Review rehire/reinstate provisions for your benefit policies (eligibility/waiting periods).
- Distribute all new or revised policies to all employees.
II. Health & Safety
- Explain the company polices and procedures related to illness, cleaning, and disinfecting, and work meeting and travel.
- Educated employees on how to reduce the spread of COVID-19 at home and at work (follow Centers for Disease Control Prevention recommendation).
- For employees returning to a worksite, make sure they understand what’s expected of them in the workplace. For example:
- Must they wear face masks or face coverings?
- Will protective items and hand sanitizer be provided?
- Are workplace hours different?
- Will you be taking employees temperatures each day when they arrive?
- Is teleworking or staggered shift work allowed/encouraged?
- Ensure that all employees who are currently ill or have contract with an ill family member stay home (follow CDC recommendations for length of time.)
- If an employee becomes sick at work, sent them home
- Promote safe social distancing in the workplace by encouraging employees to:
- Remain at least 6 feet from each other
- Email, message, call or video call rather meet face to face
- Clean computer equipment, desktops, phones and workstations often
- Provide hand sanitizer, cleaning supplies, face masks or face coverings and no-touch or disposal receptacles.
- Discourage handshaking
- Place posters throughout the business to encourage social distancing and hand hygiene
III. Best Practices
- Be aware of any local public health or other orders related to COVID-19 that may affect your business.
- Ensure your workplace cleaning company is up to date on current methods of safely removing COVID-19 hazards
- Communicate frequently and as transparently as possible with employees
- Train managers on dealing with employees that may face increased personal challenges during this time, such as bereavement and loss, childcare and school-cancellation challenges, financial stress, and other dependent care and support needs.
- Offer flexibility wherever possible and adjust workloads to be reasonable
- Be prepared to quickly investigate and stop discriminatory speech or acts in the workplace
- Consider contracting with an employee assistance program EAP if you do not currently have one
- Designate a workplace coordinator who will be responsible for COVID-19 issues and their impact at the workplace
- Develop a plan to operate if absenteeism spikes or another shelter-in-place or stay home order occurs in the future:
- Implement a plan to continue essential business functions
- Implement flexible work schedules and leave policies
- Cross-train employees on performing essential business functions
- Develop emergency communication plans, including a way to answer workers’ concerns
- Communicate your appreciation and welcome employees back to work
– THOMAS SANDS
Meet Thomas Sands –
Divorce & Family Law Attorney
Thomas D. Sands is a highly experienced and widely respected divorce and family law attorney serving clients throughout Los Angeles, Riverside, and San Bernardino counties. As the founder and principal attorney of The Sands Law Group, APLC, Thomas Sands is dedicated to providing strategic, cost-effective legal representation to individuals and families facing some of life’s most difficult transitions.
Clients trust Thomas Sands not only for his legal knowledge but also for his compassion. He understands the emotional toll divorce and custody disputes can take, and he approaches every case with a commitment to minimizing stress while vigorously protecting his clients’ rights and long-term interests. His client-first philosophy has earned him a strong reputation among both peers and families across Southern California.
The Sands Law Group, APLC reflects Thomas Sands’ dedication to service and inclusivity. The firm offers multilingual legal support in English, Spanish, French, Hebrew, and Arabic, ensuring that clients from diverse backgrounds receive clear communication and culturally sensitive representation. Whether through negotiation or litigation, Thomas Sands strives to achieve favorable outcomes while helping clients avoid unnecessary delays and expenses.
In recognition of his excellence in family law advocacy, Thomas Sands has received numerous accolades, including being named Litigator of the Year by the American Institute of Trial Lawyers and Lawyer of the Year by the American Institute of Legal Professionals in 2023. These honors reflect his ongoing commitment to delivering exceptional legal results with professionalism and care.
