Off-Duty Recreational Cannabis Use to be Protected in New Jersey After contentious negotiations, Governor Phil Murphy has signed the New Jersey Cannabis Regulatory, Enforcement Assistance, and Marketplace Modernization Act (the Act) implementing the constitutional amendment embracing recreational marijuana ratified in November 2020. When the framework created by the Act is in place, New Jersey will […]
Author: Lisa Smith, SPHR
The Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) and the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act provided two new employer tax credits: Sick and Family Leave Credit Employee Retention Credit. As a reminder, federal, state and local government entities, and any agencies or instrumentalities of those entities, are not entitled to either of these […]
The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) today released detailed breakdowns for the 67,448 charges of workplace discrimination the agency received in Fiscal Year (FY) 2020. The agency secured $439.2 million for victims of discrimination in the private sector and state and local government workplaces through voluntary resolutions and litigation. The comprehensive enforcement and litigation […]
The Internal Revenue Service today issued guidance for employers claiming the employee retention credit under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act), as modified by the Taxpayer Certainty and Disaster Tax Relief Act of 2020 (Relief Act), for calendar quarters in 2020. The guidance in Notice 2021-20 is similar to the information in […]
KEY POINT: Eligible unemployed workers will receive benefits retroactively For many of America’s workers, choosing between unsafe employment and refusing work to avoid the risk of coronavirus infection has serious consequences. Too often, those who do not return to work or accept a job offer over concerns about workplace exposure lose their state unemployment benefits. […]
As you know, COVID-19 vaccines have become more available and employees are slowly starting to return to the office. As a result, employment-based programs mandating, or incentivizing, employee vaccinations will become more of the norm. This post will discuss how an employer might create a voluntary workplace vaccination using rewards to encourage employee participation, and […]
Below are answers to commonly asked questions about COVID-19 vaccination. CDC also has information for busting common vaccine myths available in facts about COVID-19 vaccines. Get answers to other frequently asked questions about: Healthcare professional questions and answers Vaccine Administration Management System (VAMS) Preparing for COVID-19 vaccination at long-term care facilities V-safe after vaccination health checker […]
Attorney Blog, Human Resources
Top 5 Labor & Employment Issues That Will Keep Retailers Busy in 2021
Since the Inauguration, the Biden administration has quickly got to work. With that said, it is a great time for retailers to pay attention to the labor and employment issues that will most likely take prominence in 2021. In no order, this article will discuss the 5 issues that will most likely keep retail employers […]
In March 2020, the President signed the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act, which provided Americans with new and expanded unemployment insurance (UI) benefits if they’re out of work for reasons related to the pandemic. These benefits were recently updated and extended when the Continued Assistance for Unemployed Workers Act of 2020 (Continued […]
Employers may allow participants to carry over unused amounts The Internal Revenue Service today provided greater flexibility, due to the pandemic, to employee benefit plans offering health flexible spending arrangements (FSAs) or dependent care assistance programs. Under the COVID-related Taxpayer Certainty and Disaster Tax Relief Act of 2020, these plans now have additional discretion in […]