The early presence of COVID-19 in the state and neighboring Massachusetts has many local businesses in uncharted territory in trying to respond to the threats to both their staffs and bottom lines.
The challenges are particularly daunting for small businesses, many of which don’t have formal plans for responding to global health risks.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has posted guidelines on its website at www.cdc.gov. The advice covers everything from dealing with sick employees to keeping offices clean and creating a response plan.
Encouraging hand-washing, limiting personal contact and allowing sick employees to stay home are all common-sense steps most employers would do on their own. But there are legal issues all employers will need to be aware of if there’s a local outbreak of the virus or the CDC declares it a pandemic.
Alicia J. Samolis, a partner at Partridge Snow & Hahn LLP, says employers who want to send people home who appear to be ill have to be careful in how they make those decisions.
The CDC has warned companies not to make determinations of risk among employees based on race or country of origin.
If hourly workers have exhausted sick time, she says they can be sent home without pay. But Samolis is warning clients that they could be at risk of a discrimination lawsuit in such cases if the workers object.
Most workers, however, are as eager to prevent the spread of the virus as employers are. Developing a plan that employees can sign off on will build the cooperation needed to keep them and your business healthy.