During this unprecedented situation, club directors across the country are facing some of the toughest business situations they’ve encountered. To support efforts at your local club, USA Volleyball Director of Human Resources Bernie MacLean put together some thoughts and tools that will help you guide your club’s employees through this difficult time.
Employee Assistance Programs
Your employees and their families may be experiencing increased anxiety, fear and stress surround the COVID-19 outbreak. If you have an Employee Assistance Program, encourage your staff to utilize the free, confidential professional services offered. Talking to a professional can be very helpful. EAP services may be accessed remotely and are often extended to the employee’s family members.
It’s important to remember as employees work from home that they may be serving additional roles such as teacher and caregiver and providing an EAP is absolutely essential is providing them the tools to manage the increasing demands during this time of uncertainty.
Families First Coronavirus Response Act
The Act applies to organizations with less than 500 employees and is effective from April 2 – December 31, 2020. Small businesses with fewer than 50 employees may be provided an exemption. In brief, the legislation provides:
- Expanded paid sick leave for coronavirus-designated reasons.
- Extends FMLA provisions for employees unable to work (including telework) because the employee must care for his/her child who is under 18 years of age and whose school or place of care has closed due to the COVID-19 public health emergency.
- Tax credit for employers.
This act balances the need of employees and assists employers. There are many details surrounding this act; read more information at the FFCRA's webpage.
Employer Resources
There are other great resources for employers through OSHA, the EEOC and CDC. Links to the resources can be found below:
EEOC Webinar
The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) will publicly post an online webinar addressing questions arising under any of the Federal Equal Employment Opportunity Laws and the COVID-19 pandemic to its website www.eeoc.gov on Friday afternoon, March 27.
The webinar will be devoted to answering questions submitted in advance about how to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic in light of any of the federal EEO laws employment nondiscrimination laws.
The webinar will supplement the COVID-19 publications already issued by the EEOC, including the “What You Should Know About the ADA, the Rehabilitation Act, and COVID-19” and "Pandemic Preparedness in the Workplace and the Americans with Disabilities Act". The EEOC last updated the COVID-19 “What You Should Know” on Thursday, March 19, 2020, and the Pandemic Preparedness document in light of COVID-19 on Saturday, March 21, 2020.
The EEOC advances opportunity in the workplace by enforcing federal laws prohibiting employment discrimination. More information is available at www.eeoc.gov. Stay connected with the latest EEOC news by subscribing to the EEOC's email updates.
OSHA
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has put together guideline on preparing workplaces for COVID-19.CDC
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has put together guidance for businesses and employers to plan and respond to COVID-19.
A final note to employers, please check in on your folks daily. We will get this through this together with care and understanding.