Employment Law Risks to Know in the US

Category: Business

The scope of employment law has evolved significantly, especially during the recent Coronavirus pandemic. The pandemic trapped many employers in rapidly changing working circumstances, making it necessary for them to make difficult decisions in various areas, including employment laws. Apart from the everyday challenges of managing employees, the pandemic will likely cause a surge in employment claims affecting businesses that don’t abide by COVID-19 emergency legislation and other facets of employment law. That said, below is employment law risks that you should know. 1. Failure to Compensate Employees Ideally, employers should have outlined policies and practices that guide the payment of their employees. However, the effects of the pandemic led to serious financial issues and unexpected liabilities. A key concern for most businesses is the quick shift from in-office working models to teleworking. Due to this, employers were expected to create proper protocols that ensured that teleworking employees get their rest/meal breaks and proper documentation of hours worked by non-exempt employees. For instance, employers should track time spent by employees answering phone calls or responding to emails after the close of business. That aside, some states, including California and Illinois, have legislation that requires employers to reimburse their employees for mobile phone charges and other expenses incurred while working from home, such as home internet costs. Additionally, employers who have adopted temperature-taking programs as required by some state laws should compensate employees for time spent as they wait for their temperatures to be taken.