Houston Methodist Hospital was sued earlier this year by 117 unvaccinated employees. The workers claimed that the hospital’s mandatory vaccination policy violated public policy because the vaccines at issue were approved by the FDA under an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) rather than through the typical lengthier process. The workers alleged that they were being forced to serve as human guinea
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EEOC Updates and Clarifies Vaccine Guidance
If there is anything we have learned from the COVID-19 pandemic, it is that the more things stay the same, the more they change. That’s right. Most of us have adopted a “wait and see” attitude when it comes to questions like masks on or off, mandating vaccines or strongly suggesting, and how much information can we actually seek from
Massachusetts Enacts Temporary Emergency Paid Sick Leave Law Extending COVID-19 Paid Time Off Through September
Beginning on June 7, 2021 and extending through the end of September, Massachusetts employees will be eligible for up to 40 hours of Emergency Paid Sick Leave providing paid time off for qualifying reasons related to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Are Exit Interviews Worth the Time and Effort?
In a March 21, 2021 article the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) advised businesses to be prepared for a turnover “tsunami” once the pandemic ends. Although turnover rates were high pre-pandemic, they stalled as employees settled in to whatever their personal situation might have been during the shutdown. Research and consulting firm, The Work Institute, references a pent up
The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021: What Does It Mean for Employers?
President Biden signed the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, a $1.9 trillion stimulus package, into law. This post provides details of the bill which includes stimulus checks for individuals earning below certain income thresholds, aid to state and local governments, and money to support vaccine and testing programs, among other things.
This post provides an overview of the aspects
Podcast: Creating a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee
In the latest episode of McLane Middleton Minutes, Charla Stevens, chair of the firm’s Employment Law Practice Group, interviews Courtney Kovach, HR Manager at Game Creek Video, on creating a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee.
Click here to listen to the episode, or find it on your favorite podcast app, including Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, and Spotify.
So, You’ve Gotten the Vaccine, Now What? The CDC Has Some Advice
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) today issued interim recommendations – https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/fully-vaccinated-guidance.html – for fully vaccinated people. As more individuals have access to the three COVID-19 vaccines being administered under Emergency Use Authorization (EUA), individuals and employers are wondering what that means in terms of gatherings, work, and travel. The CDC has indicated that what was published is
CDC Revises Quarantine Guidance For Those Who Have Been Vaccinated, Or Who Have Recovered From A COVID-19 Infection
The Centers for Disease Control has issued new guidance regarding quarantine requirements for individuals who have been vaccinated, and for those who have recovered from a COVID-19 infection.
For those who have received the vaccine, the CDC is no longer recommending quarantine following close contact with an infected person if the individual meets all three of the following
Massachusetts Appeals Court Addresses Application of Public Policy Exception to At-Will Employment
In a recent decision, the Massachusetts Appeals Court ruled that the narrow public policy exception to the general principle that an “at will” employee can be terminated without cause does not apply to an employee fired for submitting a rebuttal to information in the employee’s personnel file.
FFCRA Leave: Gone But Not Forgotten as DOL Issues Guidance Post-Stimulus
Although Congress had the opportunity to extend the requirement that companies with 500 or fewer employees provide paid medical leave and family leave to workers impacted by COVID-19, it did not do so; and those mandates expired on December 31, 2020. The eleventh hour stimulus package did keep in place, through March 31, 2021, the tax credit to employers who