Bring your employees back responsibly to help avoid legal issues

You may have had to make the difficult decision to temporarily downsize staff while waiting out a return to operations. Now you might be in the position of not being able to immediately offer return-to-work opportunities to everyone until sales and stability return.

This makes the next step vital in terms of quickly getting your business back up to speed—and doing so responsibly under the law. How do you decide which employees to bring back to work first? 

While working through infection mitigation strategies, you also need to consider the process for selecting those employees. Make those decisions based on legitimate, non-discriminatory reasons to avoid a perception of discrimination. Here’s a great resource on returning employees to the workplace that includes numerous helpful practices.

ADA compliance

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) also offers guidance for businesses on managing strategies to navigate the impact of COVID-19 while still maintaining compliance with the American With Disabilities Act (ADA) and applicable employment laws.

You can find specific questions and answers on these topics here.

If you have questions, please reach out to your assigned safety consultant or contact us.

This document is made available by Sentry Insurance a Mutual Company and its subsidiaries and affiliates (collectively “SIAMCO”) with the understanding that SIAMCO is not engaged in the practice of law, nor is it rendering legal advice. The information contained in this document is of a general nature and is not intended to address the circumstances of any particular individual or entity. Legal obligations may vary by state and locality. No one should act on the information contained in this document without legal advice from competent and licensed local professionals. THE INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THIS DOCUMENT IS DISTRIBUTED BY SIAMCO “AS-IS”, WITHOUT ANY WARRANTIES. SIAMCO WILL HAVE NO LIABILITY TO ANY PERSON OR ENTITY WITH RESPECT TO ANY LOSSES OR DAMAGES CAUSED, OR ALLEGED TO HAVE BEEN CAUSED, DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY BY THIS DOCUMENT, REGARDLESS OF WHETHER SUCH CLAIM IS BASED ON CONTRACT, WARRANTY, TORT (INCLUDING NEGLIGENCE AND FOR PROPERTY DAMAGE AND DEATH) OR OTHER GROUNDS.