Employee Relations Law Journal | Emerging From the COVID-19 Pandemic: Returning Employees and Benefits Considerations

During the coronavirus pandemic, businesses were faced with myriad important employment considerations, including the difficult decision of having to furlough or lay off employees. Even those that did not take such actions may have had far more employees requesting a leave of absence than in prior years, especially as a result of the new legislation enacted to address the crisis. The employment changes that occurred as a result of the pandemic have caused employers to focus on employee leave administration. Employers have had to consider a number of legal requirements in connection with those employment changes and continue to grapple with these requirements as they bring employees back to work. In addition, employers must consider the potential impact these employment changes may have on the employer’s benefit and compensation programs as they bring employees back, and will need to familiarize themselves with a number of legal requirements as they do so.