our library staff have all been reassigned to do childcare for county workers by Alison Green on August 25, 2020 A reader writes: I work at a public-facing youth services employee in a public library managed by county government in the United States. Due to impacts from COVID-19, employees in some other county departments are taking an abundance of leave time or resigning in order to provide childcare to their children doing virtual learning at […] Read the full article →
what should our employer share with us when a coworker tests positive for COVID-19? by Alison Green on August 17, 2020 A reader writes: I have learned from reading here that HIPAA does not generally apply to employers, it applies to health care providers and some other agencies. And I think you have said that HIPAA does not prevent employers from telling people about positive COVID-19 tests within an organization — it protects names, but not […] Read the full article →
am I in the wrong about my employee’s COVID exposure? by Alison Green on July 28, 2020 A reader writes: My husband and I own a micro-business and have 1.5 post-Covid employees. Our full-time employee reported a possible exposure last week. He is considered essential so we reinforced precautions based on CDC recommendations for those who have unconfirmed exposure. The person he was exposed to was his girlfriend. The next day after […] Read the full article →
people who claim they can’t wear masks, coworker’s Disney vacation, and other questions about COVID-19 and work by Alison Green on July 27, 2020 My mailbox is overflowing with COVID-19 questions, so let’s tackle a bunch of them at once. 1. Patients who claim they can’t wear masks to their appointments I’ve seen a post circulating through social media stating that businesses cannot require customers to wear masks under the ADA. It says that if asked to wear a […] Read the full article →
my employee lied about having COVID by Alison Green on July 23, 2020 A reader writes: I work for a mid-sized organization that serves children of all ages, most of whom have special needs. Recently one of our (now former) employees admitted that they had lied about receiving a positive diagnosis for COVID-19 (presumably to get paid leave through the new paid leave law, though we never ended […] Read the full article →
my employee thinks coronavirus is a hoax by Alison Green on July 21, 2020 A reader writes: One of my employees has been vocal about the coronavirus being a hoax. I had to have a talk with him during our last few days in the office at the end of March because he was openly criticizing and mocking coworkers for “being afraid of the flu” and practicing social distancing. […] Read the full article →
should I give up on job-searching in my new city and move back home? by Alison Green on July 14, 2020 A reader writes: Shortly before the pandemic, I moved across the country to pursue a career in an industry which is incredibly competitive and centred in the city I moved to. I had enough experience in my previous city which made me confident I could at least secure an entry-level position here, and I was […] Read the full article →
employers are sick of the pandemic, and employees are paying the price by Alison Green on July 13, 2020 Four months into the pandemic in the U.S., employers increasingly are bringing employees back to the office, whether they want to return or not. And they aren’t making those decisions based on any public health milestones; rather, it appears to stem from plain old pandemic fatigue. Employers seem to be embracing the same magical thinking […] Read the full article →
is my boss taking advantage of the pandemic? by Alison Green on July 7, 2020 A reader writes: I work for a small company (less than 25 staff). Like many companies, they slashed everyone’s salary by 30% at the beginning of this pandemic and laid off a few people. They’ve said that hopefully get things back to normal as soon as possible, and our pays would return to normal. A […] Read the full article →
I went to a job interview where they’re not taking COVID seriously … or how to make a scene when you need to make a scene by Alison Green on June 29, 2020 A reader writes: I recently interviewed at an organization that I would consider working for, but I had some big concerns about their Covid precautions. When I arrived for my interview, no one in the office was wearing a mask except me. This concerned me, but I felt that people were distancing so I decided […] Read the full article →