In The News...

How will employers respond to demise of OSHA's mandate?

Many employers had been of two minds about OSHA's vaccine-or-test mandate. While they may have agreed with the public health and safety purpose of OSHA's mandate, they worried about the administrative hassles and that a vax mandate could hurt recruiting and retention. Now that the OSHA rule has been shelved by the Supreme Court (see right), how will employers react?

In a SHRM survey before the court's ruling, a full 75% of large employers said they would not require employees to get COVID vaccinations if the Supreme Court struck down OSHA's mandate. The top reasons (in order): legal uncertainty, managing morale, recordkeeping hassles and retaining employees.

Last call for LEAP! Join us in Las Vegas, March 16-18

COVID has made HR compliance harder than ever. Get up to speed on all your 2022 requirements (and have a great time!) at our 18th annual Labor & Employment Law Advanced Practices (LEAP) conference, March 16-18 at ARIA Resort and Casino. Note: All speakers and event staff will be fully vaccinated, and LEAP will work closely with ARIA to protect the health and safety of all attendees!

See the full agenda and speaker roster at www.LEAP2022.com.

Puzzled by CDC's isolation rule? You're not alone

The lightning-fast spread of the Omicron COVID variant means many employers are struggling to maintain staffing levels as employees test positive. The good news: The CDC recently issued new recommendations that shorten the recommended time for post-COVID isolation to five days. The bad news: The announcement has created lots of confusion among employers. Gain clarity on isolation and quarantine recommendations at www.tinyurl.com/CDC-isolation-guidance.

Health plans must now cover at-home COVID tests

Effective Jan. 15, group health plans, including self-insured plans, must either provide insured employees with free over-the-counter at-home COVID test kits or reimburse employees who purchase their own tests. One caveat: Access to free tests is not available to unvaccinated employees who may be subject to mandatory weekly COVID testing. How to make that distinction...