Category Archives: HR Challenges

HR Challenges, Risk Management

Employee Wellness during COVID-19

Let’s take a quick poll. Put a hand up if you’re feeling burnt out from remote work.  You’re not alone. More employees are working remotely now than ever, and are suffering from burn out. Even though people are starting to adjust to the new routines of working remotely, they’ve now taken on the task of educating their children in the same space and being the support network for their children otherwise obtained in school. Not only are children socially isolated but studies show despite working from home employees are starting to feel socially isolated from their teams and detached from their work. Adjustment to remote work has been a change for millions of people in the workspace. And with this change, employee wellness has been affected severely.

Talk To Your Employees

Take time for water cooler chit chat. A few minutes of time at the start of a meeting to chat with your employees about more than work goes a long way for employee morale. Your employees have shifted focus and are dealing with a number of things beyond work. A quick chat to ask about what personal projects your employees are working on is a great way to maintain social connection and discuss what used to be watercooler topics.

If you don’t have time for a lengthy call, schedule a few minutes into every meeting with your employees to check in with them. Promoting continuing education courses (work-related and not) or exploring hobbies is one way to keep your employees focused on the positive.

Happy Hour?

Just because the bar is closed, doesn’t mean happy hour isn’t happening.  Zoom happy hours are a great way to maintain social connections and give your employees something to look forward to at the end of the week. During these “Happy Hour” calls limit chatter about work and work-related topics and pour yourself a heavily mixed drink. The difference between real Happy Hour and remote Happy Hour is the drive home.

Provide Resources For Your Employees

Your employees might not know where to look for resources for furthering their education.  Take the time to send them resources and links to ways they can educate themselves or build a new skill. If your employees are looking to refine an old skill or gain a new one, there is a number of resources available to you and your employees through EDx.

Check your employee health program. A number of programs available have included mental health services as an emergency response to Covid-19. Even if your employee health program doesn’t have any there are other websites like betterhelp offering counseling services at this time. 

Call Another Co-Worker

Employees feeling isolated might not be communicating with their teams as much as they used to. Think about who you used to grab lunch with before lockdown started. Were they on your immediate team? When was the last time you spoke to them? A call to a coworker doesn’t have to follow the same protocols of a Zoom meeting, this call could just be a quick 20 minutes to catch up on non-work-related topics or to communicate a cross-department plan.

Work With Your HR Department

The role your HR manager used to play has evolved since the start of the pandemic. Work with HR and management teams to ensure your employees understand what is expected of them during these remote times. The conversations between management and HR will also allow your team to develop a better way to gauge how your employees feel about your businesses’ response to the coronavirus outbreak.

Ask Your Employees

Send around a poll to ask your employees how they feel your business did in response to Coronavirus. If you’re considering reopening your offices, ask your employees about their feelings and what your business can do to help these employees feel safe. Asking employee input during this time will help everyone at your organization feel better about the transition back to the office. If you find out that 50% or more of your workforce is not comfortable returning to the workplace then you may be faced with productivity issues that were otherwise not present while employees were remote.

Speak to your employees and communicate with your team regarding your reopening strategy. Some employees may be more willing than others to return to the office. Discussion with everyone at your workplace will help your employees feel valued.

If you have any questions regarding reopening your business, or how you can better discuss this topic with your workplace, contact a risk advisor at 914-357-8444. If our Risk Advisors cannot answer your question they will do the best they can to help you find the answers you are looking for. 

HR Challenges, OSHA, Other, Risk Management

COVID-19 Resource Guide for Employers

For our clients and the curious here is a great resource guide as you seek to build out your own programs and responses to the COVID 19 pandemic. We have been fielding a great many calls from companies looking to get ahead of this issue. We thought we would aggregate the information that is the most beneficial for valued stakeholders. Coronavirus (COVID-19) is an emerging challenge across the world for employers. We’ve gathered some materials to help you stay on top of employee concerns. Check here frequently for updates.

CDC Materials

In response to the COVID-19 outbreak, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has issued:

The CDC has also created the following posters for download:

Keep up to date on CDC guidance for specific industries, latest updates, and resources on the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) main page.

DOL Materials

The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) has created a resource page for workers and employers. The DOL’s Wage and Hour Division has posted these posters and guidance:

EEOC Materials

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has created a landing page entitled What You Should Know About the ADA, the Rehabilitation Act, and COVID-19, which provides links to resources and guidance.

HHS Materials

In response to COVID-19, the Office of Civil Rights for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) issued a bulletin regarding HIPAA Privacy and COVID-19.

OSHA Materials

The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has created a COVID-19 website for workers and employers that addresses the disease and provides guidance and other resources for preventing exposure to and infection with the virus.

Topics covered include:

OSHA has also issued the publication Guidance on Preparing Workplaces for COVID-19.

NCCI Materials

Covid-19 and Workers’ Compensation: What You Need To Know

Small Business Administration Materials

The U.S. Small Business Administration has issued guidance entitled SBA Disaster Assistance in Response to the Coronavirus, explaining how the SBA is offering designated states and territories low-interest federal disaster loans for working capital to small businesses suffering substantial economic injury as a result of the coronavirus. Also see Coronavirus (COVID-19): Small Business Guidance & Loan Resources.

ThinkHR Materials

New York State Guidelines

Department of Health

Department of Labor

Office of the Attorney General

HR Challenges

What Are The Employer Posting Requirements for NY State

A frequent question we get from NY State employers are what are the employer posting requirements for NY State. It’s important to update your employer postings, especially since the New York State Department of Labor is requiring a poster placed in a high trafficked area explaining and giving direction on your Sexual Harassment policy. For more information on the new Sexual Harassment policy for both New York City & New York State CLICK HERE.

Since we are updating our poster requirements here is the latest and greatest if you are a company located in New York State or have an office/employees employed in NY State. These are both the NY State & Federal posting requirements contingent on your industry. This posting is as of 10/5/2018.

New York Posting Requirements as of 10/5/2018 (Updated 5/19/2020):

Click here for the updated link to the posters. New York employers should display the following state posters in the workplace, in addition to the required federal posters:

New York State Department of Labor
Registration Subsection
State Office Building Campus
Albany, NY 12240-0339
Phone: (518) 485-8589
Fax: (518) 485-8010

 

These posters, as well as those required under federal law, are available for download from the New York Department of Labor.

Additional Employer Posting Requirements for New York State

Child Labor Laws

Employers must make a schedule for all minors employed by the employer and post it in a conspicuous place. The schedule sets forth the hours’ minors start and end work and time allotted for meals. The hours of work can be changed, as long as the changes are posted on the schedule. Minors may work only on the days and at the times posted on the schedule. If minors are present at other times or if no schedule is posted, it is a violation of the Child Labor Law.

Public Works/Prevailing Wage Rates

The current Prevailing Rate Schedule notice must be:

  • Posted in a prominent and accessible place on the site of the public work project.
  • Encased in, or constructed of, materials capable of withstanding adverse weather conditions.
  • Titled “PREVAILING RATE OF WAGES” in letters no smaller than 2 x 2 inches.

Local Jurisdictions

Important: Local jurisdictions in New York may have additional posting requirements. Employers should contact their particular local jurisdiction for specifics.

Some commonly requested posters for New York City employers include:

These are just some of the employer posting requirements for New York State

Cyber Liability Insurance, General Liability Insurance, HR Challenges, Line of Insurance, Loss Control, Risk Management

Secure Your Organization Using Multi-Factor Authentication

In a time where most organizations have transitioned to remote work, cybercriminals have doubled down on network attacks. The FBI recently released a statement saying that cybercrime attacks are up over 300% since 2019. Cyberattacks range from ransomware baked into spam emails to phishing emails posing as trustworthy entities, to gain access to account information. One way organizations can better protect their business from these attacks is to mandate policies that direct every employee to utilize multi-factor authentication on every business account.

 

Password authenticators vary between digital & physical authenticators, as well as options that are a combination of both. Below we have listed  a few of the most commonly used authenticators:

Digital Authenticators

One of the benefits of digital verification is that users do not need an additional physical token or device for authentication.   

Email authentication

Email verification is when a user needs to click a link or obtain a code sent to their email address to verify ownership of the account they are logging into. One of the biggest problems with email authentication is a majority of people will reuse the same password for all of their important accounts.

Using email as a second method of authentication looks like this: 

  • A user logs in to a website with their username & password
  • A unique code or link is then sent to the users’ email address linked to the account
  • The user logs in to their email account, they find the code, and enter the code into the application or website or clicks the link into the email
  • If the code is valid, the user is authenticated and granted access to the account.

Cellphone authentication (SMS)

The most common authentication method is through SMS messaging on a cellular phone. This method is considered more secure than email authentication because email authentication includes the risk of the email account also being compromised.  The downside of SMS authentication is SIM-hacking can render the cellphone number useless.  

SMS Authentication will look like this for a standard user:

  • A user logs in to a website with their username & password
  • A unique code is sent to the cellular phone number linked to the users’ account
  • The user takes the 4-6 digit code off of their device and enters the code into the application or website
  • If the code is valid, the user is authenticated and granted access to the account. 

Physical  Authenticators 

A physical authenticator is more secure than digital because there is a real device that is needed to authenticate an account. This means that the user has a tangible key or an application downloaded to a physical device that is in their presence. These physical objects make it harder for cybercriminals to hack accounts.

Application-based authentication

Applications like Google Authenticator and other verification apps use a token/code to determine ownership of the account. These applications are linked to the device, not the phone number. Application-based authenticators can be as simple as a push notification going to the phone or the application, delivering a 4-6 digit code for users to enter on the website or application of the account they are attempting to access. 

  • A user logs in to a website with their user name & password
  • The website they are attempting to access will send the user credentials to the authorization server.
  • The authorization server will authenticate the user credentials and generate a token.
  • The access token is sent to the user via an application downloaded to the users’ device
  • The user inputs the time-sensitive access token into the website they are attempting to gain access to.
  • If the token is valid, the user will gain access to the website.

Physical authentication device

At Metropolitan Risk, we supply our staff with the hardware authentication device YubiKey. This ensures that our staff is using one of the safest methods of authentication. These keys are simple to deploy to everyone in your organization. These devices help promote digital security health within an organization.  

This physical device plugs into the USB port of a computer and requires a human touch to unlock the device. 

The process of using a physical authentication device looks like:

  • Launch the authenticators’ device 
  • On the account that the user wants to log into, enter the username and password as normal
  • Find the authenticator code needed in the authenticator
  • Insert the physical authenticator key into the desktop to show the credentials needed to log into the account
  • Enter the code on the website
  • If the code is valid, the user is authenticated and granted access to the account.

Developing An Organization-Wide Plan To Implement Multi-Factor Authentication 

Once you’ve decided on a method of multi-factor authentication, your next step is execution. The size of your organization will determine how you implement this plan. While working on a plan, consult your IT department, your HR department, and various managers throughout your organization. Having your entire management staff on board with a plan helps convey the agenda to lower-level employees. 

  • Have a meeting with your supervisors, managers, and IT team about your organization’s cybersecurity efforts. 
    • Discuss how you feel you’re currently doing as an organization with cybersecurity to determine weak spots in your plans. 
  • If your organization is not currently using any method of multifactor authentication, determine which method would be best for your organization. At Metropolitan Risk we always suggest a physical key device.
    • Create a list of pros and cons for each authentication method and determine which is the best fit for your organization.
  • If you’ve decided to use a physical authentication device, determine which physical device is best for your organization.
  • Distribute the authentication devices and instructions to your employees
    • Make sure all employees are on the same page with how to manage this new software. 
    • Include additional information on how to install the authentication devices and how to better manage passwords and other important digital assets
  • Provide additional training to any employees who are struggling with updating their accounts with the new cybersecurity measures. 

Remember, cybersecurity only works if the entire organization is working towards the same goals. 

Metropolitan Risk is here to help your organization overcome obstacles that can affect your organizations’ operations. Contact A Risk Advisor to book a meeting to discuss cybersecurity challenges that may be affecting your business’s insurance coverage or Call 914-357-8444.

HR Challenges, Risk Management

Resuming Business Operations During Covid-19

Foremost on most organization’s agenda is how do we resume operations in a COVID-19 world? Candidly it’s a bit complicated contingent on a great many factors. Here’s a very short list of some contingencies.

What does your operation look like; what do you do?  What does your service plant or office look like? How is it structured. Lastly, what’s your workflow & staffing levels to execute? Can you stagger staffing locations to create separation?   This shortlist of considerations to take to maximize the safety of your employees and customers.

At Metropolitan Risk part of our business model is to engage and vet high-quality partners that bring a risk mitigation skill set that our clients can leverage. Purchasing insurance is just another way to finance risk. The real magic and cost reductions happen when you marry the science & art of risk management with risk financing. Through the years we found our risk management recommendations weren’t always followed through because our clients lacked a network of these highly skilled individuals and firms by discipline.  Thus we thought we would make it easier for our clients to engage the necessary resources.

For purposes of today’s article, we partnered with Rich Landau of Jackson & Lewis. One of the preeminent employee law firms in the country. Rich was kind enough to share a LIST of things to consider as we begin to emerge from our COVID-19 induced stasis. Understand that this list is long and does not apply universally to every business. Think of this list as a general idea of what to consider as you make your own list to re-open.

 

Click here to download the list of suggestions to resume the operations of your organization in a COVID-19 world. 


For those of you who are Metropolitan Risk clients, we encourage you to speak to your Risk Advisor for assistance on how to build your own list. 

HR Challenges, Risk Management

Reopening Your Business Safely During COVID-19

You had to close down your business from a full office of employees to a remote workforce for several weeks. With states slowly starting to lift social distancing restrictions, you are considering what comes next in terms of safely reopening your business. Reopening your business is going to be more than walking in, turning on the lights, and flipping the “Sorry We’re Closed” sign back to “Yes, We’re Open”. Your organization needs a strategy that everyone from management to line workers can agree is a safe plan to reopen.

While creating a strategy to reopen, consider what goals you need to reach to reopen safely. Your first priority should be the safety and health of your front line staff. Remember, that the Coronavirus (COVID-19) is still a threat to your organization and your employees can still catch the virus. Employees should not gain entrance to the physical job location until:

  • New policies are in place regarding safety and  illness in the workplace
  • More information is available to whether or not employees with immunities can transmit the virus to nonimmune employees
  • More information on how the virus spreads is available

 

Creating distance at the workplace

You may need to rearrange your office space to keep employees 6ft away from each other. This includes common areas like shared kitchens and shared lunchrooms.  Cubicles that were once shared by 2 people will need to be one person per cubicle to ensure social distancing measures. Commonly shared areas will also need to be redesigned to minimize contact between employees.  If common areas cannot be redesigned to accommodate the 6ft. distancing needs of employees, consider staggering lunch shifts. Or having employees eat lunch at their desks to minimize the risk of transmission of the virus.

Protecting your “at-risk” employees

Discussion of an employee’s medical information in a public forum is prohibited under the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA), you may want to have a private conversation with these employees about options they have to lessen their risks. Current information on Covid-19 suggests that those who are immunocompromised or those who have significant underlying medical conditions may be more susceptible to catching Covid-19.

During this discussion ask employees to consider their own health and potentially ask them to work remotely, take time off or other options if they feel their situation warrants additional measures.

Currently, the CARES Act exempts small businesses with less than 50 employees from providing the 2 weeks paid leave that the act requires.

Use some common sense

Everyone is eager to return to normal routines, but safely. Changes in procedures can include purchasing items to help protect everyone in your workplace. This list is an example of some of the items you might want to procure before bringing employees back to the workplace:

  • Skin Thermometers
  • A Log To Keep Temperature Information In
  • Face Masks
  • UV disinfection Light
  • Disinfectant cleaners
  • Rubber Gloves

Ask yourself these questions about your employees’ safety before reopening your doors:

  • What are the goals for the safe return of all of our employees?
  • Do we have enough space to have everyone return at once, if not how do we create an alternating schedule to accommodate everyone?
  • Are my employees working at a safe distance away from each other?
  • Does our office have enough space to keep employees 6ft away from each other?
  • How often will the office be professionally cleaned?
  • Who will be responsible for managing wiping the surfaces in the office down?

Remember, the return to the office needs to be a strategic plan that every employee needs to be on board with. If your employee is refusing to comply with these new rules, have you considered how your employee handbook will also reflect these new office changes?

 

Still need more information on creating a strategic plan for reopening your business? Contact a risk advisor at 914-357-8444.

HR Challenges, Loss Control, Risk Management, Workers Compensation Insurance

The 4 Types Of Workplace Violence

Workplace Violence can be difficult to identify because it is more than homicides or physical assaults. This can be non-violent offenses like stalking, threatening words or other menacing contacts. Workplace Violence is defined as any physical assault, threatening behavior or verbal abuse that occurs in a work setting. 

These forms of non-physical and physical violence affect approximately 25 million people a year. When not properly addressed workplace violence can result in a major decline in employee morale, management efficiency, and productivity. There is a cost impact as well, like lost wages, higher benefit payments and greater usage of sick time. 

Workplace violence can be divided into 4 categories. However, most people affected by workplace violence are usually subjected to more than one category of workplace violence. 

In all of the four following types of workplace violence events, a human being or hazardous agent commits the assault:

Type I – Criminal Intent

The perpetrator has no legitimate business relationship to the workplace and usually enters the affected workplace to commit a robbery or other criminal act.

These incidents are normally between employees who have face to face contact and exchange money with the public, work late at night and into early mornings or work alone. While the perpetrator maybe pretends to be a customer of the establishment, the person has no legitimate business relationship to the workplace. 

Type II – Customer/Client/Patients

The perpetrator is either the recipient or the object of a service provided by the affected workplace or the victim. For example, the assailant is a current or former client, patient, customer, passenger, criminal suspect, inmate, or prisoner.


Type II events involve an assault by someone who is either the recipient or object of a service provided by the workplace or victim. These events involve assaults on public safety and correctional personnel, municipal bus or railway drivers, health care and social service providers, teachers, sales personnel, and other public or private service sector employees who provide professional, public safety, or administrative or business services to the public. 

Type III Worker/worker

The perpetrator has some employment-related involvement with the affected workplace. For example, an assault by a current or former employee, supervisor or manager.

Type III events generally involve threats of violence resulting in fatal or nonfatal injury to another worker. Commonly found in type III events are the individual may be seeking revenge for what is perceived to be unfair treatment by another coworker, a supervisor, or a manager.

Type IV Personal Relationship

The perpetrator has some employment-related involvement with the affected workplace but is not employed at the workplace. Rather, the agent is known to or has a personal relationship with, an employee.

Most Type IV events involve domestic or romantic disputes in which an employee is threatened in the workplace by an individual who has personal relationships outside of work.

Prevention

If there are one or more of the following factors present in the workplace, employers should consider the workplace to be at potential risk of violence:

  • Exchange of money.
  • Employees required to work alone at night and during early morning hours.
  • Availability of valued items, for example, money and jewelry.
  • Guarding of money or valuable property or possessions.
  • Employees perform public safety functions in the community.
  • Employees work with patients, clients, passengers, customers, or students known or suspected to have a history of violence.
  • Some employees have a history of assaults or have exhibited belligerent, intimidating, or threatening behavior to others.

Many workplaces are at risk for workplace violence, but certain workplaces are recognized to be at significantly greater risk than others. Therefore, every employer should perform an initial assessment to identify workplace security factors that have been shown to contribute to the risk of violence.

If you have any questions on what workplace violence is and how your organization may be at risk, contact a Risk Advisor by clicking here or by calling at 914-357-8444

Construction Practice Group Content, Food & Beverage Practice Group Content, HR Challenges, Human Services Practice Group Content, Loss Control, Practice Groups, Risk Financing, Transportation Practice Group Content

A Small Business’ Guide To The CARES Act

On Friday, March 25, 2020, the US Senate passed the CoronaVirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act (CARES Act), to help provide financial relief to the people and business of America. This bill is a $2 Trillion dollar relief in response to the economic fallout from the fast-developing Coronavirus pandemic. The CARES Act is meant to provide direct financial aid to American families, payroll and operating expense support for small business and loan assistance for industries affected by the pandemic. Here is a breakdown of some of the topics the CARES Act covers:

What is the Paycheck Protection Program?

The Paycheck Protection Program, one of the largest sections of the CARES Act, is the most important provision in the new stimulus bill for most small businesses. This new program sets aside $350 billion in government-backed loans, and it is modeled after the existing SBA 7(a) loan program many businesses already know.

Who Qualifies for the Paycheck Protection Program?

This program was created as an incentive for small businesses with fewer than 500 employees and select businesses with 1,500 employees to maintain payroll through June and expands the SBA network so that more banks, credit unions, and lenders can issue those loans. The goal is for small businesses to no lay off workers and rehire laid-off workers that lost jobs due to COVID-19 disruptions.

What Is The Maximum Loan Amount A Business Can Recieve Though The Paycheck Protection Program?

The maximum loan amount under the Paycheck Protection Act is $10 million, with an interest rate no higher than 4%. No personal guarantee or collateral is required for the loan. The lenders are expected to defer fees, principal and interest for no less than six months and no more than one year.

What Can These Funds Be Used For?

Businesses can use funds from the Program loans to cover expenses including:

  • Payroll costs, including compensation to employees; payments for vacation, parental, family, medical or sick leave; severance payments; payments required for group health care benefits (including insurance premiums), retirement benefits, and state and local employment taxes
  • Interest payments on any mortgage obligations or other debt obligations incurred before February 15, 2020 (but not any payments or prepayments of principal)
  • Rent
  • Utilities

However, the money cannot be used for compensation of individual employees, independent contractors, or sole proprietors in excess of an annual salary of $100,000; compensation of employees with a principal place of residence outside the United States; or leave wages already covered by the Families First Coronavirus Response Act.

How Are Loans Made Under The Paycheck Protection Program Different From Traditional 7(a) Loans?

Unlike traditional SBA 7(a) loans, no personal guarantee will be required to receive funds and no collateral needs to be pledged. Similarly, the CARES Act waives the requirement that a business shows that it cannot obtain credit elsewhere. In lieu of these requirements, borrowers must certify that the loan is necessary due to the uncertainty of current economic conditions; that they will use the funds to retain workers, maintain payroll, or make lease, mortgage, and utility payments; and that they are not receiving duplicative funds for the same uses.

The SBA will not collect any yearly or guarantee fees for the loan and all prepayment penalties are waived. Payment of principal, interest, and fees will be deferred for at yeast6months but not more than a year.

The SBA has no recourse against any borrower for non-payment of the loan, except where the borrower has used the loan proceeds for a non-allowable purpose.

What Are The Loan Forgiveness Requirements?

Borrowers are eligible for loan forgiveness for 8 weeks commencing from the origination date of the loan of payroll costs and rent payments, utility payments, or mortgage interest payments. Eligible payroll costs do not include annual compensation greater than $100,000 for individual employees.

The amount of loan forgiveness may be reduced if the employer reduces the number of employees as compared to the prior year, or if the employer reduces the pay of any employee by more than 25% as of the last calendar quarter. Employers who re-hire workers previously laid off as a result of the COVID-19 crisis will not be penalized for having a reduced payroll for the beginning of the relevant period. Forgiveness may also include additional wages paid to tipped workers.

Borrowers must apply for loan forgiveness to their lenders by submitting required documentation (as discussed in further detail below) and will receive a decision within 60 days.

If a balance remains after the borrower receives loan forgiveness, the outstanding loan will have a maximum maturity date of 10 years after the application for loan forgiveness.

How Does A Business Apply For A Loan Under the Paycheck Protection Program?

We expect additional guidance from the SBA regarding how to apply for Program loans, including additional resources on the SBA website about how to find a qualified lender. Borrowers who have outstanding SBA loans may also want to contact their existing lenders to inquire about applying for loans under the Program.

Is Relief Available For Businesses With Pre-existing SBA Loans?

Yes. The SBA will pay the principal, interest, and associated fees on certain pre-existing SBA loans for 6 months.

Does the CARES Act Affect Any Other Loans Available To Small Businesses?

Yes. The maximum loan amount for an Express Loan is increased from $350,000 to $1 million.

The CARES Act also expands eligibility for borrowers applying for an Emergency Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) grant. Under the Act, emergency EIDLs are available for businesses or cooperatives with fewer than 500 employees, sole proprietors or independent contractors, or Employee Stock Ownership Plans (ESOPs) with fewer than 500 employees. Additionally, the Act waives requirements that (1) the borrower provide a personal guarantee for loans up to $200,000, (2) that the eligible business be in operation for one year prior to the disaster, and (3) that the borrower be unable to obtain credit elsewhere. The SBA is also empowered to approve applicants for small-dollar loans solely on the basis of their credit score or “alternative appropriate methods to determine an applicant’s ability to repay.”

Most significantly for borrowers seeking an immediate influx of funds, borrowers may receive a $10,000 emergency advance within three days after applying for an EIDL grant. If the application is denied, the applicant is not required to repay the $10,000 advance. Emergency advance funds can be used for payroll costs, increased material costs, rent or mortgage payments, or for repaying obligations that cannot be met due to revenue losses.

Borrowers may apply for an EIDL grant in addition to a loan under the Paycheck Protection Program, provided the loans are not used for the same purpose. If a borrower received a loan under 7(b)(2) after January 31, 2020, the borrower may refinance the outstanding balance as part of a loan under the Program.

For more resources on the CARES Act:

HR Challenges, Other, Risk Management

Keeping Employee Morale Up During Covid-19

employee morale 

The remote workforce has boomed over the past week and a half with thousands of organizations moving from office buildings to laptops at home. While ¼ of the U.S. workforce was part-time remote employees before the viral outbreak, many organizations have been faced with the harsh reality of shutting their office doors and becoming remote organizations. 

employee morale 

We previously outlined ways for your employees to easily transition to remote office work, and now we’re here to talk to you about managing and helping your employees remain engaged during this time. 

 

Some of your employees may feel challenged in new ways as they shift to remote operations. Otherwise, high-performing employees may have a difficult time transitioning to this new position and employers may see a decline in performance and engagement. 

Challenges Your Employees May Face 

Lack of face to face supervision

Managers and employees both feel the challenges associated with the lack of face-to-face interaction. Managers worry that their employees will not work as hard or as efficiently as they would in the office. Employees can feel that remote work managers aren’t as communicative and don’t support their own needs. 

In some cases, it has been found that remote work employees work harder at their jobs when they’re remote due to the lack of office distractions. The one employee that always seems to be chatting with their co-workers maybe your new top-performing employee due to the lack of social distractions. 

 

Lack of Access to Information:

In this case, the information doesn’t relate only to common knowledge things like answering a difficult question. Remote employees also lack the emotional awareness that they would normally have in an office setting. While in an office employees would be aware if one of their coworkers was having a bad day, but while working remotely, employees won’t know the situation for their coworkers. 

 

Social Isolation:

Normally employees will be in an office building and have other people to have conversations with, then your employees might continue their day after work with different types of social interactions. Now your employees are isolated by themselves in their homes. Loneliness is one of the most common complaints about remote work. Isolation can cause your employees to feel less involved in their organizations’ culture and can drive employee intentions to leave up. 

 

At Home Distractions:

Working in an office has its own set of distractions, but distractions at home vary from procrastination cleaning to family members. With the sudden onset of being a remote worker, a number of these employees may not have had time to create an adequate plan to have an office or find childcare. Managers should expect a greater number of these distractions due to the unplanned work from home circumstances. 

 

Poor Time Management: 

Without an in-person manager to keep employees on task, it can mean employees’ time management starts to slip. Many people convince themselves that they are effective at time management because they’ve got a schedule built out on their calendar. These employees might rush from appointment to appointment when they’re in the office but may find that their ability to keep time slips when there is no one to hold them accountable. Poor time management is usually caused by a failure to evaluate the work that needs to be completed.  

Employers can help employees who lack time management skills, by giving these employees hard deadlines for certain tasks. These employees may also lack the awareness to set priorities. One way employers can help employees is through a straight forward time management table. This is one way for your employers to help employees reevaluate their priorities. 

 

Urgent Not Urgent
Important  Urgent & Important Not Urgent & Important 
Not Important Urgent & Not Important Not Urgent and Not Important 

 

 

Misunderstanding Technology:

 

Employees who normally log right into their desktop at the office may be confused with how the new remote work and communication systems work. Some of these employees can be used to just logging into their desk computer and having everything they need right in front of them. With the move from an office to remote, employees can struggle with how they are required to access their information. 

 

How to support your remote employees

 

Provide several different communication options

If at first, you don’t succeed, try and try again. If GoToMeeting doesn’t work for one employee, try Slack, Skype, Zoom, Google Hangout, or a traditional conference call on your cell phone. Limiting your newly remote employees’ ways of communication can be frustrating to you and the employee. This can be especially true if your employees aren’t used to using remote communication tools. 

 

Establish daily check-ins:

Every phone call to your employees doesn’t have to be work-related. Start your daily meetings going around the group and seeing how everyone is doing, how they’re holding up and if there is any good news they would like to share with the group. These daily check-ins will allow your employees to communicate and socialize with their team members they’re used to seeing every day.

 

Provide opportunities for remote social interaction

This is uncharted territory for everyone. Humans aren’t used to staying at home and only interacting with their peers via computer screens. Try hosting a remote Happy Hour, where all of your staff hosts a non-business-related meeting. This can include sending care packages to all of your employees with party favors to be used during this meeting or sending them pizzas. Or just a nice after work chat among your coworkers to show solidarity during these times of social isolation. 

 

Provide encouragement and Emotional Support:

There has been a lot of conversation surrounding the mental wellbeing of your employees.  Supporting your employees emotionally can go a long way. A 5-minute wellness phone call can go a long way. Encourage your employees to speak up if they are struggling with anything work-related or personally during this time of isolation. People who struggle with addictions are more likely to relapse during times of isolation like these. 

As a manager, it is your duty to provide a fearless attitude and lead your employees in the right direction. Much like productivity, emotions also have a trickle-down effect, if you’re feeling helpless and lost in a situation and portray that to your team, then your team may start to feel helpless and misguided.  

 

Be Responsive and Available 

As you expect your employees to be responsive to any emails you send, return the favor. Communication is key for organizations to remain calm and functional while transitioning to remote work. This doesn’t mean that you have to respond to emails that your team sends out after work hours. Your employees look to you for guidance, while your availability should be based around work hours, you should be open to talking to your employees about nonwork-related topics as well. 

 

Metropolitan Risk is here to answer any questions you may have about transitioning your employees to remote work and boosting your employees’ morale. If you are a current Metropolitan Risk customer, you have access to ThinkHR one of the largest digital HR platforms.

Return To Work Checklist provided by ThinkHR

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