December 21, 2021 On Friday, December 17, 2021, the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals reversed a lower court’s block on President Biden’s vaccine mandate, meaning the vaccine mandate will go into effect on January 4, 2022. The vaccine mandate requires that all private employers who employ 100 or more employees nationwide must require their employees…
COVID-19
Vaccine Mandate Whiplash: Where Do Things Stand in Utah?
December 1, 2021 The past few weeks have seen a flurry of regulatory activity by the federal and state governments regarding COVID-19 vaccine mandates. Even though court actions continue, now is a good time for employers to assess their current requirements and update policies and practices. Federal Mandates OSHA Rule On November 4, 2021, OSHA…
The Rules Don’t Apply to Those Who Apply: Asking Applicants for Their COVID-19 Vaccination Status
Can you ask an applicant their COVID-19 vaccination status? November 4, 2021 By now, most employers have at least broached the question of whether they can request employees’ vaccination status. While employers can in fact request this medical information from employees and even terminate employees who do not comply with disclosure or vaccine requirements (with…
Federal Vaccine Mandates
September 10, 2021 Yesterday President Biden issued two Executive Orders and a COVID-19 action plan, in furtherance of a strong federal policy of increasing the number of Americans who are vaccinated against COVID-19. The Orders and plan rely largely on employers to implement this policy. The first Executive Order requires all federal agencies to implement mandatory…
COVID-19 and the Americans with Disabilities Act
August 31, 2021 Employers in Utah and throughout our Country are faced with new and unique questions concerning COVID-19 and the workplace. For example, an increasing amount of employees are requesting to work from home due to potential COVID-19 exposure, particularly with the new infectious Delta Variant. Some employees are seeking remote work accommodations under…
Update from the 2nd District Court and In Person Hearings
FROM THE SECOND DISTRICT COMMISSIONERS RE: RESUMPTION OF IN-PERSON HEARINGS WHEN: We are currently contemplating returning to in-person court on September 1, 2021. In-person court can resume if the courts are in Yellow as long as appropriate precautions are taken. If the virus count prompts a return to Red, in-person hearings will only take place…
The Holidays, COVID-19, and Sharing Custody: “Create a Roadmap for Success”
The Association of Family and Conciliation Courts recently published some useful tools to help those sharing custody this holiday season. For the full Roadmap, visit their file here. “1. PLAN EARLY: If there is one piece of advice you take away from these guidelines, it has to be this one. If there was ever a…
How Will My Employees’ Unemployment Claims Related to COVID-19 Affect My Unemployment Tax Premiums?
As explained in our prior post (here), since the start of the pandemic, the Utah Department of Workforce Services (DWS) has been charging unemployment benefits for individuals who lost employment as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic to “social costs.” This measure was designed to relieve employers from having to pay higher premiums when rates…
Utah State Courts: Divorce Decrees and Co-Parenting During COVID-19
Utah State Courts have provided resources for individuals who are anticipating filing for divorce, in the process of divorce, or trying to figure out ways to best co-parent all while following state health guidelines and court orders. “Co-parenting during COVID-19: Co-parenting is often the most challenging part of divorce and a crisis like the COVID-19…
Staging a Comeback: Rules for Re-Engaging Your Workforce in the Age of COVID-19
On April 16, 2020, the White House issued “Opening Up America Again,” a three phase state-by-state approach for reopening the U.S. economy. Some state governors, including Governor Herbert in Utah, are beginning to relax stay-at-home orders. This memo discusses the top compliance and workplace concerns your business may face as you stage your comeback. RISK…