Tag: COVID-19

Tips on Responding to Requests for Religious Exceptions to Vaccine Mandates

Many employers have questions about employees’ religious objections to mandatory COVID-19 vaccination policies because they’re required to accommodate any sincerely held religious beliefs in opposition to the rules. Notably, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) answered questions about the possible accommodations in new technical assistance released on October 25, 2021.

Painful Jab: Mayor De Blasio Rolls Out New Vax Mandate for Businesses

On December 6, 2021, New York City Mayor Bill De Blasio, who is leaving office at the end of the year and likely running for governor in 2022, announced a first-in-the-nation COVID-19 vaccination mandate for workers and customers at indoor dining, fitness, entertainment, and performance venues. The new requirement is in addition to the proof-of-vaccination […]

Shifting Focus From Remote Work to Training and Development in 2022

While remote and hybrid work have certainly been helping to improve work-life balance for many workers, the Great Resignation is still in full swing. Why?  According to research, over a third of full-time respondents across a variety of industries said they want remote work options from their existing employers. However, this notably trailed other areas including […]

Equality in Expectations of Personal Life Obligations

Workplace flexibility has become increasingly important in recent years. That trend has accelerated in the wake of a pandemic involving illness and a forced shift to remote work for many organizations. More than ever, employees expect some flexibility to leave work early or take a long lunch to run an errand, work remotely, and take […]

holiday

Navigating the Holiday Party Experience in a COVID World

Holiday parties have long been a staple of company culture. They’re a time to mark the end of a year of accomplishments and struggles and to look back on fun memories with colleagues and teammates. Obviously, holiday parties haven’t been nearly the same since the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic. Millions of workers haven’t even […]

wellness

Why Recruiters Need to Lean into Flexibility and Wellness

There’s never been a time when a greater number of people collectively quit their jobs in search of something else. In September 2021 alone, over 4.4 million people left their jobs, according to the latest numbers shared by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. And in a survey of freelancers we worked on with Opinium […]

Fast Food and Future-Proofed Careers

Unlike most countries, where employers have to provide reasons and just cause for termination of employment, in the United States, at-will employment, which dictates that you can be fired for any reason at all, is the norm. But that came to an end this past summer as New York City implemented new laws prohibiting fast-food […]

data collection

How to Safely Manage COVID-19 Vaccination Data

Throughout the pandemic, there’s been an ongoing concern about the best way to manage the process of health screenings, contact tracing, and now vaccination verification. From a health and safety officer’s perspective, having documentation is critical for space and project planning, as well as compliance and Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) regulations. From a […]

Make Sure Your Parental Leave Policy Is Ready for Post-COVID-19 Baby Boom

Early during the COVID-19 pandemic, there was speculation about a baby boom in the coming months because couples were spending virtually all their time at home together, perhaps with too much “downtime.” An immediate boom ended up not occurring, according to a recent study by University of Michigan researchers. But, the slight pause in pregnancy and childbirths […]