It’s been more than four months since COVID-19 struck throughout the United States. Since then, nearly everyone’s work and personal lives have changed significantly. Plans were delayed, then postponed, then cancelled. States have shut down, opened back up, and shut down again. As much as we all want to get back to normal, the reality…
Blogs
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Three Things HR Software Needs in the Work-from-Home Era
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The State Financial Crisis: How Will It Affect Staffing and Services?
This week, the US Senate began debate on one of the most consequential bills for local and state governments in modern history. State governments alone are expected to face a $555 billion shortfall due to the direct and indirect impacts of COVID-19 and the resulting economic shutdown. State and local governments have combined to furlough…
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Office Exodus Leads to Difficult Question: When to Return
It’s only been four months since the pandemic’s first wave began sweeping the United States, forcing many federal offices to push employees out of the office in an effort to avoid infection. Four months can seem like years when so many daily habits are uprooted at once with so little warning. Many effects of the…
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State and Local Governments May Lay Off 4 Million
A few weeks ago, we wrote about the devastating financial impact facing states across the nation due to COVID-19 related expenses and revenue shortfalls over the past few months. At the time, individual states were beginning to lay out the scenarios that would keep them afloat if the federal government didn’t provide assistance in the…
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HR Teams: COVID-19 Doesn’t Wait Weeks for a Recommendation
While states have started to significantly relax Coronavirus-necessitated private business restrictions, most state and federal employees continue to work remotely. This isn’t going to continue indefinitely, however. Federal agencies have already issued guidance on how to bring employees back to the office. Employees who have been on paid leave because they cannot work remotely will…
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The Outline of a New Normal for Many State Employees
Years from now, when Americans look back at our transition away from a normal work environment as Covid-19 infections escalated, we’ll probably describe those days as full of confusing decisions. That was to be expected – it’s hard to practice for something that only happens every hundred years or so. Unfortunately, we haven’t practiced for…
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The Coronavirus’s Devastating Impact on State Budgets
The biggest debate in Congress right now is what provisions end up in the next stimulus bill. Senate Republicans want to end the increase in unemployment insurance payouts, which in some cases paid employees more during their time unemployed than they made while working. House Democrats want to avoid business immunity from Coronavirus-related employee lawsuits. …
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Federal Employee COVID-19 Provisions – Will Work-From-Home Stick?
This week brought the implementation of two policies in the stimulus bill that are specific to federal workers. First, federal employees who performed work in response to the COVID-19 crisis became eligible for higher premium pay caps. Some of this must be reimbursed by FEMA, while some may come directly from the employing agency. The…
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Three Ways COVID-19 Will Change State Government Agencies
Right now, most state governments are trying to figure out how to get through these next few weeks. Many states face a still-growing tide of Coronavirus patients. Those with a declining rate of new infections face the incredibly important decision on when to allow more people back to work, and how many industries will be…
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Why Mandatory Work-From-Home Might Be Especially Miserable
Remote work has been popular at private businesses for years now. Employees value it as a job perk. Commute time is eliminated. Businesses that use it extensively don’t need as much office space, lowering overhead. It’s even been found to be good for employee health, on balance. This time, however, might be different. Here’s why:…