Guest Blog: MA Legislature extends and expands COVID-19 temporary emergency paid sick leave program10/13/2021 On September 29, 2021, the day before it was set to expire, the Massachusetts legislature amended the COVID-19 Emergency Paid Sick Leave Act (MA EPSL), extending it until April 1, 2022 or the exhaustion of $75 million in program funds, whichever is earlier. Additionally, the amended MA EPSL expanded the reasons for which employees can use sick leave to include “to care for a family member who needs to obtain or recover from a COVID-19 immunization.”
REASONS FOR LEAVE Under the amended MA EPSL, Massachusetts private and public employers are required to provide emergency paid sick leave to employees who are unable to work for the following COVID-19-related reasons:
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 By Caroline Quinn, Founder & Chief Marketing Strategist, Quinnovative Marketing Whether you’re starting a new business or you have an existing one, you need marketing to keep it top of mind with your customers and prospects. But with everything you have to deal with as a business owner, just the thought of creating a marketing plan can feel overwhelming. Many business owners I’ve met tend to fly by the seat of their pants when it comes to marketing, trying random things and wondering why nothing seems to work. So where do you begin? What should you focus on? How will you know that your marketing is actually working? This guide will walk you through the process of creating a strategic marketing plan that’s designed to achieve your goals and help your business grow. Will it take time to put this together? Yes. It’s important to take the time to really think this through on the front-end. When you do, the reward will be a focused plan that takes the guesswork out of what you should be doing with your marketing. And going forward, you’ll just need to update your plan rather than doing the whole thing over again. One thing to keep in mind: a good marketing plan is designed to be flexible. Things can change and new opportunities can come up that you weren’t expecting. It’s ok to make adjustments as you go along, as long as they support your goals This marketing plan guide has 5 sections:
Let’s go over each one. Provided by Brendan Collins and Nan O’Neill of Murphy, Hesse, Toomey, & Lehane, LLP The Biden administration’s pledge that the federal government will take a more hands-on approach to curbing new COVID-19 infections is now taking shape in various executive agencies. One such agency is the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), which is the agency tasked with ensuring safe working conditions for American workers. The Biden administration has called on OSHA to further help identify risks of workplace exposure to COVID-19 and to determine the appropriate control measures to implement.
I. President Biden Issues Executive Order on January 21, 2021 to Protect the Health and Safety of Workers from COVID-19 In an Executive Order dated January 21, 2021, President Biden called on OSHA to perform a variety of COVID-19-prevention assignments. These assignments are helpful clues of what may be to come with regards to workplace safety requirements in relation to COVID-19. President Biden’s assignments include the following: Labor and Employment Alert: Unpacking the Federal Stimulus Package’s Direct Payments, Enhanced Unemployment Payments, and FFCRA Leave ExtensionFor a discussion of these and other legal issues, please visit our website at www.mhtl.com. To receive legal updates via e-mail, contact information@mhtl.com.
Introduction: There has been a great deal of discussion in the news lately about the latest Congressional stimulus package, which was ultimately signed by President Trump on Sunday, December 27, 2020, following his initial pushback. The stimulus package, officially known as the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021 (the “Stimulus”), is a behemoth piece of legislation that consists of nearly 5,600 pages, covering a broad array of appropriation matters. The Stimulus addresses elements of the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) and the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act), which were both signed into law in March 2020. The FFCRA provides paid sick leave and family leave entitlements while the CARES Act provides economic relief for both out-of-work employees and businesses that are shut down or have curtailed business operations as a result of COVID-19. Both laws contained sunset provisions with an end date of December 31, 2020. With COVID-19 still ever-present, the Stimulus addresses the continuation of certain elements of the FFCRA and the CARES Act, and also includes a variety of new spending provisions that are unrelated to COVID-19. The purpose of this Client Alert is to identify the key employment-related elements of the Stimulus in order to better understand what impact it will have on your businesses and organizations. Highlights $600 Direct Payments: By Christina Refford, Marketing Specialist, South Shore Staffing
November 15th starts International Fraud Awareness Week, a time when we should all educate ourselves about fraud and how to protect ourselves against it. At South Shore Staffing, we have had two close calls with unemployment fraud in a short period of time. To learn more about unemployment fraud specifically, keep reading for tips on how to handle it: With unemployment rates so high due to pandemic-related layoffs and closures, one group is taking full advantage of the situation: The scammers. From super-sophisticated organizations draining states of millions of dollars, to opportunists who want to make a quick buck, the rise in fraudulent unemployment activity is alarming. In fact, the FBI even notified states of the rise in unemployment claims using stolen personal information back in July. Federal relief programs such as the $2.2 trillion federal CARES Act which provides Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) has only increased the illegal activity. In fact, Colorado had to stop $750 million to $1 billion in improper payments because more than three out of four claims made under the PUA program were fraudulent! By Nan O'Neill, Partner, Murphy, Hesse, Toomey & Lehane, LLP For a discussion of these and other legal issues, please visit our website at www.mhtl.com. To receive legal updates via e-mail, contact information@mhtl.com.
On Monday, November 2, 2020, Governor Baker issued three new COVID-19 Orders, all of which are effective Friday, November 6, 2020 at 12:01 a.m. COVID-19 Order No. 53 (https://www.mass.gov/doc/covid-19-order-53/download) imposes a Mandatory Night-Time Closing Period for Certain Businesses and Activities from 9:30 p.m. each day until 5:00 a.m. the following day. This Mandatory Closing Period Order prohibits certain businesses, facilities, and activities from admitting customers, patrons, or members of the public to their premises or otherwise offering, providing, or permitting in-person, on-premises services or activities, during the closed period. Businesses, facilities, and activities subject to the mandatory closing period include:
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