ARTICLE
9 June 2020

California Employers' Road Map To Reopening The Physical Workplace

JM
Jeffer Mangels Butler & Mitchell LLP

Contributor

Jeffer Mangels Butler & Mitchell LLP (JMBM) is a full service law firm handling corporate transactions, litigation, labor & employment, real estate & land use, intellectual property, hospitality, entertainment, bankruptcy, and taxation, trusts & estates matters. From Los Angeles, San Francisco and Orange County, we serve our clients' needs worldwide.
In only two months, California employers have experienced an unprecedented disruption to business and the adoption and implementation of myriad new laws aimed at remedying the...
United States Media, Telecoms, IT, Entertainment

In only two months, California employers have experienced an unprecedented disruption to business and the adoption and implementation of myriad new laws aimed at remedying the economic effects of COVID-19 and limiting its spread. But even now, as California lawmakers from the Governor to local mayors agree that it is time for California to get back to doing business, there is great uncertainty as to when and how this can safely occur.

The process will obviously be gradual and subject to reversal at any time. Business operations will eventually return to full capacity, but the workplace will be different for months, if not years, to come as a result of new laws and the nature of the pandemic crisis itself.

When it comes to employee matters, how can an employer best develop a plan to navigate the uncertainty of emergency orders restricting operations, new laws and regulations, and an entirely new business environment?

We suggest that employers work with their professionals to implement their own four phase plan:

  1. Determine when your business can lawfully reopen and to what extent
  2. Assess how the timing of bringing employees back affects the risks and costs associated with reopening your business
  3. Identify any limitations on your discretion to choose which employees to bring back and when
  4. Understand new workplace requirements and create systems to implement them

Read the full alert here for a discussion of all four phases.

Online Resources

Originally published 19 May, 2020

The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.

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