Employers Must Post Model Notice for COVID-19 Leave

On Wednesday, March 25, the U.S. Department of Labor published a model notice detailing employee entitlements to paid leave for coronavirus-related reasons. Employers must post the notice “conspicuously” alongside other workplace notices. Given the number of employees currently working remotely, however, the Department of Labor has advised that employers can satisfy the “posting” requirement by “emailing or direct mailing” the notice to its employees, or, by posting it to their internal or public-facing websites. The Department cautions that the notice cannot be placed solely in a binder that contains other policies or mandatory notices.

The model notice does not need to be shared with recently laid-off individuals or new job applicants.

The U.S. Department of Labor has also published several guidance documents detailing leave provided under the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (“FFCRA”). Leave provided under the FFCRA encompasses the expansion to the existing Family & Medical Leave Act (“FMLA”) and the creation of the Federal Paid Sick Leave Act, both covered in our earlier Legal Alert.