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Businesses that sell basic necessities are facing overwhelming demand and experiencing increased customer service inquiries, call volume, and website orders. These challenges make communicating with customers more important than ever. When implementing an effective customer-facing communications plan, there are five attributes that should be included.

As family offices and businesses prepare for a return to work in the post-COVID-19 environment, they face complicated decisions when trying to plan for a safe workplace. This medical intelligence report provides an overview on COVID-19 to help facilitate thoughtful discussions and a better understanding of official recommendations. It also includes general guidance for employers and reputable sources for getting updates and information on the spread of COVID-19 and changes in recommendations to fit the current situation.

Subtitle C of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act amends certain provisions in the Emergency Family and Medical Leave Expansion Act and the Families First Coronavirus Response Act. A brief summary of four key provisions that employers need to know includes: paid leave for rehired employees; advance refunding of credits; single-employer plan funding rules; and federal contractor activity.

The EEOC issued updated FAQs on various issues involving the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), such as confidentiality of COVID-19 medical information, reasonable accommodation requests, hiring, harassment, and layoffs or furloughs. The U.S. Labor Department’s Occupational Safety and Health Division (OSHA) has also updated their guidance on employer recordkeeping and reporting requirements regarding workplace transmissions of COVID-19. This article reviews the latest changes impacting employers.

The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) published its Final Rule on the paid sick leave and family leave requirements of the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA). The Final Rule supplements and clarifies the multiple FFCRA Q&A publications the DOL has issued. A review of the key provisions is provided, including how the family leave provisions of FFCRA interacts with FMLA, which employers are exempt from FFCRA requirements, and what documentation employers need to retain to obtain a tax credit under FFCRA.

As states and cities begin to lift lockdown restrictions, stay-at-home orders and social distancing measures, it’s vital that businesses implement and communicate new protocols and safety precautions in the workplace before and after employees return. Prepare for reopening your doors with this practical Return-to-Work Toolkit that will help in developing a good first step toward creating a plan specific to your organization.

As states continue to adopt shelter-in-place orders to stop the spread of COVID-19, many employers remain open for business and need employees to perform essential operations. To protect their workforce, employers should adhere to CDC and DOL guidance on implementing safety practices for employees. We share some tips for employers with essential employees that can reduce the risk of workplace hazards and explain how to document those efforts in workplace policies and employee communications.

Cyber criminals are taking advantage of the situation created by COVID-19, and employees can inadvertently expose sensitive data or facilitate a ransomware attack. This year’s Data Security Incident Response Report addresses the data breach litigation landscape and cybersecurity strategy. The intent of the Report is to use incident response data to demystify incident response and serve as a resource to help organizations use risk-prioritized decision-making to take practical steps to improve their cybersecurity posture and operational resiliency.

As the economic fallout of the global COVID-19 pandemic increases, state legislatures and regulators are under rising pressure to shift the resulting economic losses onto the insurance industry. One of the major issues that legislatures and regulators focus on in this respect is whether business losses related to the virus might implicate the “business interruption” coverage found in many commercial property policies. A review is provided on the legislative measures many state governments have taken to potentially force the issue.

No one foresaw the pandemic crisis that is currently testing the value proposition of the family office. The implications will change the way the future is shaped, one that will include a focus on the ability to function as a remote organization. The way forward is emphasizing the need to not just have a plan, but to examine, test, and refresh those plans regularly on a risk management and mitigation level. If you do, you’ll find holes along the way which gives the family office insights as to how to fix them and evolve into a stronger position.