New York State Mask or Vaccine Mandate Overview As previously communicated on December 10, 2021, New York State Governor Kathy Hochul announced a mandatory mask requirement for all indoor public places unless a vaccine requirement has been implemented. The requirements started Monday December 13, 2021 and will run through January 15, 2022, at which time the State will re-evaluate the…

As everyone is aware, as of November 4, 2021, the Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) finally published the Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS) in which all employers with 100+ employees must ensure that their employees are either fully vaccinated for COVID-19 or tested weekly to show a negative test result. Quickly following this announcement numerous states, human…

As previously signed into law earlier this year both New York public and private employers were required to provide their workforces with up to four (4) hours of paid time off to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. The leave is only available for an employee’s own receipt of the COVID-19 vaccine; the leave must be paid at the employee’s regular rate…

New Jersey employers should make note that as of January 1, 2022, the New Jersey Commissioner of Labor and Workforce Development has set to increase both the maximum weekly temporary disability benefit rate as well as the taxable wage base as outlined below: Employee taxable wage cap increase from the current $138,200 annually to $151,900 annually. Employer taxable wage cap…

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has released the Emergency Temporary Standard for mandatory COVID-19 vaccinations. The ETS applies to employers with at least 100 employees or more. The standard requires employees to get vaccinated by January 4, 2022. After January 4, 2022, any employees who have not received the necessary vaccination will be required to produce a verified…

What is 'The Great Resignation'? The nation is now enduring one of the biggest shockwaves since the COVID-19 pandemic began: The Great Resignation. That’s the new term dubbed for the mass migration of American employees after this global health emergency triggered a shift in their priorities. According to CNBC, 4.3 million Americans left their jobs in August of 2021 alone.…

If You’re Planning on Hiring in the State in 2022, consider this: The Washington State Long-Term Care Program, known as the “Washington Cares Fund,” originally established in May 2019 by the Long-Term Services and Supports (LTSS) Trust Act, is on track to begin as of January 1, 2022. What is it? This is the nation’s first public state-operated long term…

The Maximum Employee Weekly Benefit Amount is Increasing As Massachusetts employers are aware, on January 1, 2021, the state rolled out its Paid Family and Medical Leave (PFML) program to implement the first phase and most benefits available to employees for managing a personal illness or serious injury as of that date. Then again, the second phase of the program,…

Urgent Notice to Employers The U.S. workforce continues to adjust following the unprecedented impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. By the end of the year, all New York State employers with employees working outside of New York City should be on alert as minimum wage and overtime-exempt salary levels will rise. The change applies to businesses of all sizes. The following…

Think twice, click once. Like anything valuable, your personal information is of interest to thieves. With so much of this data stored online today, understanding how to protect it is more important than ever. In many cases, one of the biggest threats to our data is phishing emails. For those who may be unaware, phishing is a digital attack designed…