How employers can help working parents tackle remote learning

Schools throughout Massachusetts are creating various plans associated with reopening. Several districts have announced hybrid returns with students alternating between attending school and remote learning (sometimes in the same week), while others have announced full remote learning. With the reopening looking very different than it has in any previous year and being decided last minute in many districts, parents are anxious about meeting their professional and family obligations, and employers are concerned about being able to run their businesses this fall. Some jobs just can't be done from home, and some parents who would otherwise be able to work at home will need to help their children with remote learning. And if that weren't enough, COVID-19 school-based outbreaks are a growing concern that could lead to additional, midquarter closures at schools throughout Massachusetts. So what should employers do?

Employment law compliance: FFCRA leave

Many employees won't be able to work in the traditional sense while their children are remote learning, and they may be eligible for paid leave. The federal Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) provides most parents at businesses with fewer than 500 employees with job-protected paid time off (PTO) when school is closed, which includes situations when some or all instruction is being provided through distance learning.