Editor’s Note

Last year this time, when the Covid-19 pandemic was spreading like a wildfire, there was chaos all around. Companies were desperately trying to understand how to handle the situation, how the pandemic will affect their business in the long run, and what can they do to keep employees safe and business running. 

Entering March 2021, there is now more than one vaccine, approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), that is already either available to the public or will be soon. However, with these new developments come new questions. How do companies integrate vaccination programs into an existing Covid-19 testing regimen? Should they make vaccination compulsory for all employees? How can they manage quarantine leaves? 

Simply put, how can HR create a safe atmosphere in this new normal? 

This month’s issue of HR Legal & Compliance Excellence, with a special focus on ‘Safety and Health Compliance’, brings you a set of articles that we hope will help you understand how to ensure safety and compliance at workplaces in these testing times. 
 
Last year was all about testing. Organizations everywhere scrambled to get Covid-19 testing right to continuously test their populations in order to reopen the economy safely. Now, we (thankfully) have a new element to add to the mix: vaccination. While vaccines are a huge relief, it’s only natural for anyone in an organization tasked with testing to feel nervous about integrating the new vaccination process into an existing Covid-19 testing regimen. 

Read this month’s cover article A Vaccine-Ready World: Dos And Don’ts by Mehdi Maghsoodnia to know the answers to some of the frequently asked questions and understand how businesses can identify what they need to bring into 2021 and beyond to tighten up their Covid-19 testing and post-vaccination processes. 

Check out, Glenn S. Grindlinger’s Employment Issues And The Covid-19 Vaccine, where he shares some basic employment issues you need to consider whether or not you require workers to obtain a vaccine. Also read, Cinnamon Janzer’s article to learn How To Prepare For ACA Employer Mandates And Penalties For 2021. 

Also included in this edition is an exclusive research from HR.com’s The HR Research Institute, titled The State of Employee Health and Well-being 2021. 

This is not all. This month’s issue of HR Legal & Compliance brings you the latest developments in the HR Legal and compliance arena to keep yourself protected and compliant. 

Stay safe and do not forget to send us your feedback!