The national public health emergency may have officially ended in May, but Covid-19 cases are on the rise once again.
Hospital admissions for Covid, typically a lagging indicator for cases, rose 21.4% from August 13 to 19, according to CDC data. Wastewater analysis also shows an uptick in virus concentration over the past six weeks, with the South and Northeast seeing the highest levels of Covid.
Many workplace policies put in place specifically to address Covid have been retired, but HR departments are still in a better position to deal with an uptick in cases than they were three years ago. In addition to offering leave and flexible work for workers dealing with Covid, employers can encourage their workforce to get vaccinated when a booster becomes available, experts told HR Brew.
The state of Covid leave policies. At the height of the pandemic, many cities and states mandated that employers offer paid sick leave for Covid. Most of those policies have since expired, but the pandemic nevertheless shed light on the importance of sick leave, Rich Fuerstenberg, a senior partner with Mercer’s health and benefits practice, told HR Brew.
“There was certainly a heavy drumbeat during the pandemic, that employers that did not offer paid sick leave prior to Covid should really start thinking about it,” he said. Although Covid-specific leave is largely over, 15 states and the District of Columbia currently require employers to offer paid sick leave, according to tracking by the KFF.
Some employers expanded their leave during the pandemic, according to Shauna Bryngelson, a senior principal and national life, absence, and disability leader with Mercer. These companies are likely to leverage existing policies, rather than add time off, to accommodate workers during a Covid-19 uptick, she said. This might look like corporate emergency leave that can be used for a variety of HR-approved reasons, from pandemics to natural disasters, or a few days of flexible time off.
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Employees who are dealing with Covid for more than a week may be eligible for short-term disability leave, Fuerstenberg and Bryngelson said. This will depend in part on local policies, and may be taken in concurrence with the federal Family and Medical Leave Act, which is unpaid.
Though the federal government did mandate that certain employers offer sick leave as part of the Families First Coronavirus Response Act, that policy is no longer in effect.
Other Covid-conscious measures. Even as more employers double down on return-to-office policies, HR may consider allowing employees who test positive to work from home in order to accommodate them, Fuerstenberg told HR Brew.
A new Covid booster shot is expected in mid-September, and employers should also encourage their workers to stay up to date on these immunizations as they become available, said Mike Thompson, president and CEO of the National Alliance of Healthcare Purchaser Coalitions, which represents employers and their plan sponsors.
While the federal government is no longer in charge of purchasing and distributing Covid vaccines, health plans are likely to cover the immunizations as a preventative service, Thompson said. If workers are vaccinated for Covid, this may help employers avoid fronting the bill for costlier treatments down the road, he added.
“Certainly the uptick is a warning signal for employers that now is the season to double down on getting the immunizations in place…And making sure employees know how to navigate their leave policies and work-from-home policies,” Thompson said.