Consult with an Employment Law Attorney before Laying off Your Employees

by Jewellan Sing NY Attorney

One of the best parts of employment laws is that they are changed frequently. This does not happen gratuitously and changes take place whenever it’s necessary. In this brutal time of Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) when almost every part of the world is being affected by its hit on humanity and economy, as an employer, you may be facing some tough bet. While the world itself going through a slowdown and economical loss due to this virus, layoffs could be stressful for both your HR department and workforce. An employment law attorney advises both employers and employees about their legal rights, duties, and responsibilities.

How to Handle Layoffs

The numbers of layoffs throughout America are skyrocketing and the current employment scenarios seem unpredictable. In the circumstances, when almost all of the businesses whether they are small or big undergoing huge financial setbacks along with reducing manpower, things can be overwhelming to be tackled without errors. Employers need to be calm in this situation and handle layoffs with prudency.

· Plan: you should devise a plan that include people you’re going to lay off, details to be shared with them, and what resources or support you need to allocate them. Working with OSHA law firms New York can help in taking each step carefully and avoiding legal mistakes.

· Approach laying off staff: laid-off employees often feel emotionally distress. It is important to approach and talk to them with compassion. You may no longer need some employees but the process of their resignation must be carried out smoothly with continuous conversations between them and company administration.

· Be compliant to laws: laying off employees will surely require you to consult with a labor attorney to understand the latest updates in labor and employment laws. You must work closely with your legal team to stay compliant with current rules and regulations pertaining to terminations.

· Offer support: as an employer, you should know your legal roles and responsibilities before laying people off your organization. It is better to explain the reasons compassionately and discreetly. You should offer them deserving support like severance package, insurance benefits and outplacement assistance.

· Connect with an attorney: most of the workers are protected by the federal, state and local laws. You might not be familiar with different protected classes and relevant laws like WARN Act and OWBPA. An employment law attorney NYC can review employment contract and company policies to keep the layoff fair and legit.

We are certainly going to face terrible employment crisis in the next six months seeing the current situation where thousands of people are losing their jobs everyday and businesses disappearing overnight. OSHA law firms surely have much responsibilities and workload of requests from around the country. You may consult a NY labor attorney for professional assistance.