Up and Coming Weekly is a weekly publication in Fayetteville, NC and Fort Bragg, NC area offering local news, views, arts, entertainment and community event and business information.
Issue link: http://www.epageflip.net/i/1432226
WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM 16 UCW NOVEMBER -28, 2021 Consider this scenario: an em- ployee who is immunocompromised requests accommodation to telework to reduce potential exposure to CO- VID-19. Does the American with Dis- abilities Act apply with respect to this request for reasonable accommoda- tion? e Equal Employment Op- portunity Commission (EEOC) filed its first COVID-19 related lawsuit against an employer that allegedly denied accommodation in a situa- tion of this type. is is an excellent example of the challenges employers are experiencing and will continue to experience as we move forward in dealing with the pandemic and the impact being felt by human resource (HR) offices not only here in the United States but also across the globe. COVID-19 has had a tremendous impact on organizations and day-to- day operations. Business owners and upper management are involved and engaged in finding workarounds for COVID-19 and making major deci- sions on how to continue business, pay employees, etc., while creating and managing the processes in an ef- fective and legally compliant manner. When faced with challenges, HR professionals collaborate with em- ployees within their organizations. Focus on interpersonal relationships is growing among employers, who must also stay current with changing policies and procedures to ensure compliance. Many companies, whose processes were primarily internal and did not require interaction outside of the em- ployee base, moved to telework and virtual interaction. To make this tran- sition, organizations needed to know what resources employees require to work virtually from their homes. HR departments are responsible for ensuring this is done in a manner which complies with wage-and-hour laws, workers' compensation and other legally mandated workplace requirements. Employees working from home still have the same legally required protections as those work- ing in the office. e federal government and the Department of Health and Human Services have created new policies connected to the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 for employees im- pacted by COVID-19 exposures and illness. Once vaccinations were avail- able, companies began implement- ing policies encouraging and some- times requiring their employees to be vaccinated to return to work. Con- cerns arose over what was acceptable and what was not. Employees were concerned about their privacy and the safety of the vaccine. HR issues are becoming increas- ingly more complex, even for small businesses that may not employ HR professionals as members of their staff. Employers recognize now more than ever before the importance of having skilled employees in HR Management. Fayetteville Technical Community College's HR Manage- ment concentration/program falls under Business Administration. e curriculum is designed to develop generalists and specialists in the ad- ministration, training and manage- ment of HR. Course work includes personnel planning, recruitment, selection, training, compensation and benefits and employment law. Topics emphasized include inter- personal communication, learning approaches, team building, diversity and development of instructional and training materials. Spring semester classes begin on Jan. 10. Contact FTCC for informa- tion on the HR Management program by reaching out to Cheryl Campbell, BA/HR Management Department Chair, campbelc@faytechcc.edu or 910-678-8595, or Nikelle Fleming, BA/HR Management Instructor, flemingn@faytechcc.edu or 910-678-8235. EDUCATION COVID-19 impacts human resource management by CHERYL CAMPBELL and NIKELLE FLEMMING Photo courtesy of Pexels sweetvalleyranchnc.com (844) 622-3276 2990 Sunnyside School Rd Fayetteville, NC 28312 November 26th - December 26th OPEN: Friday - Sunday OPEN: December 23rd • OPEN: December 26th CLOSED: December 24th and 25th