The thought of having to lay off employees is daunting:  How will it affect the employees’ and their families’ wellbeing? What will the community think of us?  Will the employees come back when the work returns? If not, where will find candidates to fill the jobs and how much will that cost?

 

If you’re ever in this situation, you may want to consider a shared work approach.  Rather than laying off staff, an employer could divide the available work among a group of employees, therefore keeping them employed/paid, customers happy, and unemployment costs lower.  The business owner would need to consider, among other things, how a shared work program might impact the employee’s benefit eligibility and employment/union contracts, what advance notice the state requires, and how it might impact wage and overtime responsibilities – especially for salaried employees.

 

Looking at creative ways to keep your trained, experienced workforce employed during slower business times benefits the employee, your business, your peace of mind, and the community.  The Employer Group has an experienced HR staff that partners with our clients to discover alternatives to many difficult HR decisions.  Find out more at www.theemployergroup.com.