For the next few days, we will be sharing Legal best practices around the ever-changing workforce challenges that Illinois Manufacturers are facing.
New unemployment laws and the switch to remote work environments can be tricky. Thank you to our partners, Greensfelder Attorneys at Law for their guidance.
If we choose not to pay, for example, non-exempt employees whom we are requiring to work from home or self-quarantine, will they be eligible for unemployment insurance benefits?
Likely yes, but it largely depends on your state’s unemployment guidelines. Generally, unemployment insurance benefits provide temporary financial assistance to employees unemployed through no fault of their own that meet their state’s eligibility requirements. Additionally, employees generally must be able to and available for work each week that they are collecting benefits. In mandated all personnel “work from home” or required self-quarantine scenarios, employees who are not otherwise incapacitated and unable to work, likely will meet the above eligibility requirements. In Illinois, Gov. J.B. Pritzker recently announced that emergency rules will be issued clarifying that under the Illinois Unemployment Insurance Act, an employee who is unemployed for reasons related to COVID-19, and through no fault of their own (i.e. mandated work from home policies), will be eligible for unemployment benefits.)
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