The workplace offers not only an opportunity, but a responsibility, to address mental health for the well-being of employees. This effort will build a healthier internal culture in our companies and foster a much-needed mental health movement in our communities.
Ready Response: Paid Leave, Employee Support, and Members in Action
COVID-19 is disrupting business operations and ESG programs across the world. To support your efforts in this time of disruption, we’re rounding up relevant Center resources, news, company best practices, and research and delivering it straight to you.
Blog: COVID-19 Highlights the Importance of Paid Leave
It is during times like these that workers depend on paid sick time and/or paid family leave—however these benefits aren’t available to everyone. The United States is one of the only developed countries that doesn’t guarantee paid sick time or paid family leave. READ MORE
Webinar: Do Healthy Employees = Happy Employees = Productive Employees?
Paid leave is one way that employers can support the health and wellbeing of their workforces. In this webinar from our archive, CSR experts from the Henry Ford Health System and Fannie Mae share how they develop programs that care for their employees’ mental, physical and emotional health. WATCH NOW
Members in Action
Check out our ongoing list of how companies are responding to COVID-19.
Companies are sharing their COVID-19 response efforts directly with the Center:
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana: “With all schools closed, many families are figuring out how to provide an extra meal for children staying at home, which can stretch the resources of families already on tight budgets. A gift of just $1 to a local food bank can provide three meals for a family in need. We are making sponsorships to several food banks that add up to $30,000 to date. Just a few weeks ago, teams from Blue Cross also packed 102,212 meals which are now able to be distributed to families in need. We are also 1-1 matching employee donations to food banks, to regional disaster relief funds as well as to employees 1st funds designed to provide relief to colleagues and their families.”
Lincoln Financial: “Lincoln Financial Foundation will provide an additional 25% in unrestricted funding to 27 community pantries, soup kitchens, food banks and food distribution partners across 10 of Lincoln Financial Group’s base cities. This will bring Lincoln Financial Foundation’s support of food providers to over $1M in 2020.”
UPS: “The UPS Foundation is expanding its response to the novel Coronavirus, including new grant allocations, surpassing $6 million to United Nations agencies, humanitarian relief partners and community-based non-profit and international non-government organizations. The relief support includes collaboration with more than a dozen organizations and the provision of in-kind transportation, supply chain consultation, and cash contributions to expedite the distribution of personal protective equipment for healthcare workers and other life-sustaining activities for impacted individuals and communities.”
How is your company responding to COVID-19? Let us know by contacting us at ccc@bc.edu
Relevant Regulations
Senate passes Families First Coronavirus Response Act
On March 18, the U.S. Senate passed, and President Trump signed, the Families First Coronavirus Response Act. The new law, intended to support working families in response to the coronavirus outbreak, provides emergency sick leave, emergency paid leave, and employer tax credits to help cover employee wages resulting from emergency sick and paid leave. READ MORE
News You Can Use
Paid sick leave: Who gets it during the coronavirus outbreak
Many of America’s nearly 159 million workers will get access to some paid time off if they or their families are affected by the coronavirus, but there are loopholes. Washington Post
Many US companies do not offer paid sick leave, which can put a financial burden on employees when they are sick. Business Insider
Join the discussion in our member community.
Related Content
REGULATORY RADAR - The U.S. Department of Labor issued guidance at the end of August on employer’s obligations to track work hours for employees working remotely due to COVID-19 or other telework arrangements.
REGULATORY RADAR - The California legislature has passed legislation requiring corporate board to include representation from minority groups starting next year.
REGULATORY RADAR - On August 27, 2020, the New Jersey legislature passed a new law requiring the state’s Department of Environmental Protection to identify environmentally “overburdened communities” and grant environmental permits only after a determination that the permitted activity will have no disproportionate, cumulative environmental impact on the community.
REGULATORY RADAR - The U.K. government has published plans to prohibit large business operating in the country from using products that were grown in areas that had been deforested illegally.
REGULATORY RADAR - New compensation data requirements have passed both houses of the California legislature and are expected to be signed by California Gov.
WEBINAR: How are companies meeting the unique needs of military members and their families?
Employee resource groups (ERGs)—sometimes known as business network groups, affinity groups, or diversity groups—help to build a sense of community within a company and can serve as a resource for employees who share similar backgrounds or experiences.