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

America's fractured policies on paid sick leave are changing amid the coronavirus. Here's how the potential new laws could affect you.

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.