paid on a monthly basis and provide coverage over a 30-day period.
You might have to pay only a few months of premiums before your
ORs are back up and running.
• Offer monetary compensation. You aren't required to pay fur-
loughed workers but, because many people live paycheck to pay-
check, I've seen quite a few organizations provide some sort of reg-
ular payments to furloughed staff in the form of a flat amount or
percentage of their regular salaries. For example, you can consider
paying 60% of two pay periods.
Your determination on how to handle furloughed employees must
be based on what makes the most sense for them and your center.
Just know they'll appreciate anything you can do to make the time
they spend away as financially and mentally comfortable as possible.
Resorting to layoffs
If you can't know for sure whether you'll be able to bring back
staff in a two- to six-week period, permanent layoffs may be the
better option for your facility. While you want to show empathy
and sympathize with workers involved in a layoff, be very careful
about what you say and do when informing them of the decision. A
simple off-the-cuff comment can come back to haunt you. For
instance, I know managers who have told laid off employees,
"Don't worry, we're going to take care of you." They didn't realize
the statement could have been used against them by an investiga-
tive agency like the U.S. Department of Labor. Stick to the facts
when informing employees of the decision to lay them off instead
of saying too much out of genuine emotion or making false promis-
es about future compensation.
Also be hyperaware of whether the individuals you're letting go
fall into a protected class of workers. If you decide to lay off staff
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