Sep 24, 2021
The Biden administration vaccine mandate announcement is obviously big news, and employers have many questions about how this will work. However, the compliance and legal issues raised by this mandate are principally DOL/employment law and OSHA/safety rules and regulations. They are generally not employee benefits related.
- “What kind of accommodations do I need to make for employees who can’t be vaccinated?”
- “Who pays for the weekly testing?” “How do I discipline an employee who refuses to be tested?”
- “How do I respond to a religious objection?” “How will OSHA fine an employer if they do not comply?”
OSHA will be releasing an Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS) in the next few weeks that will address many of these questions, but implementing the mandate will be challenging for employers. We are working with Guardian HR, our employment law partner, to develop some general communications you can use with employers. However, we believe that employee benefits consultants and advisors need to be careful not to set the expectation that they can provide detailed employment law support regarding this mandate. Employers must primarily rely on their employment law advisors to help them navigate this difficult time.
For employers who are looking for professional employment law support, Guardian HR offers two premium services that you can offer to your clients at a discount. We are excited about our partnership with Guardian because it allows you to offer access to premium HR support with no upfront obligation or investment on your part. Guardian HR offers a basic service (Hotline Standard), very similar to what is offered by other HR support companies, which gives employers access to a helpline, HR forms & document library, and online training. However, we are even more excited about their premium services. We have negotiated extremely attractive pricing for a higher level of employer HR support than is available through other HR companies. These unique premium programs allow you to offer clients something more than the same old HR support offered by many of your competitors.
Vaccination Mandate and Employment Law - Support Services
In response to the vaccination mandate, we have arranged for a special offer for employers interested in Guardian HR’s Legal Premium service. A brief description of Guardian HR’s premiums human resource services below. You can get more information on the Amwins Connect website under HR Support Services. Clients can subscribe for the service at that site using a credit card, or you can set up an employer and be billed directly if you want to pay for it on behalf of your client.
Legal Premium
For $195/month, employers get everything included in the Handbook Plus service described below and also gain direct access to employment law attorneys. This team of lawyers can provide legal services to the employer such as drafting employment documents, consulting on employee terminations, or responding to an employee claiming a religious objection to a vaccination requirement. This is a perfect addition for employers who may already have an overworked HR department that needs extra help and employment law advice. An employer would pay almost twice as much for this service if they purchased it directly from Guardian HR.
Handbook Plus
For $95/month, an employer is assigned their own designated HR representative. Their assigned HR representative gets to know the company and will review and/or draft an employee handbook for the employer. This includes coverage of state-specific issues such as leave and employment laws. Handbook Plus subscribers get access to all the online training (including harassment training required in many states), forms and document library that comes with the basic service. It is like getting an extra HR department employee for only $1500 per year. Most employers pay more than this to simply get a handbook drafted.
For more information on how Amwins Connect provide HR Support Solutions, reach out to your dedicated AmwinsConnect Regional Sales Manager
