Affinity HR Group Q&A
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Q: We have an employee who has a child at home and will be going to 100% remote learning. Our employee will need to stay home and most of her job function requires that she be in the office. We don't want to, but we may need to let her go. Any thoughts?
A: Unfortunately, many clients of ours are in this situation. Among the things we have recommended is restructuring the job or realigning job duties so that she can handle more work that can be done remotely. Is there an option to help your employee shift to later hours, job share or even perhaps help her with the cost of a sitter? If none of those options are possible, rather than firing her, is a furlough possible so that her benefits (PTO, health care, etc.) remain intact for when the pandemic subsides and children can go back to school? If none of these options are possible, there is nothing precluding you from letting her go. Alas, it's the last and worst option, but it remains a viable option. And if you do have to go this route, be sure you treat all employees similarly (don't fire one, furlough the other, etc.).
