HR Considerations for Wildfire Disaster
Our thoughts are with all of those affected by the devastating wildfires in the Los Angeles Area. Our team has received calls and messages throughout the day regarding the fire and the impact it has had on our clients, employees and partners. We would like to extend our deepest sympathy to anyone affected during this difficult time.
Many have asked us for important considerations or steps to take from an HR perspective, given this difficult situation. We encourage you to review the recommendations below and apply them as appropriate in your organization:
Communication Plan: Ensure regular and clear communication with employees about operations, closures, power outages, and other plans. Assign a primary point of contact for questions. The Jinji team can help draft employee communications, reach out to us for support if needed.
Health and Safety: Supply air purifiers and masks, as needed, or allow staff to work from home when conditions are hazardous and/or air quality are unsafe. If employees express health concerns related to air quality, this should be treated as other medical conditions/disabilities and the interactive process should take place to determine reasonable accommodations. Contact the Jinji team if you need support with the interactive process.
Leave Policies: While non-exempt employees do not need to be paid when they are unable to work, consider allowing the use of available sick time, PTO and vacation time for employees who are required to evacuate or when air quality/hazardous conditions do not allow for someone to report to work. Remember, call offs for mental health are considered a sick qualifying reason. Contact Jinji for further guidance related to exempt employees pay if they are unable to work due to the situation.
Mental Health Resources: If your organization has an Employee Assistance Program (EAP), share EAP information proactively.
Flexible Work Arrangements: Provide remote work arrangements or flexible hours for caregivers, evacuations, or other personal reasons, when possible.
Payroll Adjustments: Consider temporary address changes or alternative pickup locations for employees dependent on physical paychecks.?Remind employees of direct deposit availability . Notify Jinji if you need an address override in Paylocity for any upcoming payrolls.
Additional Considerations: We know this is an impactful and stressful time for many. We encourage you to consider holding on any non-urgent disciplinary conversations until next week.
If you have questions or need more information, please contact us.
Stay safe.
(photo by Kyle Grillot/Bloomberg via Getty Images: A palm tree burns during the Palisades Fire in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood on Jan. 7, 2025.)