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The economic impacts of COVID-19 are affecting Buffalo Niagara businesses and their workforce. Fortunately, there are state programs to help – The NYS Shared Work Program helps employers avoid some of the problems caused by a layoff.

Employees can receive partial unemployment insurance benefits while working reduced hours. By keeping your employees during a temporary slowdown, you can ramp up quickly when business conditions improve.

We hosted a webisode with experts from Rupp Baase Pfalzgraf Cunningham Attorneys and Alcott HR to dive deeper into the program and answer your questions. The following topics were covered:

• Who Can Apply/Qualify:
  • Part-time and full-time employees eligible
  • Exempt and non-exempt employees eligible
  • Employees to be covered by program must work 40 hours or less
  • Program applies to “units” of employees, not individuals
  • Hours and wages must be reduced by 20%-60%
• Claim Process and Timeline:
  • Unemployment claims must be made in addition to applications for the program
  • Program in effect 53 weeks from start of approval
  • Currently (as of April, 2020) – Approval process has been moving quickly (few days from application date)
• Inner Workings of The Plan:
  • Employer obligations – weekly reports
  • Weekly certification while plan is active
  • Impacts on PPP loans, PUC, and other federal plans
• Benefits:
  • Avoid burden of layoffs
  • Retaining loyal and talented employees
  • Eliminating future recruiting and training costs

For More, Watch the Full Presentation: