Now if employers call employees back to work and employees refuse, then they must report them to the Unemployment Office.
Rebecca Lobina, director of the Small Business Development Center at Northwest Missouri State University said this refers to the businesses that received Paycheck Protection Program loans.
“They have to report that they’re refusing to come back to work within 30 days of making the offer,” Lobina said.
If employers don’t report employee refusal, then the businesses receiving PPP loans could lose them.
Lobina said employees have been turning down offers to return to work for a variety of reasons, including making more money off of unemployment benefits, being afraid to return to a public work environment, and having health concerns.
Individuals receiving unemployment under the CARES Act were given $600 per week if approved by their state for unemployment insurance. If employees refuse to return, then they forfeit eligibility for continued unemployment compensation.
Patt Lilly, St. Joseph Chamber of Commerce CEO, said when the first wave of closings hit and employers laid-off employees, some people were making more than they might’ve while they were working.
“As employers began to call people back, they found that some people would rather stay on unemployment than come back to work,” Lilly said.
The unemployment rate in Buchanan County was low before the pandemic and Lilly said some retailers that laid off employees lost them for good.
”They had good employees that once they laid them off, they went and got another job,” Lilly said.
Lobina said employers that have workers concerned about their safety at work or are slow in business right now have given employees space.
”They’re saying if you want reduced hours or just to work from home for a few hours,” Lobina said. “Employers here are allowing that space for employees to feel comfortable.”
However, Lobina said that businesses she’s been working with have employees who want to return to work and start getting back to the new normal.