Local Employment Law Firm Advises Georgia Workers About Returning To Work During Pandemic

An Atlanta-based employment law firm is working to educate employees about their rights during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Amanda Farahany, who is the managing partner of Barrett & Farahany, says her firm is frequently answering calls from concerned workers.

She says callers are seeking legal advice and guidance about their rights as an employee and the laws that protect employees during the pandemic.

“With all the people who lost their jobs and are now having to return back to work, there’s a lot of people with a lot of questions,” Farahany said.

The influx of reported calls also comes on the heels of the Georgia Department of Labor’s latest report, which reveals that the department has processed more than 1.3 million claims since mid-March.

And nationally, recent data shows that more than 30 million Americans across the United States have filed for unemployment benefits during the pandemic.

On Tuesday’s edition of “Closer Look,” Farahany told the show’s host, Rose Scott, that Georgia is an employment-at-will state.

“What that translates into, you can quit for any reason, and you can be fired for any reason unless it’s an illegal reason,” Farahany explained. “And in Georgia, we have less illegal reasons than any other state, so we look at the federal law to see what the illegal reasons are.”

During the conversation, Farahany also discussed some of the specific situations where workers could refuse to return to work during the pandemic and what employers should know before allowing their employees to return so that they don’t violate their employees’ rights.

She also discussed the newly enacted Families First Coronavirus Response Act and the roles of the Occupational Safety Health Administration and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission during the pandemic.

Guest:

Amanda Farahany, managing partner at the employment law firm Barrett & Farahany

To listen to the full conversation, you can click the audio player.