COLUMBIA, SC (FOX Carolina) As many businesses continue to make adjustments amid the coronavirus pandemic, several have made the hard decision to furlough many of their employees to ease finances.
Wednesday, South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster issued an executive order that makes sure those who are furloughed can still qualify for unemployment benefits.
The order direct the South Carolina Department of Employment and Workforce (DEW) to consider “a voluntary payment, or series of payments, made by an employer to an employee in response to furloughing the employee” as a form of severance pay.
Essentially, this means furloughed employees will not only receive “COVID-19 Support Payments” from their employers, but also be eligible for unemployment benefits.
“Our state’s workforce and employers have never faced a crisis of this magnitude,” said Sara Hazzard, President & CEO of the S.C. Manufacturers Alliance. “On behalf of our state’s manufacturing community and the more than 250,000 South Carolinians they employ, I want to thank Governor McMaster for issuing this Executive Order to provide flexibility for businesses to assist employees during this time of need.”
South Carolina is currently under an <a href=”https://www.foxcarolina.com/news/scemd-sends-out-emergency-alert-to-mark-start-of-at-home-or-at-work-mandate/article_cf40eeb6-7845-11ea-afb6-b34500acc7c3.html” target=”_blank”>”at home or at work” mandate</a>, which requires all residents to stay at home or at work unless visiting family, exercising, or obtaining essential goods or services.
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