SBDR: CDC Urges Businesses to Prepare for Coronavirus Spread
Welcome to the Small Business Rundown. Each day, we bring you stories that impact small business owners and their workforce.
If you don’t already have a comprehensive teleworking plan in place for emergency scenarios, the CDC thinks that there’s no time like the present to create one. In Newark, NJ a development group is thinking outside the box when it comes to using spaces to support the community. New Jersey lawmakers, however, are up to something else…
CDC urges businesses to create teleworking plans ahead of Coronavirus spread
The CDC issued a statement yesterday urging businesses to create a teleworking plan in the event that Covid-19 causes a public health crisis in the United States. While the virus does not currently pose a grave risk to the health of the majority of the U.S. population, officials believe that an outbreak is likely and that schools and businesses need to make plans in order to prevent as much disruption as possible.
The Number: 90%. A recent survey found that as many as 90% of workers still go into work when unwell.
The Quote: “Now is the time.”
Newark real estate developer promotes small businesses and education
And now for something completely different. In Newark, New Jersey, a development group set out to meet the need for affordable housing faced by many public school teachers. So, they decided to create urban mixed-use developments with affordable housing for teachers, public school facilities and retail spaces for local entrepreneurs. It’s been a long, bumpy process but after 10 years, the hard work and innovation is paying off in support of teachers, students, and small business owners. Check it out!
The Number: 14. Teachers Village currently has space for 14 local businesses. Currently, 9 of them are filled and leases have been signed for the remaining 5 spots.
The Quote: “While affordable housing is a crucial aspect of our development strategy, we also sought to create a community of small business owners, entrepreneurs, and residents that could facilitate a vibrant, locally serving economy.”
And in other New Jersey news …
New Jersey state lawmakers are following in the footsteps of their California counterparts as they push forward legislation that changes the terms under which small businesses can use independent contractors. While the NJ legislation doesn’t go as far as California’s AB-5 law, it requires employers to post notices about classification rules and imposes higher penalties for misclassification.
The Number: 6. The governor of New Jersey signed into law 6 new bills that deal with the issue of misclassification of workers.
The Quote: “Legislation (like this) doesn’t solve exploitation. It kills thriving, independent careers like ours.”
