Connecticut will be expanding its Shared Work program to help businesses avoid layoffs during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The program, which has been in existence for years, allows companies to temporarily reduce overhead by temporarily cutting hours for their employees. The employees keep their jobs at a reduced schedule, keep their benefits, and those employees are able to file for partial unemployment benefits for lost wages, according to a news release from the Gov. Ned Lamont's office.
“COVID-19 is impacting businesses all over the world, and we are committed to working with those in Connecticut to lessen the impact and keep their workers employed,” Governor Lamont said. “This program has helped many companies over the years, and expanding it will allow these workers to keep their jobs, continue earning a paycheck, and help these Connecticut-based companies grow.”
The program is available to companies with two or more employees that have hourly reductions within 10% to 60% of normal hours. The reduced hours cannot be related to seasonal cutbacks, the release said.
