Employers Find Ways To Help Employees During Pandemic – News – The Daily Herald

NASHVILLE – Bill Miller firmly believes that coping with the coronavirus pandemic is easier on an empty stomach.

Miller takes care of feeding people. In good and bad times.

Miller is the founder of Icon Entertainment, which owns several downtown restaurants, bars, and museums. He is one of several Nashville employers helping their employees who are unemployed and have no paycheck due to the Safer at Home order.

Miller, owner of House of Cards, Johnny Cash’s Kitchen & Saloon, Johnny Cash Museum, Nudie’s Honky Tonk, Patsy Cline Museum and Skull’s Rainbow Room, has launched an online portal that provides food services and other assistance to its employees and members of groups who play on its sites.

Miller said he employed around 300 people.

“We were in the middle of our vacation in Palm Springs, California, and I received a call that the mayor (John Cooper) had left me a message and that it was a matter of ending our business and my first thought was for all of these people, ”said Miller. “The term” family “is often overused, but I can tell you that we think the same way of all the members of our teams and I can guarantee you that they feel the same for us.”

As Miller began to think of ways to help his employees, he heard of food shortages in grocery stores.

“So they go to the grocery store to buy hamburger meat to feed their children and themselves and there’s nothing there,” said Miller. “This is what you call an immediate need. When it comes to keeping food in your belly, it is an immediate need.”

Miller therefore gathered his chefs and asked them to come and prepare food every Friday for all of his employees. Employees pick up meals at Johnny Cash’s Kitchen & Saloon.

Kerry Wells, General Manager of Johnny Cash’s Kitchen & Saloon, and Jimbo Carrigan, Head Chef, prepare meals for their employees who are currently separated from their jobs due to the coronavirus epidemic on Friday March 27, 2020 in Nashville, Tennessee . ICON Entertainment, parent company behind House of Cards, Johnny Cash’s Kitchen & Saloon, Johnny Cash Museum, Nudie’s Honky Tonk, Patsy Cline Museum, Skull’s Rainbow Room and the next Sinatra Bar and Lounge have launched an online portal and catering services for all its employees and the groups that play on its sites. during the coronavirus epidemic.

Kerry Wells, General Manager of Johnny Cash’s Kitchen & Saloon, and Jimbo Carrigan, Head Chef, prepare meals for their employees who are currently separated from their jobs due to the coronavirus epidemic on Friday March 27, 2020 in Nashville, Tennessee . ICON Entertainment, parent company behind House of Cards, Johnny Cash’s Kitchen & Saloon, Johnny Cash Museum, Nudie’s Honky Tonk, Patsy Cline Museum, Skull’s Rainbow Room and the next Sinatra Bar and Lounge have launched an online portal and catering services for all its employees and the groups that play on its sites. during the coronavirus epidemic. (Photo: George Walker IV / The Tennessean)

“They had barbecue, beans, macaroni and cheese and dessert and it was delicious,” said Judy Dorris, who works at the Johnny Cash Museum. “It was really, really good.”

Employees can use an online portal to order meals and also receive help filing an unemployment claim, learning about other supports and staying in touch with each other.

“You can give people a check, send them on the road, turn off the lights and say” Adios, we’ll see you on the other side, “” said Miller. “But I thought it was really, really important for our Icon employees to have a beacon they could come to and they could go over and say,” Hey, the lights are always on; something is going on there. I can have a meal tomorrow. “It gives people hope. It is scary for people to walk down Broadway and see all the buildings closed.”

The proceeds from all gift cards purchased at the two Amerigo Italian restaurants in Nashville with Etch, etc., Char and Saltine go to employees.

Proceeds from the sale will help maintain the health benefits of the nearly 300 restaurant workers who belong to 4 Top Hospitality.

“We’ve had a lot of online orders since we announced it and since many of our sites offer curbside pickup and delivery, people are adding gift cards to these orders,” said the director of marking, Ali Gensert. “So we received an excellent response and we are really delighted.”

The company has 15 restaurants in the southeast and offers the same assistance outside of Nashville.

Most YMCA employees in Middle Tennessee have been on leave following the closure of local facilities for the foreseeable future.

The YMCA covers the cost of medical insurance coverage until May at least for all staff members who have health, dental and visual insurance through the Y.

Workers were also paid full wages during the first two weeks of the plant closure.

The YMCA chaplain provides regular spiritual support to staff and the Human Resources Department helps employees navigate the unemployment process and continue the economic recovery plan.

Membership dues have been suspended, but the Y encourages members to convert their dues into charitable donations to the Community Response Fund, which supports efforts to meet the needs of the community during the crisis.

The Home Depot has cut opening hours due to the pandemic, but it is helping employees.

The company offers full-time employees 80 additional hours of paid sick leave or personal time. Hourly part-time employees will benefit from 40 hours of overtime.

Employees can use the time to care for children who are out of school due to the pandemic.

The hours can be used at any time until the end of the year.

Lowe’s has announced that it will offer its employees a total of $ 80 million in bonuses due to the pandemic.

Lowe President and CEO Marvin Ellison told USA Today that bonuses will drop from $ 150 for part-time employees to $ 300 for full-time employees.

“We spend less time thinking about income and less time thinking about something else what can we give our associates the support they need, can we be a good corporate citizen?” Can we do everything we can to help in these truly unprecedented times? Said Ellison.

Employees were also offered free telemedicine during the pandemic and up to four weeks of emergency paid leave.

Walmart provides cash bonuses to hourly workers during the pandemic. The premiums are $ 300 for full-time workers and $ 150 for part-time workers. This will total $ 365 million.

Checks will be issued on April 2.

Walmart is also accelerating a month earlier than its next quarterly employee bonus until the end of April to help provide more cash on hand.

“Walmart associates have gone above and beyond their duty in serving our customers in these unprecedented times,” said Walmart President and CEO Doug McMillon in a statement. “We want to reward our associates for their hard work and recognize them for the work ahead.”

Target has temporarily increased employee wages while introducing a new leave program for those who are considered the most susceptible to coronavirus.

The company has increased wages by $ 2 an hour for its employees and awards bonuses of up to $ 1,500 to 20,000 hourly employees who oversee store shelves due to increased profits for the company during the epidemic.

Target also offers paid leave of up to 30 days to employees most sensitive to COVID-19, including those 65 years of age and older, women who are pregnant or have underlying health conditions.