Employee Privacy Forecast: Temperature Checks

To slow the spread of the coronavirus, millions of United States workers are under government orders to stay at home. However, many businesses considered "essential critical infrastructure" continue to operate and their employees are needed to work. Many of those businesses are administering health tests like temperature checks to ensure the health and safety of their workforce and the public. When quarantine restrictions eventually lift, businesses will reopen and employers may choose to screen employees before returning to work. In a question and answer format, this article discusses the intersection of laws that require employers to maintain a safe work environment with an employee's right to privacy.