All of us are facing the uncertainty and burdens of dealing with COVID-19’s impact on the workplace. One issue revolves around when employees have good cause to abandon their jobs because of the risks created by the virus. The Arkansas Court of Appeals recently addressed the question and sided with the employee.
Tracy Keener was a seven-year employee of car dealership Wood Motor Company (WMC). In March 2020, she developed concerns about the COVID-19 pandemic. She had frequent, if not daily, contact with individuals who were at greater risk of harm from the disease, including her son (who is missing a kidney) and her husband’s elderly parents. She also was troubled by WMC’s failure to take any precautions to limit or protect employees and customers from the risk of exposure to the deadly virus.
