Worcester Business Journal

wbjournal.com | March 15, 2021 | Worcester Business Journal 35 In the past year, I have participated in at least a hundred Zoom calls for client meetings, court hearings, and social hours. Here's five things I've learned on how not to end up as a cat on a Zoom. 5) The "Meeting Information" icon (green shield with a check in the top left of the Zoom screen) is a wealth of information. You can locate the Zoom access information and even use the "copy link" button to quickly send the access information to people who need to join the call. It is also the link for settings, which controls backgrounds and (cat and other) filters. 4) Always check your background. Is the mess in your office or confidential business information really off screen? See if your camera picks up the view beyond your office door or down the hall, catching someone outside of the office not expecting to be display on your Zoom call. 3) Lighting is key. Don't position yourself sitting with your back to a window, as the contrast from the sunlight outside will create dark shadows on your face. If you can't change your location, close the curtains or block the window with art. Test out your light sources and try for at least two: spotlight and ambient. 2) When you join a meeting, check your screen name. Random letters, numbers and abbreviations are not as helpful as your name. While I use "Jes Murphy" for most of my calls, I update my name to "Jessica Murphy, Esq." for court hearings by Zoom. In a multiparty call, I add the company I represent to further clarify my role on the call. 1) Lastly, bring your patience and a sense of humor. The "I am not a cat" lawyer video was, in part, notable to me for the grace and good humor shown by the parties in the face of a feline filter on an otherwise serious call. Working from home has heightened the opportunity for video mishaps, from dogs, children and significant others running around to strange noises off camera. If a catastrophe arises, don't stress. It can happen to anyone. Fix it or persevere through it, and make the most of your meeting. Bonus: If you are not in a two-party consent state or subject to restrictions on recording the proceedings, grab a video and share a good natured laugh with the rest of us! K N O W H O W How the stimulus helps companies in bankruptcy T here is sometimes confusion over the human resources terms "upskilling" and "reskilling," but they are different concepts, with different goals. According to the U.S. Office of Personnel Management, upskilling is training for employees who need to learn new skills to improve their current performance without changing their career paths. Reskilling, then, is training for employees who have shown they can learn completely new jobs. Here are some things to keep in mind about reskilling. It's a way to keep top talent. e 2021 Workforce Report by talent cloud company iCIMS shows 72% of human resource professionals having redeployed up to half of their workforce in 2020 due to the pandemic. Workers' roles were readjusted to meet company needs, writes Inc.com's Marcel Schwantes, momentum that's expected to continue, especially for technology responsibilities. "In-demand tech roles can take 61 days to fill," writes Schwantes. "Instead of sourcing elsewhere, employers should analyze skills gaps and provide on-the-job training to reskill their talent and fill vital positions with their top internal talent." It breeds adaptable, confident workers, says Flexjobs.com's Emily Courtney. Team members who gain new skills can pivot with market changes; therefore, so can your business. ey know how to be more productive if they can foresee a clear road ahead. "Development opportunities help employees envision a career path and future with the company, so they feel like they're working toward something," which fosters innovation, writes Courtney. It saves money and builds value. "Recruiting, interviewing, vetting and hiring new employees is expensive and time-consuming, even before you get to onboarding," says Insperity, an HR consulting, employee screening and recruiting company, in its blog. en there is the chance those hires won't work out. Reskilled employees also offer a stronger employer brand and deeper wellspring of innovation, long term, Insperity notes. 5 T H I NG S I know about... ... Not being a cat on Zoom BY DAVID A. MAWHINNEY Special to the Worcester Business Journal O n Dec. 27, the Consolidated Appropriations Act 2021 – the second round of federal coronavirus- related stimulus – became law. In addition to providing coronavirus relief, the act helped small businesses going through bankruptcy. Rent abatement A business filing for Chapter 11 must meet its obligations under a commercial lease. If the business wants to remain in its office space post- bankruptcy it must pay all outstanding rent and charges. Most small businesses rent their space, and their ability to pay their landlords is directly tied to the revenue they generate at the leased location. Filing bankruptcy does not stop rent obligations from accruing. Prior to the most recent amendments, businesses could delay paying rent for, at most, 60 days. Recognizing the havoc coronavirus has wreaked on small businesses, the new law now temporarily allows small business debtors in subchapter V to defray rent payments for up to 120 days, as long as the bankruptcy court approves. e business must still pay deferred rent as an administrative expense of the Chapter 11 case. Under a subchapter V plan, however, a small business debtor may pay over the course of its plan instead of immediately at plan confirmation. PPP borrowing e Paycheck Protection Program is one of the more innovative and publicized efforts from last year's CARES Act. Administered by the Small Business Administration, the question of whether a business in bankruptcy could take out a PPP loan was unsettled until the SBA answered with an unequivocal "no" in its implementation rules. e new stimulus law expressly authorizes small business debtors in subchapter V to obtain loans supported by the SBA, including PPP loans. Subchapter V plans can repay the unforgiven portion of the loan according to the payment schedule. is relief comes with a giant caveat: debtors cannot access SBA loans unless and until the SBA independently determines they are eligible for a particular program. In other words, while the bankruptcy code will allow it, unless the SBA changes its current position on eligibility, PPP loans will remain unavailable to companies in bankruptcy. Conclusion: Pragmatic bankruptcy relief Unless extended, these relief efforts will expire on Dec. 27, 2022. ey nevertheless offer pragmatic solutions for small businesses in financial distress during the pandemic. While bankruptcy relief cannot revive a business without a general improvement in economic conditions, bankruptcy gives a business the time and tools to catch improving economic tailwinds and survive financial catastrophe. e new stimulus law is not a panacea to the devastation the pandemic has caused, but it adds useful tools for helping businesses survive long enough to recover when the economy comes back. Attorney David A. Mawhinney advises businesses and individuals in areas of commercial litigation, restructuring, and insolvency at Worcester law firm Bowditch & Dewey LLP. BY SUSAN SHALHOUB Special to the Worcester Business Journal By Jessica E. Murphy Jessica E. Murphy is an attorney with the Worcester law firm Mirick O'Connell. Reach her at jmurphy@mirickoconnell. com. 101: R E S K I L L I N G E M P L O Y E E S W W W

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