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How can a city help employees through this difficult time? A. Assign a contact person(s) Identify one or more employees to be the contact(s) for employee questions that are likely to come about. 13. Minnesota Workforce Centers I fornm workers that they may obtain applications for unemployment benefits and may register for j ob placement assistance at any Minnesota worlorce Center. Their website at www.rnnwfc.o g provides contact information for WorkForce Centers throughout the state and allows individuals to apply for unemployment benefits online. C. Group health benefits Educate employees about the benefit continuation options available to them. Make sore that they understand the deadlines for electing coverage and for making payments for the continued coverage. If the employee has family coverage remember that the covered fwnily members also likely have continuation options. It is also important to inform employees about the benefits that will be ending with their layoff from city employment i.e., those benefits that have no requirement for continuation). D. Employee assistance program Make contact information for the city's EAP, if any, available to all employees. The city may even want to consider having a counselor from the EAP come in and tally to employees before or after the layoff occurs. A layoff impacts the employees being laid off, their family members, and the people who still work at the city.- Some major health insurance carriers offer FAP benefits as part of their health coverage. E. Security In the interest of both the city and the employees being laid off, the city should be sure to obtain all city items from employees being laid off BEFORE they leave employment. The transition for employees is likely to to difficult. Laid off employees should not be put in the position of having to return to city hall with various pieces of city property because the city forgot to take care of this. For example, keys to city equipment and keys or access cards to city buildings and facilities should be collected, computer passwords and void mail codes should be changed, employee identification badges should be retrieved., etc. It is also a goad idea to keep the city's police department up to speed with the timing of layoff activities. F. Outplacement services Especially if a large number of employees will be laid off, the city may wish to consider providing employees access to outplacement services. A consultant hired to do outplacement on behalf of the city can provide the level of mice the city chooses, from assisting laid off employees with updating their resumes to job counseling and coaching activities. .10.