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Work Share Program

Work Share Program

What is the Work Share program? Video

What is the Work Share program?

Michigan’s Work Share program allows employers to restart their business and bring employees back from unemployment. Employers can bring employees back with reduced hours - while employees collect partial unemployment benefits to make up a portion of the lost wages.

Employers can also retain their current workforce and are given the flexibility to choose which of their employees are part of a Work Share plan.

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Video Transcript

  • Eligibility Requirements

    • Employers must have paid wages for at least 12 of the previous quarters.
    • Employee hours/wages may be reduced by a minimum of 10 - 60%.
    • Experience account balance must have a positive reserve.

    Work Share Requirements

    • Employers are given flexibility to organize which employees are in a Work Share plan.
    • A plan must include a minimum of two employees and an employer can have multiple plans.
    • Plans may be approved for a period of up to 52 consecutive weeks.
    • Part-time employees are eligible, but Work Share does not apply to seasonal, temporary, or intermittent employment.
    • Employer must obtain approval of any applicable collective bargaining unit representative.
    • Employers participating in Work Share cannot modify employees fringe benefits.

    How It Works

    With the Work Share program, a worker receives a reduced salary from an employer, but is given a percentage of their state unemployment benefits The reduction in work hours must result in an equivalent reduction in wages.

    Example: If a worker’s weekly wages are $1,000, yet the employer needs to reduce their salary/hours by 30%. Under Work Share, their weekly salary would be $700 ($1,000 – 30% = $700). Plus 30% of their state unemployment benefits ($530 maximum x 0.30 = $159).

    As businesses are reopened, Work Share can help employers bring back their employees from unemployment faster and allows employers to retain their workforce and avoid layoffs.

    Things to Know for Employers Experiencing a Temporary Shutdown

    • A Work Share plan must be terminated if one or more employees are laid-off in an active Work Share Plan.
    • When establishing a Work Share plan, employers provide assurance that they will not lay off participating employees during the effective period of the Work Share plan, or reduce participating employees' hours of work by more than the reduction percentage during the effective period of the shared-work plan. The Unemployment Insurance Agency can terminate a Work Share plan if the employer is not in compliance.
    • To terminate a plan before the end date, log into MiUI, find the specific Work Share plan, and click terminate. 
    • Once the employer’s operations resume, the employer can create a new Work Share Plan.