As businesses open throughout central Pennsylvania and the Lehigh Valley, legal and human resources experts are urging businesses to avoid liability issues by understanding the ever-evolving rules, especially as regions open in various phases without liability protections in place.

Numerous liability concerns will surround businesses that re-open over the next few weeks, but businesses also should be aware of issues for those who continue to work from home, including wage-and-hour rules.

Employers can expect to be fully forgiven for their Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan if they make a “good-faith” effort to bring back laid-off employees onto their payrolls — even if an employee declines their offer.

While economic indicators remain high for the U.S. economy as a whole, central and southeastern Pennsylvania have been beset by tumultuous global trade and a weak manufacturing sector for the last year and a half, according to a recently published study by analysts at RKL, a business consulting firm based in Lancaster.

An October report released by the American Investment Council and EY, a global business advisory organization, showed the private equity industry -- private equity firms or companies backed by private equity -- supports 26 million jobs nationwide. That includes 1.1 million jobs in Pennsylvania, according to the report.

Manheim Township-based professional services and accounting firm RKL LLP introduced new services offered to help companies managed growth and change issues.

Digital and person-to-person payment services such as PayPal offer the convenience of clicking a few buttons – instead of cutting physical checks or going through the hassle of a wire transfer - but businesses and individuals alike should beware of the potential for fraud in these kinds of transactions.