Three Ways You Can Address COVID-19 Safety Measures for a Healthy Workplace

Companies have a moral responsibility to keep their employees safe. Since March, an estimated 1 in 1,000 people have died from COVID-related symptoms and 1 in 17 in the US has been infected. As such, employers must keep coronavirus prevention consistent to help flatten the curve. Whether they choose to return to the office or stay away, it is crucial that employers put safety measures in place to keep everyone healthy.

While employers can’t force employees to do their part, they can educate them. This can be done through

• Education about COVID-19 and how it spreads
• Provide accommodations for high-risk employees
• Enforce physical distancing in the office
• Supply of personal protective equipment (PPE)
• Provide free trials for employees
• Notify employees of a COVID case while maintaining the confidentiality of the infected person

For employees to understand the severity of COVID-19, leadership must lead by example and show that they are taking it seriously.

Here are three ways employers can address safety measures for a healthy, COVID-19-free workplace.

Promoting safety and prevention through education

Providing proper education informs employees not only about the dangers of the Coronavirus, but also about how to prevent it from spreading. Education is not a one-size-fits-all event or one-size-fits-all approach. For many, unless they or someone close to them has contracted COVID-19, they may not understand the severity of the virus. Also, everyone has their own beliefs about COVID-19.

While employers have a responsibility to keep their employees safe, employees have a duty to protect themselves and others. For this reason, employers should take advantage of this opportunity to constantly educate employees on safety and prevention.

They can do this

• using various scenarios to help relate the impact to the lives of employees
• Provide actionable solutions to help employees better understand the severity of the virus.
• invite employees to share their personal experiences with the virus
• encourage leaders to practice vulnerability by revealing how the virus has affected their lives

It is important to mention that when initiating a vulnerable discussion, employers should divert the conversations from the political debates and keep them focused on the facts.

Education also comes in the form of vulnerability and transparency. Traditionally, the unwritten rule of the workplace was to keep your personal life out of the office. However, the new generation of workers has been challenging companies and leaders to be more transparent by raising more awareness on difficult issues. Additionally, the pandemic has blurred the line between work and life as employees and leaders adjust to working remotely.

As such, leaders can take this opportunity to educate by sharing their own personal experience and stressors of navigating this pandemic. In order for employees to connect with their leadership team, they need to see their human side. Not only will this help employees feel like they are not alone, but if a leader or family member of a leader is struggling with COVID-19, it helps employees understand the reality.

Provide support and resources

Now more than ever, the mental health of employees must be a priority for companies. This is an exceptionally stressful time as workers are trying to weather the pandemic, monitor their mental health and adjust to remote work while their children are also studying online. Mind Share Partners recently partnered with Qualtrics and SAP to conduct a study and found that “42% of global employees have experienced a decline in mental health since the pandemic began.”

As the pandemic persists and social and political unrest intensifies, people struggle to cope with uncertainty about what the future holds. Consequently, this magnifies anxiety, depression, trauma, burnout, and PTSD. Everyone’s situation is different, therefore, their mental health experiences will differ depending on their type of work, care and parenting responsibilities, citizenship status, and financial opportunity, to name a few.

Employers can provide support through mental wellness checks, modifying policies and practices to increase flexibility and create a culture that eliminates stigma around mental health. The Employee Assistance Program (EAP) is an invaluable resource that addresses various difficult situations that employees may face. Situations can include suicidal thoughts, financial or emotional concerns, family problems, substance or alcohol abuse, mental health, pet care, work problems, and more.

Resources aside, many employers are modifying their bootleg of new hires to now include PPE, as well as making sure their office is fully stocked with the essentials. These items include masks, hand sanitizers, sanitizing wipes, as well as the installation of multiple hand sanitizing stations throughout the office.

Establish ground rules and expectations

Now is not the time to be forgiving of the repercussions of COVID-19. Employees must understand that failure to adhere to rules and guidelines puts everyone around them at risk. It is important to note that employers cannot fire employees who have contracted the coronavirus. Doing so violates federal law that protects qualified individuals who are absent from work due to a serious health condition. However, employees can be disciplined and fired if they do not comply with the rules and expectations set for them by their employer.

Nelson Sherwin, manager of PEO Enterprises, claimed that he issues verbal warnings and then a written one before firing an employee for non-compliance. He said that companies that neglect the dangers of COVID-19 are “irresponsible at best and murderous at worst.” At the end of the day, regardless of what an employer implements, adherence rests with the individual employee. Therefore, if an employee does not comply with basic rules and expectations, he is compromising the health of others and severe penalties must be imposed.

David Meltzer, owner of East Insurance Group, said “no one wants to blindly follow the protocols without fully understanding them.” Attaching an explanation to explain why behind a rule or expectation is key to compliance. Some basic rules and expectations to enforce are social distancing, limiting the number of people in the break room or conference room, keeping masks on at all times, promoting frequent hand washing, disinfecting common areas after the use and alert HR or your manager if you experience COVID. -as symptoms.