Keep the HUMAN in HUMAN RESOURCES when considering the Coronavirus

By: Bethanne McFadden, HR Consultant

As your strategic partner, HRBOOST® is invested in the health and wellbeing of your whole business.

Everyone can do their part to limit the risk of exposure to the Coronavirus.  Everyday preventive actions can help keep people from getting and/or spreading the virus.

• Stay home when you are sick.
• Stay home for at least 24 hours after you no longer have a fever or signs of a fever without the use of fever-reducing medicines.
• Cover your coughs and sneezes with a tissue.
• Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds.
• Use at least a 60% alcohol-based hand sanitizer if soap and water are not available.
• Clean frequently touched surfaces and objects.

Employers also play a key role by preparing for various elements that may affect their day to day business and those responsible for its success. Protecting your employees from a potential outbreak allows you to more effectively care for your employees and keep business on track.

Below are several of the CDC guidelines to help safeguard the health or your workers, customers and the larger community.

✔ Provide prevention supplies in your workplace. Have supplies on hand for workers, such as soap, hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol, tissues, trash baskets, and disposable facemasks. Note: Disposable facemasks should be kept on-site and used only when someone becomes sick at the workplace. Those who become sick should be given a clean disposable facemask to wear until they can leave.

✔ Plan for worker absences. Develop flexible pandemic flu attendance and sick-leave policies. Workers may need to stay home when they are sick, caring for a sick household member, or caring for their children in the event of school dismissals. Identify critical job functions and positions, and plan for alternative coverage by cross-training staff.

✔ Develop a method for monitoring and tracking flu related worker absences. If worker absenteeism increases to disruptive levels, some workplaces may need to consider temporarily reducing on-site operations and services.

✔ Plan ways to increase space between people to at least 3 feet or limit face-to-face contact between workers and those who come to the workplace. By taking a proactive approach to this people will feel you are taking caring and proactive steps for their care. Several ways to do this include offering workers the option to telework, creating reduced or staggered work schedules, spacing workers farther apart.

✔ Postpone or cancel non-essential work-related travel.

✔ Review your process for planning workplace events. Identify actions to take if you need to temporarily postpone or cancel events.

✔ Plan ways to continue essential services if on-site operations are reduced temporarily. Provide Web and mobile-based communication and services, if possible. Increase the use of email, conference calls, video conferencing, and web-based seminars.

By developing a plan of action that can adapt to the changing dynamics of the virus, and encouraging adherence to everyday preventative actions among employees, you can alleviate some of the strain on your business and keep employees healthy, which is an essential combination for success.   If you need a HRBOOST®, we are always on standby!

Visit http://www.cdc.gov/npi for the latest information and resources.