Back to School Pandemic Style

By: Nicole Sandage, Manager of HR Virtual Services

As more Illinois schools are shifting from in person student attendance this Fall to hybrid or complete remote learning models many questions are on the minds of everyone you may know. For example, how do employers balance the need to effectively operate their businesses during a pandemic with the health and safety of employees while also providing support to employees with children as those employees balance work responsibilities and remote learning? The truth is that along with almost all matters relating to this pandemic, there are no easy answers. With the start of the school year approaching in the upcoming weeks for many schools, here are some steps that employers can look to take to support the organization and employees in this unprecedented back to school season.

• Be proactive in your communication to employees.
  • Connect now with the entire workforce to work to identify those that may have challenges as back to school season begins. Do not assume that individual employees do not have challenges.
  • As the school year progresses, proactively check in with employees throughout the Fall and Winter to see how their childcare situations are going. COVID-19 continues to be an evolving situation so childcare situations as well may evolve throughout the school year.
  • Exercise empathy and understanding with employees with children. Acknowledge the difficult position that working parents are in right now.
• Review your company’s leave policies and understand your obligations for time off to employees who may need to care for children because their place of care or school is closed due to COVID-19.
  • Be aware of what time off is available to each employee. This includes time under Families First Corona Virus Response Act (FFCRA), Chicago and Cook County Paid Sick Leave and other company paid and unpaid time off policies.
  • Be aware of what employees have already used for time off. Has an employee used FFCRA time already? Has an employee used FMLA time that would impact time available under Expanded FMLA aspect of FFCRA?
  • Be prepared for requests for time off or flexible work arrangements to increase through the Fall. As we are already seeing, schools that were looking to return to in-person learning are now shifting to remote learning. Many are evaluating the continuation of remote learning on a quarter by quarter basis so expect to see childcare and school needs fluctuate throughout this 2020-2021 school year.
  • For schools and childcare facilities that do open to in-person learning or care, be prepared for unplanned school or facilities closures due to COVID-19 exposure.
• Keep focus on retaining your talent. One estimation predicts that 1 in 5 employees will be looking to leave the workforce due to childcare issues this year. Many of these employees are estimated to be women and minority employees. To minimize a potential talent drain within your organization be creative, think outside the box, and consider the following:
  • Can you provide creative or flexible schedules?
  • Can you provide employees with additional time off beyond what may be available through government mandated leave or company policy?
  • Are there resources you can connect your workforce with that can help employees secure alternative options for childcare?
  • Can you cross train employees to cover multiple roles? This provides greater flexibility for an employer and greater flexibility for the type of work that an employee can complete and can increase flexible scheduling opportunities.
  • Can you take a deeper look at what work can be completed remotely?
  • Can you look at offering temporary childcare stipends to help parents through this time when employees may have increased childcare costs that may make it less financially feasible to continue to work?
• Businesses must consider the mental health impact this pandemic has had on employees. During this pandemic, parents have been stretched thin with balancing work and family responsibilities. Many parents have been carrying the weight of these responsibilities since Spring and throughout this Summer with the thought that some relief would come as children return to school now and yet, many are not finding relief. Now that many schools are returning to school through remote learning you can be assured your working parents are feeling increased pressure. Concerns include domestic stress and perhaps even thoughts on how to also ensure that their children do not fall behind academically. Most schools are not returning to in person classroom settings leaving many families without clarity on if and when in-person learning may return.
  • If you have an EAP program, remind employees of EAP benefits and encourage them to take advantage of those benefits. Many can do research for your employees and may likely already have go to resource links.
  • If you do not have an EAP, now may be the time to consider adding one to your benefits. This could be a beneficial benefit for all employees as COVID-19 continues to have an impact.
  • Check in with employees to see how they are doing. Yes, call them and if you cannot, remind operational leaders and managers of the extra need for outreach.
  • Work to infuse some fun or mental break opportunities within the workday. Remind and let your staff know this is encouraged for overall wellbeing and ultimately, productivity.
  • Keep a pulse on labor turnover in the market. We call it the looming talent transfer.
  • With unemployment benefits reducing (at least until a possible extension is passed), more individuals may be looking to re-enter the workforce given no choice but to face the need to work.
  • As an employer you could look to reenergize recruitment efforts and help fill talent gaps you may have.
  • Increased talent in the labor pool could allow the opportunity for your organization to be more creative and flexible in your scheduling and staffing. This in turn can help your employees balance more during this time and reduce the chance that your organization may experience a talent drain during the pandemic.
• Be mindful of workplace equality. There has been increased discussion and awareness of equality across our society and increased focus should also apply to handling of COVID-19 related employment issues.
  • Be consistent in how you are applying leaves and granting accommodations related to COVID-19. Special arrangements can be problematic if not explained well and tied to a busines justification.
  • For employees that are working remotely, if you need to discipline for performance, focus on quality of work and productivity.
  • Do not reference childcare issues when addressing performance related issues.
  • Note Chicago Human Rights Ordinance explicitly prohibits discrimination against parents or caregivers. An example of an allegation brought against an employer: A woman in CA is suing her employer for gender discrimination. She indicates that she was meeting all the quality and productivity expectations for her position while working remotely and was disciplined for her young children making noise during calls and for requesting for calls to be during their nap time.

As we get ready to enter Fall, this COVID-19 world that we find ourselves in continues to shift and employers need to continue to be agile, proactive, creative, as well as flexible as they navigate their organizations through these unprecedented times. Being proactive, creative, and flexible with the working parents in your workforce as well can be a tremendous talent advantage as you navigate through this pandemic and best position your organization for business post COVID-19.  As you continue to navigate our COVID-19 world know that HRBOOST® is here to provide support to you and your organization, after all we are all in this together!