Top 10 Policies and Practices to Consider

Workplaces may be altered for years to come as new opportunities are revealed; some may be changed forever, and some may be short term. Not all businesses are the same, but similarities exist, and I offer these 10 policy considerations as you bring employees back to work or rethink your work environment in this age of COVID-19.

How a business handles a crisis identifies the culture of the company for years to come. Leaders should take this opportunity to explore and identify the values the company holds, if they have not already done so, and the decisions that are sure to come will be much easier to make. If the culture has been identified and values have, until now, only been reflected in a poster on the wall, it is time to dust off the values and really consider if they are still true and what that means for where your company is today.

Here are 10 polices and practices to consider right now if you have not already done so:

1. Will you screen employees and if so, what exactly does that mean? Perhaps it means taking temperatures, or a questionnaire about whether the employee has had contact with a COVID-19 infected person. Maybe both will occur as well as other measures.
2. Are your company entrances and exits marked with warnings about who is allowed to enter the building? Are you allowing visitors and business associates? What about employees who are not feeling well?
3. Do you have the Employees Rights posters up in areas where employees go frequently, which are now required regarding COVID-19?
4. Speaking of posters, will you put up posters about how to stop the spread of germs, washing hands frequently, social distancing, and PPE’s? Your business might also want to do some employee health training to provide information that is relevant to your workplace.
5. What changes will you make to your workplace to promote social distancing? Will you implement one-way traffic patterns or rearrange furniture? Will you rearrange meeting rooms, break rooms, or other areas where employees normally gather? Will you limit the number of people in those rooms? Will that require a change in the lunch break schedules?
6. Will you implement a Remote Work policy for employees who are able to efficiently do their job from home? Perhaps you can stagger schedules so only half of the employees are in the office and the other half are working remotely. There is a lot to consider in a remote work policy, especially around technology, security, workplace safety, etc.
7. Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) requirements may be a consideration that has never been an issue for your company. Will you require employees to wear masks and what happens if the employee refuses to wear a mask? What will the consequences be for the employee’s refusal? This is true for other required safety measures, for example, social distancing requirements or limiting the number of employees in a certain area. Make sure you have determined what the consequences will be before the policy is communicated. Will your company supply the PPE’s?
8. New cleaning procedures will likely be on your list of what is required in this new era. Who will be responsible for cleaning, how often will it be done, and what exactly are the tasks required? These are all good questions to ask and will likely require a change in the job description of those responsible for these new tasks.
9. What happens when an employee is fearful of coming to work? That employee is not covered under the Families First Coronavirus Response Act, but this issue will for sure come up so be ready for it. Things to consider would be whether the employee has any leave available and whether the employee could work remotely.
10. Will you limit business travel and how will your company determine if the travel is essential or not? Defining essential travel in a policy is critically important.

As we have heard for weeks now, these are unprecedented times and there is much unknown. The more you can plan as well as adjust to new information and the evolution of this disease, the safer your employees will feel and that can create loyalty to your company.

Cristy Carroll MA 

FullHR, Senior Professional in Human Resources

SHRM - SCP