Once stay-at-home orders are lifted, returning employees to the workplace will not be as simple as announcing a return-to-work date. It will require careful planning and preparation. Companies must be ready to transition from “business as usual” to the “new normal.”
At Duffy & Sweeney, we are helping employers implement the changes needed to keep employees and customers safe and to comply with laws and regulations enacted in response to the COVID crisis. We have outlined below some of the vital considerations for businesses.
• Employee handbook changes – Updating or creating new workplace policies for your employee handbook regarding paid leave, time and attendance, flexible scheduling, meal and rest breaks, non-essential business travel, and more.
• Workplace health and safety – Ensuring that your workplace is as safe as possible through implementation of employee health screening procedures, exposure response plans, and social distancing protocols.
• Return-to-work procedures – Determining how to handle the eventual return to work, including employees who are unable to work due to illness or childcare obligations or employees who are fearful of returning to work.
• Employee benefits – Ensuring that your policies comply with the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA), which requires paid sick leave and family leave for qualifying reasons related to COVID-19 and coordination with existing leave benefits.
• Employee compensation – Understanding how compensation changes can be made or revoked in response to changing economic conditions.
• Remote work – Developing a customized remote work plan to meet the current and future needs of your business, including step-by-step checklists for successful implementation.
• Communications – Establishing clear and concise communications to your employees and customers regarding how your organization is responding to the COVID-19 outbreak and its aftermath, including social distancing measures, workplace cleaning and disinfection protocols, and exposure response to affected employees and customers.