Business Owners – The Professional and Legal Implications of What It Means to GIVE A DAMN About Your Employees

Attention business owners – The coronavirus is a PERFECT opportunity to show your employees how much you care (i.e. GIVE A DAMN) about them!

Within the last few months, the coronavirus has spread around the globe at an alarming rate infecting hundreds of thousands of people and causing deaths beyond belief. Things are changing rapidly for businesses everywhere and almost on a daily basis. Governments and local authorities have closed borders, imposed quarantines, and even closed the doors of many businesses. The effects on human health and the economic impacts on businesses have been staggering.

This pandemic can be viewed as a wake-up call for employers because business continuity will never be the same. Business owners will need to carefully review their policies and procedures to protect their employees, customers, and business operations during this epidemic. Here are some of the few ways your business, both legally and professionally, will need to continue to prepare for, and respond to, the coronavirus pandemic:https://www.linkedin.com/embeds/publishingEmbed.html?articleId=9179878357591607361

• Protect Your Employees From Exposure – This is vitally important and needs to be emphasized again and again. COVID-19 is mainly spread through respiratory droplets from sneezing and coughing and by touching contaminated objects or surfaces. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advised employees to stay home if they have any respiratory symptoms or a fever above 100.4 F. Other guidelines included asking people, in general, to shield coughs and sneezes with a tissue or elbow, and wash hands for 20 seconds frequently. Hand washing or sanitizing is the best defense employees have at protecting themselves. Make sure your employees have access to anti-bacterial soap and hand-sanitizer at all times;
• Review Your Benefits Policies and Revise them as Needed – There will likely be an increase in the number of employees who become sick and are unable to work. You want to have policies that give your employees confidence that they will not be penalized for taking sick leave. This confidence encourages employees to self-report their illnesses and helps reduce exposure levels. Make sure your policies are clear and that you communicate these policies;
• Maximize Your Employees’ Ability to Work Remotely – Many jobs require employees to be physically present to work. However, you should encourage anything that can be done remotely to be conducted that way. Videoconferencing is a resourceful alternative to face-to-face meetings and will eliminate exposure risk. As an employer, increasing your flexibility for your employees to work remotely will help keep them safe.
• Empathize and Reward Your Employees – These are very difficult times. Finding empathy in what your employees are going through, and rewarding them for going beyond the call of duty for the benefit of the business is a terrific way to keep your A-players. You don’t want to lose them so any kind of “thank you” will pay big dividends in the future.

Preparation and planning for this ongoing global health emergency will help protect your customers, employees, and your business. Optimize your plans, prevent exposure and spread-risk, and most importantly – GIVE A DAMN!