Life Beyond COVID-19 Navigating the Post-COVID Workplace
Q How do I help my employees navigate stressful times, such as pandemics?
Put practices in place to address health and safety concerns, support employee mental health, & maintain a positive culture.
Conduct employee surveys Establish a risk mitigation plan Establish a redundancy plan Offer options for employee choice Communicate with employees frequently Boost employee morale Support mental health Post cleaning schedules
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Conduct Employee Surveys
Establish a Risk Mitigation Plan
Conduct surveys to determine employees’ main concerns around working in your office.13
Establish a written plan that outlines the policies and practices in place to address employee health & safety during a pandemic.
• Create a survey using a digital platform like Microsoft Forms • Form questions to receive actionable feedback • Click here for a survey example • Communicate the survey results and the actions you intend to take in response to the feedback with your employees
• Develop protocols for health screenings, contact tracing, social distancing, workplace ventilation, workplace disinfecting, delivery protections, and training practice • Click here for a preparedness plan template • Communicate your preparedness plan with employees frequently
Establish a Redundancy Plan
Offer Options
Outline a plan to ensure business continuity if employees become incapacitated due to illness.
Support your employees’ mental and physical well-being by offering options for office and remote work.
• Identify essential business functions and primary processes • Identify a back-up person to complete each essential task if the primary person becomes ill • Identify external service providers • Communicate the operational redundancy plan with all employees
• Determine options that work for your business, such as voluntary staff presence or flexible in-office hours • Set criteria linked to infection rates and business needs for implementation of each option • Allow employees to choose which option matches their comfort level while still fulfilling their duties
65% of employers experienced challenges maintaining employee morale during the COVID-19 pandemic14
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Communicate Frequently
Boost Employee Morale
Communicate updates about your mitigation plan & transition process on a regular and consistent basis.
Take measures to elevate employee morale if it decreased during the pandemic.
• Use multiple forms of communication such as a Town Hall followed by an email synopsis • Communicate with directness, transparency and empathy • Click here for communication recommendations from the CDC15
• Conduct surveys to evaluate employee engagement and act on the results • Provide flexibility for working hours • Offer virtual water cooler chats to encourage social interactions • Establish committees to plan morale boosting events and ideas for increased physical and mental wellness
Support Mental Health
Post Cleaning Schedules
Offer mental health resources to assist in coping with the uncertainty and anxiety of a pandemic.
Transparently share how and when the office is being cleaned to ease anxiety surrounding virus transmission.
• Acknowledge employee fears and address them in a respectful and individual nature • Offer an Employee Assistance Program (EAP) • Encourage employees to use PTO for mental health days • Check in directly with employees regularly to assess their well-being and offer the appropriate support
• Communicate the cleaning frequency of shared spaces, such as conference room disinfection after meetings • Install room booking technology to manage use and post when the room was last cleaned • Provide sanitation stations throughout the office to increase employee control over disinfection
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