Preparing Your Teams to Return to Work: 6 Things to Keep In Mind

As states begin their reopening plans, many companies will be welcoming their employees back to their offices, too. Bringing employees back into an office building just months after an outbreak of coronavirus is uncharted territory, and so, many of us will likely face situations and challenges completely new to us. In order to best prepare your team for these circumstances, we’ve put together a list of 6 things to keep in mind as your team returns to work.

1. Federal, State and Local Guidelines
   • Across the board, guidelines and requirements on combatting coronavirus are constantly changing, and that will likely continue to happen now that there’s a new element involved: some of us are headed back to work. To stay on top of the constant changing of guidelines and recommendations, Sikich, a firm specializing in accounting, technology, and advisory services recommends “designating a small task force of leaders, advisors and employees who will stay informed of and review the parameters and implications that are specific to your industry, locations, customers and team members”. This way, your team can stay up to date on the latest rules and regulations put in place to ensure that you and your team are abiding by the latest recommendations from the federal, state and local levels for a safe work environment.
2. Temperature Checks
   • Depending on regulations and/or if your company chooses to monitor employees while in the office, your employees may be required to take part in routine temperature checks before they enter the office building. Obviously, if this procedure is instituted, it will be a very new experience for most of us. With that said, you should be prepared if your employees feel uncomfortable or even unwilling to participate. According to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), in an article by CNN, the results of employers checking their employee’s body temperature are subject to confidentiality requirements. Similarly, these checks must be conducted in a safe and non-discriminatory manner. If a situation occurs where an employee refuses a mandatory temperature check, CNN notes that that employee “can be denied entry to the employer’s premises, and that refusal and resulting absence from work can serve as a basis for employee discipline”. Mandatory temperature checks, if instituted, should be instituted for the purposes of employee safety and while it may be uncomfortable, it may juts be a necessary practice to ensure all employees are as safe as possible while in the office.
3. Masks
   • Masks are similar to temperature checks in that they may be required as your employees head back to the office. According to that same article by CNN, generally, “employees can be required to wear a mask while at work”. However, if the mask is required, Vanessa Matsis-McCready, assistant general counsel and director of human resources for Engage PEO, says that if the employer requires their employees to wear masks, the employer should be the one to provide the masks. If employees refuse to abide by the safety precaution of wearing personal protection equipment (PPE) while in the office, they can be sent home as they could potentially jeopardize the health of their colleagues. On the other hand, “if a worker has a disability or health condition that makes it difficult to wear PPE, employers are required by the ADA to explore reasonable accommodations that would allow them to perform their jobs”. Having employees wear masks in the workplace is a new idea, but one that may also be necessary to keep your employees safe while in the office.
4. Childcare
   • If your employees still don’t have childcare, but are expected back at work, they’ll be in a tough situation. According to CNN, “Some working parents can get paid leave under the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) that Congress passed in March [2020]”. In fact, “The law requires qualified employers provide eligible employees with paid sick leave and expanded family and medical leave to care for a child whose school or childcare provider is no longer available for Covid-19 related reasons”. Not everyone is eligible for this benefit, though. Your employees must have children that are minors and your company must have less than 500 employees. If this law is not an option, employers should “carefully weigh positions and job duties to determine work that can be done from home, with considerations such as providing flexible hours, company laptops, Wi-Fi subsidies, headsets or other equipment if needed” according to Sikich. As these are unprecedented times, it is important that your company and its leaders are aware of the hardships that lack of childcare can have on your employees and then to hopefully help your employees work around this if possible.
5. Employee Reluctance
   • If employees are asked to come back to the office, they may naturally feel a bit of reluctance as coronavirus continues to loom. As an employer/manager/leader, it is important to be open and willing to discuss your employee’s concerns and to explain the safety precautions being implemented so that your employee knows that the appropriate measures are being taken. If the unfortunate situation occurs where you have an employee that simply refuses to return to work despite the safety precautions put in place, that employee, according to Sikich, is abandoning their position and can be terminated. That is worst case scenario; hopefully through conversation and proper safety procedures, your employees will feel safe to come into work if they are required to be there.
6. Keeping Your Team Informed
   • What happens if a team member is diagnosed with Covid-19? Have you thought about how you would handle that? According to Russ Adler, a labor and employment attorney in NYC interviewed by CNN, employers are not required to alert staff if someone has tested positive. However, he recommends that employers do inform employees that someone did test positive, but that they be sure to not “reveal the identity without consent”.  Keep this in mind. Sharing the identity of a team member that is diagnosed with your team without their consent could have legal implications, and morale implications as well. It is important to respect your employee’s privacy if they intend to keep it that way.

CNN: https://www.cnn.com/2020/05/19/success/employees-rights-return-to-work-coronavirus-wellness/index.html

Sikich: https://www.sikich.com/insight/preparing-your-teams-to-return-to-work/

About Omada Search:

Omada Search is a boutique executive recruiting firm dedicated to serving middle market manufacturing and distribution clients in the Carolinas. Omada specializes in Accounting, Finance and Operations. For further information on Omada Search, please visit www.OmadaSearch.com.