Enjoy this week’s guest post from Dr. Sally Chung, clinical psychologist, on ways business owners can support employees during the Covid-19 pandemic.
As the COVID-19 pandemic ramps up this winter, employees need to feel supported as they juggle work duties, home responsibilities, and their personal coping with national and global events. We are all affected by the pandemic and other sociopolitical happenings. I encourage embracing humanity and all of its frailties at a time like this.
Connect interpersonally
Corporate culture starts at the top, so it is of the utmost importance for managers, executives, and other people in positions of authority to model healthy coping behaviors. Have regular check ins with employees specifically to inquire about their coping and life outside of work. Affirm that you understand the stress of the current climate and that it impacts their productivity and functioning. Respect their privacy if they aren’t big on confiding in their superiors; however, it may be helpful to share how you are coping, if appropriate. Rates of depression, anxiety, and substance use have skyrocketed since the start of the pandemic and show no signs of dropping. Encourage employees to seek mental health treatment or take time off if they are struggling with burnout, fatigue, or other psychological distress. Model taking time off if you need a break or extra support. Employees do not feel comfortable taking time off if their managers are not doing so. Provide transparent communication about updates in policy, travel, confirmed cases of COVID (while maintaining confidentiality), benefits, and COVID resources, and offer forums for employees to discuss their concerns and ask questions. Transparent communication builds trust and allows a company to show how they are handling changes wrought by the pandemic, as well as identify any difficulties before they become major problems.
Emergency benefits
One of the first things people worry about is medical coverage in the event they or a family member fall ill. Review medical plans to ensure coverage for COVID testing, visits, and mental health services. Consider expanding or adding benefits if necessary. Offer paid medical leave for employees who need to quarantine or have COVID. Consider offering paid caregiver leave for employees who need to care for a sick family member. Having sick employees or employees caring for family at work because they can’t afford not to work means that they are less engaged and more distracted, leading to lower morale, productivity, and functionality in the workplace.
Work from home
A lot of companies transitioned to work-from-home models to reduce the risk of spread in the workplace. While working from home has been a blessing for many people, it does come with its own challenges. Supporting employees’ ability to successfully work from home starts with adjusting expectations for productivity and being flexible around work hours. At home, many people are balancing their jobs with increased housework and full time childcare or remote education. They may not be able to be fully present during normal business hours if they are also trying to teach their kids or deal with internet connectivity issues. Many companies have offered support for childcare or elder care by granting additional leave to employees who have dependents to care for at home. It is also helpful to provide financial assistance to set up a home office or improve working conditions at home, so they have the equipment they need to do their jobs.
Protect on-site workers
If your employees are returning to the workplace, follow the safety measures recommended by the CDC and OSHA to modify the work environment as well as provide additional protection to employees.
Workplace modifications include:
- Increase ventilation
- Realign desks so they do not face each other
- Rearrange workspaces so they are six feet apart
- Installing Plexiglass shields/barriers
- Clean and disinfect surfaces frequently
- Implement hand washing breaks and/or place hand sanitizers throughout workplace
- Add visual cues for six feet distances
- Add visual cues for one-way traffic
Employee protections include:
- Require and provide mandatory protective equipment (masks, facial cloth coverings, gloves)
- Stagger shifts and breaks to reduce the number of personnel on-site
- Allow remote work
- Minimize travel and overnight trips
- Provide training/information on COVID
- Encourage sick employees to stay home
- Consider offering emergency PTO-sharing
Support for furloughed/laid off employees
It may be necessary to furlough or lay employees off due to decreases in revenue and business. If so, continue to support these workers as much as you can. Consider maintaining their benefits and/or offering a severance package. It might be difficult for furloughed or laid off workers to find new jobs and they may need to take short-term gigs that increase their risk of COVID. It would also be helpful to provide information on your state’s unemployment procedures, offer help to ensure employees are eligible for unemployment, and communicate a timeline regarding re-hiring or asking furloughed workers to return. If you’re trying to prevent layoffs, some businesses are utilizing a work-sharing option, in which hours are reduced across the board but everyone is able to stay on payroll.
These are unprecedented times that require adaptation and flexibility. These are challenging times in which we need to pull together. As Maya Angelou famously said, “people will forget what you said, people will forget what you do, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” This is a time that will be indelibly inked into people’s memories; they will not forget how their employers made them feel.
Sally Chung, PsyD, ABPP is a board-certified clinical psychologist in private practice in Bellevue, WA. She specializes in helping people re-story their narrative and develop goals that are aligned with their values and cultural identity. Working in the heart of the tech hub called Seattle, she has spent the last five years treating individuals and couples in tech, healthcare, and education and the last eight months finding out how the field of psychology is adjusting to telehealth. Her favorite part of working from home is having more time with her dog and getting to meet her patients’ pets and children. Find out more on her website or follow her on social media (tw/ig/fb: @drsallychung).