The COVID-19 pandemic has drastically changed the way in which companies relate to their employees. In addition to the safety risks that existed before, businesses must also protect their employees from this dangerous yet invisible enemy. To help keep your employees healthy and let them know that you care, there are some important steps you can take that relate specifically to COVID-19.
De-Stigmatizing Sick Leave
If you want your employees to stay healthy, then it’s important that employees who are sick don’t report to work. The only way this will happen, though, is if you don’t penalize your employees for taking sick leave. By reassuring your employees that their job will be waiting for them when they return from their illness, you will help ensure that no one comes to work with the potential to spread sickness to other employees.
Install Protective Equipment
Another important part of reducing transmission rates of COVID-19 in your business is to give your employees proper protective equipment. Beyond personal protective equipment, such as gloves and face masks, permanent equipment, such as sneeze screens and enhanced air filters, are just as important. The great thing about providing protective equipment is that it prevents the spread of illnesses beyond COVID-19, helping to create a healthier workplace.
Offering Enhanced Pay
While not every company is in a position to offer enhanced pay during the pandemic, companies that can offer enhanced pay will find that it provides a breath of fresh air to their employees. Higher pay serves as an acknowledgment of the sacrifices that your employees are making to continue to provide great service to your customers. It also communicates that your company is healthy, meaning that your employees aren’t in danger of losing their jobs.
Providing a Safe Space
For some employees, their job is their only semblance of normalcy in an otherwise chaotic time. This means that employees may seek mental health resources to help them deal with the stress that the pandemic has created. By providing these resources for your employees, you can help them deal with their struggles in a healthy way so that they don’t become more serious.
When the pandemic first took hold, companies were scrambling to find ways to support their employees. Now that the pandemic has been going on for quite some time, though, these efforts have largely faded. By remaining committed to your employee-support efforts, though, you will create strong bonds with your employees that make them loyal to your company for the long haul.