The COVID-19 pandemic and the accompanying measures to fight it have required many tough choices to be made that have disrupted normal society - notably, employment. Company leaders are dealing with a wide range of challenges, including mandated closures and staffing changes, transitioning employees to fully remote work, and handling the logistics of maintaining a safe workplace if they are deemed essential. With so much unknown, and changes occurring regularly, it is crucial to be prepared - learn more about what companies are doing to respond to COVID-19:
● Consistent Updates
This is the time to over-communicate to employees. Companies are providing as many real-time updates as possible to keep their employees, who are looking to them for guidance and reassurance, in the loop. As you're making communication decisions, veer toward too much, rather than risking too little.
● Various Outreach Channels
Along the same lines as over-communicating, companies are also responding to COVID-19 by utilizing various outreach channels to ensure employees are receiving crucial updates. Do not rely on your typical standard mode of communication - use as many as possible that are at your disposal, such as email, voicemail, mailed letters, company intranets, social media posts, news updates, recorded videos, virtual meetings/webinars, and more.
● Dedicated Resource Center
Since companies are sending out constant updates through a variety of channels, they are also keeping a compilation of that information so employees can reference it in the future if necessary, without having to dig through multiple systems. A dedicated resource center for COVID-19 related updates, policies, and frequently asked questions, such as a website or intranet, can reduce confusion by allowing employees to easily find the answers on their own.
● Contagious Disease and Leave Policies
A blanket sick leave policy is not adequate for contagious diseases, as companies are quickly being forced to make decisions they may never have considered. As a response to COVID-19, companies are clarifying official rules and policies for how ill employees (or those exposed to ill people) are to notify leadership, how they will be paid, how much time they can take off, when they can safely come back, and how to deal with safeguarding the areas and other employees to which they were exposed. Keep track of Department of Labor rulings, as these often govern or instruct companies on how they should apply leave. Here is a helpful resource on the Families First Coronavirus Response Act.
● Contingency Plans
With no verifiable conclusive end in sight, the COVID-19 crisis has swiftly forced companies to pivot away from their usual business operations. They have likely not experienced or prepared for long-term social distancing measures that disrupt their general workplace. Companies are now putting the highest priority on creating well-defined contingency plans for business continuity for all timelines and scenarios.
● Be Truthful and Positive
The COVID-19 pandemic is a unique situation and much unlike what company leaders have had to address in the past, so companies realize it is not a time to be overly polished or stoic in their messaging to employees. Leaders are embracing authenticity and vulnerability and acknowledging the emotional impact of the crisis and promoting the notion of being in this together. Keep in mind that while employees are looking for hope and positivity, your communications must be genuine – not forced or even worse, misleading.
How Nesco Resource Can Help
Once you are ready to start finding new talent, work with Nesco Resource. We are successfully helping companies of all sizes navigate the changes brought by COVID-19. As you start thinking about re-opening or re-integrating your workforce, keep in mind that a staffing partner may help you respond quickly and save money.
Nesco Resource is among the leading employment agencies in the nation and can assist you in attracting candidates with the right skills and traits for positions in industrial and manufacturing, administrative, and more. If you’re getting back to work or simply staffing up for increased demand, we’re here to help.
Learn more about how we’ve responded to COVID-19.