Just when many employers were beginning to see the light at the end of the COVID-19 tunnel, the delta variant emerged and derailed back-to-work plans. Some who had been planning to bring employees back into the office have delayed those plans. Some who had loosened masking rules tightened them up again. And some are starting to think that changes they’ve made in work policies since early 2020 should become permanent.
Put Safety First
The primary consideration for work during phone number list the COVID-19 pandemic is and always has been “safety first.” Employers must do what is necessary to prevent workers from spreading the disease. However, this consideration must be balanced with others, such as legal issues, the willingness of team members to comply, and their ability to do their jobs.
Here are a few policies to take into account:
- Mask up. Sure, it’s hard to feel like you’re going back to the time before vaccines were available and masks were one of the few ways to prevent virus spread. But requiring masks regardless of vaccination status is a good way to reduce infection rates, even if you don’t do anything else.
- Practice social distancing. Like masking, social distancing is a way to reduce the spread of the virus without having to check everyone’s vaccination status.
- Check for symptoms. Yet another holdover from 2020, checking for virus symptoms is a good way to keep infected people from spreading disease. You can check temperatures and ask about other symptoms. Anyone who has a fever or reports symptoms should work from home and quarantine.
- Request quarantines. Request that anyone who has been sick with COVID-19, has symptoms, or who has been exposed to the virus quarantine for 14 days before returning to the office.
Determine Employee Comfort
Any of the above suggestions may although analyses can be time consuming be difficult to implement if employees are uncomfortable with them. For example, some people may still feel very wary about being around others no matter what measures are in place. These team members may want to continue working from home. Before making decisions about major changes, try to determine employees’ comfort zones.
Create a platform for collecting employee feedback and a means for analyzing it. Then plan some follow-up discussions to arrive at the best decision. Be sure to communicate throughout the process to explain the process and the desired outcome. Chances are some people won’t agree with every decision. Make leaders and HR professionals available to manage their concerns.
Make Flexible Policies
Because the situation is changing so saudi data rapidly, any new policies you implement should include considerations for shifting conditions. For example, if you’re bringing everyone back into the office from working at home, tell them to keep their home office furniture in case remote work arrangements become necessary again. If you don’t require vaccines, make sure workers know that could change at any time. On the other hand, make sure they’re aware things like masking policies likely won’t be needed forever.