Prevention of coronavirus in the workplace

The world is on lockdown. Prevention of coronavirus in the workplace is the main concern. The impact of the virus on human minds is much higher than the impact of it on our health. We see people with diverse emotions. We see them scared, we see them cautious, we see them helpful and a lot more. The amount of time spent on lockdown and the number of people affected determine to a great extent, the future of corporates.

Expecting and accepting the unexpected takes courage and a predefined action plan. But, now, it is obviously the wrong time to see how your business can thrive. It is the time to be with the blood and sweat that made your organization great.

Prevention of coronavirus, the disease, and its impacts, is important for us.I would like to give a small note to all my HR friends, on how to be with the employees, and what to expect of them, in this time of uncertainty. 

All or most of the global organizations are implementing their work from home policies. It is highly commendable of the traditional organizations that have formulated new policies for this time. However, whatever is done, seems to be not enough.

All global organizations have instructed their HRs to take it forward the way, its governments have asked them to. We all have our Human Resource executives, doing whatever they can to keep up the calm of the organization and its employees. Let me help you there, a little bit. 

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6 ways to prevent coronavirus in the workplace

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1. Manage panic

A lot can be derived from these two words. Spreading the right word is what is important. It is a virus, that spreads easily, but kills less than 3% of the people affected. Keeping a tab on the mental health and calmness of the employees is very essential.

Sending awareness e-mails and encouraging them to work from home, is the best and the most we can do at this time of panic. A conference call, to talk to each other, about how things are at home, will help to a great extend in managing the isolation the employees feel at home.

When an entire state/country is at lockdown, that is the least we can do to keep our employees happy and healthy.  Prevention of coronavirus, the impacts it has on your employees, can be achieved this way.

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2. Be compliant

There might be situations when decisions have to be made. You might be lost in-between decisions, this might be a first time case. Following the federal laws in case of uncertainty is the best way to handle it. The main point is, you know your employees.

Being the Human Resource Manager, it’s always good to make use of the personal knowledge you have about each person at such a time. The backgrounds and personalities differ from person to person, and so does the reaction to the same situation, whatever it may be. So handling each situation, personalizing the action plan, will help the employees understand that they are valued at this time of emergency. 

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3. Be flexible

It is highly advisable to have a more flexible leave policy in times such as these. In order to make the employees feel belonged, bear with them. If you are clearly aware that they need some time off, or that they need any support be it financial or anything else for that matter, make sure to understand and let the authorities know.

This is your chance as the HR, to be considerate to the employees you take care of. You don’t want them to feel insecure working with you. More or less the same care you give to an employee who just came after her maternity leave. Understand what they are going through, or what they went through and be humane to your human resources. 

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4. Keeping them organized and self motivated

Keeping the employees organized and self-motivated is not entirely in your hands as an HR. But, your employees want to be self-motivated and organized, now that you have implemented all of the above procedures. But, implementing a work from home policy, if you know your employees are not self-motivated, can be a major problem.

So this crucial decision depends on how much you know your employees. Don’t worry. You’re doing a good job. Follow your instincts. Think rational. Prevention of coronavirus and its impacts is not easy, but we are getting there.

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5. Methods to collaborate online

The business has to run. Showing numbers might not be the most important, but the work has to continue. So, to make it easier for them, every medium available to communicate and collaborate has to be made available. Most organizations have already implemented all things possible to see to it. Driving collaboration through motivation is something that all Human Resource Managers do. Managing it according to the current situation is what matters. 

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6. Maintaining workplace hygiene

Last but not least, in a situation where work is done from the office, it is important to collaborate with all other departments and maintain the hygiene of the workplace for the prevention of corona. This disease, in particular, requires a lot of precautions for personal hygiene. Distributing hand sanitizers and encouraging the employees to wash their hands regularly are the few things that can be done. These are the few things that you as an HR can do.

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This is a very unexpected experience for the world. Staying together and helping each other as humans is the best we can do. All Human Resource Managers are surely humane at this time of adversity, and we are really grateful to all of them, for making our workplace feel like home and bringing our work home. Identifying the relation between HR and corona is important. Now that we know, we will thrive!

Having come to the end of our article, I hope I was able to help you with your concerns, regarding the prevention of coronavirus and its impacts at your workplace. Let’s share our thoughts and help each other thrive through this hard time.