Covid - 19 workplace policy

As the COVID-19 pandemic proceeds to spread, individuals across the globe are progressively restless about their job and safety at the workplace. Given the rapid change, presently is a right chance to ensure that your workplace policies have kept pace. Here are few Covid - 19 workplace policies that company can adopt to ensure maximum safety and a smooth return to office process.

Flexible leave arrangements

1. Employees having symptoms of cold, cough, sneezing, fever, shortness of breath, loss of smell or taste should be able to immediately request sick leave or work from home.
2. Employees tested positive for Covid-19  can return to the office only after recovery and with a doctor’s note confirming recovery.

Mandate social distancing

1. Social distancing means avoiding large gatherings and maintaining distance (approximately 6 feet or 2 meters) from others when possible.
2. Employers should increase physical space between other employees and by avoiding hugging and handshakes.
3. Limited employees to be allowed at canteens and at other spaces often used while during office breaks.
4. Friend or family member coming to visit the employee must be attended outside office spaces.

Flexible work arrangements

1. Employees feeling ill, yet willing and able to work can request to work from home.
2. Employees recently visiting areas with a high number of COVID-19 cases (can be tracked and referred using peopleHum RTO solution) should be asked to work from home for 14 days, and return to the office only when fully asymptomatic.
3. Employees taking care of family members infected with COVID-19 should be allowed to work from home and should be requested to return to office only if fully asymptomatic or with doctors note.

General hygiene and health care

1. Check temperature and pulse regularly at the entry, if employees found with high temperature ensure to request them to work from home or get a doctors certificate.
2. Mandate double masking to avoid coming in contact with the virus.
3. Provide alcohol-based hand sanitizers with at least 60% alcohol in multiple locations and most commonly visited areas.
4. Place posters that guide and train employees to follow basic hygiene like sneezing/coughing into their sleeve preferably elbow and discarding the tissue right after the use.
5. Office spaces and frequently touched surfaces should be cleaned routinely and sanitized using disinfectant on daily basis to eliminate risks.
6. Room temperature should be controlled according to the number of employees in a room, and ensure maximum ventilation when more number of people in room
7. Employees on field jobs should be provided with sanitary products like sanitizers, masks, shields and PPE kits to ensure maximum safety.

Travelling measures

1. International and domestic work travels should be limited, incase of unavoidable situations only selective number of employees should be allowed in order to minimize risk.
2. In person and face to face meetings outside office should be made virtual and avoid physical touch points.
3. Employees having no private transportation and are dependent on public transports should be allowed work from home or hybrid work models can be introduced.
4. Employees travelling or returning from vacation and other countries should be mandatorily asked to quarantine for 14 days and be allowed to return to office post fully asymptomatic or with doctors certificate.

Conclusion

Ensure that policies are updated as laws, regulations, guidance, or company practices change. Once policies are updated and changed its very necessary to communicate it with the employees so that it's practised properly. To ensure maximum safety and smooth return to office process check out peopleHum's Return to Office Solution.‍