13/03/2020 – Coronavirus – The first outbreak of Coronavirus was at the end of December in Wuhan, China. It’s passed on through personal contact with symptoms appearing between 2-15 days after. We are seeing daily increased in the number of confirmed cases here in the UK and across the world, with a number of countries imposing travel bans and self-isolation of its communities.
With the growing concerns for public safety the risk of impact to businesses is very high and to their employees. The need to protect their employees and provide a safe and healthy workplace, is important and a legal requirement. How can you achieve that? And what can businesses do if an employee is diagnosed?
Here are some points to consider!
- Providing clear and critical information to all employees, following the latest Government advice is key. Ensure your employees know what they must do, should they become unwell.
- Increase hygiene around the workplace. Encourage employees to regularly wash their hands and equipment down – this will help to minimise the spread.
- Offer working from home where possible and consider a reduction on non-essential travel.
- Consider upcoming events or conferences, at least for the near future, where a large number of people may gather. If they are still to go ahead as planned, having plenty of handwash, sanitising gels available and ensuring the venue is cleaned correctly would be advisable.
- If you have a member of staff diagnosed with Coronavirus, you should advise them to stay at home and self-isolate for 14 days. Keep in contact regularly to support them with anything they need and have a return to work plan in place for when they return. This will take longer for some people than others.
- There is also a consideration for employees who are returning from holiday. Have a chat with them before they return to work, ask them to check the latest advice from the Government about the location they’ve been in, and ask them to self-isolate if they feel unwell or may have visited a place with an outbreak.
If you’d like to find out more about how we can support you with employee engagement, absence management or how we can help you support a virtual working solution for your business, get in touch at: hello@mypeopleclub.com
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