As state governments begin to talk about businesses returning to work, you need to start planning on what changes will have to take place in your workplace to ensure the safety of your employees in their work environment.

  • Plan to supply your employees with masks and gloves.
  • Plan to allow the recommended six feet between employees or look at increasing barriers or partitions between employees.
  • Plan for intense nightly cleaning and intermittent cleaning of common areas throughout the day.
  • Set things up so there is not shared equipment, or if there is sharing required, make sure equipment is cleaned thoroughly in between users.
  • Make sure your employees have access to sanitizer and hand-washing stations.
  • Common areas. Make sure there is room for social distancing in common areas by staggering start and end times, breaks and lunch.  Make sure there are cleaning supplies available and ask employees to clean the common areas they use before and after use.
  • Work from home. Try to keep your work from home options available for people who are symptomatic, exposed, vulnerable or have a household member that is vulnerable.  Also, for employees who have children without school or childcare.
  • CARES and FFCRA. Make sure you are complying with the new Coronavirus regulations.  Employees should get 80 hours of paid time off for qualifying reasons.
  • Make sure you are fair and consistent in your policies in terms of who you lay off and that it is based on objective, documented criteria.
  • All of the things you are doing to support and protect your employees should be communicated to them.