Shared Purpose Drives Results
Not so long ago, I had the pleasure of speaking with the Young Professionals Committee of The...
When an employee in a business is diagnosed with Coronavirus, it can cause great concern for all parties. After first checking to see just how your employee is feeling and insuring they are home taking care of themselves, you may find yourself asking what next? How can you keep your business and your teammates safe? What are the government regulations you must comply with and how do you balance that with maintaining good human resource policy?
Before breaking it down into some easy to follow steps, remember it is imperative to address OSHA, safety and compliance concerns first. Then you can address HR and communications strategies.
A company had an employee diagnosed with Coronavirus. This company chose to have a company wide video conference call with the ailing employee. The person with COVID-19 was put on the spot. The employer’s goal for the call was to let all employees know that their co-worker was doing well so that things could continue business as usual. As though to say, “See! She is not dying! Things are great!” They allowed the sick individual to talk and then, as we could have predicted, everyone in the company panicked. Suddenly the concern was “Oh my gosh! How did she get this? What is going to happen? Where has she been within the office?”
What was intended to create normalcy instead bred fear. This led to a lot of infighting and blaming the sick employee even though Covid-19 is an equal opportunity offender and not known to target any specific subgroup of people. There was a lot of backlash and bullying towards the employee.
An attempt to normalize a situation that is inherently not normal had dramatic negative consequences.
Considering this real-world example, we also want to take a beat to say ABSOLUTELY adhere to all the OSHA and HIPAA and confidentiality regulations in place. Follow them to the letter. But also show compassion. There is no pandemic or crisis so great that gives us an excuse to lack humanity. Take into consideration the feelings of both the employee with Coronavirus and those exposed. Recognize all parties involved are facing unknowns, fears, and anxiety. Treat all parties with respect.
How you handle a delicate situation can either build or break trust within your market. In the end, your goal is to make sure all your employees and clients, including those with Covid-19, know you want to keep them safe and that you have their best interest in mind.
Angela Simmons, CCSA, CHPC, BS, Principle Consultant at CentraVance Consulting at angela@centravance.com.
Tomako Deaner, HR consultant, advisor, and business coach at tdeaner@tobuadvisors.com.
Tiffany Joy Greene, MBA, Chief Growth Officer at MPWRSource at tjgreene@MPWRSource.com.
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