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I recommend this excellent, free webinar, Would Your Business Survive a Coronavirus Outbreak? Watch and listen to the 47-minute video by clicking here. Yes, it has 1.5 and double speed options. A condensed PDF of her slides is here:  http://tiny.cc/HR4VIRUS No fee, no registration.

One key slide is:

COVID-19 Webinar HR Right Now slide

One key takeaway: Check to see if your health insurance carrier offers a remote care option via telephone or Internet video, for example, Anthem’s LiveHealth Online Since you’re probably paying for this anyway please make sure your employees know it is available.

SHRM, the certifying organizations for human resource professionals, reminds employers NOT to emulate the fever checkpoints you are seeing in the news.

  • Employers are NOT allowed to screen employees with an infrared non-contact thermometer; it is too intrusive.
  • Do NOT ask an employee if he or she is SARS-CoV-19 positive or if he or she has been tested, diagnosed, or exposed.
  • Employers MAY send home an employee with visible symptoms,
    e.g., flushed, sweaty, coughing, or too fatigued to perform.
  • Employers MAY ask an employee if he or she has symptoms.
  • Employers MAY require employees to stay home for 14 days after international travel.
  • Employers MAY encourage employees to take their own temperature, to establish a baseline, and to stay home if it rises 2° or more.

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If your office is closed or many people are working from home, remember,

THIS IS NOT A SNOW DAY!

I encourage managers to impress two key points upon teleworkers.

  1. Stay at home, avoid groups, wash your hands, exercise, and rest.
    Use the time saved by not commuting to sleep more and exercise.
  2. Everyone needs to stay productive. This pandemic will strain the resources and threaten the survival of most organizations. Your employer will suffer from reduced revenue, increased costs, and broken supply chains.
    Unproductive teleworkers will sink any business. If employees want to continue to be paid and have a job to return to after the pandemic each MUST find ways to stay as productive as possible.

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If your office is still open while many employees are telecommuting or out sick: