The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the world we work and live in. And we can’t expect that everything will go back to “normal.” We need to embrace the new reality and adjust our workplaces to new norms.
Today, we will discuss the necessity to create a new workplace policy that fits the post-COVID era. We will give you some writing tips that will help you to complete this task fast and effectively.
Focus on changes
Before you start writing a new workplace policy, you should analyze the changes that have taken place over the last year. How has coronavirus influenced your company’s work? What changes have you been forced to implement in your strategy to keep your business running?
Here is a list of key changes you need to consider:
- Face-covering and hygiene requirements
- Social distancing rules
- Infection-control recommendations by CDC
- Stay-at-home orders
- Business travel restrictions
- The use of tools and software for remote work
Discuss the key aspects of remote work
The vast majority of companies that have survived the corona crisis plan to permit their employees to keep working from home. What about you? Can you operate successfully when your team works remotely?
In your new workplace policy, you should specify whether you offer flexible work arrangements. You should provide written answers to the following questions:
- Which of your employees are allowed to work remotely?
- Do they need to stick to 9-to-5, or can they opt for more flexible schedules?
- Do they need to come to the office to participate in weekly or monthly meetings?
- Will remote mode of work influence their compensation levels?
- Do you require your team members to use remote employee monitoring and time tracking software?
Review and update current in-office policies
In case if your team can’t keep working remotely, you should review your in-office workplace policy. You should explain to your employees what actions they should take and what rules to follow to get back to the work-from-office mode.
Firstly, you need to specify whether you will run daily in-person or virtual health checks. You should write whether you will conduct symptoms and/or temperature screening of employees before they enter the office building.
Secondly, you should explain how you will schedule shifts, start times, and break times in order to reduce the number of people in offices as well as common areas such as locker rooms and kitchens.
Thirdly, you need to make it clear to your employees, whether guests and clients are allowed in the building. You should encourage your employees to limit in-person contacts with clients, suppliers, and contractors to reduce the risks of COVID-19 transmission.
Describe your anti-COVID efforts
2020 was a tough year. So it’s not a big surprise that some of your employees feel uncomfortable returning to the offices. They don’t want to leave a “safe zone” – their houses – and put their lives and the lives of their friends and family at risk.
As an employer, you should assure your employees that you do your best to create a safe workplace. You should describe all the measures you take to stop the spread of the COVID-19:
- Specify how often you clean and disinfect high-touch surfaces.
- Explain how you managed to space desks a minimum of six feet apart.
- Emphasize that you discourage handshaking, hugs, and fist bumps.
- Specify where hand sanitizing stations and no-touch trash cans are located.
- Write that you’ve placed signs in parking areas and entrances that ask visitors to phone from their cars to inform the administration when they reach the office building, etc.
This information will help you to convince your employees that their safety is your top priority. Your employees will feel more comfortable working from the office, and that will positively influence their performance.
Specify whether you will compensate costs associated with the commute to work
The use of public transportation and ride-sharing is associated with high risks of COVID-19 transmission. If you want to protect people who work for your company, you should encourage them to opt for biking, walking, or car driving instead of using public transport and cover associated costs. For instance, if your project manager doesn’t want to commute to work by car because parking rates are too high, you can offer him to compensate for 50% of his expenses.
Your new workplace policy should contain detailed information about the reimbursement of transportation costs, if any. It will encourage more employees to commute to the office in a safer way.
Add basic instructions and reminders
Your workplace policy should include instructions and reminders on hand hygiene, COVID-19 symptoms, and wearing masks. Also, it will be a plus if you add a “cough and sneeze etiquette” section.
Well, you may presuppose that your employees are familiar with these instructions, and there is no sense in restating the same things in your workplace policy. But the truth is that these “little reminders” save lives. The more informed your employees will be, the safer the workplace you will create.
Wrapping up
As an employer, you have legal responsibilities to build a safe and healthy workplace.
So do your best to write a workplace policy that covers all safety-related questions and ensure that your employees will feel comfortable returning to the office. It will allow you to boost your team’s productivity and get your business back on track.
Latest posts by Bridgette Hernandez (see all)
- 6 Tips To Write A Workplace Policy For The Post-COVID Era - February 17, 2021
