How To Support Employees Health During The COVID-19 Outbreak – Hani Zeini

The unprecedented event of the COVID-19 outbreak has disrupted people’s way of life along with causing increased anxiety and stress for workers everywhere. Below are some effective tips to support employees’ health during the pandemic.

Tips to Support Employees Health during the outbreak according to Hani Zeini 

• Monitor Physical Health Risks of Employees – To limit the spread of this deadly virus, every employer must allow their employees to work from home where it is possible. If this is not possible, it is vital to have signs of shortness of breath, sore throat, cough, or fever to prevent coming to the office.
• Regular Communication – To summarize and inform workers regarding the company policies like mobile number, disbursements of travel, entitlements, payroll continuation, attendance procedures, and other expenses will help create clarity for them in the home office environment. Offering a review or a summary of their recent pandemic preparedness plan can help prove that their company supports their well-being and health.
• Be Transparent and Open with Employees– It is vital for an employer to be transparent and open with his employees regarding their job security because this is a source of anxiety for workers presently. According to Hani Zeini, a good idea will be to hold video town halls that explain that employees are safe and the steps undertaken by the company to keep them.
• Prepare – While switching to work from home, the employer should consult with his employees regarding the work from home arrangements and how they will perform work differently to allow self-isolation and social distancing. They need to ensure that their employees can access functional internet capabilities, telecoms, or laptops to support a good home-office. Besides, employers can ask their employees photos of their home set-ups to check whether it caters to WHS needs.
• Stay in Contact – Of late, videoconferencing is in great demand. During times of deep uncertainty, staying connected is necessary with real-time, regular virtual collaboration. Be it through phone, web-based teleconferencing, or any other technology. It can help employees feel personally connected in comparison to email communication or text.
• Promote a Positive Culture – Any employee who has not worked from home ever may deeply feel social/physical isolation. Thus, employers must be proactive in organizing social interactions among and with their staff to maintain positive relationships. Besides, an employer may even continue marking birthdays or any other milestone through after-work drinks or virtual coffee catch-ups.
• Healthy Work-Life Balance – The work-life balance indeed is a crucial facet of an employee’s ability to work productively and safely, be it work from home or office.
• Educate Staff to Stay Mentally Healthy – As a manager or an employer, offering clear and consistent communication regarding health risks, available resources, and preventative measures is the finest means of keeping employees safe at the time of the outbreak. Providing tutorials on webinars on resilience, mindfulness, or suggesting employees go on walks is particularly advantageous to their wellbeing and health. Being transparent and open in an employer’s interactions with employees will let them know that they are never alone.

With these handy tips, employers can support their employees’ health during the pandemic and enjoy maximum productivity.