COVID-19 has shown us the need for a work environment that supports time off and that we should provide paid sick leave to our employees. Are you prepared to create a new policy? What if your employees want to look for another job because they are afraid of not having paid sick leave? What if they are afraid to call in sick due to possibly being terminated?
Paid sick leave is already a law in many states including VT, AZ, CA, CT, MD, OR, MA, WA, RI, NJ, MI, NV, and Washington D.C. There are also many large cities and counties in other states that have adopted paid sick leave laws. Once the dust has begun to settle after COVID-19, we could possibly see a new federal regulation requiring companies to offer paid sick leave. Do you already have a paid sick leave policy? If not, we can create one for you.
Paid sick leave enables employees to take time off if they are sick and not worry about their paycheck or their job. If you have a policy in place, employees will be encouraged to take the time off to recover. They will not be in your workplace possibly spreading their germs to other co-workers. In a case like COVID-19, an infected employee would literally shut down your operations. Can your company afford to be shut down for a day? A week? A month? Providing paid sick leave to your employees is one step that you can take to ensure the overall health of your business (in addition to your employees).
As we tackle the paid sick leave issue, we also need to examine our work environment and how it can be affected in the future when an outbreak happens again. This can be a new virus, or the annual flu. As a result of COVID-19, many of our work cultures that we worked so hard to build, have probably crumbled. We need to reassure our employees that we are supportive of their health and well-being and the need to take time off.
In order to accomplish this, we need to look at our workforces and the varied talents of all of our employees. We need to assess the skills of each and every employee. After this has been done, we need to create a cross training plan. By cross-training employees, you are creating a huge benefit for not only your employees, but for your company. Employees will be able to cover for one another when they are out, so that it does not seem so daunting for the person that needs to stay at home.
You might be asking yourself, how can cross training help my company? Cross training benefits your company when an employee is sick, and it also puts you in a position where your company does not fall apart if an employee suddenly resigns without notice. It improves all employee’s awareness of your organization’s roles and functions. This is also beneficial in strengthening your customer support with more knowledgeable employees. Cross-training will increase your flexibility for scheduling. Lastly, it increases your employee’s opportunities for advancement due to having a variety of additional skill sets.
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