3 Workplace Safety Tips to Support Your Employees Post-COVID
It’s been one heck of a year for HR leaders. The internet is abuzz with chatter on numerous workplace safety topics, COVID recovery plans are gaining traction, and the “new normal” is coming into focus. Where did Q1 go?!
Indeed, things are moving fast, and if employee engagement strategies are to keep up, it’s time for HR leaders to kick planning into hyper-mode. Luckily, we have the workplace safety tips you need to support employees as the company accelerates forward, eagerly putting miles between the events of last year and the bright new future just around the corner.
1. Take The Guesswork Out of Return-to-Work Planning
When and how to return to the office are among the hottest workplace safety topics up for discussion this year. Will all employees return to the office full time? Should employers stagger their return or invite them all back at once? Will some employees stay at home part-time or full-time? The answers will be different for every organization, but the decision-making process should follow the same path.
In addition to following CDC guidelines, your team should take into account changes in employee behaviors and preferences when making return-to-work decisions.
Workplace Safety Tips For Return to Work Planning:
Implore department heads to conduct internal investigations to identify trends in performance and productivity since last year.
Review Key Performance Indicators (KPI’s) across the organization to determine if remote set-ups helped or hindered business goals.
Survey employees to find out what type of work arrangement they would prefer to see now and in the future. And, don’t just focus on their personal preferences; ask questions about how they can be most productive!
Create a safe, on-site environment that aligns with health and safety protocol for workforce distancing.
Most importantly, over-communicate what is happening and who is affected. Change can be disruptive, scary, frustrating, and confusing for employees. Having intentional, transparent conversations about the game-plan will go a long way in preparing employees for upcoming adjustments.
2. Develop Vaccination Awareness Initiatives
One of the most heated workplace safety topics is the debate over whether or not employers should require employees to get a COVID-19 vaccine. Those in favor believe that a vaccine requirement is the most responsible and effective way to keep all employees safe and to prevent another virus-induced shutdown. Those opposed feel that it’s an egregious infringement on their personal rights.
According to a recent survey, 60% of employees plan to get the vaccine while 28% are willing to lose their jobs in defiance if their employer requires it.
We are not here to tell you whether or not to mandate the vaccine. There are pros and cons to both stances, and every industry and company culture is different. The key is to make a decision, achieve buy-in, and then communicate the decision.
So, how do you make the decision? The decision to even consider a COVID-19 vaccine mandate will largely depend on the nature of the work at hand.
Most HR leaders have opted to implement vaccination awareness initiatives instead of full-scale mandates. These initiatives provide resources, education, and support for those interested in getting vaccinated while respecting those who do not.
These initiatives also eliminate the risk of a potential hailstorm of discrimination claims, medical or religious objections, and other HR/legal issues.
Workplace Safety Tips For Planning Vaccination Awareness Initiatives:
Communicate information in a way that is inclusive so as not to isolate employees who feel uncomfortable getting the vaccine.
Break communications down into simple language to avoid information overload and make the information easily accessible to employees. For example, publish information on the company Intranet and make it mobile-friendly.
If you have a large number of employees and plenty of on-site space, you may want to consider a temporary or mobile vaccination clinic that will come to your office location.
If you have a small number of employees or a dispersed workforce, look for off-site vaccination clinics that you can reserve or recommend to interested employees.
Be proactive in your communications and get ahead of the questions you will receive by planning a communications campaign early.
3. Prioritize Employee Wellness + Mental Health Education
Did you know? Before COVID-19, one in five adults reported struggling with mental health issues like depression and anxiety. Today, that number is closer to one in three. Despite a whopping 96% of companies across the globe changing HR policies to provide employees with greater access to health resources, including mental health support, only one in six employees feel supported.
What gives?
At the root of this issue is a dire need for better communication strategies surrounding what employee benefits are and how to use them effectively.
Workplace Safety Tips For Prioritizing Employee Wellbeing:
Invest more time and resources in benefits education to help employees understand what support is available to them and how to maximize the value of their benefits.
Make employee benefits communication an ongoing topic of conversation rather than a seasonal initiative, especially to engage remote workers who could feel disconnected if not physically present with other employees.
Provide employees with educational resources that are as engaging as they are convenient and accessible. For example, a video repository that employees can reference any time to learn more about their benefits options.
Recognize that wellness is more difficult to track with work-from-home employees. If parts of the workforce will stay remote, build checkpoints into your ongoing employee engagement strategy to gauge mental, emotional, and physical wellness.
When benefits planning, pay attention to COVID-induced trends, such as the growing demand for virtual or telehealth programs, voluntary benefits, and financial planning resources.
Encourage leadership to come forward with their own mental health challenges. When we chat with employees, many feel uncomfortable expressing their own feelings because no one else is talking about it. Help break the stigma by sharing stories, having open forums and being a leader in transparency and vulnerability.
If you can afford to, encourage “mental health” days. Research repeatedly shows that we all need breaks to recharge to be our best selves. Rest, vitamin D, exercise and a good read can easily get employees back on the path of productivity.
Never stop communicating about your Employee Assistance Program (EAP). The norm is to only discuss this benefit during onboarding or Open Enrollment season. However, employees can benefit from this service all year long. They need to constantly be reminded of this benefit, what it is, how it works, that it’s available to them, and that it is 100% confidential for them to use. We recommend monthly communication regarding your EAP to employees during this pandemic.
Our No.1 Tip On Workplace Safety For Your Company
There is a massive difference between communicating with someone and connecting with them. The key to connecting with your employees? Be human. That’s it. Consider what your employees want and how you can deliver important safety information in a way that feels more like a conversation between friends rather than a rigid “communication” passed down from corporate.
Most importantly, take what you learn from these conversations and apply them to future employee engagement strategies.
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