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Most companies have a plan of action for flu outbreaks (and if you don’t, you should), but do also you have an advanced plan for the coronavirus? If you are not prepared for an emergency, you risk putting yourself and your company in a position to suffer more losses than you think.
What if 65% of your employees didn’t show up for work tomorrow? What would happen to your customers, your service, your vendors and your finances? Remember, employees don’t have to catch the virus to be affected. What about schools and day cares closing for children’s safety? Those employees either must bring kids to work or not come to work at all.
Here are five ways your company can prepare for the possible effects of a public health emergency:
1. Make your company virtual. In today’s business world, there are so many ways to have employees work from home and be just as efficient (sometimes more efficient) as they are at their office. Almost all data is stored in the cloud these days, so you really don’t need to have a big bulky tower and monitor at home to work; how about a Surface Pro or something equivalent? Consider tapping into voice over internet protocol (VoIP); there are dozens of companies out there like Jive, Ring Central, VirtualPBX, etc. My company uses Jive, and all employees have a hardphone app on their cellphones and a softphone on computers, so no matter if they are at home or visiting family in California, Jamaica or Australia, we can expect the same quality of service.
2. Focus on your employees’ health. Meet regularly to discuss prevention programs. Encourage everyone to get their annual flu shots, and hang posters everywhere reminding them to wash their hands often. Ask employees to wash their hands or use hand sanitizer before they get to their desks, after using the restrooms, after breaks, and especially after someone from the public comes into the office. Keep disinfectant wipes at all public locations that need to be cleaned multiple times a day.
3. Proactively prepare a skeleton crew work schedule. If your company needs a minimum number of people per position to function daily, then determine key personnel vital for those positions. This might be a great opportunity to have them work from home to keep them from getting sick. Create a buddy system: If three employees have the same position, have one work in-office and the other two work at home, and round-robin their in-office days.
4. Create a single point of contact. Appoint one volunteer to coordinate employees’ schedules and work-from-home scheduling. This person is your chief protection officer during flu seasons and during this coronavirus outbreak. If vendors or customers must visit your location, appoint one person to give them hand sanitizer when they come in. This person can also be responsible for wiping down counters, chairs, doorknobs, bathrooms, light switches, conference tables and phones.
5. Stay calm, and provide reassurance to your employees. Stressed employees are more likely to make mistakes and have reduced productivity. Meet with them about your policy on sick time, and share how many hours they still have. Show them that you are there for them. Remember, we don’t build companies — we build people, and people build companies.
There is no way to guarantee that a member of your team will not get sick. However, by taking a proactive approach to these kinds of situations, you can be prepared to mitigate some of your losses. This type of preparedness plan can be implemented year after year, or whenever a public health emergency arises — the same precautions and same proactive approach can help to protect you, your employees and your business.