Have you noticed there’s been a shift in expectations? After the initial shock of lockdowns, there’s now an impatience to get back to more normal times. As you manage your people, there will be a few areas of angst you should plan for. They are:
- Containing the impact of a COVID-19 infection at your workplace
- Managing leave entitlements to ensure staff who are unwell don’t come to work
- A return to past working hours or pay rates if they have been reduced
Let’s look at each of these issues in more detail.
Containing The Impact Of A COVID-19 Infection At Your Workplace
We have already seen workplaces across Australia impacted by suspected and/or confirmed COVID-19 infections. It means all staff, their families and any visitors need to be tested and possibly required to self-isolate for 14 days. If a test is positive for COVID-19, it also means the business premises need to be closed while a deep-clean and disinfection takes place.
To minimise the impact of possible COVID-19 infections in your business, you need to develop a Business Contingency Plan. This will help you to quickly notify customers, suppliers and staff, who may have been exposed. It will also assist you in continuing operations (albeit remotely or at a reduced capacity) while you wait for the tests to be analysed and permission for staff to return to work.
Some of our clients have divided teams into smaller groups who work staggered shifts or on different days. As long as you maintain excellent hygiene protocols within your workplace, this approach should assist in minimising disruptions to your operations.
Managing Leave Entitlements To Ensure Staff Who Are Unwell Don’t Come To Work
We no longer live in an era where it’s acceptable to come to work feeling unwell. That slight sore throat or occasional cough could be the start of coronavirus infection. How will you enforce this at your workplace?
This question will be particularly relevant if you employ casuals (who only get paid for the time they work) or staff who do not have much accumulated sick leave. What about staff with young, school-aged children? They will need to take additional leave if their kids have a slight sniffle, cough or sore throat.
During the shutdown, you may have asked staff to take annual leave as you hibernated your business or re-engineered operations to introduce working from home capabilities for staff. What will you do if they ask for their leave to be reinstated?
You will be faced with these issues… and more. Now is the time to begin formulating:
- Your policies and procedures on these matters
- How you will communicate the changes to all staff – casual and permanent part-time or full-time
- Implementation of any health checks when people arrive at work (remembering you will need to consult with staff if you want to do things like daily temperature checks or health questionnaires)
A Return To Past Working Hours Or Pay Rates If They Have Been Reduced
Many businesses asked staff to take a temporary pay cut or work shorter hours to help protect jobs and keep the organisation going. But as things begin to get back to normal and the pressures of a lower-income begin to bite, staff will expect their incomes to return to pre-COVID levels.
If your business has qualified for JobKeeper payments for staff, what do you do when those payments cease?
Can you realistically expect your business revenues to return to previous levels?
Do you need to analyse your staffing level requirements?
As a business owner or management team, you have some tough decisions ahead of you and all of these decisions must follow with due process and comply with Fair Work requirements.
Complaints To Fair Work Are Up
There’s no short term, easy fix for the impact COVID-19 has had on Australia’s economy and our lives. But one thing that never changes is the need to communicate openly with staff so they understand what’s happening and why. You also need to follow due process when it comes to staff entitlements.
End2End Business Solutions specialise in helping business owners identify how all the awards and legislation apply to their business. For common sense HR advice, contact the End2End team on (02) 8977 4002.