With about half the nation already or soon to be vaccinated, employers are calling workers back to their offices and worksites. Yet many people are still hesitant about working in a group setting and risking infection. What will it take for you to feel safe?
Your employer should have clear, established protocols to keep everyone healthy while they’re on the job. A great source of information on best practices for different types of worksites is ASA’s Return to Work Protocols website page. Integrity is proud to have taken the ASA #safelybacktowork pledge as part of this effort.
As a general guide, here’s what Integrity is doing to protect our workforce (we’ve even won an award for it).
Social distancing
- Face masks required at all times while on the worksite
- A distance of at least 3 feet required to be kept from all candidates/new hires
- No physical greetings such as handshakes and hugs
- Workplace traffic patterns separated with furniture placement and barriers
- All non-essential business travel canceled
Sanitization procedures
- Workstations and conference tables disinfected before and after each use, including chair, desk, keyboard and any other surfaces with which people may have come in contact
- Wipes and hand sanitizer available for candidates’ use
- No-touch ID verification
- Single-use pens that candidates take with them when they leave
- Full-time staff dedicated to clean every surface after use
Employee training
- Posters and handouts on procedures, hand washing, coughing/sneezing etiquette and other personal hygiene
- Posters and emails asking visitors to reschedule their appointment if they don’t feel well
Quarantine and emergency leave policy
- Additional paid time off for any staff member quarantined or diagnosed with COVID-19
- Absences due to a mandated quarantine not counted against attendance
- Added health benefits such as telemedicine visits and EAP mental health counseling
As with all such safety initiatives, we as an employer can put all the right equipment and procedures in place, but they will only succeed if every employee uses them — the right way, every time. So be prepared to do your part in keeping yourself and your co-workers safe and healthy. Working together, we can reach the end of this very long tunnel we’ve been going through, and finally get our normal lives back!
