The whole world’s economy got affected by the coronavirus pandemic. All countries are feeling the uncertainty and impact of it, and especially small and medium businesses. Many businesses face such effects as creating remote working operations, changing budgets, and adjusting business plans, and others. But what to do in case one of your employees let you know that he or she got a positive test for COVID-19.
Taking into account that scientists predict that coronavirus will be around for the next two years, unfortunately, such a case easily may happen with one of your employees. If it happens, for you as an employer it will be a really challenging situation that will require your leader and manager skills to perform urgent actions step by step and each of these steps need to be clearly defined.
What Should Be Your Steps in Case Your Employee Got COVID-19
For Infected Employee:
- The first and most important step is to express your sympathy and offer the employee all possible support from the company and you personally;
- The next step is to contact the HR department or partner and clarify what protocol will be the best to provide the employee with the best assistance in such a situation;
- Also, you have to get a list of vendors, visitors, clients, and coworkers with whom this employee has been in close contact during the last 14 days.
For Other Employees:
- Since infected employee provided you with the list of those who have been in close contact with him or her, you need immediately warn all of them that they may be infected also, so they need to contact their doctors and follow WHO’s advice;
- According to the law, you have the right to warn people who may be infected by coronavirus without letting them know the name of the infected employee;
- It will be wise to warn people who may be infected by coronavirus by phone or video call. Since the time is crucial in this situation, if you cannot contact them by phone, use email as a communication channel;
- It is natural that you will get numerous questions from your employees. Provide only answers that you are sure in and advice to check WHO’s website and contact their doctors to get more information;
- It will be wise to send a follow-up email to each person you warned about this situation by phone or video call because it is natural that most of them were shocked and did not understand everything you told them;
- Once you provide the infected employee with sympathy and support and warn all of those who may be infected by close contact with him or her, you should warn all other staff.
For Office or Workplace
- Since one of the employees got coronavirus infection, it will be wise to close the office or workplace immediately and send employees to the remotely work, if it is possible;
- Hire a company that provides professional cleaning and disinfection services with EPA-registered and CDC-recommended disinfectants;
- You need to check that everything in your office or workplace is disinfected and cleaned, or disposed of in a proper way if needed;
- In case you make a decision to return your employees to the office or workplace, it will be wise to encourage your staff to use masks, gloves and other protection, as well as develop the following:
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- Office/workplace cleaning policies;
- The best practices for personal hygiene.
Please be noticed that COVID-19 is spreading really fast, that is why it is so important to hire a professional team with the respective certifications and experience to clean and disinfect your office or workplace and make it as soon as possible. In case your office or workplace located in Illinois, feel free to call Signature Water and Fire Restoration, and our specialists will help with this issue and bring the working environment back to safety.
Our specialists are IICRC-certified what means that they will be able to meet all of the requirements that you will have for cleaning and disinfection services. So let us take care of the clean and safety of your office or workplace, so you will be able to be focused on your employees and goals that the company faces in this difficult time. Here is our 24/7 phone number: 1-224-515-0100.
Please check out a link on WHO’s website to get the latest news about coronavirus pandemic: www.who.int.
Also, please be noticed, that there is no process or chemical that can eliminate one hundred percent of all organisms.