The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has interrupted many businesses across the country. While it’s unclear how long COVID-19 will continue to affect organizations, many employers are looking to the future of employees returning to work.
Echoing the sentiments of public health officials, a return to normalcy won’t be like flipping a switch, but rather a gradual effort. In preparation for reopening your business and asking employees to come back to work, it’s imperative that your company thoughtfully constructs a return to work action plan for its employees to keep everyone healthy and safe following the COVID-19 pandemic.
Reopening Decisions and Risk Assessments
While many essential businesses (e.g., hospitals, pharmacies, grocery stores and gas stations) have remained open during the COVID-19 pandemic, other operations deemed nonessential have shut down temporarily or changed the nature of their operations. Not only has this led to significant business disruptions, but, for many, it has critically impacted their bottom line.
However, we may be nearing a time when stay-at-home regulations are scaled back and all businesses are allowed to resume as normal. The question then is: How will business owners know it is acceptable to reopen? The following are some best practices to keep in mind:
Review guidance from state and local governments—The COVID-19 pandemic impacts states and regions in different ways. Just because a business is allowed to reopen in one region of the
country doesn’t automatically mean your operations will be allowed to resume as well. As such, it’s critical to understand and review all relevant state and local orders to determine if and when your business is allowed to reopen.
Understand the risks—If and when the government allows all businesses to reopen, that doesn’t necessarily mean COVID-19 is no longer a threat to your operations. What’s more, some
businesses may have greater COVID-19 exposures than others, underscoring the importance of performing a thorough risk assessment before reopening. Prior to conducting a risk assessment,
it’s important to review guidance from OSHA, state and local agencies, industry associations as well as your local health department. More information on conducting a risk assessment can be
found below.
Again, before reopening, it’s critical to seek the expertise of legal, insurance and other professionals.
Our Action Plan has a lot of useful information, including guidelines on Social Distancing, Cleaning responsibilities, other safety measure and more.
Acumen Solutions Group will continue to monitor this situation and provide updates as necessary.
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Disclaimer: This guide does not account for state and local guidance related to COVID-19, but follows the guidance laid out by the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and OSHA that is designated to keep employers, employees and customers safe, this guide does not include industry specific guidance.