How to Support Employees Sick with COVID-19

As the world continues to monitor the spread of the coronavirus, business leaders should prepare for the possibility of having an employee contract the virus.

If and when this happens, employers must be sensitive and smart about how they respond for the safety of their employees and their businesses.

 

 

1. Consider your ill employee's emotional well-being.

Proactive empathy and clarity can go a long way in supporting your employees’ well-being, which will become critically important as concerns about their health, their families health and their ability to earn a living arise.

“A sick employee shouldn't have to wonder whether they'll be able to make up the work or if they'll have a job after the illness passes," says Jennifer Walden, director of operations at lawn care provider Wikilawn. "They should focus on rest and recuperation, only coming back to work when they feel physically, mentally, and emotionally able to do so.”

Affected employees may or may not have tapped public or private mental health resources to cope with their anxiety, so as an employer, it’s important to be empathetic. Consider asking how they are doing psychologically—depending on what you hear, consider pointing them in the direction of therapeutic online resources.

“How you treat your employees during this crisis will be the most important test of employee relations you’ve ever experienced,” adds David Barron, a labor and employment attorney at Cozen O’Connor.

“Do you come out with a loyal workforce proud to be part of an essential business, or a bitter and angry workforce looking to organize a union or sue?" he continues. "In that regard, sick employees should be treated with respect and employers should be careful about questioning motives or aggressively demanding a return to work.”

2. Be fair and generous about missed work.

You want employees who express symptoms of COVID-19 to stay at home, but they may be reluctant to do so if their livelihoods are on the line. To make them comfortable with being unable to work, proactively communicate your business' policies and the laws and regulations designed to support people to contract COVID-19.

“The new Families First Coronavirus Response Act grants paid sick leave and emergency family leave and provides tax credits for employers with fewer than 500 employees to help cover these costs,” says Barron. “This should largely avoid disputes over payment for sick time in most COVID-19 cases. If a case is more serious and requires more time off, business owners can assist employees with short-term disability claims and/or advances against future vacation time or paid time off.”

Although COVID-19 might render you short staffed, be careful about overloading your healthy employees.

“At Wikilawn, we have unlimited paid time off," says Walden. "I believe this gives all employees peace of mind, but especially those who are or become sick with coronavirus. The employee who's currently sick will be paid for the duration of her illness, her benefits will continue and she ideally won't feel like she must work herself to the bone when she returns.”

3. Be selective when sharing information with team members.

How and who you inform about an employee diagnosis is a delicate manner, and there are nuances business owners should think about.

“Both the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) require that employers advise employees if they have been exposed to COVID-19 in the workplace,” Barron says.

However, you must balance this obligation with the privacy of the affected employee. Under the Americans with Disabilities Act, employers are legally bound to keep medical information private, so avoid sharing names of COVID-positive employees unless another team member absolutely needs to know.

When you do communicate status to other team members, Barron recommends notifying employees that a coworker in their office/facility has tested positive and reaffirming the company’s commitment to the affected individual's privacy. Explain that the reason for the notice is to maintain transparency and allow the employee to make informed health decisions.

"Advise the employee if the company will be requiring a self-quarantine based on prolonged close contact with the affected coworker, and summarize the steps being taken by the company in response to the positive test result, including increased sanitation, spacing or other protective measures," Barron adds.

Although COVID-19 might render you short staffed, be careful about overloading your healthy employees.

Matthew Ross, co-founder and COO of mattress retailer The Slumber Yard, decided to personally step in and assume the responsibilities of an employee unable to make it to work because of the outbreak. 

4. Safeguard your business from exposure.

The CDC, OSHA and Small Business Administration's websites are terrific resources to help you protect your workplaces from the spread of COVID-19. The specific measures you'll need to take depend on your business and your local and state governments’ mandates. You might consider enforcing social distancing, increasing sanitation practices and screening employees (e.g. instead of relying on employees to self-report symptoms, you might want to scan their temperatures as they enter the workspace).

Ross and his business partner have taken steps to keep their employees from moving from a designated space as much as possible.

“We purchased and shipped hand sanitizer and other cleaning supplies to each of our employees for their homes and provided gift cards and instructions for how to order food online,” he says.

There's a lot of fear in the air, and your people will look to you for reasonable and compassionate action. Not only is doing right by COVID-19 affected and unaffected employees during this time period humane—it helps preserve the long-term health of your business.

Read more articles on hiring & HR.

Photo: Getty Images