Bradley Insights

News, advice and thought leadership from our experts.

How to Prepare Your Team for a Second COVID-19 Wave

Many of us, businesses especially, were hoping that 2021 would bring the end of the global pandemic. That is far from being fact though. In fact, it is still possible there will be another wave of the virus. As a business owner, here are a few things you can do to prepare your team for a second COVID-19 wave.


 

Obtain Health and Safety Resources

The safety of your staff should always be a top priority. The pandemic made it necessary to focus even more of your efforts on the health and safety of your employees. This goes beyond screening for the virus at work and providing personal protective equipment (PPE). You need to find ways to show them you value their mental health as well. Provide resources for them to take care of themselves, such as counseling, health insurance, and wellness programs. This is the best time to invest in these programs.

Increase Your Human Resources Department

Human resources departments are going to be more important than ever. As mentioned above, there is going to be an increased emphasis on your employee’s well-being. The main focus of HR is to tend to employee concerns and needs. They are the ones who will help your employees navigate a second wave and beyond.

Make Changes to Communication

Effective communication is always important in running a successful business. During the pandemic, it has been crucial to communicate more often and through platforms that are easily accessible to everyone on your team. For instance, some remote teams have gone to communicating through message boards to stay on the same page for projects. Find what method of communication works for your team. Then take that method, communicate clearly and often.

Gain Access to Necessary Technology

For employees working at home, be sure their technology mirrors what they would be using in the office. Doing so will ensure the quality of work can be maintained. It is also important for your staff to be able to access their employee information, such as vacation, time-off, and other data while they are at home as well. Be sure your team knows how to access what they need and who to contact.

Implement Remote Work Policies

If there are remote employees on your staff now and there weren’t before, implement remote work policies. These guidelines will vary from industry to industry and business to business. Discuss what policies should be included with your risk management team. Consider what issues may arise and what has already occurred. Create policies that make sense long-term for your company’s culture and business plan. If a second wave occurs and employees have to return to remote work, having policies set in place will make things run much more smoothly.

Adopt a Flexible Staffing Strategy

Flexible staffing will help you manage any changes brought on by a second COVID-19 wave as well. By adopting a flexible strategy for staffing, you will bring on contract and part-time workers to relieve your full-time staff when necessary. For instance, if some of your full-time employees are exposed to COVID and need two weeks off, you can use contract workers to fill the void.

Similarly, you can dial your full-time team down to part-time or contract work if the profit simply is not there right now. However, it is important to discuss these changes and any staffing strategy with your employees before implementing them.

Recruitment agencies can help in assisting you with your flexible staffing strategy. Contact us to see how The Bradley Group can help your staff be prepared for a second COVID-19 wave.

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