COVID-19 and Back-to-Work Resources

June 9, 2020

Following the quarantines in response to COVID-19, states are beginning to reopen businesses and other organizations that had been temporarily shut down. Both the federal government and each state is providing guidance about how businesses and consumers can re-enter public life more safely, given that any level of interactions can still create some risk of transmitting the COVID-19 virus.

The back-to-work steps that any organization should take will vary based on many factors, which include the following:

The level of risk that employees face in their work
A business’s industry and geography
State-specific guidance
Each individual’s routine in transiting to/from work and other travel and each customer’s efforts to patronize a business

Below are some resources an organization can review to determine its specific guidance and procedures for employees in returning to the workplace and consumers in entering the public sphere. Some resources also can be used for employee training and communication to help prepare them for return to work and best keep themselves, coworkers, customers, and others safe.

These resources include guidance documents, posters, training videos, checklists, and other materials that both can help business management prepare the workplace for employees and customers and educate employees on steps they can take to stay safe and protect others.

US Administration

White House Guidance: Opening Up America Again
- https://www.whitehouse.gov/openingamerica/
Coronavirus.gov (general resource webpage) – Including guidance for businesses
- https://www.coronavirus.gov/

National Institutes of Health

NIH: COVID-19 Response (general resource webpage)
- https://www.niehs.nih.gov/
NIH: Essential and Returning Workers Training Tool
- https://tools.niehs.nih.gov/wetp/index.cfm?id=2536#disasterapp
NIH: Protecting Yourself from COVID-19 In the Workplace (video)
- https://niehstraining.vividlms.com/press/COVID-19-Safety-Course-double-Speed.mp4
NIH: Stop the Spread of Germs (poster)
- https://www.niehs.nih.gov/homePage/slideshow/stop_the_spread_of_germs_508.pdf

US Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC)

Businesses and Workplaces (resources webpage)
- Employer Information for Office Buildings
  - https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/organizations/businesses-employers.html
Prepare your Small Business and Employees for the Effects of COVID-19 (print handout)
- https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/downloads/guidance-small-business.pdf
Resuming Business Toolkit (print brochure)
- https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/downloads/community/Resuming-Business-Toolkit.pdf
When and How to Wash Your Hands (webpage)
- https://www.cdc.gov/handwashing/when-how-handwashing.html
Life is Better with Clean Hands (print materials, posters, posts, newsletter copy, fact sheet, etc.)
- https://www.cdc.gov/handwashing/campaign.html
If You Are Sick (webpage)
- https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/if-you-are-sick/index.html
Symptoms (webpage, including print materials, video)
- Stop the Spread of Germs (print)
- Symptoms of COVID-19 (print, video)
  - https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/symptoms-testing/symptoms.html

Jason Lunday

Jason has worked in ethics and compliance for over twenty-five years, consulting with Fortune 500™ companies across the business ethics and compliance spectrum, including assessing and strengthening corporate values initiatives, instituting leadership engagement efforts, developing and revising codes of conduct and policies, designing and implementing related procedures, developing monitoring systems, conducting risk, culture and program assessments.

‘Tis the Season: Ethical, Appropriate, and Joyful Holiday Gift-Giving During COVID-19

Larry Bograd

November 24, 2020

‘Tis the season for business owners and executives to think about what gifts to give to vendors, top clients or customers, and employees.

States Ramp up Enforcement of COVID-19 Regulations

Jonathan Gonzalez

November 6, 2020

As of November 2, 2020, at least seventeen states have a regulation or recommendation that employers conduct training for some or all of their workforce on COVID-19 protocol.

Best Practices for Returning to Work During COVID-19

Samantha Williams

July 22, 2020

Infographic and downloadable pdf to share with your employees on how to create a safe workspace during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Discrimination Considerations Following COVID-19 Reopening

Jonathan Gonzalez

May 19, 2020

This article will address in more depth the equal employment opportunity (“EEO”) issues you must consider when determining which employees to bring back after furlough or layoff and which employees may present challenges should the need arise to have another reduction in workforce in the immediate future.

Hitting the Reset Button: Employment Law Issues with Re-Opening the Workplace

Jonathan Gonzalez

May 14, 2020

As employers reopen following the COVID-19 quarantine, an employer faces several challenges to trip up or opportunities to distinguish it from its peers Employers need to pay attention to policies and practices that affect their employees’ work conditions to smoothen the return-to-work process As we approach mid-May 2020 the economic shutdown has gone on for […]

Workplace Disturbances in the Age of COVID-19

Jason Lunday

May 11, 2020

Preparing and Managing for Organizational Uncertainty The coronavirus pandemic has disrupted us. We face uncertainty about our work and personal lives. We’re unsure of what headlines and authorities to believe and trust. We don’t know when we should go back to work, begin shopping, start dining out, or again socialize. We don’t know whether it’s […]