Things seem to, at last, be getting back to “normal.”

The last three months of COVID-19 have been some of the most challenging we’ve ever had to face. For insurance companies, remote work conditions raised several concerns about worker’s comp claims. There were also worker’s comp issues with essential workers, like those in the construction industry, who still had to work with the possibility of contracting the coronavirus.

Thankfully, state economies across the country have started to reopen! And even better, over the last three months, we at Normandy Insurance have analyzed how best to protect our clients’ workplaces and keep them safe for both employees and customers. So, here are some of the post-COVID-19 risks that you need to watch out for in your workplace!

The Basics

Every business, no matter what industry they are in, should be required to put appropriate workplace safety precautions in place. Depending on your industry, these could include:

• Temperature checks for employees and customers
• Physical distancing when possible
• Constant sanitation of the workspace
• Mandatory masks (this is not a legal requirement, but highly recommended)
• Installation of protective equipment (plexiglass shields)
• COVID-19 testing for employees

You will also want to be on the lookout for any potential symptoms in your employees. If they begin showing signs of COVID-19, they should call in and stay home. While this could put a strain on sick days, it preferable to the possibility of a breakout at your work. They should be allowed to return to work ten days after the symptoms first appeared, provided they have been cleared by a medical professional.

In this spirit, you should put contract tracing into effect following a positive confirmation of COVID-19 in the workplace. This strategy involves all infected individuals informing those they worked near within the 48 hours before the onset of their symptoms.

If non-essential employees could continue to work from home without any interruption in their workflow or productivity, consider leaving remote work options in place. The fewer people who are in your workspace, the lower the odds of spreading COVID-19.

Employee Mental Health

Spending about 90 days isolated in your home has resulted in highly elevated mental health risks for many. Your employees might feel reluctant to return to the workplace due to anxiety or fear of the virus, an entirely understandable reaction.

To elevate this stress, you should be putting additional employee practices into place to make everything as safe as possible. These could include mandatory physical distancing when their work duties permit, continuously cleaning and disinfecting your workplace, wearing a mask at all times, or maybe even an altered schedule to allow for split-shifts.

You should also be in close communication with your employees, monitoring how they are feeling in the work environment. Periodically checking in with them could reduce anxiety by reassuring them that their employer has their back.

If you want to know precisely how to handle workers’ comp claims, we would be delighted to help. We are dedicated to serving our valued clients throughout this crisis. If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to our team. We know that things are a bit chaotic now that we are all reopened again. But together, we will get through this time and get all of your employees safely back to work!

Get in touch now: info@normandyins.com

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