“May you live in interesting times.” Sir Austen Chamberlain
At ILG we are closely monitoring the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and send our best wishes to all our colleagues and the business community as we grapple with the impact. As each stage of the COVID-19 outbreak unfolds, we want to send a clear message to all of our clients and colleagues to let you know how ILG is handling the situation.
Our number one priority is the safety of our clients and our team. We have responded to the situation by instituting CDC recommended safety measures that will allow us to continue normal operations. We understand that COVID-19 has disrupted all of our lives, and we understand that many employers still have employee concerns to contend with and need ongoing Human Resources support. The ILG team is dedicated to partner with during this unsettled time to help you maintain employee engagement and resolve workplace disputes. We aim to deliver the same quality, responsiveness, and care as normal in these unique times.
Effective immediately, our office will remain open, but we are limiting access to our team members only. We plan to maintain all previously scheduled meetings and are requesting these meetings now be conducted by phone or video conference.
A few best practices to keep in mind as you navigate this new territory:
- Beef up your communication strategy to keep remote workers connected and engaged. For many, this is a life-changing event and anxiety may be high. Consider instituting daily “stand-up” calls to keep the team aligned and to reassure the team.
- Be clear on your expectations with respect to productivity, communication, and priorities.
- Keep your ear to the ground to identify discord and address quickly!
This is a good time to look at your policies:
- Do you have a communicable disease policy?
- Do you currently have an Emergency Operating Plan or Disaster Preparedness Plan or similar?
- If so, now is the time to review those policies and procedures
- If not, now is the time to draft one! You may even consider an COVID-19 Response Plan
- Do you have a communication plan/strategy in place?
- Communicate to employees
- Communicate to the public the measures you are taking to maintain a germ-free and safe environment for the public to maintain a continuance of business
- Practice, remind, announce, advertise the importance of stopping the spread of germs
- Do you have a telecommuting policy?
- Consider temporary suspension of nonessential business travel
And don’t forget these essentials:
- Actively encourage sick employees to stay home
- Send symptomatic employees’ home until they are able to return to work safely
- Require employees returning from high-risk areas to telework during the incubation period
Stay positive and stay connected – as a community we will get through this together.