Moving forward through the COVID-19 pandemic will be a drawn-out process. If your firm has not drafted or revised your handbook to strengthen its existing policies, the following sample provides a basic policy that can be edited to your organization’s specific program and practice.
This sample policy is not intended to be in place of a full return-to-work safety and health program specific to the pandemic. It provides small and mid-size employers a handbook policy that can be modified to address today’s return-to-work communication as well as notify employees about future actions the organization may implement, adapt, or develop into new safety and health guidelines and practices.
This policy should be edited to reflect what the organization is actually practicing.
ILLNESS PREPAREDNESS AND RESPONSE POLICY
ABC Company’s primary concern is the health and safety of its employees. During times of epidemic/illness ABC Company requires employees to practice the following safety and health practices:
If you do not feel well, please stay home. See your doctor for necessary illness assessment and medical care.
ABC Company will follow governmental agency directives where required. Employees should regularly review and practice ABC Company’s updated response guidelines on epidemic/illness prevention policies and practices.
When directed employees are required to:
- Wear protective coverings that include masks and face shields. ABC Company provides these personal protective equipment (PPE) for your use.
- Practice sneezing and coughing etiquette by covering one’s mouth preferably with one’s arm and sleeve.
- Use hand sanitizers when available.
- Use disinfectant and clean your workspace regularly.
- Practice social distancing.
Gatherings of workers should be limited and where possible the use of videoconferencing is recommended.
Your work schedule may change where necessary. ABC Company may stagger work schedules to space out distances between employees entering and exiting the facility. Your supervisor will discuss this practice with you.
ABC Company may practice testing and monitoring of employees until public health guidance recommends otherwise. Personal health information, if collected, will remain confidential to the furthest extent possible as required by law.
In the event you believe you contracted an illness while at work, you must report it to [Position] at ABC Company.
Upon returning from illness, ABC Company requires an employee to provide medical documentation that they have been tested and are not infected or have completed a 14-day quarantine. Please provide this information to the [Position].
As with any other form of discrimination or harassment, employees are encouraged to report any incidents (that they may have been subject to or have witnessed) of discrimination or harassment related to the epidemic or illness to their supervisor or human resources.
ABC Company provides both paid and unpaid time off in the event you are too ill to come to work. For more information about ABC Company’s time off benefits you may qualify for, please refer to the [cross reference other related policies] policies.
Other policies and practices to ensure employee health and safety may be adopted as communicated or required by public health guidance authorities and as ABC Company deems appropriate or necessary.
Please talk to your supervisor about any concerns or questions about this policy. If you do not receive a satisfactory response to your inquiry, please report this to the [Position].
Additional ASE Resources
Coronavirus Resources - For more information on Coronavirus response, please visit the ASE Coronavirus Resources page.
Virtual Course: Handbook Development - ASE’s next class on employee handbook development will be presented virtually and is scheduled for Wednesday June 3rd. To register, please contact Roseatta Stoops at [email protected].
Handbook Review and Development - For more information on ASE's Handbook Review and Development services, contact Michael Burns.
Virtual Course: COVID-19 Response Team Workshop: Leading Your Back-to-Work Efforts - This 2.5 hour live virtual course presents a process that your organization’s response team can model or benchmark in order to reopen or ramp up operations to the new normal. Through presentation, discussion, and practice application, this program provides a defined ‘people first’ process to bring personnel back to work safely (physically and psychologically) and efficiently resume core operations of your organization. The process is flexible in that it can be applied to any industry and covers considerations for small to large organizations. Register here.
Back-to-Work Checklist – ASE and the Luminious Group have created a Back-to-Work Checklist, a guide for returning to work in the era of COVID-19.
COVID-19 Business Impact Survey – Return to Work Preparations – To view the full results of the ASE survey, click here.