5 employee management tips during the coronavirus

As the word “stay at home” becomes more and more part of our daily language, business owners across the country are formulating some important strategies. Not only do they face the challenge of keeping their business running and profitable when the world is locked down, but employers must also formulate new management policies to ensure that employees are safe, secure and efficient under extremely difficult conditions.

Legendary basketball coach John Wooden said: “For those who develop things best, things will become best.” Here are five ways to guide your team to a successful mentality and help your business maintain in the game.

1—Transparency. Since the world feels uncertain about the future, you don’t want your employees to feel uncertain about their future in your business. If the state where your business is located does not issue a stay-at-home order, but it is deemed unnecessary, you may need fewer employees temporarily. Be honest and let employees know that you must reduce working hours and/or lay off employees. Things are changing every day, and employees will understand that their schedules are constantly changing. However, it is important to communicate and let everyone know that you are making a plan.

2—Family First Coronavirus Response ActIn addition to postponing the IRS tax filing deadline to July 15 and adding much-needed funds to many relief funds, the Coronavirus Response Act also includes emergency paid sick leave and expanded paid family visitation benefits. The new law came into effect on April 2, 2020. It applies to all employers with fewer than 500 employees and is valid until December 31, 2020.This is the coronavirus response behavior Include:

• Emergency Paid Sick Leave Act. Full-time employees can get two weeks of paid sick leave. Individuals who work part-time or hourly are also eligible for paid sick leave, which is equal to the average number of hours worked by the employee in two weeks. The vacation time is in addition to other paid vacations provided by the employer. If an eligible employee cannot work (including remote work), he/she can take paid sick leave because:

• • Employees are under federal, state, or local quarantine or quarantine due to coronavirus (COVID-19)
  • Due to concerns related to COVID-19, health care providers advise employees to self-isolate (self-isolation without medical advice does not meet the requirements of the Act)
  • The employee has symptoms of coronavirus and is seeking medical diagnosis
  • The employee is caring for individuals (not limited to family members) who are under federal, state, or local quarantine or quarantine due to coronavirus or who are advised to self-quarantine due to concerns related to COVID-19
  • Due to coronavirus precautions, the employee is taking care of children whose schools have been closed or are unable to provide care facilities

• Emergency Family and Medical Leave Extension Act. Eligible employees who are unable to work (including remote work) can take up to 12 weeks of vacation because employees must take care of one or more children under the age of 18 and their school or care facility is affected by the COVID-19 public health emergency Closed. This is a temporary extension of the FMLA eligibility requirements.

To pay for vacation expenses, the government will provide employers with a refundable payroll tax credit and a refundable income tax credit for self-employed persons.

3—Creative scheduling. Depending on your industry, your employees may be able to work remotely without missing any day of work. If you do allow employees to work from home, make sure they follow your network security policies, such as password protection, use of strong antivirus programs, and never transmit sensitive data over public Wi-Fi.If you need more help, the FCC provides a free Network planner Create custom guides for your business.

If your business is still in business and you do need to lay off employees, try spreading out shifts so everyone can still get a salary (plus fewer workers help maintain social distancing). If product delivery is an option for your business, create a delivery team to ensure that customers can still get what they need in a timely manner. The health of the delivery personnel and customers should be kept in mind during delivery.already UPS and FedEx drivers Either suspend the signature request or let the customer use his or her own pen.

4—Additional considerations. Now is the time to conduct all the research to ensure that employees and your workplace are free from contamination.Check the list of approved disinfectants used to fight SARS-CoV-2, which is the cause of COVID-19 Environmental Protection Agency (Environmental Protection Agency).

According to recommendations, any employee showing flu-like symptoms should be sent home, and then your business will be thoroughly cleaned and disinfected. Have cleaners wear protective equipment and throw away any food or utensils that may have been touched by infected employees.For food companies, the National Hotel Association issued a State Guide Regarding response to viruses and committing to regularly update resources.

5—Fill job vacancies. If your employees cannot work, do you have a contingency plan? Although many employers have decided to temporarily postpone hiring, you may need to temporarily fill certain positions if employees are infected by the virus.

Even before the outbreak, most people and companies turned to online resources to find jobs or talents. Because things change so quickly, it makes sense to make a plan to fill your business before you really need it. First create a worksheet that contains job descriptions of all roles in the company, and assign specific responsibilities to each role. Next, list the qualifications and experience required for each role, as well as the salary/benefits provided. By preparing a job description now, you can always be ready to post your job to one of the top recruitment sites such as Indeed and Upwork. As the number of layoffs will definitely increase, your talent pool will be larger.

This Coronavirus pandemic The United States may get worse before it gets better. So try to be flexible and understand that even if you have plans, circumstances will make them meaningless. The key is to communicate with your employees regularly, whether they are at work or remotely.

Fundbox and its affiliates do not provide tax, legal or accounting advice. This material is for reference only and is not intended to be provided and should not be used as a basis for tax, legal or accounting advice. Before conducting any transaction, you should consult your tax, legal and accounting advisors.