COVID-19: A Small Business Guide for Getting Back to Work
Here’s how to ensure your back-to-work plans focus on keeping your employees healthy and workplace safe.
If your business was shut down due to COVID-19, you might have started thinking about reopening, even if operating at limited capacity. Or maybe your business has already done so. Rather than thinking ahead to what a “post-COVID” reality looks like, it’s probably best to think about what things will look like with COVID-19 as part of our reality for the foreseeable future.
Back-to-work plans depend in part on geography. Businesses in some suburban and rural areas, which have experienced fewer confirmed COVID-19 cases and deaths, might have an easier time convincing workers and customers that it’s safe to resume business operations. No matter where you are, any reopening process will be — and should be — gradual and carefully planned to ensure safety for all.
Be sure to follow local and state guidance. For some general guidelines for businesses reopening, visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website. You’ll find helpful advice on how to “plan, prepare, and respond” to our current situation and get things up and running safely.
Keeping your employees (and your business) safe
Reopening your business involves important financial and health considerations: how will you protect the health of employees and customers, and how will you reduce overall risk in the workplace? (Under the Occupational Safety and Health Act, employers are obliged to provide a safe workplace.) What will these safety measures cost to implement?
Consider how your business operates. Does your particular industry allow for certain employees to work remotely, while sustaining your business needs? If not, could work shifts be staggered? How about lunch shifts? Can you practice social distancing at your workplace or office? Can you supply employees with masks, air purifiers, hand sanitizer, wipes, and cleaning supplies? Do you disinfect your workplace daily and sanitize high-touch surfaces frequently, such as between shifts? Will you conduct daily temperature checks?
Consider how your business operates. Does your particular industry allow for certain employees to work remotely, while sustaining your business needs? If not, could work shifts be staggered?
Finally, how will healthcare factor into your employees’ lives, and your budget, during this unprecedented time? Costs are a top concern for many businesses operators, but offering high-quality health insurance is one of the best ways to help your employees access any care they need quickly, to keep your workplace safe and running smoothly. Plus, coverage like what we offer small businesses at Oscar can help save your business and your employees money, including a dedicated Care Team, complete with a nurse, and access to our 24/7 telemedicine service at $0 on most plans,* so employees can talk to a Doctor on Call around their work schedule.
Read the rest of the article on Cigna + Oscar’s blog.
Note: This article was originally published on cignaoscar.com. Zenefits has no control over, and assumes no responsibility for, the reliability, quality, or accuracy, of this content.
Cigna + Oscar coverage is insured by Cigna Health and Life Insurance Company.
CA: benefits administered by Oscar Health Administrators. Other states: benefits administered by Mulberry Management Corporation. Pharmacy benefits provided by Express Scripts, Inc. Cigna + Oscar health insurance contains exclusions and limitations. For complete details on product availability and coverage, please refer to your plan documents or contact a representative.
