Last week I participated in a “Return to Work” webinar hosted by Dr. Suresh Mukherji, M.D., and Mike Thompson, President and CEO of the National Alliance of Healthcare Purchaser Coalitions. The urgency to return is very real–more than 300 employers tuned in for guidance on how to create a return-to-work blueprint for their company.
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Returning to work after COVID-19
Does your company have a blueprint?
Here are my Top 5 takeaways from our discussion:
- Employers are under tremendous pressure to get back to business in some form, and each industry will vary in exactly how and when they are able to do it safely.
- The squeeze between HR and clinical is being felt in the corporate world. The science suggests that clinically it is too soon to return; but businesses are really pushing for it/needing to do it to remain viable. The struggle is balancing the two sides.
- HR and Finance teams are actively working to stay ahead of the curve so they can anticipate what is next, and how do they operationally adapt ahead of the need? There was lots of focus on testing, and its current limited availability. This is a huge concern, particularly in light of predictions of a “second wave” this coming fall.
- Data has never been more critical, and understanding the risk of your company’s specific demographic is key. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) said as much in a recent ruling that employers may take workers’ temperatures without violating the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Read the Reuters article on that topic here.
- Mental health is a huge question mark. Most employers agree there is a wave of mental health issues coming, and our current framework is not built to handle it.
Executives from Kroger Company moved quickly to develop a return-to-work blueprint, and are generously sharing it with other employers here.
More info on the National Alliance here.