The world is spinning right now with the coronavirus pandemic tops on everyone’s mind. Companies are reeling as leaders try to continue business as normal in light of closures, stay-at-home recommendations, and other orders.

As you consider how to move forward, consider these suggestions to calm the chaos and keep your organization moving forward:

1. COMMUNICATE! Keep your work staff informed. Be open with your employees about how the virus affects the financial health of the company and your goals. Everyone knows the serious impact the pandemic is creating and it’s up to you to calm the chaos. If lay-offs are possible, be honest. Let your people know you value them and will be up-front with them as soon as you know.
2. SALARY CUTS SHOULD APPLY TO ALL. If cutting salaries becomes necessary to avoid lay-offs, it should begin at the top. Don’t expect employees to understand and willingly accept pay-cuts if they know the top-level staff are exempt.
3. OFFER WORK-FROM-HOME IF FEASIBLE. This option may not always be possible but if you consider the repercussions if an employee contracts the virus from work, working from home may create a viable solution in some cases.
4. WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT WORKERS COVERED UNDER THE ADA. The Technical Assistance document under Titles I and V of the American Disabilities Act (ADA) from 2009 was reissued in March 2020, with new updates dealing with the pandemic. Here you will find answers to relevant questions related to workplace pandemic planning and what you can and cannot ask.
5. CONTINUE BASIC PREVENTION MEASURES. Maintain preventive efforts using EPA-approved disinfectant cleaning products throughout the workplace. Some OSHA guidelines may be found here.

Call Rick if you want to clarify your understanding of “Paycheck Protection” in the stimulus bill. He’s been in the risk avoidance business for over 25 years and is a good listener. If he can’t help immediately, he will connect you with someone who can.

Think Twice before Laying Off
Employees

According to “The Hill,” companies thinking of laying off employees while the stimulus plan is being doled out should rethink that idea. The final stimulus bill will provide billions of dollars in support of loans to companies to prevent them from failing or having to lay off workers.

Small to medium sized businesses with fewer than 500 employees will be able to apply for the government-backed, forgivable loans to help pay worker’s wages and some business expenses. If they lay off their employees, the company will find that parts of the loans will not be forgiven.

Small Business Paycheck Protection

The Small Business Paycheck Protection Program provides loans allowing businesses to borrow enough to cover monthly payroll costs for up to 2.5 months.

If used for payroll, mortgage interest, or other qualified expenses, these loans can be forgiven as long as the employer continues to employ its staff or rehires them when they reopen for business.

Emerging Trends

1. For Your company to flourish in 2020, you must create an environment where boomers, Gens X, Y, and Z want to be.
2. Don’t limit training to newbies. Provide on-going training and professional growth opportunities for all employees.
3. Artificial intelligence is here and available for HR functions. The Tengai robot is one as robots are changing the way the interview process is conducted. 25% of companies are using AI to screen resumes and/or applications. 11% are using AI to identify hard-to-reach candidate pools.
4. More HR are using high-end, customized chat-bots to make recruiting more efficient and produce better outcomes.