Submitted by Caroline Valentine, Valentine HR
I have rewritten this blog post every day for the past three days as new information is being shared by business partners and government agencies and finally realized this quickly moving and fluid situation will continue to evolve so it is best to send this out with the caveat that information may change. We will be updating our blog and email distributions more frequently during this time.
As the realities of the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19) and subsequent disruptions to everyday life are beginning to set in, we have received emails from partners including Microsoft, Google, Lyft, and WeWork, with assurances of protocols they have put into place so that employees are being supported with training on safe behavior and other measures to provide the best services to customers.
We have been in contact with health insurance carriers including BCBS, Humana, and UnitedHealthcare on coverage options for full funded, level funded and self-funded plans. Some have determined deadlines for opting into extended coverage. I will be addressing this later in this blog post.
Disability insurance carriers have reached out with coverage options and protocols for filing claims for those affected by illness during this time.
SHRM, Society of Human Resources Management, has hosted a webinar with the assistant director of the CDC, Center for Disease Control, Jay C. Butler, MD, Deputy Director for Infectious Diseases earlier this week where we learned more on How Businesses, Workers and Workplaces Should Respond to COVID-19.
Basically, everyone is communicating on an on-going basis. If you are a business owner or non-profit executive struggling over how best to respond to the current situation, it is time to dust off your crisis and communication management plans and activate them.
Having a plan to determine next best steps for your employees, customers, and constituents is crucial during any disruptions whether they be weather related, technology failures or as in the case now, global pandemic. Yes, the, WHO, World Health Organization, has determined and announced this.
Don’t have a communication plan for employees? Here is where to start: READ MORE