Working together through the Coronavirus

Many businesses have already made extensive changes to their work practices in order to minimise the impact of the Coronavirus. While every business is different and some may require additional risk-limiting measures, it is important that only official sources and recommendations are considered:

• The Health Service Executive pushes out regular updates on personal and public protective measures;
  
• The Health & Safety Authority provides advice for employers and has made public information posters available for download and print;
  
• The Department of Business, Enterprise & Innovation has issued a checklist and collated useful documents on how businesses can best respond to COVID-19;
• In addition to the latest information around employment legislation and updates;
• The World Health Organisation (WHO) has produced a, "Getting your workplace ready for COVID-19" guide

The above resources will provide you with practical measures on how you can make your workplace as safe as possible.

In light of anticipated changes to employment structures, existing policies should now be reviewed.

Company policies that may need to be reviewed include: attendance, sick pay, annual leave, compensation and benefits (including health insurance) and employee data privacy.

While many businesses in the motor industry - in particular in retail - require employees to be physically present, remote working should be encouraged, if travelling to work and interacting with the public could increase the risk of exposure to the virus.

If your company does not have a formal work-from-home practice, it is important to create and share a remote working policy. When reviewing remote working options, consider the following:

• Is the employee eligible by the nature of their job?
  
• Do employees have the necessary equipment or software installed at home? (laptop, phone etc.)
  
• What are the conditions of employees' home or alternative place of work (noise, internet connection etc.)
  
• Are there any data privacy, encryption or cybersecurity concerns?
• What video conferencing tool/s will we use to replace face-to-face meetings?

Recommendations for those working remotely include:

• Choose a quiet and distraction-free working space
  
• Have an internet connection that is adequate for the job
  
• Adhere to break and attendance schedules agreed with employer
  
• Maintain contact with fellow employees regarding remote working challenges

With the majority of conferences and events across Ireland already cancelled or postponed, employers should regularly consult the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and consider limiting business travel to impacted areas.

To replace in-person meetings, either internally, with employees or externally with visitors or customers, encourage the use of videoconferencing when possible. There is an array of videoconferencing software available including; Skype, Zoom, GoToMeeting, Facetime among others.

With events unfolding at a rapid rate and the picture surrounding the Coronavirus changing on a daily basis, it is crucial that employees receive regular updates. It is essential that your company only obtains recommendations from official sources.

Communicating with all employees in real-time with regular, coordinated, factual updates about infection control and company policy regarding remote working and other changes, is essential during this time.

This communication should come from one company source so as to not have misleading messages from multiple sources and may come in the form of text, phone or email.

For employers switching to remote working for the first time, it may seem like a daunting task. In particular, for those employees who are normally onsite, it is important that you check in with them regularly and support them in the transition to home working.

Consider sharing remote working best practices (there are an abundance of resources online) that will help them assimilate to their new work environment. Also, if you are receiving a high volume of employee questions, consider sharing an FAQ document to proactively address key concerns.


We hope you stay safe during this difficult time.