As the coronavirus crisis unfolds globally, organizations across the world are now testing their crisis management readiness.
As coronavirus is affecting workplaces around the world, employers need to adjust to this new situation and develop a strategy to prevent damages coronavirus can bring.
When we say damages, we mean both the safety and the productivity of your entire workforce.
This is especially true in large corporations with thousands of employees.
Many of them have, by now, closed their offices and are trying to find alternatives for running the business as smoothly as possible.
It shows very clear in our evaluation, companies with strong HSE / safety performance records (foundation of excellence) are performing much better compared to those with low HSE focus
Moreover, coronavirus came so fast that most organizations had no or very little time to set a strategy on how to handle it.
Therefore, the main goal for every crisis management and internal communications professionals these days is to make sure that all the employees are informed of the real COVID-19 situation and that they are not missing out on important information.
They also need to ensure that employees take responsibility by following advice from medical professionals and their employer and that the business continues to operate as smoothly as possible.
Remember, ensuring business continuity in crisis management mode requires the right mix of technology, strategy and agility.
The Coronavirus is disrupting the workplace. Employees have to adapt to new ways of working in no time, business leaders have to find ways to ensure the safety of their employees, IC and HR teams are developing new ways of communicating with remote teams, and the list goes on.
It goes without saying that all these sudden changes are impacting employees‘ wellbeing and mental health. They feel stressed, insecure, and worried. They’re worried about their jobs, the viability of their company, and their ability to take care of their families.
Best Practice Managing the Covid-19 Crisis (Checklist by smarp)
- Create a coronavirus crisis management plan
- Appoint a designated crisis management team
- Keep employees informed with accurate and updated information
- Give employees useful advice and keep them connected
- Consider implementing remote work (if you haven’t implemented it already)
- Create an environment that fosters online collaboration
- Answer all your employees‘ questions
- Stop the spread of misinformation in the workplace
- Use proper employee communication tools
- Define a central internal communication channel
- Give special attention to your non-wired and remote employees
- Update your corporate travel policy
- Perform routine environmental cleaning
- Update employees‘ contact numbers and emergency contact details
- Respect self-isolation guidelines and stay in touch with your self-isolated employees
- Evaluate your coronavirus crisis management plan
Additional topics
If you employ leasing personal, check their social security agreements (to ensure when they are sick they stay at home)
Take care of the psychological aspects of lockdown in contact with your employees (special messages and advice)
Use all proper and useful means from your HSE management toolbox
Ongoing projects – first stop and evaluate with contractor the status and agree next steps
Technical turnarounds postpone, but evaluate related risks and implement mitigation actions
