Planning for Your Employees' Return to the Workplace

DANA KRAVETZ
APRIL 29, 2020

In a series of alerts, Michelman & Robinson will address the many issues facing employers once they are permitted to restart on-site operations as the coronavirus crisis eases and in what is to be the new normal. This installment focuses on written workplace procedures and policies.

Though cases of COVID-19 within the United States have surpassed 1M, and fatalities from the illness now exceed the number of soldiers this country lost during the entirety of the Vietnam War, the news is beginning to improve. There is no denying that the curve of COVID-19 cases has flattened nationwide, and in response, cautiously optimistic state governors are currently planning for businesses to gradually reopen relatively soon. In fact, businesses in some states have already done so—to the chagrin of many.

When the time comes to reintegrate your workplace, it would be helpful to have a set of policies and procedures that can serve as a roadmap or operating manual toward that end. With this in mind, Michelman & Robinson has put together a sample three-phased plan, which you may want to adopt—in one form or another—as we prepare to reemerge into what is sure to be a different world and a new normal.

Our sample, available here, can be used as a reference tool or template. In either event, it comes with a couple of caveats:

• The linked document is not a one-size-fits-all solution. Your particular business may require a different approach or additional guidelines or procedures depending upon your unique operations. Still, the sample we have provided can certainly serve as the “bones” for any workplace reintegration strategy.
• All employee reintegration policies and procedures, including those in the sample we created, are subject to change depending upon continuing guidance and/or orders issued by local, state, and federal governments and their agencies. Thus, while the document presented in this alert may serve as a model, your company’s final version may end up looking a lot different.

Of course, if you have any questions about our sample plan (specifically) or employee reintegration (more generally), do not hesitate to contact us.

We are working diligently to keep our clients up to date on coronavirus-related developments. Nevertheless, these developments are changing daily and, in some cases even hourly, so it is important that you make sure you are dealing with the most current information. That being said, this alert is not offered, and should not be relied on, as legal advice. You should consult an attorney for guidance and counsel regarding any specific concern or situation.