Coronavirus (COVID-19) & HR: How to Communicate With Employees During a Pandemic

Last Updated: December 16, 2021

Note: This article was updated on March 16, 2020, to include updates on the impact of COVID-19 on the workplace.

On March 12, 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the novel coronavirus outbreak a pandemic. This declaration has seen organizations sit up and take strict measures to contain the panic among their workforce as they prepare to deal with a challenging, unfamiliar situation. As each sneeze is viewed with suspicion, we look at how companies and HR departments need to communicate with employees at such a sensitive time.

The fight for toilet paperOpens a new window is just one example of the panic the novel coronavirus has created among people. Naturally, the workforce is expected to be concerned about their well-being and about what their organizations are going to do to protect them.

A Blind surveyOpens a new window conducted on March 11, 2020, and including 600 responses revealed that 58% employees are concerned about their job security in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. In addition, 62% feel that their income is going to be affected.

A month ago, cities were taking emergency measures to tackle the issue – for instance, the Santa Clara County extended its weeklong state of emergencyOpens a new window to a month, declaring that though the risk to the public from the virus remained low, people should be prepared to deal with it.

But things are radically different now. On March 14, 2020, the Trump government passed a paid leave billOpens a new window mandating 80 hours of sick leave beyond the mandatory 14-day quarantine period for companies with fewer than 500 employees. This only goes to show how rapidly the situation has escalated and how seriously it needs to be taken.

How should employers deal with a situation that has sparked panic among its workforce? How can HR at these organizations communicate with employees to ensure that the fear doesn’t escalate?

You will require a robust business continuity plan (BCP) – a strategy that lays out the protocol to deal with a disaster (e.g., a health hazard such as the coronavirus) ­– to implement and communicate essential changes to your employees.

Companies world over have laid out elaborate communications to inform their employees about the effects of coronavirus and how they plan to tackle the issue. For example, this email by LatticeOpens a new window , a cloud-based performance management solution, to its employees clearly specifies the new work-from-home policy, the rationale for it, and how the organization will help employees work from home with minimal disruption.

Here are a few communication tips that should be part of your BCP during a pandemic.

Learn More: 7 Business Continuity Planning Guidelines for HR Amid the Coronavirus PandemicOpens a new window

How to Communicate With Your Staff During a Pandemic

Will EadieOpens a new window , VP of Alliances at WorkJam, a digital workplace app used by the retail and hospitality industries, says, “When an epidemic like the coronavirus arises, managers must be able to react quickly to potential location closures and concerned employees. To avoid further confusion and panic, companies must be prepared with the right strategy and tools to keep staff informed about updates to location hours, staffing, scheduling, and any new health and safety training.”

By following these steps, you can control the panic associated with the spread of diseases such as the coronavirus.

1. Start with your own education

HR professionals must first educate themselves thoroughly about the coronavirus and ensure that they have explicit knowledge from verified sources such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the WHO, and reliable news websites that cite credible sources for their information. Keep information limited to what has been officially communicated. Do not add or subtract essential details.

Also stay updated about your local requirements on dealing with a pandemic. Note that if you are in the U.S. or the EU, you must respect employees’ health data privacy, and asking for their health data may be a violation of the GDPR or the CCPA.

Note that there may be a lot of myths and fake news about the coronavirus, and your team may receive emails perpetuating these myths. Double down on your security measures in collaboration with the IT team to prevent this from happening, as they can be potential phishing emails that launch cyberattacks on company networks as employees begin to work from home.

2. Appoint one person to communicate this information

Create one point of contact – an individual or a help desk/team to guide employees during this time. But deploy multiple communication channels – from your digital communication to physical handouts, apply every approach you can find. For instance, shift workers can find it hard to assemble in one space at one time. So, if you haven’t already, now is the time to invest in technology that simplifies communication with your employees.

Eadie says, “This technology, which unlocks the benefits of cross-location labor sharing, real-time communication, and on-demand training, is fundamental to responding to widespread epidemics. Not only does having a direct line of communication keep frontline workers updated, it contributes to their peace of mind during what can be a very difficult time.”

Keep the messaging simple, helpful, and easily actionable. Dr. Laura HammillOpens a new window , chief people officer at Limeade, an employee experience company, recommends to HR: “Provide employees with the right resources and support to put their well-being first. Relay the right messages: stay home if you are sick and share changes in travel policies.

“Call out relevant company resources. For example, is there an ERP or hotline you can point employees to? What are the latest recommendations from the CDC or health officials?”

Learn More: 3 Low-Cost, High-Impact Internal Communication Tools for Small BusinessesOpens a new window

3. Communicate the sick leave policy around this time

The CDC recommendsOpens a new window that employers define their sick leave policy per state-issued public health guidelines. It also suggests that employers actively encourage sick employees who show symptoms of acute respiratory illness and have a fever to stay home. Also talk about the measures you will put in place to prevent other employees’ exposure to the virus.

While your organization may have a sick leave policy in place, ensure that you restate it and encourage employees to take time off if they start showing such symptoms.

Consider creating a special policy to tackle the situation as a precautionary measure. With the new paid leave bill, an increased number of sick days become easier to support. Your business continuity plan must incorporate flexible working arrangements wherever possible.

With the number of remote work toolsOpens a new window now available, enabling flexible work at a time like this is essential. For example, Indeed asked its staff in Dublin and Sydney to work from homeOpens a new window when one of its employees was exposed to the coronavirus. But since then, a number of companies, including Google, Amazon, and Microsoft, have asked their employees to work remotely to contain the risk of exposure to coronavirus.

4. Define a clear business travel policy

Limit or cancel travel to cities marked as coronavirus hotspots.

Wen-Wen LamOpens a new window , CEO and Founder of NexTravelOpens a new window , tells us in an exclusive, “Companies should make sure to offer their full assistance and take over all travel-related issues so employees can focus on their work and staying healthy – especially with anyone who has been or is in an affected area and may be experiencing increased anxiety.

“This includes communicating with your traveling employees about all emergency protocol, updated travel guidelines, as well as handling any travel logistics. In addition, companies should consider instituting more flexibility by offering new ways to continue normal day-to-day operations (e.g. through scheduling video conferences via Zoom) and reevaluating target goals that may be difficult to meet during this time.”

Take a look at TravelBank’s advisoryOpens a new window to its employees on business travel and working from home. The advisory clearly states all travel is to be limited and approved beforehand.

Also be open to employee concerns about having to travel to affected areas or areas close to affected areas. Communicate the travel policy to such places as well.

5. Communicate policy on dealing with customers showing symptoms

In industries where employees directly interact with customers, it is crucial to train them in the protocol to deal with those who may demonstrate symptoms or hail from countries where the coronavirus has been found to be active.

Ensure that employees are trained not to discriminate against customers who are evidently from coronavirus hotspots, such as China, South Korea, Italy, and other parts of Europe. As HR, do not do this with your employees coming from these countries either. Develop a policy on dealing with customers who demonstrate symptoms, but ensure you adhere to compliance on discrimination against both employees and customers. This can be a sensitive time, so involve legal and build clear policies that you can implement as containment measures without being discriminatory.

Learn More: Coronavirus and Remote Work: Implementing a Work-From-Home Policy OvernightOpens a new window

6. Maintain transparency in all communication

All communications from companies and HR to their employees must be entirely transparent and emanate from a single source of truth. Communicate often, maybe every day or every second day, and tell your employees about the thought process that you followed to arrive at a particular decision. Let them know that you are working improve the situation, and testing solutions that may be beneficial for them – such as a work-from-home policy – as seen in the Lattice email mentioned earlier.

Dr. Hamill says, “Foster trust by being transparent and having a two-way dialogue. Ensure employees have somewhere or someone safe to go if they have concerns or questions.”

Over to You

As HR, it is essential that you first contain your own panic in the situation that a pandemic threatens the workforce and your state. Once you do, it will become easier to communicate with the rest of your team. Use resources like Benefitfocus’s COVID-19 Customer Resource CenterOpens a new window , a one-stop digital platform with all necessary updates about the pandemic and internal communications tools for company employees. 

If employees show symptoms of coronavirus, assess and address each case individually, preferably while maintaining the privacy of the employee. One instance can impact the entire workforce, so be vigilant but also compassionate and compliant.

Ensure that your BCP accounts for these factors. And note that communication must not be just around coronavirus, but also around the collateral damage it is likely to cause.

This will better prepare you for the current situation and the uncertain future it is likely to result in.

What measures are you taking to manage the panic around the coronavirus outbreak in your organization? Let us know on FacebookOpens a new window LinkedInOpens a new window , or TwitterOpens a new window .

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