New Delhi: With the easing of lockdown norms, companies are starting to reopen their offices around the world. Apart from maintaining proper hygienic environment, employers also need to understand the risks involved with the workers coming back to their office buildings. Layoffs and coercive methods of bringing employees back to work can backfire, leading to legal cases and defamation of the businesses.
According to a new Forrester report detailing most critical risks for businesses to avoid post Covid-19 lockdowns, companies need to avoid forcing their workers to work against their will as this creates a negative impact on their psychological health and may also result in lawsuits being filed along with major financial losses and public outrage.
Laying off employees based on their caste, colour, religion, etc can lead to similar situations, analysts warn.
Moreover, employees who get vocal about the risks and harms in going back to work can be taken in the wrong way, marked as trouble-makers, left unsupported by colleagues, and ultimately laid off by the bosses, resulting in a string of unjust cases.
“All of this will, in turn, lead to a toxic culture and employee, customer, and public backlash. Worse, the issue of liability for employees that get sick has yet to be determined,” said Heidi Shey, Principal Analyst.
In Australia, claims for unfair dismissal have increased by 70 per cent during the pandemic, and the estimated cost of for companies to defend an unfair dismissal claim can range from $15,000 to $100,000 per claim.
In Massachusetts, Walmart had to close three stores after 27 employees tested positive for covid-19 while one succumbed to the virus.
On May 4, more than 800 COVID-19-related cases had been filed in the US. In some cases, employees are arguing that work was the major causative reason of their infection.
An Amazon employee was made to resign after he raised issues about safe conditions and precautionary measures during the pandemic in the office. This brought Amazon under the scrutiny of the public, brushing away all the critical practices it has undertaken since the beginning of the crisis to safeguard its workers.
“Don’t force people to come back before they’re ready; if your employees are successfully and happily working from home, be flexible and give them the option to stay there. Making them come back before the crisis slows down opens the door to the risk of being held liable for illness,” suggested Shey.
In instances where employees need to work in office due to family violence or network issues, necessary measures and accommodations can be made. The senior management should communicate with empathy, transparency, and clarity.
“Plan to leave a percentage of your workforce at home, and make sure you consult with your employees and gain their buy-in. Train your frontline managers to identify and avoid bullying and harassment,” said the report.
“Blanket policies that target sections of your workforce, such as older age, racial, or linguistic groups will backfire. Such bias-prone decisions will also lead to the loss of trust among your workforce and the loss of experienced employees,” the Forrester report emphasised.
A discriminatory workplace can act as a top restraint and hurdle in attracting new talent when the world sees better conditions.
Reducing the employees’ risk of getting infected by staying compliant to health norms and regulations, ensuring their safety during the journey to the office premises, not violating the safe workplace guidelines and protecting their privacy rights with contact tracing solutions can prove to be beneficial for the company.
An increasing number of employers believe that tracking employees’ movement within work premises, keeping a record of their meet-ups and rooms they enter, can provide valuable insights for reducing the spread of COVID-19, and that contact tracing technology is taking center stage for this effort.
“Regardless of the approach, mobile app, wearable device, badge card, or manual approaches contact tracing comes with great privacy challenges,” the report mentioned.
