Ways The Coronavirus Outbreak May Change The Workforce
Ways The Coronavirus Outbreak May Change The Workforce. Just like any other global epidemic, the coronavirus outbreak is no joke to people’s health and lives. The Corona spread has often brought great changes to the infrastructure of the world, particularly the workforce.
This rapidly evolving pandemic has caused many companies to think of ways to protect their employees. The 2016 flu led to a loss of $5.8 billion in health care and productivity costs, and the 2009 swine flu led to up to a 1.5% loss of the gross domestic product (GPD) in certain regions.
Many companies, the world over, are taking steps to mitigate the impact this pandemic has on their business. Here are the main ways the COVID-19 may change the workforce as companies take steps to prevent further spread.
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There Is Going To Be Rise In “Unlimited” Sick Days
As reported by health experts, mild to moderate symptoms of the coronavirus can last for a week. In other extreme cases, the symptoms can last for a month. The virus is said to have a 14 day incubation period, meaning that an infected, or potentially infected, employee will have to take sick leave away from work in order to recover and contain any potential spread.
As a company, you need to update your sick leave policy to accommodate the health needs of your employees. Some companies like Netflix and LinkedIn are already giving unlimited time off and unlimited sick days. You can create a sick leave plan that depends on the sickness severity or offer unlimited sick days while maintaining a normal paid time off plan. Put simply, healthy employees are more productive in the workplace.
Growth In Telecommuting
The issue of online work has grown recently, and according to Flexjobs, over the last decade, remote work has grown by over 91%. In the wake of the coronavirus, remote work promises a safer way to contain the spread of COVID-19.
So far, Amazon, Google, Facebook, and Microsoft have already made calls for people to work remotely especially in coronavirus hit areas like Seattle. Remote work is a reliable option especially for large companies that have the necessary infrastructure.
Today, more jobs offer an option to work remotely, with 85% of the employees expressing satisfaction in remote assignments. If you are a company owner, it is high time you thought about your capacity to offer remote work. It’s not as hard as you might think.
Some people choose to playing online blackjack to make some extra money online. Here are some programs that help with remote work.
- Zoom — offers video conferencing, online meetings, and chat;
- Asana — a useful project management tool for tracking, organizing, and managing work;
- Slack — an online communication platform that can integrate with Dropbox, MailChimp, and other Google apps.
As an organization, it is important to seek to provide your remote workers with the necessary sup. You can still keep everyone accountable for their assigned tasks while creating clear expectations, building trust with your teams, and while having open communication.
Less travel and Increased reliance on tech 
Recently, business travel has grown exponentially thanks to easy access to transportation means. Reportedly, 62% of US workers have traveled to other countries within a year. In the wake of Coronavirus, the US has reported 135,510 cases.
Travel is a huge contributor to virus spread. Reliance on tech, such as the remote working tools mentioned above, can greatly reduce the need for travel. This would enhance your staff’s health while maintaining productivity and results.
Many of the same tasks we do in the office can be accomplished with virtual technology. Companies need to create an environment that supports their employees to heal when they get sick. With the severity of the spread of the coronavirus, companies have to leverage technology to achieve their goals while prioritizing the health of their employees. It is necessary that businesses find ways to continue achieving their success without exposing their workers to the risk of COVID-19.
