Employers at businesses that are reopening Friday should make as much accommodations as possible to help employees return to work, according to one HR official.
Tessa Brown with the Acadiana chapter of the Society for Human Resources spoke Tuesday during a webinar hosted by One Acadiana, noting how many employers have to reach out to furloughed employees and help anyone who may have obstacles such as child care when they return to work.
The state will enter Phase 1 of reopening the economy Friday. Businesses such as gyms, barber shops, hair salons, casinos, and bars with food permits and other businesses can reopen with 25% capacity.
Employers should communicate, share and be fair, Brown said.
“If someone doesn’t have child care and you have a business, that person was on a morning shift can work a night shift — let’s do that,” said Brown, legacy adviser for the ASHRM. “We’re all adjusting. It’s all wide open now, right? We’re all doing kinds of crazy stuff. We can do things differently that support our employees and also gets them to work and gets us profitable again.”
The number of furloughed employees in Acadiana is unknown, but the area has had nearly 20% of precoronavirus workers file initial unemployment claims, including 30,000 first-time claims filed in Lafayette Parish.
One Acadiana released a “Workplace Readiness Playbook” for businesses that are reopening in the coming days. It focuses on having a clean and sanitized workplace, any hiring practices that may have changed, the value of working remotely and other issues.
Many employers have kept in contact with furloughed employees. At Dupre Logistics, leaders there even helped furloughed employees file for unemployment, chief administrative officer Brent Hebert said.
“I really think you have to have communication with people when they are out and when they are coming back,” he said. “If you furloughed somebody, you have to have back to work documents. We’re all dealing with the same issues, and we’re all trying to get through this.”
Health safety measures on the job site also need to addressed, Brown noted. Many workers returning from furlough, for example, are punching a clock, which would be a high-touch area.
Other details are important. If a business is allowed to operate only at 25%, what does that look like? If returning employees have young children, what child care options are available since schools are still closed? What transportation options are available?
“Times have changed,” Brown said. “Uber and Lyft aren’t doing what they used to. Public transportation has changed. Maybe people used to carpool. You have to think about the fear factor. Some people will be scared to come back. Others have increased anxiety. What do we do? Really simply, it’s common sense and compassion.”
At Studio One 2 One in Lafayette, staffers are eager to get back to work after the salon was closed for eight weeks, said manager and senior stylist Ashley Daigle. But they are taking necessary precautions — one stylist recently had a baby, and many clients are 75 and older.
The salon’s eight stylists were able to file for unemployment, and they will work split schedules with only four working each day from 8 a.m. until 8 p.m.
“We’ve been preparing the last eight weeks — disinfecting and sanitizing to make it as safe an environment as possible for people to come in and get their hair done,” Daigle said. “All of them volunteered to work at the salon as much as they could. We really took those eight weeks to sharpen our tools, take care of ourselves and implement our new system. We probably needed it all along.”
Southern Theaters, which operates the Grand 14 and Grand 16 theaters in Lafayette, is preparing staff to reopen soon, president and COO Ron Krueger said, who did not include details on when they would reopen.
“We are excited to reopen soon and are working diligently on updated training and protocols to make our theatres a safe place for all to return to with confidence,” he said. “This takes some time and our teams are working hard to open our doors in a safe and timely manner.”
