It's time for employers to take an aggressive approach and dig in–understand their workforce and the needs of the business to take proactive and considerate courses of action. (SOMMAI/Shutterstock.com)
A new type of mistrust is brewing in the business world. Seven months into the COVID-19 pandemic and employers are still looking for answers and strong leadership to guide a safe return to the workplace. According to a recent Edelman Trust Barometer Special Report, 78% of participants believe that businesses have a responsibility to ensure that their employees are protected from the virus in the workplace and should take action to prevent the spread of the virus further into communities. Only 29% of those surveyed say that CEOs are demonstrating the necessary leadership.
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While this data point is concerning, we also need to acknowledge that this is an extremely complex problem to take on. Employees are prioritizing their family's health above all else and need to have confidence that their employer is keeping them as safe as possible. Unfortunately this means there's little room for error.
As a CEO, I take this seriously. Do my employees trust that I care about their health? How do I demonstrate my priorities?
We spend roughly one third of our adult life at work, yet workplace culture suggests that our individual health and health care have been viewed as separate from work life. We all know that our health deeply impacts our ability to work. And now there's no denying that viral conditions, whether COVID-19 or the seasonal flu, mean that one person's health can have a far-reaching influence.
Amid uncertainty and a sea of conflicting headlines, employees know that precautions are a necessity for any sort of return to a physical workplace. So it's time for employers to take an aggressive approach and dig in–understand their workforce and the needs of the business to take proactive and considerate courses of action to continue to isolate when needed, but also deliver the 360-degree care they deserve.
Company values on display
Much hubbub is made about big companies pursuing sustained remote work habits, particularly in tech, media and finance — with Twitter and Facebook anchoring efforts on the permanent work from home (WFH) charge; and MasterCard, Salesforce and Zillow continuing WFH status quos through the end of the year at least. On the other hand, major players like JPMorgan, Slack and DocuSign have announced returns to the office.
Regardless of these public proclamations, the truth is that it will be rare that any organization be 100% remote or 100% required in-person, and we can expect the hybrid experiment will continue to evolve. Humans are social creatures, wired for connection and the desire for an in-person experience is strong, whether for work or otherwise. How a business prioritizes and handles the health of its employees will directly correlate to a willingness of its workers to actually show up, not to mention be productive.
Perception matters, and the pre-COVID position of willfully siloing health matters from the office workflow is a relic of an era gone by. Now, people think about their health as soon as they leave their homes. To show that employee health is important, leadership must prioritize investing in reliable health care services that employees can reach 24/7.
A new prioritization of health
As consumers, employees are experiencing the full spectrum of "who cares about my health" – from the restaurant down the street that offers a QR code so we can avoid touching the menu, to the shop that is perpetually out of hand sanitizer. It's glaringly obvious where priorities lie.
When it comes to our employees' health, we can go well beyond taking temperatures and following public health mandates. By providing resources to have each employee create their own trusted health relationships and a community they can reach out to for physical and behavioral assistance, it lowers the need for them to navigate the broader health care system and potentially take a chance at an ER or acute care facility. If employers haven't already, they need to be preparing efficient programs to ensure employees stay healthy now and for the future. Big picture, health-forward employers must ask themselves tough questions, be willing to look at themselves honestly – and to make changes:
- Are we doing everything possible to make our workplace environment safe enough to ask employees to risk their lives to work there?
- Is our decision-making inclusive of employees with health vulnerabilities and/or limitations to physical locations?
- Do we know if our employees are actually healthy enough to work? Do they have a way to tell us if they aren't, in a way that doesn't threaten their privacy?
- Where do our values lie when it comes to productivity vs. health?
A shift in the narrative: Flexibility is a MUST
We're now at the next level. Employers can reduce the burden employees face when it comes to taking care of their health. Flexibility is the name of the game.
If Covid-19 has taught us anything, it's that flexibility reigns. With prolonged disruption of our daily routines due to a public health crisis, we've all had time to assess our personal priorities, including decisions that affect our health and how we spend our time. In immediate terms we've had to think about how to avoid coronavirus exposure. We've also had a chance to consider how to be more intentional with our time: Options such as delivery for food and telehealth for primary care are much more efficient and unless you have a real reason, you shouldn't need to commute to an office. This just another proofpoint that the run of the mill health care offered in the past is no longer up to snuff for employees.
In pre-pandemic jobs, offering flexibility was a hallmark of progressive employers. Now — with remote and virtual work recontextualized — a varied and diverse workforce is taking shape and with it, new expectations.
Bridging the trust gap
To entice employees to return to the workplace, and to keep them for the long haul, businesses have to address the trust gap. We can create thoughtful, intentionally safe environments and can offer support and set policies that showcase that corporate values are human values.
The relationship between health care, employers and employees is a complicated one and many business leaders will be challenged in charting a new course. The progressive company of the post-pandemic area will embrace a compelling narrative shift in responsibility, recognizing the inextricable nature of work, health and life.
At the end of the day, there's a big opportunity to take a proactive stance on health by providing the proper resources employees need to feel safe via on-demand health care services that empower them to feel confident to return to work and that they can get the help they need when they need it. For those who chose an "easier route" beware, your staff is watching.
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