MANSFIELD — As the world continues to monitor and respond to the spread of COVID-19, employers will be forced to grapple with the disease’s impact on the economy and workforce.
Matters became more complicated earlier this week when Ohio Governor Mike DeWine announced that all Ohio schools will be closed for the next three weeks and students will be taking their classes online.
“Many of our employees will be seeking babysitting or daycare services,” said Amanda Hatcher, director of marketing and community relations at Avita Health. “We are hands-on with patient care, so telecommuting is not an option for the majority of our employees.”
The Centers for Disease Control and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce are recommending that businesses allow their employees to work remotely as much as possible and allow some flexibility in sick leave policies.
“Obviously, some jobs and businesses are a little more able to do remote work than others,” said Jodie Perry, president and CEO of the Richland Area Chamber. “There are a lot of positions in the community that could be done remotely if they need to.”
For businesses where telecommuting isn’t an option, public health commissioner Sarah Goodwill Humphrey suggested employees limit physical contact with others.
“Teleconferencing is a great way to do things or even just changing some of those small, person-to-person contacts for your operations,” Goodwill Humphrey said at a stakeholder meeting earlier this week.
Businesses are also encouraged to be more flexible than usual with sick leave policies and not penalize employees for taking off work if they are ill.
“It’s much better for the organization and the business to keep sick employees home versus them trying to come in, power through and ultimately spread something,” Perry said.
The CDC has also recommended that companies suspend policies requiring a doctor’s note from employees taking sick leave or returning to work. This will allow the healthcare providers to focus on treating those who are ill and carrying out necessary testing.
Perry stated that she’s already heard from some area employers are already implementing changes.
“Some organizations are suspending or just choosing to look at sick leave differently during this time. I do think there’s been a recognition of that in the employer community,” she said.
In the meantime, Perry urged the community to continue supporting local businesses and staying safe.
“Particularly for small businesses, having their business slow down so suddenly can present some cash flow issues,” she said. “Right now, as people feel comfortable, I would encourage them to continue to go out and shop locally.”
“I did see something going around on Facebook encouraging people to even buy a gift certificate right now so there’s an infusion of cash into our local businesses,” she continued. “I think it is important that we continue to think locally and support these businesses during this time.”
