As workplaces reopen, the big question is how to keep everyone safe.
There are no federal guidelines when it comes to employee health screenings, but the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention offers some strategies to keep workers as safe as possible. These include conducting daily in-person or virtual health checks (e.g., temperature screenings and symptom screenings).
Employers are encouraged to offer flexible sick leave and supportive policies when it comes to COVID, and the Families First Coronavirus Response Act requires some companies to provide paid sick leave or expanded coverage when it comes to the coronavirus.
Individual states are also implementing their own policies.
While states like Alaska have no requirements, others—like Colorado—mandate that employers must conduct daily temperature checks, daily symptom monitoring, and a health screening form for checking symptoms.
Companies in Colorado with more than 50 employees in a single location must also set up stations for symptom screening and temperature checks, or create a policy requiring daily at-home self-screenings along with reporting the results to the employer.
Some businesses are going beyond the standard temperature check to do all they can to ensure that their offices are free from COVID-19.
Willie Greer, founder of The Product Analyst in Memphis, did just that and went a step further to keep his workforce safe from COVID-19 infection in the workplace. Greer hired an in-house licensed professional who is tasked to check everyone’s condition throughout the day.
“We also advised everyone to inform the healthcare specialist once they feel any symptom that may be related to the virus,” Greer says.
Your business can also provide employees with an in-house licensed healthcare professional, and it won’t break the bank.
Learn more about our comprehensive Workplace Health program.
