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Company response plans to coronavirus
Updated: 3/13/2020
The federal government has moved to prohibit all travel to the U.S. from Europe, by non-U.S. residents. While the overall risk to you remains low, the experience of other countries implies that the number of new cases in the U.S. is poised to explode. Government and medical leaders are encouraging workplaces to prepare for the next phase of the crisis, which will likely escalate community transmissions, school and work closures, and restrictions on movement.
Many companies, including many salons, are already putting in place strategies to mitigate the ourbreak’s negative impact on their employees and businesses activities. This guide is is based on a Tech:NYC resource guide that compiles companies’ planning materials in an effort to identify common trends and share best practices that may benefit the broader ecosystem. If your company has materials to share for inclusion in these lists, please contact us.
Tips + Takeaways
HOW WORRIED SHOULD WE BE?
COVID-19 represents a serious public health threat, largely due to the fact that it is a novel virus and there is not much evidence.
That being said, early analysis indicates COVID-19 is less fatal than SARS and MERS, and compared to the seasonal flu, COVID-19 is impacting fewer people.
The current fatality rate is estimated to be between 2-3%, however, testing has not yet been widely deployed, and we do not know the full number of actual cases. Therefore, it is likely the actual fatality rate is lower.
WORKPLACE RESPONSE GOALS
Businesses are in a unique position and must weigh several different concerns. Conversation focused around what business goals and priorities should be.
Firstly, businesses should aim to protect the health of their employees and family.
Secondly, businesses should aim to ensure operational continuity and business functionality. This goal rings especially true for businesses that offer key services to the general public and governments.
Thirdly, businesses should aim to support broader public health measures and be a part of the solution. In particular, this includes limiting employee travel and events.
DAY TO DAY MANAGEMENT TIPS
Tools to prevent and/or manage the epidemic can be split into three broad categories: Personal Protective, Community & Social Distancing, and Environmental Measures. These are all tools that businesses may consider in their response to COVID-19.
***In choosing any of these tools, you should consult with medical professionals and public health authorities.***
Personal Protective
Encourage employees to wash hands frequently, cover their coughs, and to stay home when feeling sick.
Ensure the salon has sufficient supply of personal hygiene products, especially hand soap and hand sanitizer.
Community & Social Distancing
Institute policies to separate employees from being in close contact.
Consider creating separate teams of employees working on essential business functions. Teams could then be located in separate areas and/or asked to rotate working from home.
Limit large gatherings of employees and large events.
Limit non-essential business travel for all employees.
Establish policies to ensure employees returning from travel to high-risk areas self-quarantine and work from home for 14-days.
Ensure employees traveling for personal reasons are informed of which areas are high-risk and the associated risk.
Environmental Measures
Clean surfaces regularly and increase cleaning of high touch surfaces.
Note: While COVID-19 can survive on surfaces for approximately 72 hours, the main method of transmission is from person-to-person.
Federal Government Resources
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS): HIPAA privacy rules and COVID-19 applications
World Health Organization update feed
External Resources
Amplify: a crowd-sourced list of actions various companies are taking, including travel policies, office and school closures, and conference/event cancellations
Bain: an index that combines official data with Bain’s own modeling to evaluate the COVID-19 outbreak’s effect on global business
Business Council of NYS: A video webinar from Frank Kerbein, Director of the Center for Human Resources, on managing the day to day business implications of coronavirus.
CultureIQ: free virtual assessment survey tool
CUNY: university system updates on school closures, student trips, and employee travel
Global Strategy Group: tips on communicating with employees about the outbreak
INK: tips on how to pivot company comms in light of coronavirus
Johns Hopkins: live data viz tool mapping confirmed cases globally
LifeLabs Learning: a management training company based in NYC, has aggregated perspectives, plans, and other templates from 100+ HR leaders
McKinsey: a birds-eye briefing on business implications of the virus
One Medical: general medical overview
Suzy: a 40 minute webinar on COVID-19 and its impact on consumer behaviors in the U.S.
Travax: A comprehensive breakdown of global outbreak data, traveler summaries by country, and medical consequences of infection
Zocdoc: a patient’s guide to COVID-19, plus telehealth visit booking opportunities in NY and 4 other states.