Return to work safely by using tools to anticipate what may come next
Covid-19 has changed the way we approach our lives and the relationship of our work to our lives. The last four months have been a surreal experience for all as we have battled this threat to our communities, families and ourselves. The burden and isolation that many feel from sheltering at home has previously been known to most only in the imagination, in our history lessons or on the silver screen. Businesses are necessarily finding ways of surviving this uncertainty, trying to determine the time and methods by which employees can return safely, and trying to determine ways of maintaining cash flow until or while they do so.
Changing our habits to protect ourselves
The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SarsCoV-2) has infiltrated American communities invisibly and is likely to persist as a silent killer and silent divider for some time. There is much work to be done to keep our families and communities safe. We must confront the fact that we are going to be living in a world with many unpredictable and unknown elements for the foreseeable future and that work life will be different.
We need to learn how to change habits and protect ourselves. Wise ways of moving forward involve anticipating the numerous possible scenarios that can emerge in the workplace and preparing. Seeking guidance and tools from health care professionals can enable you to be and feel prepared for a variety of scenarios, those we face today and those that hopefully we will never encounter.
Keeping employees and customers safe requires the right skills
Advising groups about proper return-to-work policies requires skills in many areas of health and business. Risk management, infection control, Immunobiology, population health, workplace workflows, political and governmental policies, public messaging and economics are all critical elements. At Play-it-Health, we’re introducing business leaders to targeted and user-friendly technology that integrates these areas into solutions for a safe and prosperous return to work.
Social distancing and clean work stations
We must develop realistic plans so that workers can utilize safe social distancing and use of clean working environments. Appropriate hand washing and mask wearing is critical. Hand washing and wearing masks need to become the new normal, a natural part of our daily behavior. Each workplace needs to be individually evaluated and protocols need to be tailored for the specific locale and necessary tasks.
Innovative technology
Implementing innovative technology platforms to keep people safe in your facility can prove to be invaluable. Technology exists to help your business organize your workforces and accomplish the following tasks. Secure, rapid delivery of test results.Continuous or intermittent monitoring of biometrics to detect physiological abnormalities suggestive of Covid-19 earlier than they may be otherwise detected.Biometric and symptom monitoring that decreases emergency department visits, hospitalizations and mortality.Surveillance of individuals with Covid-19 while on furlough, giving them confidence and safety while recovering.Secure and timely mobile messaging between employers and employees. Telehealth services to your employees if needed to address necessary concerns and issues.
Put logical and transparent plans in place to wisely move forward
Our communities require logical and transparent return-to-work strategies that balance the risks in an equitable way. There is no reason to take unnecessary risks. As communities, we need to determine what we feel are essential services. We need to help vulnerable groups in the workplace who need our support and protection, such as those using public transportation or that have underlying health conditions. We need to acknowledge that we may lose family members and coworkers as we return to work in the absence of treatment and vaccinations. We need to prepare for periods of calm peppered by outbreaks, sickness and loss. We need to hope for progress in policy, unity and treatment, and contribute in any way we can to solutions. It has never been more important to leverage the warm culture and indomitable spirit of the heartland than now. The survival and health of our families, children and communities depend on it. Our job is to do everything in our power to maintain health and economies while we eagerly await and even contribute to treatment arrival. We will rise to the challenge. For every infection that we prevent today in the workplace, someone has a greater chance of receiving treatment if infected. This is how we defeat Covid-19.
Play-it Health is here to help, coordinating messaging and health management through a software platform so you can focus on business priorities while organizing your workforce. Our platform will enable you to be and feel prepared for a variety of scenarios, those we face today and those that hopefully we will never encounter. Learn more.Play-it-Health is committed to understanding your needs as businesses in our communities. Our physicians, scientists, technology specialists, population health experts, and businessmen and women with enterprise and upper-level management experience are prepared to battle Covid-19 by your side.
This post was published and can be accessed in the Kansas City Business Journal in May 2020.