Author: Ketel Thorstenson, LLP

As cases in our area increase the likelihood of one of your staff being impacted by the Coronavirus is inevitable.  With these increases in cases comes the need to refresh ourselves on the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA).

The Department of Labor’s Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) provides your staff with paid emergency sick leave and the Extended FMLA (EFMLA).  As a reminder the FFCRA affects employers with fewer than 500 employees and was implemented on April 1, 2020 and is set to expire on December 31, 2020.

Recently the Department of Labor announced some updated guidance on a few aspects of the FFCRA.

• Reaffirmed that employees may take FFCRA leave only when work is actually available to them.  If you must close your business because of the virus and work isn’t available for your staff to perform, they do not qualify for FFCRA leave.
• Reaffirm that employees must have their employer’s approval to take intermittent FFCRA leave.  The employer and employee should come to an agreement about the leave they are wanting to take.
• Revise the definition of “health care provider” to include “only employees who meet the definition of that term under the Family and Medical Leave Act regulations or who are employed to provide diagnostic services, preventative services, treatment services or other services that are integrated with and necessary to the provision of patient care which, if not provided, would adversely impact patient care.”
• Clarify that employees must provide employers with documentation as soon as possible supporting their need for FFCRA leave.  This changed from needing to provide documentation before leave is taken.  It is essential to get documentation from your employees.

To read my original article about the FFCRA leave click on the link, https://www.ktllp.cpa/families-first-coronavirus-response-act/.

Providing good consistent feedback is essential for an employee’s growth and continued improvement in their career.  However, as it turns out, most supervisors don’t like to give feedback.  It can be difficult to put the right words together to tell someone they aren’t meeting our expectations and most of us don’t want to hurt their feelings, or worse, have them quit because of the feedback. 

Now throw a pandemic into the situation; tensions may already be high, staff are stressed, and worried about all the uncertainty in their lives.  But feedback shouldn’t be set aside during times like these.  Even more consistent feedback will help staff feel they are being communicated with and may help them feel less overwhelmed.  Feedback is always important and can provide a sense of normalcy for staff. 

Here are a few tips when providing feedback.

• Look for opportunities to provide in the moment feedback.  Don’t wait until your annual review to address an issue of not meeting expectations or to let someone know they are doing a great job, do it right away. 

• Focus on the behavior not the individual.  Don’t make assumptions about the staff member and why these behaviors are happening.  Have a conversation about the behavior versus lecturing them about what isn’t being done correctly.

• Provide specifics.  This works for both constructive and positive feedback.  If I don’t know what I did well, I don’t know what to continue.  Likewise, if I don’t know what I didn’t do well, I don’t know what to change.

• If you are limiting your in-person interactions with co-workers, don’t rely solely on email, pick up the phone or, even better, schedule a virtual meeting.  These more personal interactions will help staff feel connected and valued.

• If you have staff working from home, schedule a regular “virtual-touch” base meeting in order to stay connected.  During these meetings provide feedback and let the employee know how they are doing.

• Remember to have some compassion.  Your employees are trying to navigate the new way of doing things and may need a little more assistance or time to get things right.  This doesn’t mean you need to throw your expectations out the window; instead let the employee know what your expectations are and then help them figure out the best way to achieve it.

It’s that time of year again, fall recruitment!  While we will miss seeing everyone on campus, we are looking forward to all the virtual career fairs we will be attending.  In many ways the virtual career fair will mirror those of the traditional in-person events. You’ll still want to do your research on the companies, follow-up with those you are most interested in, and apply via your school’s website for any open positions.  However, there are a few things to keep in mind when attending a virtual career fair.

1. Test Your Technology.  If you can, test your technology beforehand.  You want to make sure you don’t miss-out on the event.  Log into the system and make sure you understand how it all works.
2. Dress Professionally.  Even though you won’t be in person you’ll still want to dress like you are.  It’s a great first impression and can give you the confidence you’ll need to stand out.
3. Find a Quiet Spot.  Eliminating distractions and extra background noise is key.  It’ll keep you focused, and you won’t stand out for the wrong reasons. 
4. Have a Neutral Background.  Ensure what is behind you is appropriate.  Pick a blank wall or at least remove some of the clutter from behind you.  You want the recruiter to be focus on you and not what’s behind you.
5. Arrive on Time.  Don’t show up late to a group session or your individual sessions.  If you aren’t going to make it reach out to the recruiter beforehand to reschedule.
6. Stay Focused.  Staying focused on a virtual career fair can be tough.  To help maintain focus remove distractions, shut off any notifications on your computer/phone that might distract you, and take notes in order to stay engaged.
7. Ask Questions.  There will be opportunities to ask questions.  It may seem odd doing this virtually but ask anyway.  The recruiters will remember those who spoke up.

The daily news about and change due to COVID-19 has and will continue to be stressful for everyone. Anxiety about a new disease, the health and safety of our families, and the uncertainty of what could happen is overwhelming.  Adding to this the increased feeling of separation and loneliness due to social distancing.  An already stressful situation can become even more overwhelming.  According to a Center for Disease Control and Prevention survey conducted at the end of June 2020 31% of U.S. adults reported struggling with anxiety and depression symptoms.  This number is expected to increase as we enter into fall.

As employers there are things you can do to help your staff manage their mental health.

• Communicate, communicate, communicate.  One of the main causes of anxiety among your employees is uncertainty.  Not knowing what is going to happen to them or their family can cause great stress.  To help staff manage this anxiety an organization should provide solid consistent communication. 
  
  If you are going to be making changing, communicate this as soon as you can in order to give your staff time to adjust to the change.  Change is tough but having the opportunity to think it through and understand it before it is implemented can ease the pain.

• Keep an eye out for burnout.  Your staff are overloaded by all the things they have to deal with, health concerns, workload, family issues, and constant fear.  So, give them the opportunity to disconnect from work.  Encourage vacations where they can unplug, give them time to take a break during the day to walk around the block, and encourage them to connect with their family and friends.
  
  Also make sure you and your supervisors are aware of the signs of burnout: irritability, change in mood, inability to complete tasks or concentrate, forgetting important details or tasks, and cynicism.

• Make time to talk with your staff.  Go beyond the everyday business conversations, ask them how things are going.  Encourage them to be honest with you on how they are feeling, do they feel overwhelmed or stressed?  Let them know they aren’t alone and that many are feeling anxious and that it is ok to ask for help.
  
  Avoid the drive-by conversations.  Make sure you have time to talk, schedule it into your day and try to talk with each staff member on a regular basis.

• Be compassionate and understanding.  One major stressor this fall will be the re-start of the school year.  Parents will need help making the adjustment to their school’s back to school plan.  They’ll need to figure out how they are going to juggle virtual learning, revised school weeks, and their job.  It is going to take time, so when you can, be flexible.
  
  
• Be the example.  If you don’t take care of yourself, your staff aren’t going to feel they can take care of themselves.  When you can, take that vacation, work that flexible schedule, and ask for help.
  
  
• Provide them with resources.  If you have an Employee Assistance Program (EAP) make sure staff know how to access it.  Make sure staff are aware of what mental health services are covered under your health insurance or other insurances. Both the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the Center for Disease Control and Prevention have a wealth of mental health resources.
  • U.S. Department of Health and Human Services – https://www.hhs.gov/coronavirus/mental-health-and-coping/index.html
  • Center for Disease Control and Prevention – https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/daily-life-coping/managing-stress-anxiety.html

Taking care of your employees (and yourself) is important, find ways to help them stay healthy both physically and mentally.  We’ll get through this together.