Sequoia Consulting Group, a tech-enabled consulting and services company for employers, has debuted a software solution designed to help organizations successfully manage the transition back to a healthy and productive workplace during the coronavirus pandemic.
The global crisis has resulted in layoffs and furloughs and has also forced many employees to work from home for almost two and a half months, as people adhere to social distancing protocols. Since the coronavirus reached the U.S. earlier this year, 66% of workers are now remote, a 17% rise since before the pandemic, according to research by Clutch, a software provider for professional services companies.
Now, as states consider easing these restrictions, employers are faced with the challenges of providing a safe work environment in the coronavirus era.
“This is the first time that companies have to make decisions that affect their employees’ health, and their family’s health,” says Sequoia CEO Greg Golub.
There are two sides to the Return to Work Center, which became available in June: on the employee side there's daily screening and guidance for their healthcare. The screening questions can be customized, so if someone gets sick, the company can immediately notify them. Then they can take a look at what needs to be done.
On the employer side, the Sequoia Return to Work Center provides company leadership with tools to assist in transitioning employees safely back to work. The platform’s mobile app enables timely communications between employer and employee, and provides workers with access to digital health and benefits resources. The RTW Center integrates services and content from healthcare provider One Medical and law firm Wilson Sonsini’s SixFifty to create a holistic approach to reopening the workplace.
As employers navigate their return to work options, software programs like the Return to Work Center can help them execute a pragmatic and integrated solution, but there are other strategies employers are considering to make safety a top priority and put employees at ease.
Global human resources consulting firm Mercer surveyed 735 U.S. employers, and found that 45% said they are already struggling with workers who are reluctant to return to their workplaces because of fear of getting sick. The Mercer survey also showed that employers are planning to implement some key measures in an effort to ensure workplace safety.
Of the employers surveyed, 92% said they are looking to enhance cleaning and disinfection of the workplace and 79% will be providing their workforce with facemasks. About 65% plan on changing shifts and workgroups to improve social distancing, and 82% plan on administering temperature screenings on-site.
“Employees really want to feel that if they are going back to the office that they will be safe,” Golub says.
