To: All Community Senior Life Staff
From: Trish White, PHR, SHRM-CP, Director of Human Resources
Re: Coronavirus (COVID-19) and Flu Prevention
In light of the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic and the fact that the seasonal influenza (flu) virus is also widespread, we are taking proactive steps to address a number of business concerns.
First and foremost, we want to maintain a safe workplace and encourage and/or adopt practices protecting the health of employees, residents, or others. We also want to ensure the continuity of business operations during this pandemic.
We ask all employees to cooperate in taking steps to reduce the transmission of communicable diseases in the workplace. Employees are reminded of the following precautionary steps:
- Stay home when you are sick
- Wash your hands frequently with warm, soapy water for at least 20 seconds
- Cover your mouth with tissues whenever you sneeze or cough, and discard used tissues in the trash
- Avoid people who are sick with respiratory symptoms
- Clean frequently touched surfaces
Unless otherwise notified you should follow current call-in procedures; our normal attendance and leave policies will remain in place.
Community Senior Life, Inc. will make every effort to provide alcohol-based hand sanitizers throughout the workplace and in common areas. Cleaning sprays and wipes will also be provided to clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces such as telephones and keyboards, as well as other countertops in work areas.
It is critical that employees do not report to work while they are experiencing respiratory symptom such as fever, cough, shortness of breath, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, body aches, headache, chills or fatigue. Currently, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that employees remain at home until at least 24 hours after they are free of fever (100 degrees F or 37.8 degrees C) or signs of a fever without the use of fever-reducing medications.
Many times, with the best of intentions, employees report to work even though they feel ill. Employees who report to work ill will be sent home in accordance with these health guidelines.
Requests for Medical Information
If you are out sick or show symptoms of being ill, it may become necessary to request information from you and/or your healthcare provider. In general, we would request medical information to confirm your need to be absent, to show whether and how an absence relates to the infection, and to know that it is appropriate for you to return to work. As always, we expect and appreciate your cooperation if and when medical information is sought.
Confidentiality of Medical Information
Our policy is to treat any medical information as a confidential medical record. In furtherance of this policy, any disclosure of medical information is in limited circumstances with supervisors, managers, first aid and safety personnel, and government officials as required by law.
Social Distancing – Employees are requested to:
- If a face-to-face meeting is unavoidable, minimize the meeting time, choose a large meeting room and sit at least 6 feet from each other if possible; avoid person-to-person contact such as shaking hands.
- Avoid any unnecessary travel and cancel or postpone nonessential meetings, gatherings, workshops, and training sessions.
- Do not congregate in workrooms, pantries, copier rooms, or other areas where people socialize.
- Bring lunch and eat at your desk or away from others.
- Avoid recreational or other leisure classes, meetings, activities, etc., where employees might come into contact with contagious people.
Please contact Trish White, PHR, SHRM-CP, Director of Human Resources at 251-981-0213 with any questions or concerns you may have.
Warmly,
