What to do if employee tests positive for COVID-19

As the United States begins to transition from dealing with the COVID-19 crisis to planning ahead for better times, what can employers take away from the past year? For one thing, we’ve learned a lot about communicating with employees and customers, especially when it comes to sharing bad news about a possible coronavirus infection in the workplace.

So, you have a confirmed case . . .

After the pandemic hit, employers formed response teams, put processes in place, and issued communications in a matter of days. When a problem was found, they made changes, allowing everyone to settle into a “new normal.” Then, as the COVID-19 case count continued to climb, employers were faced with the next question: How do we handle a confirmed infection in our workforce?

Largely through trial and error, most of you have settled on a method for communicating a coronavirus diagnosis and following quarantine guidance for the affected parties. But are there better ways to communicate the worrisome news? And if it gets leaked outside your workforce, how should you handle it?

Create or update pandemic response plan

If your company hasn’t already done so, you should develop and implement a pandemic response plan. If you created one at the beginning of the pandemic, you may need to review and update it based on what has actually transpired. Future outbreaks—of even more well-known illnesses such as the flu—could result in similar protective measures. So, begin planning for those potential crises now.