Tag Archives: Post Covid-19

What the business and insurance world will look/act like following the coronavirus pandemic.

Claims Management, Human Services Practice Group Content, Other, Workers Compensation Insurance

COVID-19 on NYS Workers Compensation

The COVID-19 outbreak has spread all throughout America, but most notably in New York. Considering America’s largest metropolitan hub is New York City, when the disease hit it was bound to be catastrophic. Due to the heavy outbreak in New York, Governor Cuomo ordered a stay-at-home rule for nearly three months. This resulted in higher unemployment and less in-person work happening.

Increase in COVID-19-Related Workers Comp Claims

What exactly does this mean for Workers Compensation claims? It depends on what types of workers comp claims. Considering health care workers and essential first responders are eligible for workers comp, the workers comp claims due to the contraction of coronavirus have been large in quantity and amounts paid out. Coronavirus claims have been costly for insurance carriers per claim for two reasons.

First, the medical bills related to treatment of the virus are hefty: 6 days of hospitalization can cost $40,000. Second, insurance carriers set a high standard for respiratory Workers Comp claims after the 9/11 attacks. Respiratory diseases lime coronavirus can have permanent or long-term impacts, meaning more money out of insurance carriers. And because the coronavirus is a temporary pandemic and is no fault of the employer, premiums can not necessarily increase, meaning greater losses for carriers due to the costly COVID-19 workers comp claims.

Decrease in Non-COVID-19 Related Workers Comp Claims

However, the COVID-19 impact on NYS workers comp does not end there. Because of the lock down, the number of non-COVID-19 workers comp claims has significantly shrunk these past 3 months. So, financially, while the COVID-19 claims are more expensive than regular workers comp claims, the number of COVID-19 claims is still not as large as the average amount of workers comp claims, meaning that both of these effects of the outbreak have offset each other financially.

The question is now whether insureds will protest that due to there being less workers on payroll and claims being filed, WC premiums should decrease, meaning insurance carriers charge less on premiums to pay out almost the same amount of money. It is important to know the outbreak is not over and these figures may change when the pandemic finishes. Keeping up to date with the official NYCIRB and NY officials is the best way to keep track of insurance on workers comp effects from the pandemic.

Still confused? Still have questions? Call a risk advisor today at 914-357-8444 or visit us here at our website.

Note

*All of these statistics and findings were found in a June 2020 report on COVID-19 and Workers Comp claims written by the NYCIRB. The link is mentioned in the article, and can be found here.

HR Challenges, Risk Management

Returning To The Office During COVID-19

Returning to the office has proven to be challenging for employers. Organizations of all sizes are struggling to determine which employee health screenings they can execute without infringing on their employees’ rights. From scheduled questionnaires to employee temperature checks, employers are working hard to adapt to this new normal.

Employee health screenings need to be voluntary. Hourly employees should be considered on the clock if they are waiting in line for testing and while the test is being administered. If an employee is sent home because they are ill they should be paid for the time out of work, if possible. If the employee refuses to take the test or respond to the survey, it is within your rights as an employer to send them home without pay. 


Temperature Checks

Before COVID-19, temperature checks were considered to be a part of a medical exam. Employers need to follow the following rules to ensure that employee health screenings are minimally invasive and confidential. 

Health screenings are voluntary but a necessary way for employers to best protect the entire workforce. Reassure your employees that these screenings are completely private and confidential.  If your business does not have an on-site nurse, determine which employee will be responsible for taking the other employees’ temperatures. 

Employees should be considered on the clock while waiting in line for and while the test is being administered. If an employee is sent home ill they should be paid for the time out of work if possible. If the employee refuses to take the test, it is within your rights as an employer to send them home without pay. 

Additional Safety Measures 

Cloth-Face Masks 

Cloth Face masks are not appropriate substitutes for workers who must wear N94 respiratory masks or medical/surgical face masks. A cloth face mask should cover the nose and mouth to contain the wearer’s potentially infectious respiratory droplets. Cloth face masks will not protect the wearer from airborne transmissible infectious agents due to their lack of seal or inadequate filtration.  (Click here to view the CDC Recommendations for Masks and Cloth Face Coverings) 

Provide employees with guidelines of when they can and cannot take off their masks. For example, some office employees may not be required to wear their mask at their desks, but do need to wear them in common areas while food service employees  may be required to wear their masks their entire shifts. Make sure to express these guidelines and requirements to your employees. Address any concerns they may have regarding the new policy. Post these new guidelines and rules throughout the business in places where employees can see them. 

 

Keeping a minimum 6-ft distance between workers

Employees should keep a minimum of 6 ft away (two arms lengths away) from each other. Workspaces should allow employees to sit a comfortable distance away from other employees. If needed, consider rearranging the workspace and adding additional protective barriers for employees. Businesses considering to reopen should consult the “Reopening the workplace during a pandemic” decision chart released by the CDC. 

 

Keep Common Areas and Surfaces Clean 

While returning to your office space, be aware of how often you’re cleaning. You might be questioning if you’re cleaning enough. Wiping down shared areas multiple times a day with the proper cleaning products is one way to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus. 

  • Clean AND disinfect frequently touched surfaces daily. This includes common areas, tables, doorknobs, light switches, countertops, handles, desks, phones, keyboards, toilets, faucets, and sinks.
  • If these surfaces appear to be dirty, wash them with soap and water before using chemical disinfectants. The EPA released this list of common household disinfectants that will help prevent the spread of COVID-19 

 

Still want more info on how to carefully reopen your business in a Post-COVID19 world? Contact A Risk Advisor at 914-357-8444.

HR Challenges, Risk Management

Employee Wellness during COVID-19

Let’s take a quick poll. Put a hand up if you’re feeling burnt out from remote work.  You’re not alone. More employees are working remotely now than ever, and are suffering from burn out. Even though people are starting to adjust to the new routines of working remotely, they’ve now taken on the task of educating their children in the same space and being the support network for their children otherwise obtained in school. Not only are children socially isolated but studies show despite working from home employees are starting to feel socially isolated from their teams and detached from their work. Adjustment to remote work has been a change for millions of people in the workspace. And with this change, employee wellness has been affected severely.

Talk To Your Employees

Take time for water cooler chit chat. A few minutes of time at the start of a meeting to chat with your employees about more than work goes a long way for employee morale. Your employees have shifted focus and are dealing with a number of things beyond work. A quick chat to ask about what personal projects your employees are working on is a great way to maintain social connection and discuss what used to be watercooler topics.

If you don’t have time for a lengthy call, schedule a few minutes into every meeting with your employees to check in with them. Promoting continuing education courses (work-related and not) or exploring hobbies is one way to keep your employees focused on the positive.

Happy Hour?

Just because the bar is closed, doesn’t mean happy hour isn’t happening.  Zoom happy hours are a great way to maintain social connections and give your employees something to look forward to at the end of the week. During these “Happy Hour” calls limit chatter about work and work-related topics and pour yourself a heavily mixed drink. The difference between real Happy Hour and remote Happy Hour is the drive home.

Provide Resources For Your Employees

Your employees might not know where to look for resources for furthering their education.  Take the time to send them resources and links to ways they can educate themselves or build a new skill. If your employees are looking to refine an old skill or gain a new one, there is a number of resources available to you and your employees through EDx.

Check your employee health program. A number of programs available have included mental health services as an emergency response to Covid-19. Even if your employee health program doesn’t have any there are other websites like betterhelp offering counseling services at this time. 

Call Another Co-Worker

Employees feeling isolated might not be communicating with their teams as much as they used to. Think about who you used to grab lunch with before lockdown started. Were they on your immediate team? When was the last time you spoke to them? A call to a coworker doesn’t have to follow the same protocols of a Zoom meeting, this call could just be a quick 20 minutes to catch up on non-work-related topics or to communicate a cross-department plan.

Work With Your HR Department

The role your HR manager used to play has evolved since the start of the pandemic. Work with HR and management teams to ensure your employees understand what is expected of them during these remote times. The conversations between management and HR will also allow your team to develop a better way to gauge how your employees feel about your businesses’ response to the coronavirus outbreak.

Ask Your Employees

Send around a poll to ask your employees how they feel your business did in response to Coronavirus. If you’re considering reopening your offices, ask your employees about their feelings and what your business can do to help these employees feel safe. Asking employee input during this time will help everyone at your organization feel better about the transition back to the office. If you find out that 50% or more of your workforce is not comfortable returning to the workplace then you may be faced with productivity issues that were otherwise not present while employees were remote.

Speak to your employees and communicate with your team regarding your reopening strategy. Some employees may be more willing than others to return to the office. Discussion with everyone at your workplace will help your employees feel valued.

If you have any questions regarding reopening your business, or how you can better discuss this topic with your workplace, contact a risk advisor at 914-357-8444. If our Risk Advisors cannot answer your question they will do the best they can to help you find the answers you are looking for. 

HR Challenges, OSHA, Other, Risk Management

COVID-19 Resource Guide for Employers

For our clients and the curious here is a great resource guide as you seek to build out your own programs and responses to the COVID 19 pandemic. We have been fielding a great many calls from companies looking to get ahead of this issue. We thought we would aggregate the information that is the most beneficial for valued stakeholders. Coronavirus (COVID-19) is an emerging challenge across the world for employers. We’ve gathered some materials to help you stay on top of employee concerns. Check here frequently for updates.

CDC Materials

In response to the COVID-19 outbreak, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has issued:

The CDC has also created the following posters for download:

Keep up to date on CDC guidance for specific industries, latest updates, and resources on the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) main page.

DOL Materials

The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) has created a resource page for workers and employers. The DOL’s Wage and Hour Division has posted these posters and guidance:

EEOC Materials

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has created a landing page entitled What You Should Know About the ADA, the Rehabilitation Act, and COVID-19, which provides links to resources and guidance.

HHS Materials

In response to COVID-19, the Office of Civil Rights for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) issued a bulletin regarding HIPAA Privacy and COVID-19.

OSHA Materials

The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has created a COVID-19 website for workers and employers that addresses the disease and provides guidance and other resources for preventing exposure to and infection with the virus.

Topics covered include:

OSHA has also issued the publication Guidance on Preparing Workplaces for COVID-19.

NCCI Materials

Covid-19 and Workers’ Compensation: What You Need To Know

Small Business Administration Materials

The U.S. Small Business Administration has issued guidance entitled SBA Disaster Assistance in Response to the Coronavirus, explaining how the SBA is offering designated states and territories low-interest federal disaster loans for working capital to small businesses suffering substantial economic injury as a result of the coronavirus. Also see Coronavirus (COVID-19): Small Business Guidance & Loan Resources.

ThinkHR Materials

New York State Guidelines

Department of Health

Department of Labor

Office of the Attorney General

HR Challenges, Risk Management

Resuming Business Operations During Covid-19

Foremost on most organization’s agenda is how do we resume operations in a COVID-19 world? Candidly it’s a bit complicated contingent on a great many factors. Here’s a very short list of some contingencies.

What does your operation look like; what do you do?  What does your service plant or office look like? How is it structured. Lastly, what’s your workflow & staffing levels to execute? Can you stagger staffing locations to create separation?   This shortlist of considerations to take to maximize the safety of your employees and customers.

At Metropolitan Risk part of our business model is to engage and vet high-quality partners that bring a risk mitigation skill set that our clients can leverage. Purchasing insurance is just another way to finance risk. The real magic and cost reductions happen when you marry the science & art of risk management with risk financing. Through the years we found our risk management recommendations weren’t always followed through because our clients lacked a network of these highly skilled individuals and firms by discipline.  Thus we thought we would make it easier for our clients to engage the necessary resources.

For purposes of today’s article, we partnered with Rich Landau of Jackson & Lewis. One of the preeminent employee law firms in the country. Rich was kind enough to share a LIST of things to consider as we begin to emerge from our COVID-19 induced stasis. Understand that this list is long and does not apply universally to every business. Think of this list as a general idea of what to consider as you make your own list to re-open.

 

Click here to download the list of suggestions to resume the operations of your organization in a COVID-19 world. 


For those of you who are Metropolitan Risk clients, we encourage you to speak to your Risk Advisor for assistance on how to build your own list. 

HR Challenges, Risk Management

Reopening Your Business Safely During COVID-19

You had to close down your business from a full office of employees to a remote workforce for several weeks. With states slowly starting to lift social distancing restrictions, you are considering what comes next in terms of safely reopening your business. Reopening your business is going to be more than walking in, turning on the lights, and flipping the “Sorry We’re Closed” sign back to “Yes, We’re Open”. Your organization needs a strategy that everyone from management to line workers can agree is a safe plan to reopen.

While creating a strategy to reopen, consider what goals you need to reach to reopen safely. Your first priority should be the safety and health of your front line staff. Remember, that the Coronavirus (COVID-19) is still a threat to your organization and your employees can still catch the virus. Employees should not gain entrance to the physical job location until:

  • New policies are in place regarding safety and  illness in the workplace
  • More information is available to whether or not employees with immunities can transmit the virus to nonimmune employees
  • More information on how the virus spreads is available

 

Creating distance at the workplace

You may need to rearrange your office space to keep employees 6ft away from each other. This includes common areas like shared kitchens and shared lunchrooms.  Cubicles that were once shared by 2 people will need to be one person per cubicle to ensure social distancing measures. Commonly shared areas will also need to be redesigned to minimize contact between employees.  If common areas cannot be redesigned to accommodate the 6ft. distancing needs of employees, consider staggering lunch shifts. Or having employees eat lunch at their desks to minimize the risk of transmission of the virus.

Protecting your “at-risk” employees

Discussion of an employee’s medical information in a public forum is prohibited under the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA), you may want to have a private conversation with these employees about options they have to lessen their risks. Current information on Covid-19 suggests that those who are immunocompromised or those who have significant underlying medical conditions may be more susceptible to catching Covid-19.

During this discussion ask employees to consider their own health and potentially ask them to work remotely, take time off or other options if they feel their situation warrants additional measures.

Currently, the CARES Act exempts small businesses with less than 50 employees from providing the 2 weeks paid leave that the act requires.

Use some common sense

Everyone is eager to return to normal routines, but safely. Changes in procedures can include purchasing items to help protect everyone in your workplace. This list is an example of some of the items you might want to procure before bringing employees back to the workplace:

  • Skin Thermometers
  • A Log To Keep Temperature Information In
  • Face Masks
  • UV disinfection Light
  • Disinfectant cleaners
  • Rubber Gloves

Ask yourself these questions about your employees’ safety before reopening your doors:

  • What are the goals for the safe return of all of our employees?
  • Do we have enough space to have everyone return at once, if not how do we create an alternating schedule to accommodate everyone?
  • Are my employees working at a safe distance away from each other?
  • Does our office have enough space to keep employees 6ft away from each other?
  • How often will the office be professionally cleaned?
  • Who will be responsible for managing wiping the surfaces in the office down?

Remember, the return to the office needs to be a strategic plan that every employee needs to be on board with. If your employee is refusing to comply with these new rules, have you considered how your employee handbook will also reflect these new office changes?

 

Still need more information on creating a strategic plan for reopening your business? Contact a risk advisor at 914-357-8444.

HR Challenges, Other, Risk Management

Keeping Employee Morale Up During Covid-19

employee morale 

The remote workforce has boomed over the past week and a half with thousands of organizations moving from office buildings to laptops at home. While ¼ of the U.S. workforce was part-time remote employees before the viral outbreak, many organizations have been faced with the harsh reality of shutting their office doors and becoming remote organizations. 

employee morale 

We previously outlined ways for your employees to easily transition to remote office work, and now we’re here to talk to you about managing and helping your employees remain engaged during this time. 

 

Some of your employees may feel challenged in new ways as they shift to remote operations. Otherwise, high-performing employees may have a difficult time transitioning to this new position and employers may see a decline in performance and engagement. 

Challenges Your Employees May Face 

Lack of face to face supervision

Managers and employees both feel the challenges associated with the lack of face-to-face interaction. Managers worry that their employees will not work as hard or as efficiently as they would in the office. Employees can feel that remote work managers aren’t as communicative and don’t support their own needs. 

In some cases, it has been found that remote work employees work harder at their jobs when they’re remote due to the lack of office distractions. The one employee that always seems to be chatting with their co-workers maybe your new top-performing employee due to the lack of social distractions. 

 

Lack of Access to Information:

In this case, the information doesn’t relate only to common knowledge things like answering a difficult question. Remote employees also lack the emotional awareness that they would normally have in an office setting. While in an office employees would be aware if one of their coworkers was having a bad day, but while working remotely, employees won’t know the situation for their coworkers. 

 

Social Isolation:

Normally employees will be in an office building and have other people to have conversations with, then your employees might continue their day after work with different types of social interactions. Now your employees are isolated by themselves in their homes. Loneliness is one of the most common complaints about remote work. Isolation can cause your employees to feel less involved in their organizations’ culture and can drive employee intentions to leave up. 

 

At Home Distractions:

Working in an office has its own set of distractions, but distractions at home vary from procrastination cleaning to family members. With the sudden onset of being a remote worker, a number of these employees may not have had time to create an adequate plan to have an office or find childcare. Managers should expect a greater number of these distractions due to the unplanned work from home circumstances. 

 

Poor Time Management: 

Without an in-person manager to keep employees on task, it can mean employees’ time management starts to slip. Many people convince themselves that they are effective at time management because they’ve got a schedule built out on their calendar. These employees might rush from appointment to appointment when they’re in the office but may find that their ability to keep time slips when there is no one to hold them accountable. Poor time management is usually caused by a failure to evaluate the work that needs to be completed.  

Employers can help employees who lack time management skills, by giving these employees hard deadlines for certain tasks. These employees may also lack the awareness to set priorities. One way employers can help employees is through a straight forward time management table. This is one way for your employers to help employees reevaluate their priorities. 

 

Urgent Not Urgent
Important  Urgent & Important Not Urgent & Important 
Not Important Urgent & Not Important Not Urgent and Not Important 

 

 

Misunderstanding Technology:

 

Employees who normally log right into their desktop at the office may be confused with how the new remote work and communication systems work. Some of these employees can be used to just logging into their desk computer and having everything they need right in front of them. With the move from an office to remote, employees can struggle with how they are required to access their information. 

 

How to support your remote employees

 

Provide several different communication options

If at first, you don’t succeed, try and try again. If GoToMeeting doesn’t work for one employee, try Slack, Skype, Zoom, Google Hangout, or a traditional conference call on your cell phone. Limiting your newly remote employees’ ways of communication can be frustrating to you and the employee. This can be especially true if your employees aren’t used to using remote communication tools. 

 

Establish daily check-ins:

Every phone call to your employees doesn’t have to be work-related. Start your daily meetings going around the group and seeing how everyone is doing, how they’re holding up and if there is any good news they would like to share with the group. These daily check-ins will allow your employees to communicate and socialize with their team members they’re used to seeing every day.

 

Provide opportunities for remote social interaction

This is uncharted territory for everyone. Humans aren’t used to staying at home and only interacting with their peers via computer screens. Try hosting a remote Happy Hour, where all of your staff hosts a non-business-related meeting. This can include sending care packages to all of your employees with party favors to be used during this meeting or sending them pizzas. Or just a nice after work chat among your coworkers to show solidarity during these times of social isolation. 

 

Provide encouragement and Emotional Support:

There has been a lot of conversation surrounding the mental wellbeing of your employees.  Supporting your employees emotionally can go a long way. A 5-minute wellness phone call can go a long way. Encourage your employees to speak up if they are struggling with anything work-related or personally during this time of isolation. People who struggle with addictions are more likely to relapse during times of isolation like these. 

As a manager, it is your duty to provide a fearless attitude and lead your employees in the right direction. Much like productivity, emotions also have a trickle-down effect, if you’re feeling helpless and lost in a situation and portray that to your team, then your team may start to feel helpless and misguided.  

 

Be Responsive and Available 

As you expect your employees to be responsive to any emails you send, return the favor. Communication is key for organizations to remain calm and functional while transitioning to remote work. This doesn’t mean that you have to respond to emails that your team sends out after work hours. Your employees look to you for guidance, while your availability should be based around work hours, you should be open to talking to your employees about nonwork-related topics as well. 

 

Metropolitan Risk is here to answer any questions you may have about transitioning your employees to remote work and boosting your employees’ morale. If you are a current Metropolitan Risk customer, you have access to ThinkHR one of the largest digital HR platforms.

Return To Work Checklist provided by ThinkHR

2020 Coronavirus Outbreak: Resources To Help Your Business Remain Operational

Coverage Impact Relating To Business Income Within Your Commercial Insurance Policy

COVID-19 Resource Guide For Employers

Other

2020 Coronavirus Outbreak: Resources To Help Your Business Remain Operational

Coronavirus Outbreak

CDC offers resources for health care providers and businesses.

The coronavirus has reported ties to a large seafood and animal market in Wuhan, China, according to the Centers for Disease Control. Symptoms of this illness include fever, cough, and shortness of breath.

As of February 26, 2020, 14 people in the United States have contracted the virus.

Update March 9, 202o 10:45 AM: There are currently 566 cases of the COVID-19 Virus in the United States and 105 confirmed cases in New York State.

CDC engaged in outreach efforts with hospitals and clinics to ensure organizations have preparations in place to control the virus and prevent infection. As of February 22, the agency had published more than 23 guidance documents on infection control, facility preparedness assessments, personal protective equipment supply planning, and clinical evaluation and management.

Agency guidance for schools includes planning and response protocol for possible outbreaks. On Feb. 25, CDC tweeted that although “there is currently no reported community spread of #COVID19” nationwide, “everyday measures” such as staying home when sick and washing hands with soap and water can help prevent additional cases from surfacing.

Strategies for employers to help prevent workplace exposure:

  • Encourage employees with symptoms of acute respiratory illness to stay home. Waive the health care provider’s note requirement, as medical facilities may be extremely busy and not able to provide such documentation in a timely way.
  • Make sure sick leave policies are flexible and correspond with public health guidance. Ensure employees are aware of the policies.
  • Maintain flexible policies that allow employees to stay home to tend to ill family members.
  • Promote proper hand hygiene, as well as cough and sneeze etiquette. Instruct employees to frequently wash their hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, or use a sanitizer containing at least 60% alcohol.
  • Routinely clean frequently touched surfaces such as workstations, countertops, and doorknobs.

Strategies for employers to execute business continuity:

 



It is critical employers give some thought to how they would run their business if whole communities are put on lockdown, or if employees specifically request to work from home for fear of exposure.
  • Be sure you have all employees’ cell phone numbers.
  • If you have a VOIP telephone system, be sure that you and your employees understand how you can forward a call to the employees’ cell phones.
  • If you don’t have a VOIP phone system, hire an answering service like RUBY or ANSWER CALL. Have all of your incoming calls forwarded to this answering service. Ruby can act as a receptionist and forward each incoming call to the specific employee. Further, they can email calls and/or you can log into their system to monitor all incoming calls and routing. This is a great workaround if you have an old system that’s not flexible.
  • Does your organization have a VPN (Virtual private network)? If you don’t have a VPN set up so your employees can drill into your network and your servers, then create an account with LogMeIn which can essentially allow you to execute the same without all the setup. It’s critical that employees have remote access to the office and your infrastructure.
  • Purchase ZOOM Meeting so you can coordinate video conferencing with your team and your customer base.
    Forward the mail to another location and scan it in so it’s part of the remote workflow.
  • What about backups? Maybe create a Master account for DropBox? If not make sure all the work is getting backed up somewhere now that the workforce is desperately located.
  • Lastly, be sure to communicate with your customer base. Let them know if you are operational and that all systems are a go.

 

Additional Help

 

If you need any further information, contact a risk advisor or call (914) 357-8444.

 

You can also click the link below to read more about CDC’s infection control articles.