Navigating the New HR Rules
We asked Cheryl Perez, founder and president of BIG-HR, about the latest HR rules that are impacting small businesses during the coronavirus outbreak.
We asked Cheryl Perez, founder and president of BIG-HR, to weigh in on the biggest concerns impacting businesses with respect to the latest HR rules. Here’s what she had to say:
What are the top concerns that you are hearing from businesses owners right now regarding the new HR policies?
They don't really have clarity on exactly what they are allowed to do, obligated to do, and should do. They are also very confused and concerned about how to implement things internally in a way that is efficient and compliant with everything that's happening.
They don't know if they can make employees stay home or make employees come to work. They don't know if they can take employees’ temperatures or not allow employees to work from home. They don't know if they have to pay employees if they're off or if they shouldn't pay employees when they're off.
And some of the biggest concerns are if their business is going to be forced to close or affected dramatically and will they have enough money to survive and keep people employed.
With so much information changing daily, what can small businesses do to educate themselves about the latest HR information?
It is a really crazy time and there is so much information floating around out there that it is very hard to navigate through, especially for a small business owner who has never really had to deal with some of the stuff that's coming down the pipe right now.
We have been working around the clock to compile all the data and are in the process of creating a COVID-19 Small Business Online Toolkit that will be updated regularly in real time, specifically designed for small businesses, and we will be launching this membership site next week and giving people access.
We know that small business owners need the information and also need help with knowing what specific steps, processes and procedures should be put in place to implement a HR plan. Especially because a lot of these regulations have never been placed on businesses that have less than 50 employees before. With that being said, I’ve also been giving away a free Corona HR Plan Guide (that includes a free infectious diseases policy template) for small businesses and once someone grabs it, they will automatically be added to our email list for COVID-19 Small Business Updates. They can grab their free copy at www.bighrhero.com/coronaplan and that will help them stay in the loop.
For a small business without an HR department, what can an owner do to communicate and implement the changes?
One of my biggest pieces of advice when it comes to communication is being completely transparent, doing it frequently, and providing as much empathy and support as possible. The Corona HR plan guide that we created gives some additional tips, but I totally recommend that small business owners realize that lack of information and clarity creates more anxiety, so being as open, honest and consistent as possible when communicating with employees will go a very long way.
COSE has collaborated with Cheryl to bring our members a free one-hour webinar about the latest HR rules that are impacting small businesses during the coronavirus outbreak. Watch the webinar here.