Struggling to Navigate through an Ethics and Compliance Solution in the time of COVID?
For most companies, fall is the time for checking in on all things HR and compliance. Open enrollment periods for benefits, switching out PEO’s to be ready for a January 1 cutover, adding a hotline, or even changing your hotline provider - it seems the bulk of those decisions are made in the fall. But this year is different in so many ways. Whether you are establishing a new program, reigniting an old one, or just updating it for this next normal, we find ourselves in a very different place than in the past.
Even if at the beginning of the year you had not anticipated changes, now the world has changed around you and necessitates change from you. Think about the obvious big COVID-related changes in policy related to social distancing, managing guests in the office, enhanced cleaning, and near constant disinfecting in common work areas. Think about the little changes like switching all the coffee condiments to single serve to avoid touching a shared sugar pourer.
Yes, there are big, obvious obstacles to consider in many industries. For example, having to rework manufacturing areas where previously employees stood almost shoulder to shoulder, but now need plexiglass between them. But don’t forget other areas like the locker rooms where employees drop off their personal belongings prior to a shift – often these are shared lockers but now that’s not acceptable.
In the actual cases from our client base – diverse across retail, manufacturing, healthcare, state governments, energy companies, banks, and insurance companies – issues were coming in that allegations simply did not yet exist for. Who had allegations about not wearing a mask or being forced to wear a mask in their system only 6 months ago? I’ll tell you who - nobody. Nobody because the policies didn’t exist. If a policy doesn’t exist, it can’t be violated. If it can’t be violated, there’s nothing to report and investigate!
These new challenges must be considered as you choose your ethics and compliance solutions in the time of COVID. More and more, we’re seeing first time clients who are not replacing a homegrown system or an obsolete system from another vendor. Their decision is compounded because they don’t even have a base system in place to build off. We created some resources that have been very popular for companies looking at their first system, resources to help them avoid common pitfalls. You have a daunting task to navigate, but we’re here to help!
To all companies, we know you’re swamped reopening offices and rightsizing in light of shifting demands for your company or services, all in the midst of a still raging pandemic. We can empathize because we’re in this together. Nearly our whole company was working from home for 4 long months and we’ve just started to re-open. We had to adapt so much that it required us to move to a new office to get the space necessary to provide a safe, socially distanced workplace. We’re doing everything we can so our team can feel safe at work, as they should.
We wish you well and hope you stay safe as you migrate your companies to the next normal. If we can help, don’t hesitate to reach out. #togetheralone
The ETHIX360 blog brings you weekly updates on all things human resources and compliance.
MEET THE AUTHOR
J Rollins is the co-founder and CEO of ETHIX360. J is a well known leader and innovator who has served on senior leadership teams ranging in responsibility from Chief Revenue Officer, Chief Marketing Officer, SVP of Product Strategy and Chief Operating Officer.
ABOUT ETHIX360
At ETHIX360, our goal is simple: to provide an affordable, flexible, and comprehensive answer to employee communication, policy management, corporate training and case management on issues related to corporate ethics, code of conduct, fraud, bribery, and workplace violence.
