Three Ways to Support Your Staff Through COVID-19

The highs and lows companies have experienced due to COVID-19 has forced managers to adapt to new ways of doing things in order to keep employees engages during these uncertain times.

The best leaders understand that their organization is the sum of their human capital—so what ways can your organization ensure your employees are taken care of this year?

1. Paid Time-Off / Sick Leave
Research shows that the pandemic and its ensuing lockdown have increased psychological distress across the population.¹ The prevalence of depression, anxiety, substance abuse, and stress are all on the rise.

As a manager, you can offer your staff paid time off to address their mental health without worrying about missing pay. Encouraging employees to stay at home when they are unwell means they are not forced to choose between  paying rent and maintaining their health.

2. Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs)
EAPs are services provided by employers to help workers cope with a wide variety of problems which may interfere with the way they perform their jobs,² including counselling services with therapists and professionals who can help employees deal with the pressures arising from the pandemic.

3. Support Remote Work
Managers normalizing, supporting, and promoting certain organizational decisions and behaviours helps staff feel more confident.³ More and more businesses who can afford to work remotely are doing so and are offering their employees Remote Work Packages. This means that staff can work from the safety of their home and are given the support they need to transition into building and working with virtual teams. This helps to keep the pandemic contained due to lower interpersonal contact and encourages staff to adjust to what could be our new normal for the foreseeable future.

Talk to an EIO Manager About the Best Ways to Support Your Staff
Sources:
(1) Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health. (2020). Volume 75, Issue 3.
(2) Managing Human Resources. (2020). Belcourt, Singh, Snell & Morris.
(3) Canadian Organizational Behaviour. (2018). McShane, Tasa & Sheen.
Nov 15, 2020

Have your revenues dropped due to COVID-19?

Many small businesses are struggling to stay afloat and cover their fixed costs, such as rent and insurance, while taking a negative impact on their revenues. Government assistance has emerged to help businesses pay for their rent, but many have had their fate put into the hands of their landlords to apply for the assistance. The new Canadian Emergency Rent Subsidy (CERS) is being introduced to provide rent relief for businesses and allows these businesses to apply to the assistance directly as opposed to waiting for their landlords to do so.

What is the CERS and how does it work for small businesses?

• Rent and mortgage support available until June 2021 for qualifying organizations impacted by COVID-19
• Funds go directly to the business, not the landlord
• Can cover up to 65% percent of eligible expenses until December 19 2020
• Businesses are able to make claims retroactively for the period that began September 27 and ends October 24, 2020
• A top-up CERS of 25% for businesses temporarily shut down by a mandatory public health order issued by a qualifying public health authority—in addition to the 65% subsidy,—grants up to 90% of coverage for the hardest hit businesses!

TAKE ACTION | Please reach out to your EIO Manager or click here to email us if you need help!