1. What can we do to help ensure business continuity?

Talk with your employees about what you are doing to ensure safety in the workplace. As part of that communication, remind employees to stay home when they are sick, wash their hands, use a tissue when they cough or sneeze, avoid people who are sick, and regularly clean their work station. Let your employees know if you are providing hand sanitizers and disinfectant cleaners and where to find them. And encourage them to come to you to discuss any concerns they may have so you can address them.

If you are having trouble with absenteeism, you could also consider providing incentives to healthy employees who show up to work.

2. I need to lay off a tenured employee.  What is the best way to do that in the current situation?

We all know the best way to communicate bad news is often in a face-to-face conversation. If you are close to a tenured employee, you may be able to call them individually to let the know you have some very difficult news and give them the option to come into the office or let you tell them over the phone.

You should give them as much information as you can about the effect on the business, other employees, yourself, your deep concern for the health of them and their families, and you are doing everything you can to help everyone and keep the company financially stable in order to survive this, so everyone will have a place to come back to when it is over.

You can also let the employee know you are sending information to the TWC to expedite their unemployment payments and that they are welcome to go online or to a TWC office to file for unemployment themselves, and you will verify it is due to COVID-19.  We are hearing the employer site is very hard to get through at this time, given all of the other companies that are in this same position.