The SESCO Report – April 2020
Notice Regarding Our Newsletter
Dear SESCO Clients,
Those who receive our printed newsletter will not be receiving it this edition. With some staff working from home and other reasons related to the preparation and distribution of the newsletter, SESCO will not be mailing a hard copy this edition.
We will resume our printed newsletter version as soon as the current business and COVID-19 conditions allow.
See below our electronic version of our newsletter. Please feel free to print and/or email this version to your management team, colleagues, and friends.
As always, we sincerely appreciate the opportunity to be of service. Be safe!
The SESCO Staff
Proactive Communication is Critical in Maintaining Positive Employee Relations During the Current Crisis
Whether during this crisis or even in normal, stable times, when there is a lack of effective communication, employees will always fill the void. When leadership does not communicate, employees will fill this void with negativity, rumors, backbiting, and potentially harmful disinformation affecting your employees as well as your business.
During this COVID crisis, as well as when the economy is "reopened," effective, proactive communications from leadership will be critical to maintain your operations.
Let's face it, employees are talking about the coronavirus outbreak. Be proactive and provide them with company policy as well as questions and answers from sources such as SESCO, the CDC, and others. See SESCO's COVID-19 toolbox for suggested communications. The goal is to prevent employees from overreacting and spreading false information and rumors. It will also prevent employees from abusing FFCRA — such as requesting child care inappropriately, staying at home or quitting while under the impression that they are going to receive lucrative unemployment benefits for four (4) months.
These communications are vital so your employees receive informative and accurate information — not only about the virus but also your organization's expectations, efforts to maintain a clean and healthy workplace, and your efforts to ensure that your employees' health and safety is paramount while serving the public.
There are some basics that employees should understand about the symptoms and the course of illness which should be a part of your overall communication campaign to include:
COVID-19 is not airborne. It is passed by droplets. That means when someone who is infected coughs into their hands and touches a surface, someone else can catch it by touching that surface and then touching their face. As strange as it may seem, that's good news. It means that if people wash their hands frequently with regular soap, especially after having touched surfaces others use or shaking hands, they are much less likely to be infected.
Some people have compared COVID-19 symptoms to the flu, but that's not completely accurate. The two (2) most common symptoms are fever and a dry cough. People with COVID-19 rarely have a sniffle. They also aren't likely to be nauseous. What they are likely to have is bad upper respiratory problems.
It is also true that for most younger workers, the symptoms are milder and people who have it may only think they have a cold. However, older employees or anyone with a compromised immune system are much more likely to have serious symptoms that may require medical assistance.
If someone has been exposed, they are likely to have symptoms within five (5) days of exposure and can also be a carrier up to 14 days even if they are asymptomatic. This is why quarantine periods are generally (not always) 14 days long.
Employees expect accurate, authoritative and transparent information. Trying to conceal risk can potentially create more harm. Companies need communications when there are affected employees or employees' spouses, loved ones who have been affected, where a customer was affected and comes in to your business, etc. All of these questions and issues can be answered proactively.
With most of the news media and information employees consume being hyperinflated and many times simply factually false, employers need to fill this void.
Visit SESCO's website and COVID-19 tab for many useful communication tools.
SESCO Presents Families First Coronavirus Response Act Webinars and Live Stream Programs to Several National and State Associations and Chambers of Commerce
Visit https://sescomgt.com/services/covid-19 to watch the webinar.
SESCO is proud to have presented to several industry groups nationwide as well as state associations and Chambers of Commerce the Families First Coronavirus Response Act. As a matter of background, SESCO was on the forefront in reading and studying the Act, and continually monitoring and developing compliance and staff recommendations for employers across the country. As such, SESCO has been recognized as one of the leaders in ensuring compliance with FFCRA in a number of industries and professions.
SESCO has fielded over 2,000 calls and emails from various clients in the past two (2) weeks seeking assistance on their questions and business decisions ranging from FFCRA compliance, understanding, staffing, compensation, furloughs and layoffs, unemployment compensation, Payroll Protection Program, and others. We are very proud and thankful of our team of certified consultants and attorneys who have tirelessly committed themselves to these efforts over the past several weeks.
Of course, SESCO retainer/service agreement clients can call us as needed with no additional charge. If you are currently not a client of SESCO's, please contact sesco@sescomgt.com.
SESCO Client Feedback
"The (COVID-19) webinar was a 10! I use another HR company, but your information that was provided was so much more! Thanks much!" ~ Margaret Ellenson — Tyler's Automotive
"I wanted to tell you today's Live Stream regarding FFCRA was the best I've attended since this incident took place. Lisle was precise, to the point and provided so many answers that needed to be worded/spoken just like he did on the presentation. I will share the email/PowerPoint with staff, when I receive it. Nice job — thank you." ~ Suzy Cloyd, Corporate Director of Human Resources — Insights Training Group, LLC
"Thank you for a great (FFCRA) presentation." ~ Daryl Russell — Bankers Insurance
"It (FFCRA webinar) was really good information and well done, one of the best I have seen." ~ Cheryl Robb-Welch, Chief Operating Officer — Missouri Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence
Special Thanks to New SESCO Clients!
Integrated Health Partners
Johnson City, TN
Hart Nissan
Mechanicsville, VA
OCTANORM
Lithia Springs, GA
Big Stone Gap Redevelopment and Housing Authority
Big Stone Gap, VA
Prestige Motors of Asheville
Asheville, NC
Rockbridge Area Community Services
Lexington, VA
PATHS
Danville, VA
FFI Holdings, Inc.
Maitland, FL
Fox Valley, LLC
Marion, VA
Penn Muffler & Brake
Pennsauken, NJ
Big O Tires
Reno, NV
Gene's Pawn Shop
North Charleston, SC
Gardner Paint Service, Inc.
Johnson City, TN
Paar, Melis & Associates, P.C.
Mount Airy, MD
Peninsula Pawn
Seaford, DE
Big O Tires
Sparks, NV
Bill's on Broadway
Grove City, OH
CarMasters Automotive
Norfolk, VA
Kendal at Lexington
Lexington, VA
