How to Keep Your Remote Workforce Healthy During COVID-19

Posted on

July 13th, 2020

With several states seeing a surge in COVID-19 cases, many businesses are opting to have their employees continue working from home. However, while working from home has significantly fewer risk factors for spreading COVID-19 than working in an office setting does, it’s not guaranteed employees won’t become sick.

Common Risk Factors in Employees Homes

Even if a company’s employees are telecommuting, this doesn’t mean the rest of their households are as well. Spouses or adult children still living at home may have jobs that don’t allow them to telecommute. These individuals may bring illness home with them (COVID-19 or otherwise) that then may infect remote workers. Telecommuting employees still need to go out as well to pick up groceries, prescriptions, and more, which increases their risk profile of contracting COVID-19.

4 Steps to Keep Remote Employees Healthy

Employers should encourage their employees to utilize the following best practices to stay as healthy as possible during the pandemic:

Sterilize common household surfaces. Alcohol is the great equalizer when it comes to viruses. With the proper application and concentration, employees can kill 99.99% of germs lingering on surfaces everyone touches. This can help prevent the accidental surface spread of illnesses among household members. The most effective alcohol-based cleaners have a concentration of at least 70% alcohol.
Condense grocery trips whenever possible. Prior to COVID-19, making a quick trip to the store for a forgotten item didn’t pose major health risks. Now, unnecessary exposure in crowded places increases the likelihood of falling ill. Utilizing grocery pickup or delivery services can significantly curtail this source of exposure.
Wear a mask when out in public. While hotly debated in some places, wearing a mask out in public is the easiest way to prevent the spread of contagion. This is particularly important if employees are visiting places where sick people congregate such as the pharmacy or at a doctor’s office. Wearing a mask is also a good reminder to avoid touching the face while out in public, as the mouth, nose, and eyes are common entry points for viruses.
Wear gloves when out in public. Many people know that door handles, grocery carts, and other surfaces touched by dozens if not hundreds of people each day are likely sources of germs. However, not many stop to consider the produce and products they touch while at grocery stores. Several people have likely handled those items and wearing disposable gloves can cut down on the spread of germs.

While employers can educate and train their employees on the best practices to stay healthy during the pandemic, it’s impossible to safeguard against every risk. In the event that employees fall ill, employers will need a simple solution to keep track of absences and leave requests from their remote workforce. Contact the experts at Actec to learn how our absence tracking mobile app can help your business.

5 Best Apps to Help Employees Manage Stress During COVID-19

Posted on

June 29th, 2020

Andrew

For many employees, the COVID-19 pandemic has reached a turning point. As many states scale back their stay at home orders, certain employees will return to the workplace while others may remain remote depending on the situation. Regardless, it represents yet another change in an already turbulent time. With so much uncertainty, it’s highly likely that the majority of employees are struggling with stress. High levels of tension can tank productivity and morale as well as lead to problems with attendance.

The following apps can help employees manage their stress and anxiety as they enter into a new phase of working during the pandemic:

Stop Panic & Anxiety Self-Help. This self-help app is useful for reminding employees of their strength and ability to overcome panic. It includes a diary to help employees identify and challenge thought patterns that precede panic or anxiety attacks. The app includes reading and audio resources as well to cope with panic as it occurs. Employees can download this app free of charge; however, it’s only available on Android devices.
Headspace. This free app focuses on improving sleep, mood, productivity, and mindfulness through targeted meditation. The app aims to enhance focus, reduce stress, and recognize stress trigger to limit their control over the user’s reactions and emotions. It’s available for Android and iOS users.
Rootd. Similar to Headspace, this app introduces exercises to improve mindfulness as well as tactics to help reduce stress and anxiety. The app also incorporates a handy feature that allows users to call a confidant or emergency service with the press of a button if they’re in distress. This app is free for individuals to download on Android or iOS devices as well.
MyLife (formerly known as Stop, Breathe, & Think). This mindfulness app differs from the above by tracking the user’s mood and making recommendations to help them at that moment. Once the user checks in with how they’re feeling, the app may recommend specific relaxation exercises, meditation, and more to help achieve a more positive frame of mind. This app is free for Android and iOS users.
Dare—Break Free From Anxiety. Avoiding stress and anxiety often makes the situation worse. This app helps employees to exist alongside their stressors, worries, and fears without being consumed by them. Employees can follow along with guided content as they face their stress head-on.

Managing employee stress will be vital to resuming business operations, sustaining productivity, and keeping absenteeism in check. To learn more about absence management, contact the experts at Actec.

How Flexible Schedules Can Benefit Your Business

Posted on

June 17th, 2020

Andrew

Absenteeism in the workplace is a challenge all businesses need to be ready to take head-on. Letting attendance problems slide can lead to a productivity crisis as well as spread like an infection to other employees. However, preventing absenteeism is a lot simpler than many companies realize. By implementing flexible schedules, employers can see an uptick in punctuality, productivity, and more.

Reducing Tardiness, Early Departures, and Absenteeism

Employees that work traditional nine to five jobs suffer through rush hour traffic on the front and backend of their workday. This can cause them to arrive late or duck out early to avoid it. Spending hours of their day in traffic can also lead to resentment and burnout. By allowing employees to shift their schedules to an earlier or later time, they can avoid rush hour and find a better work-life balance. Happier employees are more punctual and less likely to call out of work as well.

More Productive Employees

Allowing employees to set their own schedules gives them agency and improves engagement. Often, they get more work done than usual because they’re in a better mood and not struggling with work weariness. If your business doesn’t have to adhere to strict, traditional work hours, you can reap the benefits of improved productivity such as better workplace morale and more profits.

Recruit Top Candidates

Having a flexible schedule is a much sought after benefit and can attract top tier job candidates. Having the ability to set their own schedule can entice applicants away from the competition as well. In addition, employers don’t typically have to worry about absenteeism from high-quality applicants. This saves time and money by reducing employee turnover rates.

Making the change to flexible scheduling may seem radical to many businesses, especially if they’ve always operated during traditional work hours. However, it doesn’t have to be the scheduling nightmare it seems like with the proper tools. Contact the experts at Actec to learn more about our absence management solutions.

4 Tips to Improve Productivity While Working from Home

Posted on

May 18th, 2020

Andrew

For many employees, the shift to working 100% from home has been a challenging one. Many are working alongside their spouse with limited office space while others have their children’s homeschool schedules to manage in addition to their work responsibilities. Some may be caring for at-risk family members or struggling with isolation if they live alone. Working from home with little notice due to COVID-19 has its hurdles, but employers and employees can take the following steps to maximize their productivity.

Create a general schedule for everyone. An employee’s work schedule no longer exists in the insulated walls of their work building. They need to outline what the new daily routine will look like to include sleep schedules, work hours, school obligations, meal times, outdoor/recreation time, screen time, and more. Employees may need rigid hours or flexible time slots to make a schedule work for their family. However, having a basic plan for how the day will unfold can help keep everyone on track and keep chaos to a minimum.
Accept that work will be different than it was before. Trying to force an office building-oriented routine onto a working-from-the-kitchen-table scenario will fail every time. Employees will only be able to complete a certain amount of work if there are several other people living at home with them. Limited office space, a significant increase in the relative volume level, limited access to previous resources and tools, and a host of distractions will drastically overhaul the appearance of a typical workday. Employers and employees will need a significant degree of flexibility to avoid burnout.
Schedule work hours and stick to them. Having other people around such as a spouse, extended family members, or children can derail a workday without much effort. It’s important for the employee to establish clear work hours and let everyone know they are unavailable to chat or play during that time frame barring emergencies.
Outline a weekly work plan. With more things competing with employee’s time while working from home, outlining a plan for each day can help. Having a schedule lets employees know exactly what they need to do when they sit down at their computer rather than wasting rare uninterrupted time figuring out where to start. Several online project management tools can help with this.

Finding ways to improve productivity, engagement, and morale can help reduce employees’ stress, the likelihood of burnout, and attendance problems. To learn more about managing attendance with a remote workforce, contact the experts at Actec.

4 Ways to Determine If Management Is Causing High Absenteeism

Posted on

April 27th, 2020

Andrew

Seasoned managers don’t allow themselves to get too hung up on whether their employees like them or not. While it’s good to foster positive communication and a good working relationship with employees, management isn’t there to win popularity contests. However, when company leaders are actively unpleasant, it can tank productivity and cause attendance problems such as tardiness, ducking out early, or calling out of work altogether.

If employee retention, attendance, and engagement are down across the board, it may be time to take a closer look at leadership styles. The following red flags can indicate the absenteeism problem isn’t because of the employees, but because of their managers or team leads:

Employees avoid management at all costs. Employees may be intimidated by casual conversation with the boss, but it’s another thing altogether if they go to great lengths to avoid any encounter. For example, they may vacate common areas when management enters them, avoid meetings/sit as far as possible from management during meetings, or find an excuse to skip out on company events that put them in close proximity with management.
Small talk is forced and awkward. Small talk happens throughout the day, but unhappy employees may clam up abruptly around management. If they refuse to discuss even the most superficial topics with company leadership, it may be a sign that something is amiss.
They don’t offer to help. Employees are aware of their workflow and many will offer to help with related tasks to keep projects on schedule. It shows initiative and many companies view it as a positive trait and reward it accordingly. When employees are at odds with management, however, they won’t extend aid for one of two reasons. Either they don’t feel like they should help someone who is antagonistic to them or they are afraid to speak up to make the offer.
Attendance becomes a problem. It can start small, like employees leaving the second work hours are over even if projects are incomplete for deadlines. They may begin to sneak out five minutes early or take longer breaks. They might start calling in sick on a frequent basis, which hurts productivity and the morale of the remaining staff.

One employee exhibiting the above signs may be indicative of a problem with that particular individual. However, if employers notice numerous employees are showing symptoms, it may be time to take a closer look at company management and their leadership styles. Recognizing the signs of an unhappy staff can allow leaders to address the problem before it devolves into widespread absenteeism. To learn more about absence management, contact the experts at Actec.

How to Implement a Successful Work from Home Program in 5 Steps

Posted on

March 16th, 2020

Andrew

The novel coronavirus has made headlines for months and isn’t showing signs of stopping anytime soon. For many employers, the likelihood of business interruptions is no longer a potential that can wait unchecked. If schools and daycares close, employees will need to stay home to provide care for their children. This leaves employers in a quandary—how do they continue business as usual with a skeleton crew? For many, the answer will be allowing their workers to telecommute.

What a Telecommuting Workforce Will Look Like

Many companies offer flexible schedules or work from home options on certain days of the week already, as these are appealing benefits among millennials. Expanding this policy to allow employees to work 100% remote won’t be without its challenges. It will be even more difficult for businesses that have no exposure to such policies.

To implement a successful remote work policy, employers will need to know its limitations first. Not every job is suited to working from home so employers will still need to develop strategies or workarounds for jobs that are impossible to perform from home. Managers will be a vital resource to executives, as they should know which tasks are most suited to telework and which ones are not.

Employees will also need access to adequate equipment including, at a minimum, a computer with high-speed internet. While most households have these things, executives should be sure employees have the ability to attend teleconferences and maintain good communication while working from home.

How to Implement a Work from Home Policy

There will be a learning curve as employees and employers alike adjust to the change. Some employees may find they’re more comfortable working from home in their pajamas while others may dislike bringing work into the home. There may be communication hiccups as well so investing in a company chat program may help employees maintain the back-and-forth needed to keep projects moving.

To ensure the program is a success, employers should do the following:

Start testing it now. Waiting until a closure happens and forces the company’s hand isn’t likely to be a smooth transition to remote working. To get a feel for how telecommuting would work, employers could implement the program on a one-day a week basis.
Iron out the wrinkles. Establishing a telecommuting policy isn’t as simple as providing employees with a computer and access to the company network. Communication will be key to maintaining order. Investing in apps that focus on communication like chat programs, video conferencing, and more will help achieve that goal. In the testing phase, employers can identify problem areas and tweak the policy or find an application to resolve the issues.
Establish work hours. This will be especially critical for workplaces that offer flexible scheduling. With employees clocking in and out at varying times of the day, chaos can quickly ensue. Employers will need to decide whether all employees must be available during the same hours of the day or if the work lends itself to a flexible schedule without issue.
Recognize where it won’t work. Some jobs require employees to be onsite without any way to perform the work from home. Employers will need to determine a plan for those employees as well as how (and if) their business can continue to operate without them.

Businesses need to have a plan in place for how they will respond if shutdowns or illness forces their employees to remain at home for an extended period. At the bare minimum, employers should consider revising their absence policy. For example, progressive discipline policies may unfairly affect working parents or employees who have to remain home to care for an ill family member. Contact the experts at Actec to learn more about our absence management solutions.

How to Keep the Workplace Healthy to Prevent Business Interruptions

Posted on

March 2nd, 2020

Andrew

The novel coronavirus has made headlines for weeks and doesn’t show any signs of slowing down. With infected Americans returning home from abroad, experts say it’s not a matter of if the virus spreads across the country but when and how severe the effects will be. The CDC confirmed the first case of the illness in the United States with no known origin—the individual hadn’t recently traveled to China or had close contact with anyone suffering from the illness. While the CDC hasn’t confirmed this is an instance of community spread, it’s a harbinger of illnesses to come.

What Businesses Can Do to Prepare

The CDC has three recommendations for what businesses can do now to lessen the spread of the illness outside of pharmaceutical means. These include:

Urging employees to stay home when ill
Canceling large gatherings of people such as conferences or training seminars
Vigilantly cleaning surface in the office

In addition to encouraging employees to stay home when sick, businesses should also consider suspending the requirement to produce a doctor’s note for employees suffering from respiratory illnesses. Doctors’ offices will likely be operating at a hectic pace and doctor’s notes aren’t likely on their priority list. Employees should refrain from returning to work until their temperature has remained below 100.4F for a minimum of 24 hours without the assistance of medication.

As for the workplace, performing routine cleaning of all touchable surfaces is critical. As it’s still cold and flu season, it’s likely employees are already taking measures to protect themselves from airborne and contact illnesses. However, businesses should ensure surface cleanings include doorknobs, keyboards, and any other surface that employees touch that can be wiped down.

Posting signs about proper sneezing and coughing protocol can help prevent the spread of germs as well. In addition, many adults fail to wash their hands properly so businesses should also consider posting notices with guidelines near all sinks.

What to Do in the Event of Closures

Employees may have no choice but to stay home in the event of daycare or school closures. Businesses may opt to temporarily close as well if a certain percentage of the staff falls ill. However, not all businesses can withstand a prolonged shutdown. Businesses should consider updating policies regarding working from home as well as using teleconference tools.

There’s no way to predict where the coronavirus will spread or how it will affect businesses. Now is the time for companies to look at their sick leave policies and ensure employees understand all procedures regarding calling out, working from home if applicable, and returning to work.

Keeping track of office-wide illnesses can spiral out of control if businesses don’t have a solid absence reporting program in place. Contact the experts at Actec to learn more about absence management technology to track paid leave, identify absenteeism, and more.

How to Prevent Time Theft in the Workplace

Posted on

February 17th, 2020

Andrew

Nearly three-fourths of businesses experience a problem known as time theft, which is when an employee receives income for time he or she didn’t work. This isn’t like sick leave or vacation leave, as the employee informs his or her employer of those absences. With time theft, the employee takes the pay on the sly and the employer is often none the wiser.

What is Buddy Punching?

Buddy punching is one of the most well-known forms of time theft and many employees don’t realize they’re doing anything wrong when they do it. Employees who are running late or need to leave a few minutes early will ask a coworker to punch in or out for them to avoid trouble with their boss. Most coworkers don’t view this as time theft but as one buddy doing another a favor.

A few minutes here and there may not seem like much, but time theft like this costs businesses across the country more than $373 million per year. For small businesses with numerous part-time employees, this could shake out to roughly $30,000 per year. Thankfully, businesses have a number of tactics available to them to prevent buddy punching:

Develop clear rules and enforce them. Employers may think actions like buddy punching are clearly a bad idea, but that isn’t always the case. If attendance guidelines aren’t explicit, employees have room to interpret them on their own. Spelling out attendance rules in clear language allows employers to enforce them effectively.
Stop using physical cards. While not many workplaces use antiquated punch machines these days, plenty still have physical cards that are easy to swipe in or out for a friend. Several online applications allow for digital timecards, which are less prone to buddy punching.
Implement sensitive logins and passwords. While high-tech time cards are harder to falsify, it’s not impossible if employees share their logins to continue their buddy punching practices. Making ID numbers personal or sensitive will make employees less prone to sharing the information and thus cut down on buddy punching.
Lean on technology. If all else fails, employers can turn to biometrics or geofencing to eliminate buddy punching. With biometrics, employees can’t scam the system since their thumbprint or facial recognition won’t match up correctly. Geofencing is also effective as it relies on GPS, Wi-Fi, and cell data to create a fence around the business. If the employee isn’t physically within that fence with their cellphone, they won’t be able to clock into work.

Businesses, especially small businesses, can’t afford to lose thousands of dollars every year for work their employees never performed. Eliminating time theft like buddy punching can help improve attendance as well as boost businesses’ bottom lines. However, buddy punching can be a symptom of a much larger issue. Employees who arrive late and leave early can be a sign of a burgeoning absenteeism problem. Contact the experts at Actec to learn how we can help your business improve attendance and reduce absenteeism.

Addressing Excessive Workday Breaks

Posted on

January 20th, 2020

Andrew

Employees need breaks to re-energize and remain engaged with their work. Slogging through the workday without pausing to eat and take a mental break can lead to burnout and hinder productivity. However, employees who take excessively long breaks create problems as well. When an employee leaves for lunch and returns well after they’re due back, they can hold up projects or spread the behavior to other staff members.

If an employer suspects or notices staff members stretching their lunch break, they can take the following steps to rectify it and prevent further instances of it in the future.

Outline clear policies. Many company handbooks discuss major attendance issues like how to request sick leave, how the employer handles tardiness, and so on. However, taking excessive breaks doesn’t always make the cut. While employees should know they can’t extend their lunch hours, providing clear, direct rules can resolve any confusion.
Keep records. Having proof of break abuse can assist in facilitating a productive conversation with the offending employee. Making accusations without evidence of any rule-breaking can cause employees to become defensive.
Find out the cause of the behavior. It’s rare that an employee is slacking off for the fun of it. If employers notice employees suddenly taking longer breaks, they should look for the root cause. Problems such as bullying, feeling unchallenged, or issues at home can leave an employee feeling fatigued and disengaged with their work.
Establish a strategy. After addressing the problem, employers need to develop a clear plan of action for the employee while offering support if necessary. Simply telling an employee to stop taking long breaks doesn’t address what’s causing the behavior in the first place.
Avoid micromanaging breaks. It’s not worth raising a fuss over employees that are only a couple of minutes late from their lunch, particularly if it’s not a frequent occurrence. The best way to know if extended breaks are becoming a problem in the office is to keep track of them with an absence management system.

Taking long breaks can lead to additional unwanted attendance issues. Arriving late, leaving early, and long breaks can all culminate in a rampant absenteeism problem. Contact the experts at Actec to learn more about our absence reporting solution.

How to Manage Employees Abusing Their Sick Leave

Posted on

January 6th, 2020

Andrew

There are several legitimate reasons an employee may call out of work. Illnesses, federally protected leave, and family emergencies can arise without notice. However, when employers begin to notice certain employees always seem to call out sick during the summer or holiday season, they may have an absenteeism problem on their hands.

The Effects of Absenteeism

Absenteeism rates vary depending on the industry, but the averages range from 2.1% to 4% of the workforce. While that may not seem very high at a glance, it can have far-reaching consequences. For businesses with 500 employees, this can mean as many as 20 employees are misusing their sick leave. This costs employers in several ways. Not only do they have to pay the employee for work they didn’t perform, but it also puts a strain on the remaining employees as they have to pick up the slack. This can result in missed deadlines, a loss of reputation, poor workplace morale, and a hit to profits.

Monitoring Sick Leave Abuse

The simplest way to prevent absenteeism is to be aware of it through an attendance system. Employers can keep an eye on potential sick leave abuse in the following ways:

* Recognize the signs and intervene early
* Find out why the employee is abusing their leave; there may be a larger problem at play causing the absences such as office bullying or a scheduling conflict
* Learn to say no to unrealistic requests for leave
* Ensure employees are aware of sick leave policies as well as the resulting disciplinary action for abusing sick leave

Of course, another element of monitoring sick leave is encouraging employees to use it correctly as well. Employees who come to work despite their illness can spread contagion and cause widespread absences.

Balancing legitimate sick leave requests while preventing absenteeism can be a challenge for employers. This is why having an absence management system is vital. Such systems can track absences, identify attendance trends, and more. Contact the experts at Actec to learn how we can help your business eliminate absenteeism.