Since the outbreak of COVID19 in late 2019 and the situation has been getting worse, the virus has spread from China to countries around the world, including Thailand. This situation has caused the Thai government to announce various measures to control the spread of the disease. This situation has also caused many businesses to temporarily stop their operations or some to permanently close. For businesses that can still survive, they have to adapt and have new measures in their management, including the management of people in the organization.
Things that people in society are familiar with, whether it’s New Normal, Social Distancing, or Work from Home, have led to the determination of ways of life and various social measures. This situation has made HR have to participate in planning to support changes and determine various measures to support the “new way of life” with the following guidelines:
Measures before Work from Home
Businesses have intensified their health and hygiene measures for employees, such as wearing face masks, using alcohol gel to wash hands at various points, keeping distance in buildings and elevators, increasing the frequency of cleaning equipment and premises, suspending travel to risk areas, communities, and canceling activities that involve large gatherings of people. If employees have unusual symptoms or a high fever, they should see a doctor immediately and be allowed to stop working immediately, etc.
Measures during Work from Home
If Work from Home measures are required, HR must also plan to create communication channels with employees, train them on the use of communication tools, and set new working guidelines for employees. During times like this, there are often negative rumors, so HR must communicate and make employees understand. In the meantime, HR may find that there are some types of work that can be redesigned.
Post- Work from Home Measures
When the situation improves, HR must set measures for employees to follow from the time they leave home until they finish work and go home. As long as there is no vaccine for this disease in the world, a re-infection can still happen. Therefore, when returning to work, strict practices must still be followed, such as requiring people to wear masks while commuting to work, checking body temperatures before entering the building, and maintaining social distancing is still necessary. Personal belongings should not be shared. In cases where workplace congestion is desired, staggered work days or working hours may be used, including breaks between work and lunch breaks. When returning home, immediately take a shower and change clothes.
COVID19 has created a situation that no one expected to cause such a huge change. This is a test of business adaptation, with HR coming in to set new working measures for business survival. It may not be just business adaptation, but it is business evolution.
