The TAG Team Is
Here to Help!
We work closely with our prospective clients to determine the best level of support based on
goals and current perceived gaps.
Whether it’s a phone consultation, online training or onsite visits – we’re here to help you!
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800.401.2239
Key Points
Updated: April 23, 2020
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Due to the changing times, it is imperative that businesses and companies openly communicate with employees, not just the “what” but the “why” specific actions are taken. Open communications build trust and rapport within the workforce.
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Communication can take many forms from simple verbal communication, to signage and posters to communicate information, to daily emails or texts. Allow a method of facilitating conversation so employees are “in the know.”
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It is encouraged that employers also “check-in” with their employees’ mental health statuses. While this is not oftentimes discussed, the anxieties and confusion created by the ever-changing world can have a negative impact on mental health that can translate poorly and have ramifications on the work environment and workforce.
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To enable “check-ins,” some companies conduct weekly surveys or call their employees to see how they are faring. Such actions demonstrate your care and dedication while continuing to build and good relations.
Recommendations for
the Food Industry
COVID-19 Risk Management: Employee Communication.
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Since the start of the COVID-19 crisis and through to this day, mixed messages from the news, governments, and even businesses have created detrimental communication issues. Mixed messaging continues to generate high anxiety, confusion, and questions within the workforce, especially amongst Essential industry employees (including those within food companies) who continue to work each day.
To address and align messaging and business initiatives, TAG continues to stress the importance of ongoing employee communication. Honest and open communications should include (but are not limited to) discussions around COVID-19 cases among your workforce, general communications about the pandemic, and employee-protection practices and procedures. Most importantly, in order to build trust, communications should include the reasons behind actions taken or information given.
On the one hand, relaying your protection practices to employees is straight-forward. On the other hand, it is not always easy for managers and executives to fully explain the “why” behind the practices. Additionally, it may be difficult to juggle that while remaining fully updated on the continually evolving science (and policies) of the pandemic to answer employee questions and address their anxieties.
Having received queries on handling employee anxieties and questions from many clients, TAG has developed and encourages the use of a public Town Hall forum process to assist. We understand that, in some cases, it may be challenging to align communications from within. This Town Hall forum provides a Safe Space in which employees may voice their questions, concerns, and even grievances while moderated from an outside perspective. We will call into your internal phone conferencing system, provide a 5- to 10-minute overview of the situation while reiterating and reinforcing COVID-19 protection messages, then take questions. Through the Town Hall, we hope to create a Safe Space to facilitate dialogue between all parties while answering questions and concerns that employees may have. To enable discussion, build alignment, and encourage affirmation, we will provide our best perspectives on areas that are still evolving, provide honesty in our responses, and support the alignment needs of the company with the workforce.
Give TAG a call for more information on this and our other COVID-19 and general Business Continuity services.
Everyone should practice social distancing (more specifically, physical distancing), not only those who are ill or at higher-risk (e.g. older individuals, pre-existing conditions) but also among healthy individuals so we may "flatten the curve".
Please feel free to use this free poster at your establishment. Please email us (info@achesongroup.com) for a copy of this poster (English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and Chinese - simplified, traditional are available).
Outbreak Updates
As of April 23, 2020 (11:11 ET), there are over 2,658,000 cases (>185,000 deaths) worldwide.
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Due to the increasing number of cases in the United States, TAG will move from reporting counts per country to focus on the United States, please see here for the data. For further information regarding worldwide numbers, please refer to John Hopkin University’s aggregate map.
Keep up to date with COVID-19:
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Please send us any questions, comments, and/or concerns! We are happy to talk with you.
OR call us at 1-800-401-2239
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