The world as we know it has changed quickly and quietly. Working in space in close proximity to other people is no longer safe, so many employers are granting their employees the opportunity to work from home. While this is not feasible for all industries, if it is realistic in your line of work, your employee should be able to work from home. These five reasons support the rationale:
Wifi can be secured
Some employers might worry about security issues relating to WiFi. Businesses need to have secure systems to prevent hackers from accessing vital business data. If this is a concern that is preventing businesses from sending employees home to work, then you should work with your internet provider to beef up the security at your employees’ homes.
Healthy employees are productive
The virus making its way through the world is dangerous. When employees are in shared spaces, they can be exposed to the virus. People who get the COVID-19 virus can become so sick that they need to be put on ventilators. Instead, if they can stay at home and work there, they can still be productive and not worry about getting exposed to the virus.
Business reputation
When you grant your employees the opportunity to work from home, your business’s reputation shows that you care about your people. Someday the virus will be under control and businesses that did the right thing will be rewarded with the respect of future customers.
Social media is full of stories of businesses that are valuing their people over the bottom line, and those stories spread. People notice, and they share. They talk to their friends and relatives who are being treated with respect and concern. The same happens when the opposite happens, and businesses treat the bottom line as more valuable than their people. Businesses should do the right thing and protect people’s lives.
Reducing the impact on health care providers
When businesses keep their employees together in an office or factory, they put a potential strain on health care providers. If you can let your employees work from home, they are at a lower risk of ending up in an already-strained health care system. If they aren’t going to work, they aren’t driving; this reduces the number of cars on the road and accidents that can happen. Health care workers need support from employers who can give their employees the opportunity to stay at home and keep working.
No one has immunity
The problem with the virus is that it is brand new, and because of this, no one has built up immunity. Without any natural immunity, people are going to get sick. If you can let your employees work from home, they have fewer opportunities of being exposed to someone who already has it. Since the virus can lay dormant in people, no one knows who actually has it until they get incredibly sick. No employer wants to run the risk of their employees becoming deathly ill.
