What Back to School Means for Shift Workers

It’s that time of year again. The weather is cooling off, the leaves are starting to change, and our little ones are returning to the schoolyard. The major difference this year? COVID-19. For many, the return to school is often anticipated and exciting, however this year, there’s an air of unease. Return to school protocols are constantly evolving with the changing landscape of regional COVID-19 cases, and parents are left wondering what it means for them and their families.

For many workers, especially shift workers, there’s unease about what the protocols are for working with sick children. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), while the positive cases of children have remained low, they are not exempt from contracting COVID-19. Schools, therefore, needed to consider this when creating safety regulations. Many schools have enforced strict policies requiring students to remain at home for 14 days (and until their symptoms have disappeared) if they show any signs of COVID-19. 

So, What Does This Mean for Parents?

Some employers and workplaces are fortunate enough to enable their employees to work remotely. However, that isn’t the case for everyone. Hospitals and other shift-work employers need to ensure they are properly staffed to serve their patients and customers. These organizations can’t function without employees physically in the workplace. Employers need to adopt strategies to keep their employees informed and their shifts filled.

With the strict ‘stay home’ regulations in place at schools, there is a greater risk of an increased number of employees calling in sick or taking personal days to look after their children. Employers need to have an efficient system in place to fill those shifts. 

What Happens if an Employee or Their Child Tests Positive for COVID-19? 

The CDC encourages employers to implement contact tracing to help prevent the spread of the disease. This is another issue employers must prepare for. They need to have smart systems in place to properly trace employee contacts as well as notify their employees of potential infection rates.

In order to ensure a safe and healthy workforce, employers need to adopt strategies and methods to communicate with their staff and fill required shifts. Keeping staff up-to-date on COVID-specific issues and contact tracing information is important. This will help to assure employees and let them know their employer values their safety. In order to keep production running smoothly and patients properly cared for, shifts need to be filled with healthy employees. 

While returning to school is a little more complicated this year, there are solutions employers can put in place to keep their workforce strong and healthy. Adopting strategies for contact tracing and effective communication with employees are two ways employers can maintain support, safety, and productivity in the workplace.

How Andgo can Help

Our smart absence management software was designed for complex scheduling environments. Broadcast allows customers to easily communicate one-time alerts, bulletins, and/or instructions to employees. This keeps employees up-to-date on what’s happening in the workplace. Smart Call automates the communication of available immediate need shifts to eligible employees, streamlining the shift-filling process. Quick Dial is an Interactive Voice Response (IVR) system that optimizes the way scheduling departments receive, direct, and process incoming phone calls.