To achieve a successful reopening after the COVID-19 outbreak, employers will need to prepare a comprehensive and detailed plan taking into account all federal, state, and local guidelines. While the preparation for reopening isn't a one-size-fits-all project, common elements will apply to all employers. The following six areas provide a general framework for developing a reopening plan you can tailor to your industry, location, size, and workforce.

1. Workplace

Prepare your workplace to mitigate the risk of contamination and exposure. To keep workers, secure, establish safety protocols, and provide sanitation supplies in compliance with U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Occupational Safety and Health (OSHA) guidelines. Organize your policies and practices to allow and promote social distancing, including new signage, decreased touchpoints, reconfigured workstations, and enhanced cleaning schedules. Other steps include:

• Decide whether you'll require employees and visitors to wear masks;
• Determine what types of health screenings (e.g., temperature checks) you'll conduct; and
• Prepare protocols if workers become ill or have been in contact with someone who is sick.

2. Work and/or business operations

Assess and evaluate the work to be performed, identifying any mission-critical tasks. Determine whether the way critical work is conducted needs to change and, if so, how it will be performed after the reopening. Identify key workers, and establish backup plans in the event of additional workplace interruptions (e.g., if another phase of remote work becomes necessary).

3. Workforce

Determine how to make decisions about which employees need to return to the workplace and who can continue to work from home or may no longer be necessary. In the process, review your policies to ensure they align with federal, state, and local guidelines.

Consider whether to return workers in phases and/or staggered shifts. Prepare for possible disruptions because of a new outbreak after reopening.

4. Policies

Conduct a comprehensive review of all your workplace policies. Specifically, look at your current remote work, paid leave, reasonable accommodations, data security, and technology policies as well as any other policies affected by COVID-19. During this time period, flexibility is very important and should be a component of your policies whenever applicable.

5. Communication

Develop clear, transparent communications to workers, unions (if any), customers, the community, and other stakeholders about how you'll reopen and when. Transparency is critical to a successful reopening.

Keep workers informed about changes in the workplace, from cleaning and social-distancing protocols to timing of the return to work. It's important for them to know what to expect on the first day and what protocols are in place so they can follow your safety and social-distancing guidelines.

Be sure to differentiate the communications to furloughed and laid-off workers. Failure to distinguish between the notices can potentially confuse returning workers and trigger claims such as an employer's failure to provide notice under the federal Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act or equivalent state and local regulations.

6. Worker well-being

Focusing on workers' well-being upon reopening is very important. Some employees may have experienced their own personal traumas because of COVID-19, heightening their anxiety, fears, and concerns about returning to work. Therefore, you should to have tools in place along with access to employee assistance programs (EAPs), which can assist them during the transition.

Takeaways

Workplace health and safety requirements and best practices are now employers' guideposts for preparing their facilities for a safe return to work. When implementing the steps to reopen, be sure to align your approach with CDC and OSHA guidelines for best practices.