Navigating COVID-19-Related HR Challenges in the Food Industry

(This article appeared in the May 15th Food Engineering publication. Click here to view the article in full.)

Navigating COVID-19-related HR challenges in the food industry

How to support your people through compassion, compliance and accountability
To say COVID-19 has changed the landscape of the food industry would be an understatement. As organizations of all sizes navigate either increased demand or dramatic decline, business leaders are doing their best to maintain normalcy and plan quicker than ever before. While changes seem to be taking place daily, one thing that remains the same is the importance of managing and supporting your people through compassion, compliance and accountability.

Our HR Consulting professionals answered some of the many questions food industry leaders are asking about how to reinforce those key principles, and other important HR issues, during the global pandemic.

Compassion
How can I appropriately support employees emotionally during COVID-19?
To navigate the ever-changing landscape this pandemic presents for our industry, it is important to stay aware of the impact on employees, due to illness, reduced hours or loss of temporary employment. Employees are facing increased emotions, heightened anxiety, fear, added stress from children at home, and isolationism. Organizations should consider the very real impact these emotions have on the ability for people to stay healthy, be present and productive. At this critical time, employees will benefit from strong guidance and leadership from their CEOs.

Compliance
How can I keep employees from burning out?
Managers should ensure employees are taking their breaks and meal periods. Additionally, employers may want to encourage and even require the use of vacation/paid time off (PTO).  It is also important to verify there are no legal requirements or restrictions that affect timing or use, such as emergency paid sick time (FFCRA). If the organization is in a position to allow for employees to take time off, flexible scheduling options may be an attractive option. Consider instituting sleep-in days and/or leave early days. Corresponding policies are key, for consistency sake. 
Managers should also show appreciation by understanding what motivates their employees. Some employees may appreciate a gift certificate to a favorite restaurant, while others are looking for a simple thank you card or acknowledgement. Understanding employee motivation goes a long way.
When employees are working long hours, it is important that management recognizes and acknowledge their hard work. Regular, consistent communication and feedback is key.

How do I account for a buildup of PTO?
Organizations can manage large balances of vacation time or PTO by offering to pay out PTO to bring the balances down. Organizations may also mandate employees use their PTO/vacation. For example, you may want to consider staggering mandated PTO for certain days of the week or for a complete week at a time. Another example could be for summer months, employees must take one day of PTO per week for the months of July and August.

What are the wage and hour issues with overtime?
Organizations need to ensure they have a system to record all time worked. For example, overtime in California is paid at one and one-half times their regular rate for any hours worked over eight hours in a day or 40 hours in a week. If an employee works over 12 hours in a day, they are paid double time. In addition, employees are eligible for overtime for any work performed on the seventh consecutive day.
Employers are allowed to mandate overtime. In California, employees are guaranteed a day of rest in every work week. An employer may allow an employee to independently choose to not take a day of rest as long as the employee is apprised of their right to take a day of rest.