Good Morning, All –

I hope that everyone is doing well, as we proceed with this new normal.

I would like to give you all some guidelines to follow related to call-outs for illness, requests for sick time, types of illness, doctor’s notes and requirements for RTW.  Please involve me in all situations.

• If you receive a call and are advised that an employee has flu-like symptoms, they are to stay at home until clear of fever and flu.  If they are seen by a doctor and are cleared in writing, let’s get that doctor’s note in hand.  They can utilize paid sick time, if they have any, and they can use PTO if they have any.  They should be requesting this paid time in writing.
• When you get these calls, you CAN ask questions about someone’s symptoms, to determine if they have the flu, or some other illness, such as a stomach virus, etc.  If they have seen a doctor and have a note writing them out, they can email it to us.  If they do not, we will discuss and handle case by case.
• If they are caring for a family member who is sick, we will need to understand the circumstances, in the event that they will need to quarantine for 14 days.
• If they are unable to provide any documentation at all, we will handle with as much flexibility as possible, however, someone with a serious illness will need to have doctor’s clearance to return.  We want to continue to err on the side of an abundance of caution.
• If someone has been exposed to someone with COVID-19, they will need to quarantine for 14 days.  If they worked when exposed, we need to know that immediately, and any officers who were exposed to them will need to quarantine.  This information will also need to be communicated as necessary to our clients.  Please involve your manager.  Our clients are also being very responsive with us and are notifying us of any situations at their sites, as well.  Please keep me updated on those.
• If an employee is diagnosed with COVID-19, they will need to provide a doctor’s note before they can return.  This should be something that they can obtain, since they will have seen a doctor.
• If an employee is diagnosed with COVID-19, we need to know who has been exposed to them, and those officers will need to be quarantined for 14 days.
• If someone says that they are “not comfortable” coming to work, but they are not sick, they are not eligible for any paid time, and they will not be eligible for any unemployment or state support at this time.  If the government makes changes to that, we will of course, comply.  Nothing as of yet has been announced.  Please keep me apprised of any situations like this.
• We will continue to follow our standard policies for sick time and RTW, but we know that flexibility will be required, and I can assist you case by case.

Please let me know if you have any questions on the above.  I will be here to guide everyone as needed.

As you can see, communication and quick action is very critical during this time, since the virus can spread quickly and create scenarios where many people are affected and will have to be quarantined.  We are hoping for limited illness among our employees and their families, and I know that everyone is working very hard to keep areas clean, sanitized and safe for their employees.  Let’s continue to follow all of those good health practices at work and at home.

Everyone is working hard, and you are all doing a wonderful job of communicating, bringing questions forth and handling situations calmly.  We will all get through this together and I am here to help at any time.

Thank you all.

Take care and stay well,

Valerie J. Izzo