Good Afternoon, All –

I hope that everyone at each of your sites, and your families are all doing well, as we proceed day by day with the new normal.  The situation changes day to day and state by state, and we are keeping up with all of these changes, and supporting our employees across the country, as we all manage through this time in our country.

I would like to address some of the questions and concerns that continue to arise, as well as to provide guidance as we move ahead:

• Many states have put forth “stay at home” guidelines for non-essential personnel and workers.  Security is an Essential Business, and our Officers are Essential Personnel.  I have provided letters for the officers in MA and CT, as well as those on the Marshal Service and BOP contracts, and the letters are also up on ehub.  These letters are to be used if any employee is questioned when going to work or back home.  Please do not change the standard letters in any fashion.  Should you have any questions, please contact me directly.
• As you receive calls about someone being out, please ask the follow up questions. In times like these, we can ask why someone is out, and determine if we need to take any other steps on our part.  If they have a sick family member, find out the cause.  If it is not flu or virus related, they will be able to return when the family member is well, or when they are able to, and as soon as possible.  If it is due to the flu or the potential of the Corona Virus or possible exposure to it, they will need to self-quarantine until their family member is diagnosed or found to be free of the flu or virus.
• PLEASE NOTE: We are not to be telling our employees that they should go to the doctor or to a medical facility or be tested for the virus.  These are personal decisions on their part.  If you are aware of any situation involving an employee, please advise me and your direct manager immediately.
• 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.
• In situations where someone is “Not Comfortable” coming in, and they have no reason to offer, they will not be eligible to use paid time, nor can they collect unemployment.  This will be their personal decision and they need to understand the protocol.  You can refer any employee to me with questions.
• Certain employees may be in a HIGH-RISK Category, and they may be told by their doctor that they need to stay home because of possible exposure.  They can use whatever sick or PTO time they have during that time.  They may have a doctor’s note to provide to us, but more than likely, we will not see many notes during this time.  Our older officers may fall into this category, as well as someone with an immune system that is compromised.  I will guide you through these situations.  Contact me with those situations and your questions.
• If you have performance issues during this time, please address them as you normally do and follow our Progressive Discipline policies, involving me and your DM’s in each situation, as you normally do.  At this time, we will do any termination remotely, so you can get the conduct report approved, and have a conversation with the employee and email them the form, for them to sign and return.  We will contest any claim for someone who resigns or is termed for cause, and I will need your documentation for these situations, as always.

• If a candidate or new hire advises you that they have the virus, or they have been exposed, you can delay the hiring process, and you can also rescind an offer for the time being, and that candidate or hire can come back through the process down the road.  We can do this during this time, and with the support of the EEOC and the changes that they have made to be flexible with employers during this new normal.

• Please continue to do COS forms and submit them as normal.  It continues to be important to keep WinTeam up to date.

• Please do not post or share and memos or notices for your employees without getting my approval, as well as the approval of the RVP.  We will continue to follow our normal protocol for any employee communication.  Trust that as things change state by state, or federally, we will comply and notify everyone.

• At this time, and based upon what we have been told, we have limited illness among our employees and their families, which is excellent.  I know that everyone is working very hard to keep areas clean, sanitized and safe for their employees, and our clients are doing the same thing.  Let’s continue to follow all of those good health practices at work and at home.

Please let me know if you have any questions on the above.  I will be here to guide everyone as needed, so call me anytime on my cell.  I know that we are sharing a lot of information with everyone, but we want you to be up to date and prepared at all times, and I am here to support you.

As you can see, consistent communication and quick action is very critical during this time, and we want our employees to receive clear messages at all times.

Everyone is working hard, and you are all doing a wonderful job of managing, communicating, bringing questions forth and handling situations calmly.  We will all get through this together and I am here to help at any time!  Please continue to reach out to me with any situation that arises. 

Thank you all.

Take care and stay well,

Valerie J. Izzo