To help you protect your workers and manage your business through a sudden change in alert levels, the team at HR Assured has whipped up a workplace checklist with useful tips for you to think about if your business is operating under alert level 2.

If your company is based in Auckland, we haven’t forgotten you! Head to this blog for a checklist for managing your workplace during COVID-19 alert level 3.

Three golden rules

To protect all Kiwis and get our country back to being COVID-free, here are three indispensable rules that everyone who interacts with your business should practice.

1. Contact tracing

Every organisation must have the official Government contact tracing QR code on display. Plus, a paper register and pen for anyone who doesn’t have a smartphone on them when entering your business premises. Make sure your QR codes and contact tracing register are easily accessible to all people.

2. Physical distancing

At both level 2 and 3, you must legally require all persons to maintain a one-metre distance between each other (it’s two metres in public and uncontrolled spaces).

3. Safe operations

It’s paramount that all businesses operate in a way that protects the safety of their people and communities. Safe operations at level 2 revolve around limiting the number of people inside your work premises (under 100) and enforcing stringent hygiene protocols.

Tips for managing people 

  • Reiterate the important reminder that anyone who is feeling unwell must stay home and contact the COVID-19 Healthline to all staff.
  • Make sure you have the correct contact and emergency contact details recorded on every employee personnel file.
  • Establish a central source of truth for regular updates to staff about changing Government requirements to staff, for example your company intranet, an employee self-service portal, or an email address that your employees can easily reference.
  • Follow the social distancing rules. Place down markers to help workers or customers to keep one metre apart in your workplace.
  • Re-communicate hygiene policies to staff.
  • Ensure you communicate your business’s process should any employee need to isolate due to potential exposure to COVID-19. For example, what to do if your employee is sick and isolating, feeling well but unable to work from home, well and able to work from home.

Managing health and safety at work

  • Ramp up hygiene promotion by providing information sheets and posters that promote handwashing, discourage sharing of tools, and encourage wiping down of shared spaces after use.
  • Encourage all workers to stay home if displaying any flu-like symptoms.
  • Look at organising more stringent or frequent cleaning processes, especially in shared spaces or areas where clients or customers frequently visit (like waiting rooms, restaurant tables and bars).
  • Encourage masks at work in spaces where social distancing isn’t always possible, especially for public-facing workers.
  • Financial pressure can influence whether your staff stay home when unwell. Consider implementing a flexible leave or working arrangement to mitigate this, so your employees can stay home if at risk.
  • Refresh and reshare information regularly on hygiene requirements and services such as your employee assistance programme (EAP) to keep safe practices and well-being front of mind.
  • Remember that changing workplace practices can create new risks to health and safety. Involve your workers in consultation to identify and minimise these new risks.
  • Review your return to work process for workers who’ve been tested and cleared of COVID-19 or are no longer symptomatic.
  • Plan for what will happen if someone at your workplace (worker or customer) falls ill, and what to do if someone who has been on your workplace premises contracts COVID-19.
  • Make sure your Infection Control at Work Policy is up to date and covers how your business will deal with COVID-19.

Head to Worksafe for more information on managing your health and safety under COVID-19 restrictions.

 Workplace systems and technology 

  • Check that your staff have access to the right hardware and online infrastructure to work remotely if your business is required to operate under level 3 restrictions.
  • Evaluate your IT security protocols to mitigate risk in a remote working environment.

Managing customers and suppliers

  • Check-in with your suppliers and, if required, identify alternative suppliers just in case COVID-19 disrupts your current supply chain.
  • Communicate any delays or changes in service or product to your customers and suppliers due to the alert level change.
  • If able, make sure that you have a plan ready for providing your products and services remotely or via contactless solutions.
  • Ensure a copy of the Government QR code is available in all spaces, including vehicles, for all suppliers, clients, and the public to access when on your business premises.
  • Display signs and posters to promote one-metre physical distancing between all persons in your workplace.
  • Think about how you will make QR codes and safety protocols accessible to customers with disabilities. For example, QR codes should be at an accessible height, and you may need a way of communicating requirements to those people with a sight or hearing impairment.
  • Manage customer entry and exit of your workplace to monitor the number of people coming in and out. Gatherings are limited to up to 100 people during alert level 2.
  • Set up and encourage contactless payment options.
  • If close contact is a high risk, consider enforcing face masks to reduce risk to others. Remember, face masks are compulsory on all public transport options, including ride-share services.

Regulation and Government support

  • Establish a method of communicating the most up-to-date health advice to keep ALL staff informed of any changes to public and business requirements.
  • Identify the go-to people in your business to seek advice from when interpreting any employment or workplace law. They may be internal or outsourced advisors like the team at HR Assured.
  • Develop a succession plan in the unlikely event (remembering that COVID-19 is an unpredictable beast) that your whole team or critical persons in your businesses are out of action due to isolation, falling sick or exposure to the virus. You want to avoid a complete closure of your business if possible.
  • Leave support under COVID-19. The Government currently has two financial support schemes operating to provide leave support for businesses and employees: the COVID-19 Leave Support Scheme and the Short-term Absence Payment. Both have different application criteria, and it may be worth looking into these for your business.
  • If there’s a move to Level 2 or above for 7 consecutive days or more, your business may be able to apply for a one-off Resurgence Support Payment.
  • If Alert levels escalate to Level 3 or 4, the Wage Subsidy Scheme is also in place for eligible employers.

Preparation is a key element for business resilience in our COVID-19 world. This checklist should help you prepare for the recent alert level changes, and you can always refer to it in the future.

For our clients, we want you to know that the Telephone Advisory Service is here to support you so you can continue your day-to-day business and navigating your recovery. You can also access the following COVID-19 related templates to help you manage COVID-19 related workplace changes:

  • Home-based Work Health & Safety Checklist;
  • Working from Home Policy;
  • Work from Home Arrangement;
  • Employee Induction Checklists (eSS and Standard Versions) with additional steps to help you implement working from home arrangements; and
  • Coronavirus Infection and Control Policy.

Each of these policies can be created in HRA Cloud and sent to your employees digitally via eSS.

If you’re not a client, but you’re looking for advice on the COVID-19 alert levels for your workplace, contact our friendly team of experts for a confidential chat.

 This article is intended to be used as a guide for employers and should not replace official Government guidance.

Useful links:

WorkSafe guidelines for operating safely during COVID-19 

COVID-19 guidelines for alert level 2