The COVID-19 Crisis Demands Caring Leadership

With COVID-19 now declared a pandemic, all of us are now living in a worldwide crisis and no one can predict how or when this will end.  What is clear is we now need to follow the science-based advice of our health experts. The World Health Organization has broadcast the following advice that has been shared across the globe, and should be shared with everyone, everywhere, including in all workplaces:

• Wash your hands frequently
• Maintain social distancing
• Avoid touching eyes, nose and mouth
• Practice respiratory hygiene
• If you have fever, cough and difficulty breathing, seek medical care early
• Stay informed and follow the advice given by your healthcare provider

This advice is essential but what about the role of leadership in organizations at a time of a health crisis? 

Leaders and managers not only need to know the law and rights of employees but also need to practice a new level of tolerance and compassion given the heightened fears and panic that is here to stay until this crisis abates.

Data collected to date suggests the highest risk is to the elderly and those with already compromised health. The risk for the majority is that we might, directly or indirectly, contract COVID-19 and infect others who are at high risk and could die as a result.

So first – know the rules!

According to Howard Levitt, employment and labour legal expert, there are a few basic things employees need to know:

• You cannot permit employees who are endangered by symptoms of the virus, either by travelling to countries such as Italy, China, South Korea and Iran or by contacting anyone infected, to enter your workplace until after two weeks of quarantine, during which you can require them, if feasible, to work from home.
• Public health authorities are recommending extending this to anyone who has travelled outside of the country, likely because of the risks from infection at the airports or on the planes themselves.
• If an employer does not prohibit such a person attending the workplace, it can be sued for negligence by any employee who attracts the virus and, for that matter, anyone they infect in turn.
• If you prevent their attendance, as you should, you must pay their salary for those two weeks or until they obtain a test clearing them of the virus. If an employee becomes ill, they are entitled to whatever disability benefits the employer provides. However, all employers do not offer sick pay and there is no legal requirement to do so.
• Whether in quarantine or ill, employees cannot be dismissed, as that would be a breach of the human rights code in Canada.
• There is no legal obligation on employers to permit work from home arrangements and many jobs are not compatible with remote work.

Leaders definitely need to know the “rules” but their success will be judged in how they behave in times of crisis. How they treat their employees – not just what they say since anyone can rehearse and read the “lines” but also how they act.

• Are you an empathetic leader – one who understands, relates to and is sensitive to customers, colleagues and communities.
• Are you a tolerant leader – one who has sympathy or indulgence for beliefs or practices differing from or conflicting with your own.
• Are you a kind and compassionate leader – one who fosters wellbeing, by providing not only expertise, credibility, and trust but also support, which in turn creates positive, safe and collaborative relationships and workplaces.

How do you know?

There are lots of ways to find out including interviews and 360s that will tell you what others think of you. There are also new and experiential tools that can provide you with an up-close look at how you react to human to human challenges, and that can provide a deep dive into how you relate to and are perceived by others. 

To learn more about how the organizational leaders of tomorrow are putting people before process, contact us at info@rewhyr.com.