The shut-down of offices and orders to employees to work from home creates a unique set of risks for chief compliance officers and human relations leaders, warns Michael Volkov.
“First and foremost, CCOs and HR staff have to recognize health and safety risks are primary. If an employee cannot be guaranteed safety, then the company cannot operate,” Volkov writes. Companies also should also prepare for the likelihood that at least one of their employees will test positive for the virus. “The implications of such a positive test are significant for maintaining privacy interests,” Volkov says. “On the other hand, companies have to fairly inform other employees that they may have been exposed… and may need to be tested.”
