Keep Your Employees Safe amidst Omicron Surge

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The spread of the Omicron variant has caught many people off guard these past few months. With the Omicron variant disseminating faster than the original virus, cases are rising fast that the world is experiencing a Covid-19 storm once again. While the new variant causes milder symptoms that hospitalization is often not required, the high number of cases might overwhelm the healthcare system nonetheless. As businesses are reopening, precautions are urgently needed so the workforce is not affected. Here is how to do it.

Latest Recap of Omicron Case

Southeast Asia is no exception when it comes to the Covid-19 Omicron case surge. On February 2, there were 60,117 active cases, after 3,196 recoveries reported in Malaysia. On the same day, Singapore had recorded 3,101 new COVID-19 cases, including 2,919 domestic and 182 imported cases. Indonesia is no different, as it had an increase of 17,895 cases on that day too. Other countries in Southeast Asia are currently experiencing a similar surge of COVID-19 cases and most cases are triggered by the Omicron variant.

Symptoms to Anticipate

The first thing to keep your employees safe amidst the Omicron surge is to understand its symptoms. It should be noted that some ‘original variant’ symptoms do not appear in the Omicron and some new symptoms arise. Symptoms also appear to begin quicker than with the Delta type, approximately three days after infection rather than five days or so. Here are some to anticipate, according to CDC:

• Runny or congested nose

• Feeling fatigued

• Headache

• New, continuous cough

• Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing

• Muscle or body aches

• New loss of a sense of taste or smell

• Sore throat

• Nausea or vomiting

• Diarrhea

Covid-19 can spread faster than flu and can cause considerable disease in certain people, especially those with comorbidities. It may also take longer for patients to develop symptoms, and they may be susceptible for long periods of time. Since certain flu and COVID-19 symptoms are similar, it may be hard to differentiate between them based on symptoms alone, and testing may be required to make a diagnosis.

Remote Working Possibility

Although many people have been rediscovering the joy and pride in returning to the office like before the pandemic, the remote working implementation should be re-considered. There would come a moment when both employers and employees acknowledge that having everyone back in the office is not truly feasible. Those who have been vaccinated are still at risk of catching the new Omicron variant, so getting all employees to assemble in an office full-time may bring more harm than good, at least for now. 

Employees have already been embracing remote work and hybrid offices for a variety of reasons, including flexible schedules, the possibility to relocate to more inexpensive areas, and the comfort of being close to their family. As long as the job can still be done remotely, there is no harm in implementing remote working (or at least hybrid working) once more.

Preventive and Immediate Acts

COVID-19 and other threats to the health and safety of workers and anyone exposed by their work should be a top agenda for all companies. It is necessary for business owners to have a strategy in place for COVID-19, particularly the Omicron variant, which might have an impact on businesses operations, as well as employees. Make sure your company's C-level executives set a positive example for other employees, as they are in the position of being looked up to.

Here are some necessary acts to implement:

• If your employees are unwell, make sure they stay at home and get them tested if they have not recovered within 3 days.

• Encourage your staff to get their vaccinations, including boosters. 

• If some of your employees are unable to be vaccinated due to health reasons, make sure they are prioritized in being given a remote working benefit, as they belong to the immunocompromised group. 

• Promote healthy behaviors at work, such as evaluating and updating hygiene, cleaning, and airflow standards, and ensuring everyone obeys this.

Businesses should not risk people’s lives by implementing both preventive and direct measures in the workplace. Learn about the COVID-19 Regulatory Approach, which may differ in each country, and how it applies to your company. Physical distancing, wearing masks, tracing, and testing are all to follow. After all, it is always better to be safe than sorry. Stay safe everyone!

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