The COVID-19 outbreak has come as a shock to all Taiwanese and is having a major effect on domestic businesses. The virus might have caused greater damage than cancer and HIV/AIDS, and it seems to be developing faster and becoming even more serious than SARS.
As Taiwanese deal with this virus, they must cooperate with the government’s epidemic prevention measures, but even as they do so, it is the general public who have experienced the greatest disruption to their daily lives. The outbreak has had a major effect on jobs in particular, but also on businesses and people’s economic situations.
Domestic business owners must have something to go by as they take up the responsibilities and duties that follow on the effects of the outbreak.
Employers and employees should work together to bring Taiwanese through the battle against the virus calmly and in one piece.
Here are a few ideas that businesses and their human resource departments should seriously consider:
First, employers should adopt safe health and hygiene measures to protect their employees from becoming infected by COVID-19, which would be disastrous in the workplace.
Furthermore, they should establish an appropriate work environment and provide access to other health and welfare facilities.
If an employee is unable to accept work outside of normal work hours, for health or other legitimate reasons, they should not be forced to work.
In addition, employees should not be made to travel to infected areas in China.
Second, if an employee’s relatives are in need of care due to the virus, the employer should understand the employee’s need to care for their family and let them adjust their work hours by up to an hour without changing the regular daily work hours.
Third, if an employer decides that it is necessary to continue epidemic prevention-related business operations, such as the manufacture of masks and other medical supplies or transportation and delivery services, they should be allowed to suspend holidays while paying double wages to make up for the overtime, and then allowing staff time off afterward.
Temporarily suspended time off should be reported in detail to the competent local authority within 24 hours of it being done.
Fourth, the outbreak in China was sudden, and employers who find it necessary to extend work hours for this reason should be allowed to do so.
If the outbreak has a severe effect on business operations — for example by forcing a business to suspend operations, transfer ownership of operations to someone else, or otherwise sustain losses, reduce operations or close down operations for more than a month, or reduce staff due to changes in how the business operates — and if the firm is unable to provide other appropriate work during this time, it should inform employees that their employment contract will be terminated.
Wang Chung-jen is a lecturer at National Taiwan University.
Translated by Perry Svensson
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