Opting for furloughs
Furlough is just another name for a temporary layoff. It sounds better
to the worker being furloughed — it's one of the small ways you can
soften a blow that's going to sting regardless of how it's presented.
Furloughs are used when employers have a reasonable expectation of
bringing temporarily laid off individuals back to work within a short
period of time. The key phrase here is "within a short period of time."
Granted, you can define the duration of a furlough any number of
ways, but I tend to think of it as a period between two and six weeks.
If you think your ORs will be back online within that timeframe and
want staff to be ready when surgeries begin again, a furlough is likely
the way to go.
Of course, you must make smart decisions when furloughing staff.
Whenever you make a layoff decision — temporary or permanent —
staff must be selected for job-related reasons, which must be docu-
mented. Whether you furlough the entire staff or only select employ-
ees during the current outbreak, the same principles apply. You must
still document that job-related reasons (skillset and length of service,
for example) were why you selected employees for furlough.
When furloughing employees, set a date on which you expect the
furlough to end. But do so in a manner that leaves some wiggle room
if the situation changes. Note, for example, "We are anticipating a
return to full operations on July 10, but will reevaluate the situation as
we get closer to that date." Next, decide what, if anything, you want to
do financially for the furloughed employees. Here are two common
accommodations I've seen employers make:
• Pay healthcare premiums. If the furlough is expected to last a
month or two, which is hopefully the situation we're in now, covering
the cost of health insurance provides employees with tremendous
peace of mind. Keep in mind that healthcare premiums are typically
Staffing
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