SHRM President and Chief Executive Officer Johnny C. Taylor, Jr., SHRM-SCP, answers HR questions as part of a series for USA Today. Questions are submitted by readers, and Taylor’s answers below have been edited for length and clarity.
Do you have a personnel or work-related question that you would like him to answer? Submit it here.
Q: I work for a nonprofit with offices in Florida and Texas, states where COVID-19 cases continue to rise. Our company has already stipulated that employees in the field wear masks. However, we have struggled with what the organization can and cannot ask after working hours. Can we restrict personal travel from employees to frontline employees? -Anonymous
Johnny C. Taylor, Jr .: While the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other public health authorities urge US citizens to restrict travel, they cannot prohibit employees from traveling within the US or to any other country.
This may seem contrary to instructions from many employers from their local and state health authorities, but it is worth breaking down the “why”.
Many states have “off-duty” codes of conduct. Put simply, these laws prevent employers from restricting an employee’s after-work activities, provided that such after-work activities are legal.
Even so, you can and should encourage your employees to remain cautious and vigilant when traveling. It could be a simple reminder, or you could even go so far as to discourage non-essential travel to known COVID-19 hotspots. After all, it’s not just about that one employee, but also about the rest of the company and maybe also about your customers.
It’s also worth noting that while an employer may not be able to ban an employee’s in-person travel, they can establish firm safety policies and protocols that employees must follow while working. This may include an obligation on employees to notify an employer of travel plans to a state or city that is considered a COVID-19 hotspot.
If a traveling employee returns from a high-risk area, you can quarantine them for 10-14 days before returning to work to stay safe and protect colleagues from possible infection with the virus. Other options include allowing an employee to work from home, if necessary, or to take paid or unpaid vacation until the incubation period has expired.
COVID-19 has certainly presented employers with new challenges, but no process or policy can eliminate risk – at least not entirely. Practical measures to protect the workplace and protect your customers can help prevent exposure without affecting employees’ personal activities outside of work.
I hope this helps, and I hope you stay healthy!
Q: My boss is organizing a team building afternoon. The last time she tried this I refused. I didn’t know it was a “work thing”. I was told she was disappointed that I wasn’t there. I really don’t want to go. Is there a way to politely decline? Or can I add this event to my timesheet if I need to attend? -Anonymous
Taylor: Thanks for writing. We’ve all been invited to working events that we’d rather not attend – trust me, I know. However, with more than half of the U.S. workforce at home, many employers are trying to find new and creative ways to engage their employees and ensure teams stay connected.
Here is the short answer: Of course, you can refuse to participate in the team building events of your work. But what would that say about your attitude towards your job, boss and team? If you say no, it could affect your relationships with your manager or coworkers and you could miss out on an important career development opportunity.
I want to emphasize that your boss likely isn’t doing this to take time off work or simply to schedule another meeting. Rather, managers put team building activities together to foster a more inclusive environment and create a stronger sense of community among their teams.
Technically, if you’re an hourly worker who needs to attend meetings or other work-related events, you should get paid – and the wage must be at least the minimum wage. This time would also count towards overtime. You can review your employee manual or speak to HR to clear up any confusion.
If you really don’t want to attend, you can speak respectfully about your feelings with your manager. You don’t mention what the team building activity is, but if your reason for not attending is due to a lack of comfort or even medical reasons, your boss can understand.
Whether you decide to participate is ultimately up to you. Ultimately, however, these activities are about your own professional development and how you can better work with your team to achieve your goals and improve the bottom line of the company.
Given how 2020 has changed the workplace, it can be difficult to feel motivated and connected at work. I encourage you to consider team building exercises not as a chore or any other item on your to-do list, but as an opportunity to make new connections, learn more about how your teammates think and work, and even have fun !
